Loach, Hodson, White and others publish demand for democracy in Your Party

A group of community and union activists including filmmaker Ken Loach, union leader Ian Hodson, Liverpool legend Audrey White, Jewish activist Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, and more has published an open letter welcoming the coming new ‘Your Party’ – and demanding genuine democracy, which they say is not met by the recent announcement that delegates to the opening conference will be decided by lots.

Your Party must be democratic

The letter, which others are invited to sign, reads:

This group of community and trade union activists has come together in support of a Platform for a Democratic Party. We are determined to do all we can to make the Your Party initiative, announced by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana on July 24, a massive success which will change the British political landscape forever. Your Party is one of the most exciting political developments this century. It has the potential to be a beacon nationally and internationally for all those seeking a genuine anti-capitalist and socialist future.

More than 750,000 people have signed up. Our aim in launching this platform is to underline the vital importance of ensuring that their huge enthusiasm and energy is translated into genuine ownership over party structures and policies. We are not quibbling about bureaucratic details. We are insisting on the fundamental political principles required if our party is to resist establishment attacks and build the transformative movement that this moment demands. This must include a mobilising and radical political programme which offers a vibrant, grassroots socialist alternative to the tired, capitalist establishment parties.

We are therefore calling for:

A founding conference convened by a broad committee of local and national representatives.
Those intending to join the new party as grassroots members must have a clear majority of the voting power at the founding conference on the basis of One Member One Vote (OMOV) and must be fully represented in its planning and organisation. The Independent Alliance MPs are vitally important to developing the new party, but the conference organising committee must have an appropriate regional and gender balance, reflecting our political aim of empowering members in their localities. Your Party must not appear to favour MPs or other big names above grassroots activists! Key decisions on responsibilities and processes for convening the conference have to be taken by a committee that is transparent and accountable, otherwise it will not have the confidence of people at the grassroots. They are impatient for the party building process to forge ahead as quickly as possible, but they will lose heart if it is not conducted openly and with their full participation.

A Party grounded in democratic participation, with local branch structures in which every single member has a vote.

These branches should be the primary democratic units around which representative decision-making structures are built, allowing delegates to be elected in every area on the basis of OMOV. They should form the bedrock of a bottom-up process solidly grounded in the grassroots membership. Trade unions, and other workers’ organisations and campaigning groups whose members want to join should also have democratic representation within the party. All decision-making forums will need to derive their authority from fully accountable representatives of local branches and regional structures. Members’ voices must not be drowned out by MPs or affiliated organisations. All local groups must have access to the data of members within their locality (taking into account GDPR rules). And all organisers of local groups must have access to other area organisers, via democratically constituted party forums.

Democracy, accountability and transparency.

Our parliamentary representatives must ultimately be servants of the party as a whole and we must ensure that all representatives, at every level, are always subject to democratic accountability, including right of recall and mandatory reselection. At its heart, Your Party must be accountable, transparent and democratic.

Initial signatories:

Eric Barnes, Chair, Social Justice Party
Mike Forster, Kirklees People’s Alliance for Change and Equality (PACE)
Ian Hodson, For the Many
Ken Loach, Film Director
Ben Sellers, founder, The People’s Bookshop
Audrey White, Merseyside Pensioners Association
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, For The Many