Guest post – Why aren’t we Labour?

I’ve started writing this post many many times. From the beginning of this long election campaign I’ve had approaches from Labour activists suggesting I step aside in favour of Labour, or that I should ask another Green candidate to do so. Lately I spent two hours discussing why I’m not Labour with an activist who was at least a bit more respectful – suggesting I come over, rather than negate myself and the vision I stand for.

Now Finchley & Golders Green Labour and Conservatives are  throwing the kitchen sink at their knife-edge campaign, and this includes a letter from a former Barnet Green – Donald Lyven – who switched to Labour before the local election last year. He told me the reason was that he was so disgusted by what he saw going on in the borough that he wanted to campaign with the party that actually had a chance to displace our disgraceful local Tory administration.

In this general election Donald has put his name to a letter being sent to voters believed to be Green or Lib-Dem leaning, which urges them to vote Labour. It is entitled “From Donald Lyven ex Green candidate”.

Arriving at the door of a long-time Green activist, the letter raised Tim’s blood. This is the e-mail that Tim wrote to Donald that same day:

“Hi Donald, Thank you for your letter, which arrived today and has been sent to try and persuade me to vote Labour. I have a lot of time for you, Donald. I think you’re a good bloke. However, I’m not that pleased with the content of the letter.

As far as I’m concerned Labour has truly lost its way. It has become a very dull and unimaginative centre-right party.  Some of the reasons I am not going to vote Labour are as follows.

The first reason is historical. Labour have been totally ineffective as an opposition due to the decisions they made while in government. For example, it is hard for them to credibly oppose NHS privatisation and student tuition fees when they were the party that introduced them in the first place. Caroline Lucas has had to do that for them.

Secondly I’m a bit sick of Labour’s same old tired argument that if we don’t vote for you we get a Tory led government. You might have tried to wipe it form your memory but the last Labour government acted like a Tory light party, which continued the neo-liberal agenda of Thatcherism. In 1997 they had the opportunity of a generation to reverse 18 years of Thatcherism and they not only failed but encouraged its growth. Miliband, Balls et. al. were part of that government and  perpetually tainted. Therefore, there is no evidence to show that this would not continue if they were elected (maybe the SNP might force them to adopt some real left-leaning policies).

Thirdly, I think it is the other way round. I think Labour need to move nearer to our (Green and left) way of thinking before people like me will ever entertain voting for Labour again. They need to start acting like a real left-wing party not a centre-right party like all the others.

There are plenty more reasons but this is all I’ve got time for.

Hope to see you soon for a pint.

Please forward this to your leaders.

Best wishes, Tim”

The bum number (unh?)

My latest column for EN5 appeared today. On the doorsmats of the houses I was canvassing today there lay the newsletter. So I would pick it up, hand it to the householder who had opened the door to my knock and say: Please enjoy my column in this newsletter.

What ails democracy?

There are all sorts of things wrong with democracy, no doubt about it. I mean, just looking at some of the people who get elected is enough to persuade us the system is dysfunctional.

Then there’s the LCD effect. There are computer programs that analyse the text of your leaflet to check that it’s pitched at a reading age of 12 and no higher! That is the aim of most parties’ communications. (Not mine. For you I do not seek the lowest common denominator (LCD, yes). I imagine you sitting down to read this column in a comfy chair, with a stiff drink on its arm.)

Representative democracy is especially problematic. There is a distancing of political decision-making from you the voter, mediated by those fallible, indeterminate institutions: the political parties. (And they’re expensive: Have you got a load of money you never ever want to see again? Give it to a political party. They can make it disappear quicker than HSBC launderers. I donate all the time. But that’s because we Greens take no corporate cash. The party couldn’t function without its members’ financial input, and then you wouldn’t have the rather lovely option of voting Green.)

In Barnet, these problems are cast into very sharp relief at council meetings. That’s not where the damage is actually done. The meetings are ritualistic pieces of theatre, required by the rules. But they are instructive in the vivid way the line is drawn between us – the public in the gallery, and them – the councillors over there.

The air vibrates with hostility and distaste. The chairmen(!) are pictures of wobbly-jowled self-control, endeavouring both to discipline their members many with ants in their pants and mobiles in their hands; and to contain the public gallery that erupts occasionally with frustration and anger (and is busy with the mobile phones too, admittedly).

It needn’t be like that. For the most part, people run a mile from politics. Those who don’t, come to council meetings. And they are a gift to the politicians. They are offering free what councils should be striving for – talking to the people about what matters and how to make it better.

Do we need a new recycling system? How should it work? Who should do it? Should we cancel privatisation? How? How much should we spend on it? Do we want to bring down energy bills? Local government can organise it in five different ways – which ones should we go with? It’s not for me to tell you what’s good for you. (Obviously, as a democrat, I await you telling me. Yes, alright, I can see the door from here!) But studies have shown that we humans flourish most when we are in community with one another. ‘Engaged’.

Can you imagine it? Me round your place every couple of weeks asking you what you think about the budget, parking, promoting public health?

Yes. You’ve got it. That may be the real problem with democracy: too much of me (arguably), and way more time than you’d credit developing a numb bum sitting in local meetings. But I’ve got my seat-cushion here. Where’s yours?