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Opening up closed circles

November 5, 2011 4:07 pm

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By Jamie Audsley and Andy Hull

One of Ed Miliband’s themes at Party Conference this year was opening up closed circles. As conference descended on Liverpool, we took the pulse, asking members we met how they thought the Party was doing. “I’m not sure they really want me here,” said a member from East London. “They say they do, but they don’t. I’ve tried to get involved but they want to run it like they’ve always done: a closed shop that serves their interests and their friends. What’s in it for me and our area?” Another member, from Crewe, said there were two conferences happening: on the one hand, ordinary members as delegates in the hall, going through the motions (literally), and, on the other, suits at drinks receptions calling the shots.

“What would be the one thing the Labour party would have to do to get you in, get you involved?”, we asked. “Open up, enable me actually to make change happen, to do something real.” Fast forward to Tuesday and it appears Ed has been listening, as he calls for a new way of doing our politics.

And here’s the real story of Conference and the Party that needs to be told. A story that connects the top and the bottom. Forget the comment and the headlines for the moment, the Blue, the Purple and the Lime Green (don’t worry, that one doesn’t exist… yet). The real story is in the beginnings of an attempt to do things differently; to involve people and to create a culture where people can act together to effect change and achieve something real. A culture where people matter and our circle keeps opening up and we keep growing.

‘Connecting to Win’, an event organised by Labour Values and supported by Movement for Change, contributed to this effort. Over the last year, Labour Values have met to discuss and take action to try to do our politics differently. We continued this effort in Liverpool, harnessing the energy of Ed’s speech, by bringing together 55 people from across the country at an event to share how they are developing their membership and how they are building relationships with their communities to effect change and win. The event was participative, with everyone from the General Secretary of the Party to the youngest at just 15 being able to speak and contribute to our way forward.

After an hour or so of sharing our experiences from up and down the country of what works (and what doesn’t), we agreed some next steps and committed to return to our constituencies and implement one or two practical actions, to open up our own local circles. They included starting a local party youth mentoring programme, taking on risky campaigns that really meet the interests of members, and implementing a section in local meetings where we work on real plans to improve our community, however small. You can read the rest here.

From the Leader’s office at the top to our own wards’ meeting rooms at the bottom, this work needs to continue. For Ed, he needs to stay out there and press the flesh, to walk the streets of our country and to visit the homes and factories of the people we know are returning to Labour. For Conference, let’s ensure next year we have more open meeting spaces where members can hold a gathering for free; discounted student accommodation; hub workspaces to blog, chat and share ideas; open mic events and creative spaces to bring our annual get-together into the 21st century – open discussions and question times are a good start, but we can go further.

And for us, we suggest every local party can do three things: first, start raising money for a local organiser whose job it is to involve, develop and nurture new talent; second, develop a leadership programme for our people to develop their skills of organisation, communication and campaigning to achieve real change; and third, write a common purpose document with all your members and local community so that people know what we’re there for. Policy is important, but let’s open up the Party’s closed circles, so that we do politics as if people matter too.

Jamie Audsley is a Labour Party member in Dulwich and West Norwood CLP. Andy Hull is a Labour Party member in Islington North CLP.

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  • Anonymous

    A great piece- and much needed perspective; really well articulated.

    Many of us on LL have been expressing similar for some time-
    as the key for future success, widening access and breaking down barriers
    in what appeared to be a rather top down and authoritarian struture?

    You have given some real pragmatic examples
    of how these principles can be translated into action;
    I’m sure there is a wealth of ideas and experience out there at grassroots’ level?

    This Refounding Labour business has got to get off the ground,
    not remain in a policy vacuum.

    Thankyou Jamie and Andy for really inspiring stuff;
    would love to hear more in the future.

    Jo

  • http://nhsvault.blogspot.com Richard Blogger

    I would love to see closed circles opened up, but honestly, is *that* what the party really wants?

    Earlier this year I went to a NPF event in the West Midlands. We spent time in groups discussing issues and policies and then shared them together with the room. There were several main themes, but the issue that concerned the most people was the marketisation of the NHS by this government (and the last). Did that change anything? Have the party listened? Will they change their policy?

    The evidence so far is that the party has not listened.

    Next weekend I will attend the West Midlands Regional Conference, I got the schedule a couple of days ago. There is not a single session on the NHS. Not one. It’s as if the party is scared to talk to its membership about the NHS. Why? Since the NPF event I attended clearly indicated that the NHS is a high priority, why is the party ignoring it?

