Putting force in Labour ranks

By Jim Murphy MP

For some time I have asked myself, ‘How do we make it easier for those who have taken off their military uniform to take up politics, and Labour politics in particular?’ This question is easier to pose than answer, but part of it is about selection processes.

All parliamentary selections are different. Thinking back to my own there were three big factors. Firstly, did I have local connections? I grew up just one street outside the constituency and so was considered local(ish). That one street was a world away in some ways because it was in one of Glasgow’s housing schemes and I was standing for selection in one of the most prosperous seats in the country.

Secondly, what level of union support did I have? At the time the only strong backing I had was from the shop workers’ union, USDAW, while other candidates had stronger union support. But the third and perhaps biggest factor was that no-one expected us to win the seat and some people chose not to go for the selection. That wasn’t the case – we won the seat and have done four times since.

Considering these factors through the experiences of a member of the Armed Forces, however, and it would be very different. Firstly, many former members of the Forces can’t have consistent local ties as many live slightly nomadic lives, with their postings and service often taking them around the country and around the globe. On the second factor of union membership, we all know that rightly there is no union for serving personnel to join. But the downside when it comes to selections is obvious, as the informal networks which are a plus in selection processes are more difficult to navigate if you’ve never been a union member. Finally, my experience in 1997 was of the moment: simply put, I was in the right place at the right time. The Tories had run out of road and almost no-one could complete the sentence “I’m voting for John Major because…” and so we won our seat for the first time since the 1920s.

So, how do we ensure that some of the marginal and winnable seats have a chance to select those who have served in Northern Ireland or fought for our country in Iraq, Afghanistan or any of the other conflicts in recent decades? Some of our party’s greatest figures have been in the Forces – James Callaghan was in the Navy, Denis Healey the Army – but we must correct a situation where in the last parliament the Conservatives had 35 members with experience of the Forces and Labour just 8.

Having asked the question I now have the chance to do something about it as Shadow Defence Secretary. There is an opportunity in the party reform discussion that Ed Miliband has rightly started, and it goes to the heart of our challenge to be a party that is reflective of the breadth of expertise, passions and experiences of all within our movement and beyond.

I would like to hear people’s views about how we make progress on this. This isn’t about doing down unions or imposing candidates from on high. It is about creating a space for those people who were serving in Belfast, Basra or Helmand when the party they support was holding their monthly meeting in the local community hall.

Please let me know what reforms to the selection process you think would make it easier for us to reach those from our Forces here or on my website at www.jimmurphymp.org. I will respond and feed the best ideas into our review of party structures.