Time for a new proper left-wing political party?

Something I’ve been thinking should happen, for quite a while now. Considering how Labour are no longer that, and have comprehensively sold out their ‘socialist’ principles and betrayed their traditional support for their slice of the pie, surely it’s time we had a new left-wing party, a viable alternative to the ineffectual wishy washy liberal fence-sitters and a genuine opposition to the right? It’s truly sad that UK politics has been dragged so far over to the right, but truth be told, the only thing that will rescue this nation once the tories have sold everything they can, will be a period of proper Socialism. Like the kind which saw the foundation of the NHS, the nationalisation of industry to benefit all not just the few, and the notions of equal educational opportunity regardless of wealth. Etc.

I was recently at a screening of ’The Spirit of 45′ by Ken Loach[/url], at which Ken did a live Q+A session, and he amongst others called for a new leftist party to emerge from the rotting carcass that was once the Labour party.

Thing is; who will lead/represent such a party? Personally, I’d like to see those who have actual experience in certain fields of work running things; teachers running Education, Doctors and nurses running Healthcare, etc.

And how far off are we from such a thing happening? The demise of Labour has meant there have been rumblings along this line for some time now, and certainly there are those who would benefit from leaving Labour to the Blairites and joining other real lefties. But will we see a left-wing UKIP type shambles, or could Socialists, Greens and other leftist independents realistically form a viable Left within the not too distant future?

I believe it’s customary around these parts to offer hot beverages and sweet snacks. The kettle is on. Enjoy. And please keep it civil and respectful.

What the Solcialist Labour Party
The party is led by former trade union leader Arthur Scargill, who helped establish it in 1996 as a breakaway from the Labour Party, following the changes to the Labour Party’s Clause IV. The name ‘Socialist Labour Party’ symbolises the fact that the Labour Party moved away from any commitment to progressive Socialism when it removed Clause IV from its constitution. Clause IV of the Socialist Labour Party constitution is therefore a fundamental element of the Party’s identity.?

Here’s the problem..

.. NO ONE WILL VOTE FOR IT

How about a party that doesn’t have Left or Right ideals. Perhaps something based around humans not destroying the environment they are part of by raping said environment for resources?

A crazy thought. A party that isn’t about being union or capitalist. If only the Green Party could actually do something!

Yawn !

If only the Green Party could actually do something!

Did you see what happened tot he Lib Dems with a sniff of power?

What TT said.

No.

And please keep it civil and respectful.

Do you live in a greenhouse…

Very tricky thing to negotiate. Private business is now so massive and global that they would make it very difficult for the country to move to the left I reckon.

People say ‘oh don’t worry we’ll find another industry instead of finance’ but I’d rather they not gamble with my livelihood… any more than they already do.

The Green Party don’t support nuclear, suggesting that they don’t have a very good grasp of their ideals or much ability to crunch numbers, both things that concern me.

Not that the present or past governments have shown any particular talent in sticking to ideals or number crunching…

a proper left wing opposition!

dont be such a fool, go back and watch x-factor/ football/ skynews/ read the daily fail, guffaw at clarcksons latest semi racist gag, buy 10 lottery tickets, blame immigrants,remortgage your house, get the new iphone, buy a 29er
and vote tory/nulab/limpdem

Tony Blair has a lot to answer for.

He hollowed out the labour party from the inside. He abolished any idea of democratic accountability within the party, and promoted a generation of career politicians, who would deliver exactly what was requested of them by the inner cabal at the top.

They were foisted upon safe labour seats regardless of the wishes of the local constituancy. Thus they were there to serve the central London-obsessed, Islington dwelling party, with not the slightest interest in the people who actually voted for them. Thus we have a complete and total detachment from their (post) industrial heartlands. In return life-long labour voters have abandoned them in disgust at how completely unrepresentative they now are.

I think the state of the labour party can be gauged by the last leadership election. Anyone with any real values or beliefs was immediately dismissed in favour of two Blairite Islington Liberals. The opinions of say, the northern constituancies, were completely ignored. The whole thing was an internal stitch up with the Unions, who with a few noticeable exceptions are also happily lining their own London-based pockets, with total disregard for their members

The labour party is now just the Bullingdon Club for people who couldn’t afford Eton. We need an alternative. And fast!!!!

Tony Blair has a lot to answer for.

The question is, would the electorate have voted for Old Labour?

How accurate?

The rotting carcass that was once the Labour party is likely to win, or at least be a close second, in the next general election.
Then, after a term or two, the conservatives will win again.

Where is the demand for this new party that will break the cartel?

dont be such a fool, go back and watch x-factor/ football/ skynews/ read the daily fail, guffaw at clarcksons latest semi racist gag, buy 10 lottery tickets, blame immigrants,remortgage your house, get the new iphone, buy a 29er
and vote tory/nulab/limpdem

nail, head.

How about a party that doesn’t have Left or Right ideals. Perhaps something based around humans not destroying the environment they are part of by raping said environment for resources?

A crazy thought. A party that isn’t about being union or capitalist. If only the Green Party could actually do something!

