Thread by @RedLabour_

[thread] Red Labour would like to congratulate all the socialist candidates from the #GrassrootsVoice slate who were elected on to the NEC last night. What it shows is that the grassroots left is still a force in the party. We can & must build on this. (1/10)

However, there are some lessons to learn & fast. When we came into the @CLGALabour NEC campaign, Red Labour drew up a strategic plan where the entire #GrassrootsVoice slate would be supported by the collective organisations in the CLGA. We would work as a collective. (2/10)

Undoubtedly, the adoption of a single, unified slate & the decision to preference the vote by region were major factors in achieving the result. All of that took hard work, hours of negotiation, some of it very frustrating. But the biggest decision was to campaign as one. (3/10)

Most of the socialist groups within the CLGA did exactly that & we’re certain that it made a huge difference to the result. Events were advertised jointly, social media was co-ordinated etc. Obviously, different groups have different resources, but they all chipped in. (4/10)

However, Momentum - for much of the NEC campaign - chose to do their own thing. They refused to accept collective decision making & promoted only their preferred candidates: this too had an effect. If it hadn’t been for these actions, we could have had 6 out of 6. (5/10)

We understand that people will ask why we are raising this? Do we not need left unity? Yes, we do. But it must be unity based on honesty. At the moment, Momentum are busy doing their usual PR job of claiming the credit for other people’s work. That’s not fair / acceptable. (6/10)

If we are to rebuild the Labour left (and we have no choice), we need to see some self-reflection & honesty in all parts of our movement. We are a diverse bunch. The idea that one group represents & can dominate the left is a fantasy. (7/10)

No one group represents the Labour left. The idea that Momentum can impose their campaigns & candidates on the rest of us, while ripping up collective agreements & ditching other candidates, is a nonsense & we won’t play along with it. (8/10)

It’s time to pause & take stock: are we going to work hard to build a united, organised & democratic left or are we going to build PR operations? One has a chance of resurrecting the socialist project, inside & outside the Labour Party, the other is a cul-de-sac. (9/10)

With the NEC elections over, we need to make sure that the real grassroots voices of our movement are heard. That won’t be done top down, but through a comprehensive democratisation of our processes, selections & campaigns on the Labour left - beginning today. (10/10)