We have two challenges to face up to over the coming months. We need to renew our party and reconnect with the country.
In the past, these goals were mutually exclusive. Renewal meant looking inwards; more time for internal meetings and less time for conversations on the door-step. This corroded the culture of our party. Discipline was preferred to dialogue and leaders were fearful not proud of activists.
The old way of doing things is outdated and wrong; wrong for our party and wrong for our chances of winning back trust. Without a living breathing movement, a people’s party not a politicians’ party, we will remain out of touch and out of power.
We need to build and sustain relationships in every constituency so we are community activists not election time passers by. We need to be an organised movement of people acting together so that even though we are out of government, we are not out of power. If we do this right we will not only build our party and change communities, we will win elections. Despite the bad result on May 6th, there were indications of what is possible: From Edgbaston to Rochdale, and from Islington to Wirral, we showed that by being open to others and committed to our cause, we can win against the odds.
I want to lead the reorganisation of our party and the renewal of our movement. I want to rebuild from the bottom up: finding ways to engage far better the three million trade union levy payers linked to our party whilst looking at free membership and other means of engaging people.
This is easy to say but hard to do. It starts with relationships and conversations in communities not corridors. It starts in this campaign, which must be as much about you as me. I want to hear from the signatories of the Labour Values petition to find out how we can once again become a mass participation movement. To hear from members, CLP officers, councillors and community groups about how we can empower people to shape and change their own neighbourhoods.
And there are some things we must do now, in this leadership election campaign. I am determined that our debate will be inclusive and generous; that it will symbolise the movement I want to lead. I will listen to every MP and candidate, whether or not they support me, for their ideas about what our party needs and the public want. I will take Labour values and ideals out into the constituencies we have lost as well as those we have won.
The test for our renewal is clear; our movement needs to bring about change and win back power. And I am optimistic because of what I see. Our movement is the newly elected councillors in Brent who are getting ready not just to resist Government cuts but also to pioneer new ways of meeting needs. Our movement is the party members in the Medway, fresh from a bad defeat, figuring out how to rebuild. Our movement is the trade unionists determined to campaign for training, pensions and family friendly rights. I will work to bring our movement together and take us back to power.
by David Miliband MP, Labour Leadership Candidate
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Labour Values has asked all six leadership candidates to write a short piece for the site on how they would put our principles into practice. We will be publishing them all, as and when they are received.
Ironic. Since David and his colleagues were the ones ignoring the poeple and the memebers. This was not done exclusively, this was done collectively.
You do not need a peition to understand how to build up a party from the “bottom”. You need the relelvant work experience of bringing people together, something dear David seriously lacks.
This is a cynical defeat that lacks conviction. We have already experienced the “priorities” of this man once he has even a little power.
If I were a Union I would be very concerned about the right wing true agenda of this politician.
Until we see a firm commitment to rstoring democracy to our party and giving the party some kind of modern legitimacy we will be limited in our ability to draw in new people both from the Unions and the other sectors. There is not a single solid promise or policy in this empty rhetoric that lacks any detail whatsoever.
Empty words from an empty man.
HI David! You made a star writing with sensational, detailed events! I love it! Please do not forget ‘The Voice of Industry’ too! I am always looking forward to know your daily agenda! Thank you
As a floating voter, I would like to know who actually wrote this drivel?
I am greatly enthused by one of your points; looking at free membership. I would go further, and suggest that the whole individual membership issue be looked at in detail, and perhaps a full sliding scale of membership fees be developed – ‘from each according to their means?’
Would not disagree with anything said, I guess that was the desired affect. If we are serious about changing the party we need to be more specific. In what way do we change? The way the party is structured around branches and clp’s can we make give them more of a campaigning focus they mostly seem overly formal and preoccupied with procedure and process. The selection of Labour candidates is not democratic enough and favours the status quo. Look at how we are selecting a leader – why should MP’s filter our options?