Ilhan Omar meets Diane Abbott. What the UK left can learn from the US left

It’s been a difficult year for the British left, and things aren’t looking better in the US either. On both sides of the Atlantic, socialists are recovering from tough defeats: the Tory landslide in December putting an end to the optimism of the Jeremy Corbyn era, and Joe Biden’s victory in the Democratic primaries crushing the hopes of those who wanted to see a democratic socialist as president. Meanwhile, both countries suffer from parallel crises: a government failing to deal with Covid-19 or the climate crisis, rising unemployment combined with a decimated welfare state, and nationalist populists exploiting inequality and disillusionment to spread bigotry.

While it is tempting to respond with despair, or tear ourselves apart over who is to blame, we must instead look towards the future. That’s why at this year’s digital edition of The World Transformed, we have invited a range of high-level and grassroots activists from the US to discuss the struggles they’re now throwing their energies into, from extra-parliamentary campaigning to supporting progressives in Democratic selections.

In both countries, socialists and progressives face a hostile, billionaire-run media and a political establishment antagonistic towards radical ideas. That’s why any left strategy must include a focus on bottom-up organising, not only for elections but also through supporting movements like Black Lives Matter – which attempt to shift the national consensus, not constrained by the boundaries of what’s electorally convenient. Starting in the US, the movement spread swiftly across the Atlantic, highlighting the systemic racism faced by Black British communities as well. Inspiration from one nation pushed much-needed introspection in the other.

Meanwhile, while both countries have seen trade union activity decline over decades, recent successful strikes like those by Philadelphia nurses or West Virginia teachers have injected some fresh energy into the labour movement. Initiatives like the Jane McAlevey Organising for Power Strike School seek to learn and spread their lessons, not just across the US but around the world.

Much of the enthusiasm that the post-Sanders left has retained for electoral politics can be attributed to the US system of open primaries, allowing figures like Ilhan Omar and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez to emerge as inspiring new leaders, challenging both Donald Trump and the Democratic establishment. However, their successes can be attributed to much more than just the formal selection process. The US left has a robust system of electoral support, bringing together thousands of activists to support progressive candidates, a system that was given new life in recent years by groups like Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America. When our analysis is limited to headline news, we miss out what we can learn from the nuances of a developed activist strategy – the subtle tactics built over decades that have laid the foundations for this recent surge.

There are undoubtedly differences between the US and the UK contexts, but the challenges and questions faced by the left are often similar. Both our movements have developed a wealth of experiences, tactics and strategies that we can all benefit from sharing – and given the global scale of the crises we’re facing, from Covid-19 to the climate emergency, fostering international cooperation is more crucial than ever.

That’s why at this year’s edition of The World Transformed festival, we wanted to facilitate this dialogue. On Friday, we are excited to welcome Ilhan Omar, congresswoman for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and a member of the famous “squad” of progressive Democrat women of colour. She’ll be joining us for a conversation with Diane Abbott MP, where they will share their experiences of pushing a transformative agenda through traditional parties, and reflect on the way forward. However, we are also seeking to foster links on a grassroots level: we’ve heard from Jane McAlevey and other US trade unionists leading impressive struggles, hosted transatlantic discussions about Black Lives Matter and about the campaign for a Green New Deal, and we’ll also be bringing together US and UK activists to talk about the fight for public healthcare and building left power after Corbyn and Bernie.

While the pandemic has made most in-person events impossible, modern technology enables us to organise beyond national borders and across continents. When our international interest extends only to newspaper headlines, rather than what happens at the grassroots, we miss out on opportunities we never even realised were there, and lessons we never knew we needed to learn. This is why at TWT, we want to start establishing meaningful connections that would allow us to develop lasting partnerships and mutual political education. By exchanging our skills, experiences and networks, we can strengthen our movements and work together towards a progressive future.