Labour Vision
A short lived blog with the stated aim:
"Labour Vision provides a space for social democratic thinkers in the U.K. to set out the future for a party of organised labour."
It was not necessarily a natural home for a self professed Bevanite. Labour Vision erred towards the middle of the road that Nye warned us about. It got ran down.
Even so I published two articles with Labour Vision and have published copies of them below.
A New Kind of Politics MK2
Circa June 2017
The line between productive debate and infighting has long been taut enough to draw blood – for some political garrotting has been their major preoccupation over the last few months.
The vilification of Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters had been hinging not only on the validity of their views but of their electoral appeal. Regarding the latter various luminaries stepped forward and prophesised a reckoning from which Labour may never recover and those who had the temerity to support the long standing Labour MP for Islington North were decried as at best naïve and at worse deliberate wreckers. As many of the left winger’s supporters were young people ‘grow up’ seemed an obvious and offensive epithet. It is telling that those who don’t believe in class politics in many cases show so little class in their politics.
In the interests of full disclosure I both voted and advocated for Jeremy Corbyn in both the leadership elections. This led in turn to profound disagreements with some of my kith and kin in Labour (not least of which the editor of Labour Vision…). I was informed by some that this was Labour’s last stand and that I had played a part in its destruction.
The results of the General Election signal not an end of the Labour Party but of a renewed vigour. Labour consolidated their position, gained seats, and denied the Conservatives a majority government. Labour are now well poised for a bid for government. Various commentators have questioned how this has been achieved and stated that no one could have predicted that there would be a surge of support for Labour. Yet expecting such a surge was the reason why many voted for Jeremy Corbyn.
One demographic in particular has startled the coterie of political pundits. Post-election Jeremy Corbyn asserted that he has “youth on his side”. Given the volume of young Labour volunteers engaged both attending his rallies and campaigning on the doorstep it’s difficult to disagree. “The world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind […] It is a revolutionary world we live in.” The words of Robert Kennedy seem apt for the Labour campaign – revolutionary both in tone and action. This was a campaign that coursed with vitality and enthused all those with which it came into contact.
Youth turned to – and turned out for – Labour. They identified with the message and not merely piecemeal aspects (as some would claim). The Labour manifesto declared that it was For the Many, Not the Few and each constituent part supported that central aim. Young people didn’t just engage with policies but with politics. For this they stood vilified and now stand vindicated.
It would be a disservice to say all critics of Corbyn and his supporters have been rendered silent. Many are letting their voices be heard and the word on their lips is ‘sorry’. Sorry for not engaging, sorry for not listening, sorry for the times that I have overstepped the mark. We stand at a point where we can improve the quality of discussion within Labour. A rapprochement may be reached (Labour has long benefited from dialectical debate) but must have as its bedrock the validity of a Labour party with a socialist character along with an acknowledgement that it was a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour which achieved the first parliamentary gains for the party in nearly two decades.
The vindication of those that advocated realignment back to the left must not be merely noted then ignored. Instead it must be seen for what it is – the beating socialist heart of the Labour Party – and protected accordingly. Those who advocated a transplant cannot be allowed to rip out this vital and healthy organ.
It is for this reason that I am an advocate of Open Labour (on whose National Committee I sit). Open Labour is a movement with the express purpose of ensuring that Labour members engage with left of centre ideas and in turn deliver such ideas to a wider public. We need such forums and their advocates to further embed and refine the presence of left wing ideas within Labour. After campaigning on such a manifesto it is natural that we continue to hone our policies and the form of politics we wish to champion.
Under Corbyn “a new kind of politics” has indeed emerged. A Labour Party with socialism not only at its core but in every fibre of its being - from the pages of its manifesto through to the volunteers on the doorstep.
Labour’s gains were no bolt from the blue but a rallying of the red.
David Hamblin
Welsh Representative – Open Labour National Committee
Where Labour Stands – Young Workers
Circa Jan 2017
If you want to see the effects of austerity in action take a look at the bank account of a young worker. If you want to see a group of people taking the direct hits from low hour contracts look at the properties rented by young workers.
In Labour we get told we’re ‘idealists’ when we state that those in work deserve a Real Living Wage, that everyone should have access to education and apprenticeships, and that you should have the right to be represented in the workplace. Decent pay, getting on in life, a fair deal. Think of the people who say that’s some kind of ideal and not just a basic standard of living - think of the people who hold us all in contempt and think that we don’t deserve even that.
An injury to one is an injury to all and the Tories have been doling out the damage for years. We have a country where the Government have declared a Living Wage and then say it’s legal to pay under-25s less. That’s assuming you can get the hours you need on your contract which is just flexible enough for your employer to tie you up in knots. This is what is being offered to young people today. Not as a choice but as the way things are.
It’s popular to say that young people don’t engage with politics because politics doesn’t engage with them. That’s one of the best lies that people can tell because politics engages with young people every day, nearly always to a young worker’s loss. Not just in pay or rights but in aspiration. It’s not enough to say “wait five years for a vote and you’ll get your chance for your voice to be heard” they need action now. This is why Young Workers are starting to fight back and why youth representation in the Trade Union movement is so important.
Young Trade Unionists are realising it’s not enough to have the crumbs of the table – not when they put the food there themselves. James Connolly said “Our demands most moderate are, we only want the earth” how’s that for aspiration? This is why Young Workers have been so heavily involved in the Fast Food Workers’ Rights movement. Young Workers from BFAWU, GMB, and Unite all took action and won concessions from a multi-national organisation.
Some will ask: “why should I care?” You should care if you’re a Young Worker getting screwed over, you should care that a whole generation are not getting the support to move on in their careers, and you should care that the system that you’re in is geared towards short term profit which has every chance of collapsing in on itself – like it did a few years back…
If you’re trying to find the people who are fight for your rights look around in your workplace and find the Trade Union rep. It’s the Trade Unions that fight for workers week in and week out. Trade Unions give voice and power to young workers and now more than ever that voice needs to be heard and that power needs to be wielded. I was the Chair of the GMB Young Members Network for a year and time and again we’d see that employers would exploit young workers. The soaring numbers of those with Mental Health issues is in part due to the amount of stress heaped on the young. GMB Young Members campaign for improved access to Mental Health provision both through demonstrations and advocating Mental Health First Aiders.
The work’s not complete but here and now this kind of action needs to have the unalloyed support of the Labour Party. Young workers don’t want to hear that amendments in legislation will make life a little easier – they need to know that the legislation beating them down is going to be replaced with something that will actually improve their lives. They need a vision of the future for themselves. Labour can offer that vision. Labour must offer that vision.
I have no desire for the Labour Party to be a purely defensive movement. We can’t just say that we’ll take the sharp edges of the economy. We need to map out the way that Socialist policies will enable people to live their lives. We need to show that Labour stands with them on improving pay, on improving health, on improving education.
I am a Socialist because I see the need to change an unjust system. I am Labour to make that change happen.
Labour’s run with a dented shield – it’s time to fight back.
David Hamblin
GMB activist