There remains a contradiction at the heart of Compass’s pluralist mission. Compass, while not formally affiliated to the Labour Party, is registered with the Party, and has a rule that forbids members of other parties from being full members.
Compass does not allow members of political parties other than Labour full membership. It is considering changing that rule – it must make the change, if chair Neal Lawson’s claim that Compass is a pluralist organisation and part of a movement towards a genuine Left-pluralism is to be taken seriously. Compass is a major sign of life in Labourism, and a source of pluralism on the Left; take for instance Compass’s call for tactical voting, at the recent General Election.
But there remains a contradiction at the heart of Compass’s pluralist mission. Compass, while not formally affiliated to the Labour Party, is registered with the Party, and has a rule that forbids members of other parties from being full members.
In other words, Compass’s ‘pluralism’ is very strictly curtailed, because members of other parties cannot participate in Compass’s formal democratic structures, and thus cannot play a democratic part in determining Compass’s direction.
This came home to me with full force recently. Applying to Compass for membership, I was told that, as a Green Party member, I was entitled only to associate membership, with no voting rights. I received my membership pack, and rather bizarrely this included a letter that stated:
“You’re a member of a democratic organisation. Every year Compass members get a say in how the organisation is run through our management committee elections [etc.].”
I queried this with Gavin Hayes, Compass general secretary. He replied that I received this letter, the same as any other Compass [full] member gets, because there are so few associate members that it is not worth there being a separate letter written for them [us]. This seems a rather unsatisfactory response: it is rather insulting or at least bemusing to receive a letter telling one that one is part of a democratic organisation – when in fact one is excluded from its democracy.
I queried with Gavin Hayes the status of the rule excluding members of other political Parties from full membership in Compass. He replied:
“The rule is something we examining at the moment.”
This is a vital test for Compass, and for the future of Labourism. If it really wants to embrace a pluralist politics, a politics suitable for a politically and electorally reformed UK, if it really wants to prepare the way for the new coalitional politics which AV and PR will bring (see here), then it needs to change this rule. So long as Compass forbids members of other progressive political forces from full membership, then it remains tacitly nothing but a glorified Labour Party faction.
But if Compass were to allow the likes of me – and Caroline Lucas and Adam Price and Salma Yaqoob and so on – in, on equal terms, then it would be practising what it preached. That would be pluralism in action.
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23 Responses to “Compass must practice what it preaches on pluralism”
Edward Carlsson Browne
And this is why I won’t join Compass. Sod pluralism. I’d rather have socialism.
I’ve got nothing against Greens as people. I agree with them on most issues. But right now they’re our opponents in parliamentary elections and are likely to remain so in local elections, as the rules aren’t changing there.
That means collaboratio has to, in my view, be limited to specific issue campaigns. If Compass widens its membership, it’ll show it’s not really interested in changing the Labour Party. As the Labour Party is still the only viable nationwide progressive political force, I’ll therefore lose all interest in it.
Edward Carlsson Browne
And this is why I won’t join Compass. Sod pluralism. I’d rather have socialism.
I’ve got nothing against Greens as people. I agree with them on most issues. But right now they’re our opponents in parliamentary elections and are likely to remain so in local elections, as the rules aren’t changing there.
That means collaboration has to, in my view, be limited to specific issue campaigns. If Compass widens its membership, it’ll show it’s not really interested in changing the Labour Party. As the Labour Party is still the only viable nationwide progressive political force, I’ll therefore lose all interest in it.
Christine Clifford
I am a member of the Green Party after voting Labour for all my voting life. I have just joined Compass and did not see anything about limited membership. Do I get a refund.
Also if Labour members think we are in competition with them. The Green Party is very small but Labour is very lost. I would hope enough of the Labour membership is aware that the party is well right of centre and just another neoliberal Blairite party little different from the Condem coalition. I read the Co-op policies and values and think they sound like a Green Party organisation but no they endorse Ed Balls another authoritarian right if centre politician. Pluralism on the left is our only hope all else is under the current circumstances a betrayal of the people of this country who will pay heavily for Labours loss of purpose and the Condem ideological destruction of Britains welfare state. Having attended a Compass day where there was much talk of pluralism I felt hopeful but watching the Labour leadership I fear they just want some time out of it before offering us a milder version of the same old deadly capitalist rhetoric
StephenH
hmmm.. I wouldn’t put it so… err….forcefully as Ed Car Browne, and yet I can imagine before the last election you might have expected quite a few Lib-Dems to call themselves progressive and ask to join Compass.
That would be a bit awkward now; No?
John77
Don’t tell the Daily Wail or they will go on about the lazy Compass …..