What is the aim of Refounding Labour? ”Our task is nothing less than the refoundation of the Labour Party: The People’s party.” – Ed Miliband.
Bold words, an impressive task to be sure, but the question is can it live up to this. I think it can. Over the past few days, many of the people I know from twitter have submitted their views on labour ranging from membership fees, to greater involvement in the party, to toher such diverse topics. I decided this morning to submit something of my very own to the site:
Love: What I love about Labour…
I love what we stand for, fairness and equality, which has produced legislation for civil partnerships and our commitment for fairness personified by the creation of the NHS. Also I love the friendliness of quite a lot in our party and uniting to campaign in common cause.
Change: What I want to change about Labour…
I would first of all suggest that we need more opportunities for members to have a say in the party, possibly one every year just to make members feel as if they are involved. I would also tax the bankers bonuses more as it’s obscene that the rest of the country is suffering while they still get massive bonuses. With bills rising ever higher, I believe we should try to control this, or raise wages in order for everyone to have a decent standard of living. We need to be proud of our values and be ready to stand for them!
I don’t mean to seem dull when I say this, but I actually enjoyed doing that, as I really felt that I contributed to the debate. The fact that it was displayed on their website seemed to suggest to me that my views DID matter. There have been many sceptics, those who think no-one will take notice of these suggestions, to those who see it as navel-gazing and a cover for no policies. They miss the point. Many felt disallusioned by the party’s failure and unwillingness to listen and “refounding labour” seeks to reach out and hear people’s views. I think this is a welcome development which I suggest should be repeated each year as a follow up exercise. A movement is only as strong as its members and I felt energised by doing this. To all the sceptics, I challenge you to submit something. Try it, you may end up liking it!
Refounding Labour website- http://www.refoundinglabour.org/
Tags: Labour, Refounding labour