This. 🙁

You need a party called CORRECT The Coalition Of Radical Realistic Effective & Clear Thinkers

Drop the tribal prattle and go for the best of the best solutions to all things, including what overall direction to take. This is the opportunity missed by the Lib-Dims. I had great hopes after the expesnes debacle and last election. Clegg fluffed it.

I was at the Spirit of 45 Q&A also. For those that weren’t, the direction being taken by the three panelists seemed to be the People’s Assembly.

Where is the demand for this new party that will break the cartel?

It will come when this:

go back and watch x-factor/ football/ skynews/ read the daily fail, guffaw at clarcksons latest semi racist gag, buy 10 lottery tickets, blame immigrants,remortgage your house, get the new iphone, buy a 29er and vote tory/nulab/limpdem

finally stops working.

why would some more mp’s be better than the current ones? another political party is not the answer. what we should be doing is trying to decentralize government, taking some power back from people in london who obv don’t have a clue about the real world. i’m thinking of localism, totally local, transition towns, even neighborhood watch and parish council. all these organisations do great things

Why does the OP think something more Left is needed? What if the current system was broken and we shouldn’t be focused on Left or Right and that is all a distraction from the real stuff we should be collectively be thinking about?

Like a more just society that makes better use of the resources it requires, so we don’t keep messing up the mess we inherited? So our kids don’t ask us why we didn’t make an effort when we had something left that wasn’t messed up by us as a species?

Very tricky thing to negotiate. Private business is now so massive and global that they would make it very difficult for the country to move to the left I reckon.

This. We don’t live in democracy, we may have notions of left and right, but we all live in capitalism. The wealthy control the media, finance the political parties and kept us all sweet with materialism.

What’s quite funny is that after the virtual collapse of capitalism in the last decade, We are getting it in the neck for others mistakes, and still we want capitalism pre-2007.

It’s an addiction that’s costing us the earth.

why would some more mp’s be better than the current ones? another political party is not the answer. what we should be doing is trying to decentralize government, taking some power back from people in london who obv don’t have a clue about the real world. i’m thinking of localism, totally local, transition towns, even neighborhood watch and parish council. all these organisations do great things

Look at the Localism Act introduced by the present government, it transfers powers to local councils etc.

weve already got a socialist economy really

well the debt is socialised but the profit is privatised – see banking crisis

and really localism is the answer?

http://www.rottencouncil.co.uk/council_corruption.htm

Here’s the problem..

.. NO ONE WILL VOTE FOR IT

Recent victories by the Greens, Respect and the rise of UKIP show that whilst voting for anyone other than the big 3 is uncommon, it can and does happen. People are dissatisfied; give them a viable alternative and they will certainly consider it. UKIP votoers got off their narrow-minded bigoted arses to vote, so why can’t those who Labour have abandoned, and no longer see any point in voting (as there is not alternative to right-wing politics)?

How about a party that doesn’t have Left or Right ideals. Perhaps something based around humans not destroying the environment they are part of by raping said environment for resources?

This was mentioned; however, the Greens will have to expand their agenda somewhat, and shift from being a party of protest into something with actual potential.

And right-wing politics/ideology doesn’t seem to be offering the majority of people a very bright future at the moment, so perhaps those Leftist ideals are of actual value.

Where is the demand for this new party that will break the cartel?

Amongst the millions disillusioned by UK politics, amongst the millions affected by Tory cuts, and betrayed by Labour. So, in effect, millions of traditional Labour voters. Who have nothing but Abbot, Milliband and Balls to vote for.

Dont be such a fool, go back and watch x-factor/ football/ skynews/ read the daily fail, guffaw at clarcksons latest semi racist gag, buy 10 lottery tickets, blame immigrants,remortgage your house, get the new iphone, buy a 29er
and vote tory/nulab/limpdem

And so, Murdoch and his cronies win. 😥

spchantler – Member

why would some more mp’s be better than the current ones? another political party is not the answer. what we should be doing is trying to decentralize government, taking some power back from people in london who obv don’t have a clue about the real world. i’m thinking of localism, totally local, transition towns, even neighborhood watch and parish council. all these organisations do great things

Nail on head there. Both Nu Labour and Daves Tories are obsessed with centralising power in the hands of a small elite. Genuine cabinet style government has been dead for years. Ministers are now just PR spokesmen. Regional representation from anywhere outside the M25 is now non-existent in any party

Hats off to Dave though. He’s centralised yet more control while banging on about ‘localism’ which has essentially, as Eric Pickles worded it “devolved the axe”. They’ve made (particularly labour controlled) councils responsible for making enormous and unpalettable cuts, while they raise a glass to their own cleverness, and hunker down in Westminster behind big departments of state that have born little or no cuts at all. London gravy train still well and truly intact, while the regions rot

Utterly depressing 😥

Why does the OP think something more Left is needed?

Because the right-wing ‘solution’ isn’t working. And because the UK enjoyed it’s best period, economically and socially, following the imposition of Leftist ideology. That, and the fact that I’m a ‘Lefty’ and traditional Labour voter who believes in Socialism offering far better solutions than what the right has traditionally offered.

