Socialist Societies – more than the sum of our parts

Labour’s Socialist Societies represent an enormously diverse range of topics and communities. As you will see from the pieces published on LabourList today, we are a vibrant group with interests ranging from education to the law, the environment to health (and many more) and representing people of LGBT, faith and diaspora communities.

The Socialist Societies Executive is the umbrella body which coordinates the varied affiliated socialist societies. It was formed to ensure the best possible representation and fraternal cooperation for all affiliated societies. We meet and dedicate time to this forum because we believe that that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve as individual societies.

A key principle behind the creation of the executive was to ensure that all societies, regardless of size, have an equal opportunity to represent and contribute to the workings of the Executive and in representing all societies in the elected positions. The Societies vary in size – as do the communities they represent – but not in their commitment to Labour values, or in the expertise they offer the Labour Party. We work together to ensure that all voices have an equal opportunity at representation.

The executive tries to ensure a balance of all issues, communities and voices. We work cooperatively to ensure that issues that are interconnected are discussed on a cross-society level, ensuring the best of all expertise is brought to bear, and ensuring the policies we recommend to the Party are robust.

In the lead up to the 2010 election we met with Labour’s team drawing up the manifesto. Following Ed’s election as leader we have met with him and developed effective communication with his office.

The Societies offer the Party something unique – practitioners and community members with a socialist outlook. This combination of practical experience combined with our shared Labour values makes us a unique sounding board for policy development and a rich source of original and practical ideas.

The Socialist Societies have in the past proved an excellent recruiting tool for the wider party, and we know several people who joined a Socialist Society first and the party second, convinced through their experience of an active Socialist Society of the wider value of party membership. The party could gain not just expertise and links to wider communities, but if they promote the Socialist Societies more widely, an excellent recruiting tool too.

We recognise that our strength is in our diversity and in the recognition of the vast amount of expertise the Societies as a whole bring to the Labour Party. If we were not working together in this way to ensure a strong voice for all societies in the Party, we would all be diminished.

For info about who we are go to:
Web: http://www.labour.org.uk/affiliates
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/216944888323301/

Our contact details are as follows
Neil Nerva – Chair
Emma Burnell – Secretary