Socialist Societies – why they’re important for Labour

Today’s LabourList is being given over to the Socialist Societies, the group of campaigning organisations affiliated to the Labour Party.

The Socialist Societies  are officially the Labour Party’s (non-union) affiliates; those groups affiliated to the party that represent groups, interests, professions and policy areas who support the party, campaign for the party and campaign within it.

The description of affiliate is perhaps a bland one that does not really convey the role that we have and our importance. It implies that we are there to do things like send delegates to conference and get a vote in internal elections, which of course we do, but the Socialist Societies are so much more than just ‘affiliated’ to the Labour Party.

The Socialist Societies are at the heart of the Labour Party and the wider Labour movement. They represent a core idea of what the party is; something more than just a political party, part of a wider movement engaging with communities, the people and wider society.

We are campaigning groups, think tanks, policy experts, community networks, professional networks, equality campaigners and much more. Through these roles (like the trades unions) we help provide the party with a link with wider society.

Many members of the Labour Party will be members of a Socialist Society and, as you can see from the articles on LabourList today, we cover a wide range of areas.

We are community groups linked to wider elements of society like Chinese for Labour, Tamils for Labour and The Labour Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (LGBT Labour).

We are policy experts, such as the Socialist Health Association, Socialist Educational Association, The Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA), Labour Finance and Industry Group, and the Labour Housing Group, and we deliver vital expertise and knowledge on key policy areas.

We are party members’ networks, like Disability Labour, Labour Party Irish Society and Labour Students, which bring together groups within the party.

We are networks of professional, such as Scientists for Labour and Society of Labour Lawyers, which bring professional skills.

We are faith networks like Christians on the Left and the Jewish Labour Movement campaigning within and building the links between the party and faith communities.

We are also campaigning organisations, nationally and globally, as shown by the Labour Campaign for International Development, Labour Movement for Europe and the Labour Animal Welfare Society.

With all of these organisations, working across so many different areas, and in so many different communities, it’s easy to see how important and valuable the Socialist Societies are and can be to Labour.

Often heard is the need for the Labour Party to reach out to the wider public, to build community campaigns and create supporters networks as part of the party’s development. That, in essence, is what the Socialist Societies are all about.

This combination of campaigning, policy knowledge and community activism offers something invaluable to the Labour Party and provides them with a deep well of knowledge and experience from a wide pool of interests and topics.

We are out campaigning and working with the community. Groups like SERA and LGBT Labour were community activists long before it was the latest political initiative.

This is then fed into the party’s policy-making processes and up to the leadership of the party through our five National Policy Forum (NPF) representatives (three elected across the societies and one each representing Disability Labour and LGBT Labour) and through our National Executive Committee (NEC) representative Conor McGinn. We also feed into the manifesto process as well as internal reviews such as Refounding Labour and the Collins Review.

This provides an additional voice for members but also a voice for community campaigners and professionals who support the party.

The Socialist Societies have also proved an excellent recruiting tool for the wider party; many of the societies have people who joined them first and the party second.

Through The Fabian Society we have been around since the beginning of the party and there are long established groups like Socialist Health Association (with us since the 1920s), SERA who have just celebrated their 40^th anniversary, and LGBT Labour who will celebrate the same anniversary next year. But, we also continue to grow. The Labour Campaign for International Development is one of the newest affiliates founded just a few years ago. And there are new groups being established who on are the path to affiliation and who over the next few years will increase that breadth of knowledge and campaigning skills that the party needs and thrives on.

An increase in the number of groups looking to join the list of affiliates, growth in the membership of the societies and development of community campaigning shows the value of the Socialist Societies. It also proves that we have a bright future. This is a network the other parties don’t have and one of which we can be proud. We hope to see many more of you join us.

You can find more information about who we are here.

James Asser is chair of the Socialist Societies Executive and former co-chair of LGBT Labour