Brace yourselves, a perfect storm is brewing. Next year’s European elections will draw out and intensify the debate on the right over Europe. A year before the general election, UKIP have a chance to make sure their single issue is on the agenda going into a Westminster election more firmly than any other single-issue party ever has.
But Labour has questions to answer too. If the unthinkable happens, and an in-out referendum is confirmed, Labour must rethink the way it approaches Europe, and we should start now by planning for next year’s elections. Labour’s progressive wing is already making moves to this end, and has a responsibility to bring together important changes and suggestions in the way we campaign in 2014.
Taking a look at the party’s 2009 European election manifesto is a grim reminder of how different things could have been – the ideas rooted in building what we’d later call a ‘future fair for all’ that look, with hindsight, eminently electable compared to the coalition. But we know the reality in 2009 was damage-limitation for a Labour government struggling to find energy.
In 2014 we have a fresh chance to shape the debate on Europe, on our terms. To do so we shouldn’t treat them just as a chance to give David Cameron a kicking; whatever our result, the story will be the kicking he’ll get from his right, not his left. Instead, I want to be campaigning for a party that puts forward the positive case for Europe – a progressive Europe – to the British electorate.
We should be campaigning for the policies that make a positive difference to British lives. There should be no hesitation in backing, for example, the European youth guarantee suggested by Kevin Peel as one of five key EU reforms.
The Labour party is at its best, and our activists at their most enthusiastic, when we’re offering reform that is grounded in hope and optimism. It’s also the only way to tackle voter apathy.
Because Labour is the only party which will protect British interests whilst fighting for jobs, growth and reform in Europe, there is a temptation to be timid in taking this argument to the country. But while the right splits – again – over Europe, and while the Lib Dems are tied to the Tories, we have a unique opportunity to fight for a progressive European Union.
Of course, hope and optimism only take you so far. To make Europe accessible, Labour must not only change the way it presents itself in 2014, it also needs to change the way it acts.
In terms of practicalities, it’s good for the party that we’re looking to the Democrats and the Barack Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012 for inspiration. Douglas Alexander’s piece for Progress after the president’s re-election highlighted that ‘inclusivity matters’. Obama’s campaign looked to the future, which is exactly what Labour must offer for Britain and Europe. Inclusivity also means getting the candidates out on the doorstep early, because they would benefit, as Richard Angell and I suggested, from ‘exposure to the electorate as early as possible’.
At LabourList, Mark Ferguson’s determination to keep the issue of party reform on the agenda reflects well the mood in the party. His recent interview with Ed Miliband focused on community organising and the increasing role it’s playing in the party. European elections offer a good trial-run of these reforms, as long as we pursue them as a matter of urgency.
Next year, as the only major party that can claim to be in favour of a positive role in Europe, Labour will be thrown headfirst into a national debate full of lies, myths and, at times, xenophobia. But Labour is best when it is positive – making Europe accessible in 2014 will help shape Britain’s role within the EU for the next decade and Labour’s message for 2015. The debate among progressives has already started on how we can better approach Europe and campaigning in general – next year offers a unique chance to put words into action.
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Alex White is a member of Progress, writes for the Young Progressives column, and tweets @AlexWhiteUK
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