I was at the Spirit of 45 Q&A also. For those that weren’t, the direction being taken by the three panelists seemed to be the People’s Assembly.

Good, wasn’t it? 🙂

Not a place I’d have wanted to be if I was a Thatcherite though…

We don’t live in democracy

Not sure what your definition of democracy is, but we do live in one really.

Because the right-wing ‘solution’ isn’t working. And because the UK enjoyed it’s best period, economically and socially, following the imposition of Leftist ideology. That, and the fact that I’m a ‘Lefty’ and traditional Labour voter who believes in Socialism offering far better solutions than what the right has traditionally offered.

May I address that as a biased position to have come from….

What would such a party stand for? Pay so high that nothing was competitive? pensions so generous we can all retire at 45? Free everything to anyone?

well the debt is socialised but the profit is privatised – see banking crisis

Don’t you get the point yet? its a merry go round!

the government, and their predecessors, of both parties, fir the last five decades, have been more than happy to let the bankers take a profit, as its a chicken feed pay off to keep them buying sovereign debt.

if the bankers stopped buying sovereign debt, we as a nation would have to live within our means, and we’d be royally ****! 50p in every pound spent is government spending.

the UK enjoyed it’s best period, economically and socially, following the imposition of Leftist ideology.

Hmm if we’re honest with ourselves, we enjoyed our best period economically and socially by forcing people in Brown countries that we kept repressed through force to buy things off us, whilst taking their natural resources off them and forcing them to work in virtual penury to provide us with a lifestyle.

and really localism is the answer?

If people are prepared to engage in it which I guess is more likely if they think they can make things happen – but it will be a slow process.

Meh, neo-liberalism has won, nowt we can do about it now except go and live in a cave.

Look at the Localism Act introduced by the present government, it transfers powers blame for government cuts to local councils etc.

FTFY

Because the population is fed a constant stream of aspirational crap by the media. The fancy cookery programmes, the various “buy a house and make a fortune” shows, the national lottery, the concentration on footballers and their wives. It’s all designed to make folk consume more and for that they need more money. Right-wing parties prey on this greed in order to get into power and even those who might collectively be better off with an alternative are blinded by the chance for personal wealth.

There’s a chance – albeit a small one – that things could be a bit different if less power was concentrated in London. That might give you in inkling as to why some folk in Scotland want to try an alternative. Will it work? Who knows – but it’s worth trying.

and really localism is the answer?

i was thinking more on the lines of transition towns etc, god knows local councils are as corrupt as anything, from planning backhanders to the road sweepers putting in full days and then going to sleep. its about an attitude change from everyone, maybe this is the start of something…(scurries off to workshop to make his old frames into pitchforks)

i was thinking more on the lines of transition towns etc, god knows local councils are as corrupt as anything, from planning backhanders to the road sweepers putting in full days and then going to sleep. its about an attitude change from everyone, maybe this is the start of something…(scurries off to workshop to make his old frames into pitchforks)

Then vote for someone else, they are plenty of elected independents, it much less of a mountain to climb than becoming an MP.

I’m going to start a new political party.
We can all play games like blind mans bluff or twister and there’ll be free ballons and jelly & icecream for all, it’ll be called the Birthday Party.

Not sure what your definition of democracy is, but we do live in one really.

We don’t, we live in a nation with a constitutional monarchy. ‘Democracy’ is merely a myth. Abolishing the monarchy (and it’s associated undemocratic institutions such as the House of Lords etc) would be a good start though.

May I address that as a biased position to have come from….

Of course. I’d rather be open about my political leanings than be a Lib Dem fence sitter. 😉

That, and the fact that I’m a ‘Lefty’ and traditional Labour voter who believes in Socialism offering far better solutions than what the right has traditionally offered.

I think you are limiting the solution to your own preconceptions and the label you have given yourself. Why not start with a blank piece of paper and come up with what is important? I think Left and Right are as bad as each other and the third way that does not put us as a species at the top (but as part of something we should be more responsible for) is needed.

Apologies for bringing Jonathan Porritt into this, but his quote back in 1984 when comparing capitalism and communism has a certain clarity to it:

Both are dedicated to industrial growth, to the expansion of the means of production, to a materialist ethic as the best means of meeting people’s needs, and to unimpeded technological development. Both rely on increasing centralization and large-scale bureaucratic control and co-ordination. From a viewpoint of narrow scientific rationalism, both insist that the planet is there to be conquered, that big is self-evidently beautiful, and that what cannot be measured is of no importance. (Porritt, 1984)

Abolishing the monarchy (and it’s associated undemocratic institutions such as the House of Lords etc) would be a good start though.

You’ll recall that we’ve tried that before – it didn’t work, so we asked to have a monarch back again as a check and balance against the power of elected government.

Tell me, if you’re so keen on democracy, would you be happy to have a truly democratic society? lets take a couple of exmaples, would you be happy for a referendum on the following subjects:

i) EU membership
ii) The death penalty
iii) immigration
iv) Foreign Aid

Or are you happy to tolerate democracy only as long as those democratic decisions fit with your own belief system?