I often criticise the right wing for a lack of transparency but it seems Labour has its problems with opaque funding too, and entryism is still an issue for it.
There's a great exposé of the role of Progress, with a long list of questions about its funding here. If this was a left wing organisation action would have been taken about this a long time ago. It looks like action is needed anyway, even if it is funded by a Sainsbury.
Labour should stand up for transparency and accountability to be credible, in my opinion. Progress looks like an obstacle to that.
As someone said recently, where Militant was quashed, New Labour succeeded in its rightwing entryism.
Carol … I would say that Militant-quashing was a diversion aimed at concealing the New Labour take-over. Apart from Liverpool, Militant had little presence.
IMO the real point is that the ideology of those in the LP who believe in ‘market solutions’ (ie New Labour, blairites blue, black and purple) is not reconcilable with the ideology of those who believe in Richard’s Courageous State, a benign state which regulates the markets, democratic ownership of the infrastructure such as rail,energy, and promotes and protects its citizens through education, the NHS and public services. There is such a thing as a broad church of those who share the same assumptions but that is not the situation with two completely contradictory ideologies. Incidentally, its the one point of agreement that I have in common with Tony Blair.
I hope that Richard will not mind my sharing a link to this issue.. (please remove if not wanted).
http://think-left.org/2012/02/16/the-nhs-and-tina-mrs-thatchers-ideological-anti-democratic-political-legacy/