A centre-left consensus is not enough – we need a global progressive movement

By James Alexander

I consider myself to be very much a citizen of the world and an egalitarian. These are some of the reasons why I am a member of the Labour party. I also take a great interest in foreign affairs, especially in the politics of Ireland.

But I believe that gloablisation, international interdependece and pressures from other external forces mean it is no longer enough to ensure a centre-left government in the UK alone.

To ensure a centre-left future for the UK, we must also fight to retain a Democrat in the White House and that other centre left parties are in office in major democracies around the world.

Therefore, I believe there should be a “socialist defence force” set up, a crack squad of elite electioneers who are part-financed by different centre-left parties in the democratic world. Their remit would be to ensure election victories in multiple countries for centre left parties.

This would allow globalisation and interdependency to be carried out in a more liberal fashion, as well as help homogenise a centre-left political response to international problems.

The Labour party has a lot in common with foreign counter-parts and working together in a more coherent way could be achieved on a party level, helping centre-left Governments work more closely together.

Some months ago I visited Dublin and both the Houses of the Oireachtas as well as the old British Rule House of Lords. My visit to the Leinster House was organised by the Irish Labour politician Brian O’Shea, TD for Waterford. As someone who is of Waterford ancestry this meant a lot to me.

I did not realize until visiting the Dáil Éireann, that the Irish Labour party was set up by James Connolly, Jim Larkin and William X O’Brien in 1912 as a political branch of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Both James Connolly and Jim Larkin were previous residents of Scotland and England respectively. Both had links with the British Labour party and had helped in the formative years of the party.

It became clear that the Irish Labour party and the UK party have a lot in common in terms of current philiosophy as well as formation. I visited the Irish Labour party at Ely Place and discussed this with Dublin City Councillor, Dermot Lacey.

While listening to Australian Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, at the Labour party conference last year, it was explained how the Australian Labor party had been set up by Chris Watson, a young organiser and protégé of Keir Hardie. Indeed, Chris went on to become the first Labor Prime Minister anywhere in the world.

We often share a heritage with these sister parties and we work with some in the PES and the EU. However to ensure a centre-left UK we need to ensure a centre-left Europe, a Democratic US and centre-left democratic world.

It is about time there was more cooperation between the parties to help ensure mutual success in elections and a basis for more profound outcomes of international agreements. It is time to establish pan-electioneering strategies.