Labour members deserve better

By Darrell Goodliffe

Today Labour’s National Executive Committee meets to discuss much-needed party reform. Whatever hue or shade of Labour opinion we represent, I think we can at least agree overwhelmingly on the basic point, our party does need to be reformed and things do need to change. Hopefully, there would also be common consent that we do need to increase the say that our members have in the running of the party as well. As a party we face a unique challenge because we are both a political party and a part of something larger in the shape of the organised labour movement. Like it or not, that is our historic role and our structures have to reflect both that role and the challenges it presents.

If reports are to be believed then the leadership has responded to this challenge in the wrong way – by promoting a reform that appears ‘democratic’ and ‘pluralistic’ but in actual fact is very undemocratic. I am referring to the suggestion anybody could register as a Labour ‘supporter’ and vote on who is our leader. In disenfranchising party members – those who not just pay dues but are the bedrock of our activist base – the leadership is sending a worrying signal we are still regarded with suspicion and even thinly veiled contempt by the leadership.

Given this treatment and the fact this has been the case for years, is anybody that surprised that party membership has collapsed? Rather than remedy this, rather than enfranchising and empowering the membership, the leadership wants to reinforce its alienation from its own party by bringing in people who have no stake other than the blithe commitment to ‘support’ that can neither be proved or disproved. It would give a vote to people whose agenda will, for sure, in many instances be far removed from that of the Labour Party and indeed the wider labour movement. It’s really not hard to achieve this enfranchisement in the case of the leadership election – abolish the electoral college and introduce One Member One Vote, with each political levy payer automatically entitled to membership and therefore eligible to participate.

Peter Hain identifies a real problem in terms of our membership loss but this was caused by alienation from the party and the emasculation of members ability to influence the party and therefore the removal of their democratic stake in its organisation. It is also this process of alienation that has caused the decline in union-affiliated membership, noted by Hain. However, his reports of the ‘decline’ of the unions is premature and a little exaggerated – days ago they organised and led the biggest demonstration in London for many a year, bringing hundreds of thousands out on the streets. Nobody doubts that union membership has declined but this it not a static situation and organised labour is still a potent political force.

Frankly, we deserve better as a membership. Whether left or right, it’s time we at least spoke with one voice and demanded much more democracy in our party. We are not just there for delivering leaflets and nothing else. In terms of our collective and cumulative experience we have much input of value to offer this party. It is high time the leadership recognised that and stopped treating us with such high-handed contempt.