Founding Declaration 001

Sounds a bit pompous, but do we need something along these lines?

Even if not, I think it might be useful to discuss the kind of issues that might go into such a declaration.

One thing I consider very important is that the aim of what we are doing is to assist the leader's office and the party (those elements of it not in outright rebellion, that is). We want greater input from the membership into policy and - as importantly - strategy and tactics, but personally I don't want anything to do with any effort at agitation that undermines the leadership.

At the risk of sounding like a NuLab spoiler (the difference being I mean what I'm saying) the Labour party exists to gain office and thereby enact good policy. We can improve the latter, but this must not be at the cost of the former. Obviously this is judgement call. I would have been much less convinced of this in New Labour's heyday, when the Labour party was in office but not evincing any concern for what I consider good policy. But under the current leadership, it certainly applies in my opinion.

More clearly still, we obviously owe Corbyn our support while he finishes the job he was put there to do as a precondition of Labour ever recovering electorally: defeating the NuLab tendency. Everything I do (in political contexts at least) is informed by the need to support Corbyn in this endeavour - and while pushing for the party to become more democratic is a part of that fight, I'm conscious that this needs to be done in such a way that we don't end up attacking Corbyn himself - nor indeed Momentum - constructive criticism is one thing & I don't agree with the way Lansman has dealt with various things, but of course the point of constructuive criticism is that one engages in it only if it actually is constructive - that is, making the crticism (or implied criticism) is going to improve things.

Anyway, that is my take on one aspect of how we move forward. As always, I hope to get some comments in reply, especailly as this is a political issue par excellence and not a dry technical topic...