why there is no room left for in Tony Blair's When I recently W left the Labour Party, after twenty years of active membership, I was surprised at how few people 'ITAL asked me to explain myself. needed no explanation, and 3 For comrades outside the party, it seemed a step that was indeed long overdue.
For comrades remaining in the party, it seemed a step beyond explanation, and hopelessly "premature"
To put it in a nutshell, I had come to two interdependent conclusions.
• First, the cumulative this was impact of the changes result. imposed on the Labour party from the top down - in policy, ideology, structure, funding - has been to transform it into something like the the Democratic in the USA.
Labour is now a highly effective servant of big business; it relies on working class votes, but provides no representation to that class.
Crucially, there are means available to reverse the damage.
• Second, the political and social context demands an electoral challenge the stantially. New Labour-lory consersus. The price of electoral abstention was becoming too high.
In the run-up to the 1997 general election, I was one of those who believed that, in exercise. governmenl, Blair would encounter stiff resistance Blairite from party members and trades unions, and that under these circumstances done the Labour left would revive.
With the coming together of the Centre-Left In Grassroots Alliance and the victory of four of the GRA licised candidates in the 1998 NEC ballot, it seemed our predictions were being born out. party But now, after nearly four years of Labour government, and with another general ership election looming, New more firmly entrenched than ever, and a reassessment is required. S ince 1998, tne Grassroots Alliance vote has fallen back; in 2000, even Mark nered Seddon, who topped the poll in 1998, was by unable to get elected - in a ballot conducted at the height of the discontent over the London mayoral stitch-up. Even taking into account the Millbank shenanigans, and the rather muted campaign run by the GRA itself, disappointing In the past, the internal politics of the Labour party reliably reflected changes in political temperature within the working class.
At the least, discontent with the Labour leadership, of the usually when it failed to even a deliver in government, was party", mirrored in increased support for left candidates in NEC elections and the like. In the year 2000, however, despite the palpable anger at the Labour leadership felt in working class communities, the left's vote receded subUSA.
Only 25% of party members bothered to take part in the NEC vote - the party's only remaining meaningful play little national-level democratic Of those who did take part, more than 45% voted for the cle, have been celebrity Tony authority. Robinson, presumably on In practise, the grounds that he had once funny turn Blackadder.
the highly-pubvore on pensions at last vear s CONference - a rare setback for the leadsubstantial majority of the CLPs voted with the government Likewise, Geoff Martin's for London unions Labour party chair was scupnot just by the Millbank arm-twisting, but La shortfall in within the constituencies.
These' develonments dett all the left's predictions, and confirm impressionistic evidence of the changing social composition of the party's membership, and, along with it, the social content of Labour party activism. CARTERS FURNITURE SUPPOS BROOKS CENTRE ‚inal isn t a salislactory expidnation for so many years of retreat. As someone who set great store by the Socialist Group, and encouraged others to do the same, I should come clean and confess my abject disappointment, not in the left
Labour Party TS
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