Interesting thread by Paul Mason. But...
https://twitter.com/paulmasonnews/status/1442735386799837186
To win power Labour needs at the very least some form of pre-GE pact with the LD. Without this, the very best case scenario imv is a hung Parliament & Labour+LD (even adding a few Green seats) are unlikely to be enough
for a majority in HoC. Post GE, LD's price to cooperation will be PR.But Labour will insist on a referendum as it won't have PR in its manifesto (at best a vague comittment to a review as an olive branch to members'anger). A referendum will take a long time to set up
Labour will still insist on a review to determine the type of PR proposed. It will drag on. I bet the the leadership will give free ticket to members to campaign for or against & the leadership will stay "neutral" as they did on Brexit.There will be zero guarantee of PR happening
& huge amount of distrust from LD.Therefore the PR vote yesterday -likely piloted by the leadership in cahoot with unions- makes a post GE collaboration more fraught & a pre-election collaboration even more unlikely.Current Tories' troubles will reinforce Labour’s delusion it can
win on its own.(Note: even if true what is the harm of a pre-election alliance?The LD do not target Labour seats + any Alliance commitments could be nil & void upon Labour having a majority).Labour & LD both benefit from the other doing well.This requires a pre-GE pact/Alliance
So it is a catch 22 situation. What can be done? Perhaps through a #RebelAlliance, sufficient pressure could be applied on the leaderships? But there is only one pressure which would work: threats.
The only real power of members - as conclusively shown yesterday- is to withdraw their support. Playing by the rules is ignored. Will the threat be used? Will it be credible? The #RebelAlliance led by @compass could:
1. Prepare a comprehensive & serious draft framework of an Alliance Agreement
2. Send it to CLPs & LD & Greens members & ask them to vote to require the leadership of their respective parties to sit down to negotiate it wiyh an explicit threat:
Should the leaders refuse:
2. Send it to CLPs & LD & Greens members & ask them to vote to require the leadership of their respective parties to sit down to negotiate it wiyh an explicit threat:
Should the leaders refuse:
3. Set up a party-The Rebel Alliance- fielding candidates in key swing constituencies on a 2 points programme:
-Post electoral collaboration (as outlined in the Framework document)
- a specific form of PR (likely AMS as an already applied & known entity).
-Post electoral collaboration (as outlined in the Framework document)
- a specific form of PR (likely AMS as an already applied & known entity).
To avoid a #RebelAlliance candidate, existing MPs/candidates of the existing parties would have to sign up publicly to the Framework & to PR.
It is a wrecking ball tactic. But what else is left? It will require huge discipline £ some £££ but it could work.
It is a wrecking ball tactic. But what else is left? It will require huge discipline £ some £££ but it could work.
Labour pulls the strings of unconditional loyalty very skillfully. But loyalty works both ways. Labour cannot win on its own short of a miracle. Nor can the LD, drunk as usual on one by-election victory. No more gaslighting. It's time for the voters to take back control.
PS: just to make clear these are personal suggestions, I have no idea if they correspond to @compass vision of a #RebelAlliance
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