The sun shone after the 1997 general election victory. It was lighting up a new era after eighteen years of the Tories. I even remember the England cricket team winning against Australia in that post-election sunshine. Those were days of hope and anticipation as the country breathed
a collective sigh of relief that the arrogant, sleazy and incompetent
Tories had gone. Labour Party membership then was peaking at
around 405,000.
People from all kinds of backgrounds and all shades of political belief joined in droves. The membership growth, which started under John Smith, accelerated when Tony Blair and John Prescott were elected after John’s death. Time after time the new members told us: ‘We want to make
our contribution to defeating the Tories. We want a Labour government.’ While some people raised their eyebrows at the time, as if to say, ‘it’ll all end in tears’, the euphoria of the time and
the momentum for change were very strong.
Now the honeymoon, and, indeed, the second honeymoon following the 2001 election victory, is over. Labour Party membership stands at 280,000
and the talk is of decline.
Over the years, I have experienced difficult times in the Labour Party. But
I am in no mood to give up now just because the going appears to be getting tough for some. Nobody can deny the fall in membership. The figures speak for themselves. Similarly, nobody can deny that many local parties have
seen the number of active members decline over the years. But does this mean crisis?
I’m not so complacent as to
believe there is no problem. A mass membership party can, and should, reflect the diversity of political support necessary for a truly representative government. That same mass membership party can raise monies, as we have seen over the last ten years, thus widening and securing the party’s funding base. These two factors, in my view, go to the heart of why we need
to address the membership situation.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, however. The reasons for joining and becoming involved in the Labour Party in 2002 are as clear and straightforward as they were in 1902 – we want to see a better society. It is
the Labour Party, we believe, which
can best deliver that better world based on fairness, equality and social justice. Whatever the policy differences between the trade unions and the government at the moment may be,
we at the T&G, for example, have always said that only a Labour government can deliver the agenda we want to see. It is for that reason that I strongly believe there’s an imperative for trade union members to join the Labour Party.
Much has been written and said about how the Labour government needs to be in touch with party and public opinion to promote recruitment and retain party members. Looking at the latest opinion polls, which show Labour well out in front, the contact with public opinion seems spot on.
There are other opinion polls, however, which should send warning signals about how the party’s relationship with business is perceived.
If we are not to fall for the trap the Tories are trying to set, of trying to tar Labour with their brush of sleaze, then those links should be examined closely. Membership will surely suffer if they are perceived to be less than wholesome.
Now is the time for Labour to take the initiative again on funding and lead the debate about how political parties in the UK should be financed. I know that wealthy individuals, corporate donors and big business do not, and cannot, buy influence with the Labour Party – just as the trade unions cannot. The party must be robust in its defence of seeking the support of a wide range of stakeholders in society, from trade unions and businesses through special interest groups and voluntary organisations, to individuals who share Labour’s vision of the future. We remain a ‘broad church’. Of course, there will be disagreements about how we achieve our aims. However, the point of a democratic socialist party is that we argue our corner hard and pay our dues, but none of us try to buy influence. That way we can continue
to campaign and engage nationally and in our local communities for new members in the knowledge that it is what you say and do that counts.
We must always encourage participation. Our meetings and structures should promote an active
and meaningful dialogue to widen involvement and ownership of the policy-making process, to foster comradeship and so promote Labour’s message in our local communities.
If the politics of being in government is tough, it is a toughness
I prefer to the battle to win power.
The Labour Party has won two successive general elections. We are keeping public support. We are investing in our public services to improve all
our lives. There is much to do, but to quote the late Harold Wilson: ‘This party is a moral crusade or it is nothing.’ It is now up to us 280,000 crusaders to stand up and be counted.