    And for that matter, where and how can I take part in the party’s policy formulation for the NHS in the future?

    • Anonymous

      Hi Richard,

      I’m always interested to hear what you have to say, since I know you are a genuine campaigner and have written some great stuff on the NHS reforms.
      (Hope you are well by the way, long time no hear on LL?!)

      Just to say briefly, I attended the “people’s policy forum” a few months back, attended by about 2000 people, some members of the party, some not. It was part of the “travelling roadshow” of shadow cabinet ministers and rolling out of the Refounding Labour ideas, various different areas of policy/workshops.

      I was also able to speak directly with some, as they were making themselves open and accessible.It was a refreshing change from just seeing MP’s rolled our via filtered media images and soundbites; especially to discover they appeared so normal and human like the rest of us!

      The enthusiasm and energy was palpable, i think mainly because people there were directly involved in the debates and could participate in the Q+A session for example with Ed M as we saw was very successful at conference.

      I have no truck with people who put this kind of thing down when they are not remotely involved, or have an “anti” agenda towards the party or individuals.

      I agree with you this has to be a multi pronged approach; not just talk but also action; and definitely agree issues like the NHS and education should be at the top of the agenda.
      We’ve not heard enough, and it’s been a frustrating process on that front.

      I do hope you plan to stick around for a while on LL;
      we could do with some balanced perspectives and informed opinion;
      especially from people like you, Ian R, Peter B and Mike H who are directly involved with party processes.

      We can all learn something from each other and share experiences and viewpoints.

      Best wishes, Jo.

      • http://nhsvault.blogspot.com Richard Blogger

        Hi Jo, Thanks for you kind remarks – you made me blush :-)

        The meeting you describe sounds great, and as you say, it should be replicated everywhere. My concern is whether what is said at these meetings is actually acted upon. Sorry if I sound cynical, but there is a danger that the policy making will carry on in spite of, rather than because of, what the membership want and these meetings are held merely to look as if the party is listening to its membership.

        As an example, we are constantly told that we have to have “patient choice”. The last government forced “choice” on us,  and the current government is trying to get us to “choose” more. I worry that the next Labour manifesto will put “patient choice” at the heart of its NHS policy rather than as an adjunct where it belongs.

        The reason I say this is because “choice” is expensive and in a time of austerity it will mean that some people will suffer cuts in treatment to allow others to have “choice”. We know that patients have largely ignored the “patient choice” that the last Labour government offered. In fact last December the Department of Health sent a desperate survey to GPs pleading with them to provide ideas on how to make patients choose. It is a failed policy. The NHS should concentrate in its core purpose: high quality treatment.

        When the government says that people “want choice”, it has always turned out that they have fiddled the figures, or asked survey questions so that people cannot refuse to be in favour of “choice”. When the Labour government created a pilot of “patient  choice” in 2002 it was set up with so many incentives to make patients “choose” that it was surprising if anyone did not accept “choice”, and yet a third of patients in the pilot didn’t.

        What patients want is high quality local services. Simples.

        If the next Labour manifesto offers “greater patient choice” then I will know that the leadership have not listened and are producing the manifesto to another agenda.

        • Anonymous

          Hi Richard, thankyou kindly for excellent discussion.

          I’ll try to get back to you tomorrow.
          Great to hear from you, and hope all’s well.

          Jo

  • jaime taurosangastre candelas

    The first paragraph sums up the problem, but to my mind everything after that missed the point.

    To make change actually happen, as opposed to lots of people talking about “change”, as if that changed anything at all, you’ve got the get the people who control the current organisation to change.

    Like every organisation, the Labour Party is institutionally wedded to the current policies and leaders, and to the current rulebook.  Until those change (and the leaders change their minds or are exchanged themselves), nothing will change.

    Having lots of open space at a stage managed annual conference for open mic meetings, blogging, discounting student accommodation, etc actually changes nothing.  It’s probably a good smokescreen to imply change, dynamism, listening, and other good buzz words, but in practical terms it means absolutely zero.

    As Richard Blogger observes, things like the NPF achieve precisely nothing.  Which Jo Hazico 28 will hate to read, as she apparently really believed the event she attended was important.  But did it actually change anything?  All these events do is to make the internal sheep start baa-ing to order.

  • Franwhi

    There’s nothing here which signifies a clear direction of change nor which conceives of change as anything other than managerial when it’s in fact a values thing. In a values vacuum al lthis talk of change is synthetic.

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