Changing our structures could be the key to avoiding this constant navel-gazing

Once again, the Labour Party has spent months talking to and about ourselves. The lesson we all swore we’d learn after the last leadership contest had been completely lost. In 2010, as the stories set in stone the disastrous narrative that public spending and Labour profligacy caused the deficit, we fought among ourselves.

Now we do so again. But as they plan assaults on trade unions and the most vulnerable, we barely notice, too busy tearing each other to pieces.

And to a lesser extent, we’re set to do it all over again next year and every year as we continue to elect our internal policy making bodies on a rolling basis. Talking again to ourselves. Having many of our best activists engaged in internal campaigns for NEC and NPF places.

There has been a lot of talk about the vulnerabilities of the registered supporters scheme, but far less about the overall timetable of these elections. Why are we electing a Leader and Deputy at the same time? Would we not have been better having a short campaign for both running concurrently rather than simultaneously? Knowing then who the leader was before we choose a deputy to compliment them?

Equally, I have long believed that we should elect the NPF (full disclosure, I sit in this body) and the NEC for 5 year terms ending the endless (and expensive) internal campaigns, and allowing all our bodies to mirror fixed term parliaments, working as a strong and cohesive whole throughout.

The argument is that this is less democratic. But no less so that for Parliamentary seats themselves. For my money, we would serve democracy considerably better if we focus outward on the Tories.

Properly empowering the NPF so it is a body that actually writes the manifesto – rather than the rather odd process we have now where it feeds in, but is accepted or ignored at will by the leadership and Shadow Cabinet would be a far more democratic approach.

The NEC should also have significantly more representation from CLPs. Double the current six at least. Giving members representatives a strong voice in the government of our Party. These too should then represent 5 year terms. Freeing up the NEC to properly govern, according to the rule book, and not spend their time trying to be re-elected would give us all more confidence in their ability to make good, long term decisions.

Internal elections in the Labour Party matter. But they do not matter as much as having a Party focused on defeating the Tories and getting the Party back into power.

A few small changes – as suggested above – could be the key to changing our navel-gazing focus. I would suggest whoever leads our Party in future considers that as they bring us out of this divisive period and remind us all what we exist to achieve.