The Labour party is full of incredible people, as well as few of us who genuinely enjoy debating the various pros and cons standing order models in chapter 15 of the rulebook. But there are far fewer members than there should be, and everyone’s talent, passion and commitment is not always adding up to more than the sum of our parts. We believe the party needs rebuilding a mass participation party as a main goal of the new leadership.

An important feature of platform leadership candidates so far has been commitments to changing the party: from Diane Abbott’s urgent question of “how we revive the Labour party and ‘reboot’ party democracy” Ed Balls focusing on our need to listen, or Andy Burnham on reengaging the grassroots. David and Ed Miliband have also both focused on the the need Labour to be a “movement for change” and the “best community organising force in this country”

However, the conversation about party renewal has now been going on for an eye-wateringly long time. What we need from this leadership competition is to move the agenda on to practical steps, lessons and proposals on how to overcome the real challenges in delivering change. So we have asked all the candidates to give us their practical proposal on how they would deliver on the three Labourvalues.org.uk principles of:

1. Become a mass participation progressive movement
The average local constituency Labour party now has a membership of just under 300, and this is far lower in many rural areas. If Labour is to be the party of the many not the few, it really does needs to involve the ‘many’. It is direct contact with our neighbours that makes for successful politics and delivers results. The Labour party needs to be about community campaigning first and foremost, working for change in local communities. It should be about guerrilla gardening, bus routes, post offices and drug treatment centres.

2. Empower members, activists, and supporters with the tools and resources to transform their communities
Labour needs to value the people volunteering their time and energy and shift to engaging people based on their interests, needs and backgrounds – not just around where they live. For lots of us, going canvassing near work would be a lot easier, but seems a little unfaithful somehow. Beyond that being a member of the Labour party should be rewarding and even fun. We need to acknowledge and thank people in front of others for the work that they do. Training, tools and resources are needed so that people and groups can be both more effective advocates for the party, and successful community activists.

This doesn’t all mean large amounts of money. Often it comes down to little things. When was the last time someone explained who was on the list you were doorknocking and why? It is surprising how much easier grumpy responses are to bear if you know you are canvassing a full voter list so that others don’t have to talk to them again.

3. Invest authority in the people and groups that deliver this change
Some of New Labour’s successes were based on a command-and-control operation managed from the centre, but the limits of this approach are clear. As Labour members become more engaged in their communities and active in campaigning, they need to be more involved in the party’s decision-making at all levels.

We should be encouraging more ‘all member’ meetings to take important decisions at local level. A good hard look needs to be taken on how we select candidates and hold them to account. Decisions about policy, strategy and leadership need to be more transparent and democratic. And the party needs to devolve more funding and fundraising to local groups.

The new party leader needs to transform the way the party works, but
they cannot do this on their own. All Labour members and activists also need to take responsibility for changing the way we engage with our communities, campaign, and deliver real results on the ground. We want the leadership candidates to set out what they will challenge us to do, as party members and activists.

The most important part of this change will be a culture change – how we in the Labour party, on the left, and in the progressive movement, live out our personal politics.

Our party politics will only change if our party does first. The time has come for Labour to show what and whom it values.

Labourvalues.org.uk was launched last week as a place for experiences and ideas to be drawn together, developed and exchanged, and to challenge us all to respond to the lessons of this election and our last 13 years in power. Please visit and sign up if you’d like to join us in challenge out leadership candidates on the change we need.

Photo: Labour Values screenshot 2010