Labour has, give or take the odd 1,000 or so people who will be barred from voting over the next few weeks, 610,000 people eligible to vote in its leadership election.
In May it had about 200,000 members.
I am not one of the 610,000. But I think all who believe in democracy and in the participative politics on which it is so dependent should celebrate this fact.
Over the last year we have seen the impact of an increase in political participation in Scotland. I welcomed that and for those looking for bias it has to be said that Labour did not enjoy the outcome.
Now I welcome the fact Labour has motivated the same interest amongst the electorate.
As I have also welcomed the huge rise in Green Party membership.
I even had an email form the LibDems yesterday telling me they needed a bigger venue for their conference because of an increase in their membership. For the record, that's good news too.
I will celebrate when the Tories tell us that they too have seen their ranks swell:I am not aware of any such news as yet.
Why do I celebrate this? Because, as I have long argued, democracy belongs to us all. This country belongs to us all. And many, many people fought (sometimes literally) for the right to say that. And just as I value all they did I think we have a duty to ourselves, to them and to each other to engage with the question of what we want our country to be.
Participating in politics is one way to do that. It's not the only way, of course. Advocacy is another, which is what I have done. But without people willing to engage in politics change will not happen. And without a shadow of a doubt we need change and it can only come from mass participation in UK politics that creates debate, provides funds free from tainted sources, delivers on doorsteps, recruits candidates and puts real people into positions to effect change for those they represent.
Drop all party politics. Drop the silly talk of entryism: the scale of this new membership is far too large for that to be a significant factor. Just celebrate the fact that people have been willing to put their name and a bit of their cash into the democratic process. That is good news for us all.
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Richard
(Martin Large told me to read this. And of course I always listen to Martin!)
My response: Corbyn is merely the catalyst for an expression of deep longing in the British to get back to the caring, liberal, open community that it was once when I was an immigrant here. He is the tiny mammal among the mastodons like Blair, Campbell and Johnson that is the “new” species of politician the real English soul responds to.
This new mammal needs to fasten on to George Osborne’s throat and point out that Treasury does not make policy, only service departments have that right. Never has there been a more clear enemy of the people. He needs taking down.
If Mr Corbyn can point out that Britain, once a nation of proud, effective Local Governments that picked this country up after WWII, is becoming a third world country because of the depredations in our cities and humiliate him over this then he will do even better than the last two leaders of the Labour party. I have studied extensively Easter Europe and MENA and it is clear as daylight that these nations fell apart when public services failed. Keir Hardy, in quoting a Mr Balfour Browne, KC, in From Serfdom. . .makes a brilliant case for putting council autonomy at the centre of an effective society.
Corbyn, to his credit, has made an equally good case in his energy policy for rescuing our resources from the corporate oligarchs. The public needs to see this pragmatic side of him as well as the political position. Time for some real democracy.
The new membership is an opportunity and an endorsement; it is also a test, which the Parliamentary Labour Party appears to be frightened to confront, and failing.
I must concede the stance of the Parliamentary Labour Party, along with that of the Blair’s, MacTernan’s et al, is somewhat perplexing.
On the one hand they are publically stating they are desperate for people who currently vote Tory to vote for them, yet on the other hand they are candescent with faux outrage that people from other parties (including said Tory Party they are keen as mustard to please) are wanting to get involved. The level of cognitive dissonance is epic in scale.
It is not as though they do not have previous form in this field as they seem to have no problem in accepting into their ranks members of other parties who cross the floor of Parliament (or Council Chambers) to join them; foisting them into safe seats over the heads of local CLP’s.
It is also beyond bizarre that many of them are openly declaring that if the “wrong” candidate is elected they would immediately move to remove them in the deluded hope that the electorate would not look up, raise it’s eyebrows and collectively express a WTF sentiment, making a mental note for all future reference that this lot should never ever again be trusted anywhere near the democratic process at any level, including the local parish council.
What is revealing is that these people, not being unintelligent, know this would be the general response to such an act. They know full well it would consign the Labour Party to total irrelevance as not to be trusted with democracy for more than one generation. Which tells you that they would rather have that outcome then any alternative to neo libralism.
Dave Hansell, you have expressed my feelings entirely.Excellent post.
I have to say, I’m beginning to think the initials PLP don’t mean Parliamentary Labour Party, but ‘Pathetic Labour Party’, with substantial numbers of them more concerned with trying to stop a genuine left winger leading the party than attacking this appalling, barely legitimate apology for a government. A government with a bare quarter of the electorate actively supporting it, yet which is determined to wreck one of the few remaining world class British institutions (BBC), strip unions of a basic democratic right to strike, sabotage the planning protest and bypass local democracy to enable widespread fracking to go ahead.
No wonder the SNP trounced them in Scotland. I’m not alone in wondering when Blair, et al, is going to join the Conservative party.
This country does indeed belong to us all. But witness Amber Rudd in her bullying tone this morning on today insisting on fast track applications for planning applications on shale exploration. And the wonderful Lancashire councillor asking her of the hundreds of pages of information they had to sift through, this industry being in its infancy and setting a precedent, which part of the the information did she suggest be omitted from their scrutiny in order to hurry planning through.
Sorry to digress , just read Dr Howard A Zucker, commissioner health New York stating his reasons not recommending HVHF in New York.
I fully endorse your point about the decline of grassroots participation in party politics. As a left leaning voter, I too regret the catastrophic drop in Conservative Party membership and its detrimental effect on the democratic process. The Tory Party shift, from being financed by the many ordinary party members to funding by a few extremely wealthy individuals, interest groups and corporations, is the key to much that is wrong with both the party and, consequently, our country.
We have seen too clearly what’s happened in American politics, and the way in which a super-rich few who control the funding of their parties can exert power in such a way that the USA is in effect run by a rich oligarchy. So, like you, I would welcome more ordinary people becoming involved in politics, regardless of which party they might support.
I would warmly welcome a rise in Tory membership
That even pull their average gae of membership below 70! That too would be good
I was a little shocked by the comments of Tony Blair late yesterday. We don’t actually know if the British public will vote or not. Yes we can say some of the people registering are trying to mess the system. But only time will tell, and being allowed to say his views, will the public be allowed to vote on his policies.
There will be people who have the same view as JC. There will never be anything wrong with that. The same as the views of Lib Dem or Green or even UKIP. Its always a fact of life.
We should allow the public their voice to be heard. Even if they do dismiss this ideas at next election. But to dismiss them before he has spoken is strange.
Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair and Richard Murphy are sitting in a pub when the landlord announces he has a special offer on, “A dram of 40 year old malt whisky for £3”.
Jeremy pays up and asks for it served neat.
Tony also pays up and asks for a dram diluted with two parts water.
Richard says thank you but he won’t be paying the £3, and will instead write a blog post about how the other two are drinking it wrong.
You’re right I wouldn’t drink it
I’d ask for a beer instead
My job is to reframe debate