Monopoly Socialism: Why Labour Needs to Learn to Live with Complexity and Seek Power with Others, Not Over Them
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THINK PIECE #94 Beyond monopoly socialism: why Labour needs to learn to live with complexity and seek power with others, not over them Neal Lawson March 2018 THINK PIECE ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neal Lawson is the Chair of Compass. #94 ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION This paper was written to help the Labour Party think through its approach to power so it can build relationships with other parties and forces it is bound to require if it is not just to gain office but have and use power for Published March 2018 by Compass transformative effect. By Neal Lawson © Compass Equally is was written so that Green, Liberals, All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages feminists and all other progressives can find a for the purpose of criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system, place and voice in a politics that values and or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, welcomes difference. mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Compass. Neal would like to thank Frances Foley, Compass Francesca Klug, Rebecca Gibbs, Remco Van 81a Endell Street London der Stoep, Nick Mahony and Ken Spours for WC2H 9DX their comments on early drafts, although, as [email protected] ever, the final version and all its faults are www.compassonline.org.uk down to him. Compass is a home for those who want to build and be a part Compass is keen to keep exploring these key of a Good Society; one where equality, sustainability and democracy are not mere aspirations, but a living reality. issues and would welcome any comments or ideas about how. We are founded on the belief that no single issue, organisation or political party can make a Good Society a reality by Compass Think Pieces are shorter, sharper themselves so we have to work together to make it happen. Compass is a place where people come together to create the and more immediate responses to key issues. visions, alliances and actions to be the change we wish to see The ideas and the thoughts are always those in the world. of the author, not Compass. They can cover any topic that helps us understand better what a good society should or could look like and how we might get there. We welcome suggestions for future publications, especially from women and any groups or people in society who are under-represented in the field of political thought and action. Please contact [email protected] in the first instance. 3 Beyond Monopoly Socialism With many people feeling a asking all the difficult questions about the desperate material and moral need extent of new council house builds and the for change, the thought of a Labour impact of overrunning construction government, especially a more projects on housing and community left-wing one, in any circumstances facilities. Another ‘me too’ payroll Labour is understandably compelling. But councillor would not have the motivation it isn’t just different policies our and may not even be allowed to ask the country needs, but a very different difficult questions and get the best out of form of politics, based not on these projects for the community. competition and control but cooperation and collaboration. Here is the disclaimer: Siân is on the Otherwise the benefits of any Management Committee of Compass – change in government will be slim the progressive cross-party organisation and short-lived. A new that I chair. But as a long-time Labour government must not build a cage member I see only the immense value that from any future electoral victory, people like Siân bring to radical politics, but the foundations for a very new and the danger of extinguishing their politics and therefore a very voices. different kind of society. In neighbouring Islington, Caroline Russell One of three local councillors for the plays a similar role as the only Green Highgate ward in Camden, North London, councillor in that borough. Indeed, brims with radicalism. She is an astute Caroline is currently the only non-Labour campaigner, media operator and thinker councillor on the whole authority. But her who is hard-wired with the values of social seat will also be remorselessly and and environmental justice. In many ways relentlessly targeted come May, leaving she is more Momentum than Momentum. Labour with absolute monopoly control And yet Labour is out to oust her in the and the zero levels of accountability that local elections in May. goes with it. This is not just bad for democracy, but bad for Labour. This is Siân Berry and Siân is a Green. Ipso facto, for Labour, she is the enemy of What makes Siân and Caroline necessary the Party and therefore the people, and to Labour is precisely the fact that they are must be removed and replaced with one different to Labour, starting, as they do, of their own. Missing out on the seat by from a different foundational philosophy. only 75 votes last time, the Labour The cause that got them into politics was juggernaut is now well-placed to get its not ending inequality, but saving the way this time. Siân is the only Green on planet, which they happen to know is now Camden Council and one of only four key to ending the very inequalities that across the whole of the capital. The Labour supporters tend to start from. first-past-the-post voting system Indeed, the environment and equality are eventually and necessarily smashes the so interlinked it is now impossible to do smaller parties, but why does Labour red politics without green politics, and vice believe in the obliteration of all political versa, as air pollution, flooding, droughts competition and its own monopoly control, and rising food and energy prices hit the when variety is not just the spice of life, poorest first and hardest. But the fact that but makes for better political outcomes? Siân and Caroline start from the green end of the telescope, and not the red, In Camden Siân has been a constructively means they bring a whole different critical friend of Labour on issues such as perspective, set of values, ideas and the Community Investment Programme, behaviours to the table. We need both 4 Beyond Monopoly Socialism traditions - and more - to enter into is just another example of market failure – dialogue, if we are to deal with the scale in which competition trumps cooperation and complexity of the challenges we face. to the detriment of the common good. This variety makes the broader left Innovation, critique, accountability, stronger - not weaker. challenge all go out of the window in a competitive, winner-takes-all-system that Back to Islington and Camden, where as delivers acquiescence, conformity and early as 2011, first Caroline in Islington monopoly control. But Labour is against and then Siân in Camden introduced the competition and monopolies, right? idea of ‘citizen science’ projects to their boroughs to get local communities Labour’s struggle with pluralism monitoring their own deadly air pollution. Now every council in London and beyond Of course, not everyone in Labour is a is looking at air quality seriously, but it monopolist. Some, like Clive Lewis, Lisa needed innovators from outside of Labour Nandy, Jon Cruddas, Jonathan Reynolds to break ranks, mobilise communities and and others, have an instinct for pluralism. challenge the status quo. Labour But the predominant sentiment of Labour, politicians will of course claim to be green from left to right, is the electoral too, and of course many do care about the extermination of anyone and everyone environment. But one of the central who isn’t a card-carrying member of the problems with social democrats is that Party. This is the logic of the market. they don’t have planetary limits built into their DNA, as Greens do. The This isn’t, of course, just about the Greens environment was not a systemic issue at – it’s about Labour’s actions, beliefs and the start of the last century, when social attitude to everyone outside the Party - democracy was developed. Rather the and indeed everyone inside it too. opposite - social democrats still carry with Labour’s attitude towards others operates them the DNA of redistribution through on a spectrum from suspicion to hostility – growth. Climate change, environment and in business, the community, other fields species depletion can’t be add-on issues, and other parties. Internally, as we are luxuries to think about after resources seeing, it is not good enough to be just a have been redistributed via a growing member of Labour: you have to be the economy. Greens therefore confront social ‘right’ type of member – you have to be in democrats with a central contradiction at the faction within the faction, the tribe the heart of their own politics. Labour can within the tribe. The Blairites and Progress embrace this contradiction, working with outmanoeuvre the left, and then in turn the Greens like Siân and Caroline - and Corbynites and Momentum outmanoeuvre thereby develop the Party in crucial ways - them for the all-important control of the or ignore it, at its peril. machine. In this world, control of the party means control of the state, which in turn For now, Labour is out to defeat Siân and means control of the country. With such Caroline, just as they will any progressive brutal competitive simplicity, it is easy to competition across the capital and the see how ends justify means. It is a politics country. Just as they will Caroline Lucas in of ‘by any means possible’.