nick venedi

Sunday 11 September 2011

Can the left unite and offer an alternative?

I am extensively involved with community campaigning and development since I left my position as Branch Secretary and I am constantly being asked what the alternatives are to supporting Labour. Many of the diverse communities in London have been traditionally Labour party members or voters but I am finding that these same people are now asking whether the Labour party is representing their interests. I am of course arguing that Labour is still strong and credible.

But there are many who also want to know what the alternatives are and that is a difficult one. It's a hard question to answer because there are so many variations of what I would call the real or hard left and this in itself is an enormous weakness.

There are of course a number of strong candidates on the left such as the SWP and Socialist party but there are many more and the disputes they have between them are so major it dilutes the message and the work they are aspiring to do, so there is no doubt in my mind that the left should get its act together and present a more united front otherwise the only real alternative is to stay within the Labour party and try to reclaim it. A frank and honest debate needs to take place.

No comments:

Post a Comment