1. Reinstate the Whip to Jeremy Corbyn immediately & an immediate publication of the Forde (‘Labour Leaks’) Report with no limitations placed on the investigation and anyone found to have been acting inappropriately to face the full internal Labour disciplinary procedures and externally any potential criminal proceedings. This is vital to regain trust of members and officials. Absolutely vital.
2. Apologise on behalf of the Party to the public for the absolute sh*t-show they have inherited, explaining that the last 16 months of self-sabotage and acting with impunity has now ended.
3. Give a full, honest apology to Jewish People for the past 16 months; because this time period has seen more suspensions of Jewish members than at any time previously. Apologise to our Muslim members for the previous hierarchy of racism, for being tone deaf & for consciously ignoring them. Ditto Palestinians, Kashmiri, Asian, Black-especially re BLM, ‘BAME’, Disabled, Trans & Traveller People. A full, unreserved apology to these People, those Labour betrayed re the ‘Rape’ & ‘Torture’ bills, the Young People, Nurses, NHS Staff & Essential Workers who we have lost the trust of since April 2020, ALL members, the Unions, supporters, voters & activists and Jeremy Corbyn. Do these apologies sincerely, quickly and transparently.
4. Introduce Mandatory Reselection as the top internal priority outside of the above.
5. The next priority is to bring back the Community Organisers. These wonderful People are essential.
6. Along with the Unions, support new media to counter the bias as much as possible, while supporting existing supportive independent media.
7. Democratise the Party far more.
8. Very proudly support and shout about the policies of 2017 & 2019 which remain, in every poll, majority popular with People of all political persuasions and none. Top of this list is a constant exposure of NHS privatisation, the corruption, the clear intention to break it and sell it off in pieces. A total refusal for ANYONE to pay for NHS or Social Care, even if they are rich. Free to all; the moment you start with ‘but they can afford to pay’, is the moment the NHS is lost, because then it will be everyone can ‘afford’ to pay before long…This must include a focus on drug & alcohol addictions as a HEALTH and not criminal issue. This must include legalisation or decriminalisation of some, if not all, drugs, and focussing on health and education. Like Portugal where it has been working for years.
9. FFS stop using focus groups to decide key policies and direction. As in, immediately stop this.
10. SET THE AGENDA/NARRATIVE. DO. NOT. FOLLOW. LEAD. UNAPOLOGETICALLY. The political space is there. Corbyn started it, the Tories are stealing our policies, and Biden & Ardern leading the way re domestic mass investment means we have no excuse at all.
11. Completely re-frame Patriotism progressively: Tax avoidance is anti-British, anti-immigration is anti-British etc
12. Be very bold & unapologetic re Foreign Policy, Trident, Arms sales etc.
13. Genuinely tell the hostile media to “F*** OFF”. When they are hypocritical, inconsistent and biased, just openly call it out. All the time. Unapologetically. You absolutely can win this way-there are several examples all over the world.
14. Remind the PLP who they are answerable to: members & their constituents. Always.
15. Get all Shadow Cabinet members to sign up to the above principles or they don’t take the post.
16. Make the job of General Secretary elected. It’s just daft that it is not.
17. WAY more attempts to penetrate the cultural zeitgeist; social events, more pop-up ‘clinics’ and campaigning, hyper-local permission for each CLP re local issues to them, gigs, comedy, OAP events, massive focus on local issues/campaigning all year round.
18. Constantly use Preston as THE example for Labour councils. Also, constantly connecting with SME’s, Co-Operatives etc.
19. A big overhaul of the media & communications with a key role for rebuttals and correcting BS.
20. A big focus on uniting the Left Internationally, with the removal of arrogance and the chip on the shoulder re Latin America. They know more than us. Listen to them. Learn. Highlight their struggles. Ditto re Africa, Asia etc.
That is just for starters. The next leader has a lot to do, urgently, to arrest the collapse of UK Labour internally & externally. But it CAN & MUST be done.
Thank you to Tony Fehler for his reminder about the Forde Report, which I have now included in the updated version of this.
In hope & Solidarity,
Adam Samuels @finnfan05
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