As a democratic socialist who left the Labour Party after it became clear that Keir Starmer had no intention of sticking with the kinds of socialist policies that Labour stood on in the 2019 general election, I have like many felt uncertain about the way ahead.
I welcomed the initiative of the Corbyn Project and promptly signed up. I am comfortable with its mission, international focus and its inaugural set of issues to contest. But what next, apart from rallies, petitions and festivals of protest? It is surely an emphasis on organisational effectiveness to achieve transformative change that is paramount. I have a suggestion.
In each locality – or constituency – there already exist a number of political, campaign and pressure groups, some linked to formally constituted political parties, many not. These include (some) Labour CLPs and elements of the Greens and LibDems; but more saliently they encompass groups who run and support food banks, campaign and lobbying groups on green and environmental issues, welfare provision, health and legal matters, local housing and amenities, those who support refugees, and so on. Mention should also be made of committed local councillors across different political parties.
Why not aim to bring these diverse groups and individuals together? What would this take?
I think there is a strong case for establishing an initiative under the aegis of the Corbyn Project, and broadly in line with its stated mission, to ‘encourage’ – through advice, organisation, coordination, and maybe through limited resourcing – the phased setting up of Local (Peace and Justice) Coordination Groups in each constituency in the UK.
The aim in each of these would be to form ad hoc alliances to maximise the effectiveness of local campaigning. While not all members would support all campaigns, consent to the mission statement would be the bond that kept people’s minds open and sustained their interest. While members of the Labour Party would be welcome as members/participants, this would NOT be a Labour Party initiative.
How to establish a Local (Peace and Justice) Coordination Group? There are activists within all communities, many of them well known locally. Volunteers with the energy, experience and enthusiasm to start the ball rolling would contact representatives of local campaigns and bring them together for an inaugural informal gathering. They would set out the rationale for coordinating local activities, the key criterion being effectiveness. Informal monthly meetings might follow, arranged either by an elected chair or, in a leaderless group, by common consent.
While this might appeal to socialists, it would necessarily not be confined to socialists. Its core remit would be enhancing the effectiveness of those local (and less frequently, regional, national and even international) socio-political interventions that unite more people than they divide. Non-socialists will readily join certain campaigns, for example around climate change, accommodating refugees, combatting COVID, reducing poverty, tackling local homelessness, supporting independent retailers, cafes and bookshops, etc.
Anyway, just a thought!