In the last 24 hours, my Labour Party activism has had me walking round the Barbican estate where I live, cycling down the Embankment, then later up to Piccadilly past the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, and back home.
The local Labour universe, for me, is fascinating in unexpected and refreshing ways. A year ago I volunteered to be the Secretary of my local Labour Party. Or as some would have it I was elected unopposed. At the same time another branch member volunteered to be chair. That doubled the number of officers compared with the previous year!
In this day and age when the Party Leadership seems hell-bent on shutting down branch and delegate CLP structures, as well as Conference for political debate, it is relatively unusual to be bothered with members.
But my understanding of the Labour Party Rule Book is that every member is entitled to be informed of every branch meeting, irrespective of whether s/he has ever attended one in her/his life.
Now this is a bit tricky. Servicing members' rights is not cost-free. Under the current Labour Party national financing arrangements, branches receive NO money from membership administered nationally. A third of receipts is remitted to the Constituency. Under my CLP's arrangements, nothing is remitted back to branches.
In anticipation of this lack of local funds, I had proposed to the City of London branch the previous summer that we hold a ward supper after the regular monthly branch meeting in a member's home. Food and drink is donated by the host and everyone present, including the host(s) contributes £5-00 to party funds. As a believer in never suggesting anything unless I am prepared to do it myself, I braced myself for many months cooking before someone else volunteered. it was not long before another member joined the hosting pool, then another..and another. But I digress
By the time of the 2007 AGM, when I became Secretary, a modest fund of £60 was accumulated. The introduction of fellowship into our monthly routine helped us get to know each other better. So a year later, what have got to show for our efforts? At this year's AGM four members volunteered to take on named responsibilities, chair, vice-chair, secretary and campaign co-ordinator, and we have a full compliment of EC/GC delegates. Every branch member has been notified of every meeting with one exception. I failed to get the notices out that month to members for whom I only have a snail mail address. Eight suppers in 2007 raised £185, of which £118.89 was spent on room hire and postage. Attendence at the 2008 AGM was up 40% on the previous year, membership was up 26%, and resignations and lapsings were significantly below the CLP average. The branch database holds more eMail addresses that the national system. Why? Because some members know that if HO gets their eMail address they could be bombarded with HO spam. Some members don't give HO their telephone number for similar reasons.
Yea, yea, but what about the politics, the campaigning, leafletting and door-knocking? Bear with me a moment. This model of political organisation is about liberating and enabling. Members having paid their subscription should feel free to contribute time, skills and money, not be harrassed for not contributing more. So each month, I write the envelopes for all members not on eMail - that has teased out some. I like to think they were motivated to save my volunteer time and branch funds to receive monthly news by eMail. Gradually, the postage bill has decreased. The balance are hand-delivered - hence the walk round my local estate last night.
But my day in the local Labour universe started much earlier yesterday. A power breakfast took place with our branch chair and a member with news from one of the City fathers. We needed a pre-meeting as our chair will miss the next branch meeting. She's talking to another branch in the constituency (Cities of London and Westminster) that meets on the same night as we do and needs moral and practical support. She wanted to hear more about the local proposal as it affects City governance and that is a priority issue for the branch.
At the beginning of the week, the local Labour universe even extended to the House of Commons. My wife and I went to hear Hilary Benn talk about his environmental brief to the City Fabians, with whom the branch has close links. (We had to meet in the Commons, rather than the City, as Hilary was on a three-line whip.) Two City branch members whom I had never met introduced themselves, thanked me for keeping them informed and started talking about energy-saving campaign ideas for Labour in the City. No sooner was the Branch notice out mid-week by eMail than I heard back from one of them members wanting to campaign to get City offices to turn their lights off after work. A quick piece of desktop research revealed the Corporation employs - energy wardens. Mmm, not one would have guessed it looking out of the windows from where we live. That's definitely something for the next City Rose.
Gradually, a political narrative relevant to the City is being developed by Labour members. We have discovered comrades playing key roles in local resident associations, others working for City-based firms entitled to a business vote, representations have been made to the City Planning Committee about energy efficiency standards for buildings, and strategic planning issues, and a campaign has started to encourage the Corporation to become a London Living Wage employer. Some City firms are already. City Wards hold annual meetings for electors - in the middle of the day. We are protesting that they should be at more convenient times for working people. We are reaching out to local trades union branches to further these campaigns, starting with the London living wage and fair pay.
This local activity has regional and national implications. But it starts from a belief that each member has a right to know.
What's happening in your local branch? Do you know its name, when it meets, who its officers are, what its programme is? Wouldn't the Labour Party be a better organisation with a strong, inclusive branch network? Could this be the way forward?
In the next instalment - the London Labour universe.
