This is a chance to redefine politics in the UK
So, all the promises of stability and putting the country first were lies. As David Cameron did before, Theresa May is setting her own chance to cement political power before what is best for the country.
Only months ago she said:
“I’ve been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing, and have that election in 2020.”
Theresa May Downing Street statement outlined her thinking. By making the General Election about Brexit, she will hope to harvest the pro-Brexit vote while the Remain vote will be split by the myriad of parties on the left. Coupled with the latest opinion polls, this has inspired her rush for power.
Already the responses from each party seem to validate her thinking, be it the leader of the Greens, Liberal Democrat, Labour or SNP; they are all pushing out statements that only their party is the one to stop Brexit, which is clearly madness.
Let’s be frank: If the parties of Left continue to hold this position by 8 June, Theresa May and the Conservative Party will be back in power, with more seats and able to demand not only hard Brexit, but the dismantling of the structures of our common society.
For a second, let us remember as the late Jo Cox memorably put it ‘we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us’:
For us on the left of politics, whether we’re Green, Liberal Democrat, SNP, Plaid Cymru or a Labour supporters, if we take off our party politically tinted glasses for a moment, we will indeed see we have far more in common than divides us.
We all want to create a society that is fairer, we all agree that government should be taking the lead in providing more housing. We all agree that the privatisation of education and health care is wrong and should be stopped. We all believe that the marketisation of every part of our society is causing massive inequalities and has gone too far. We all believe in the protection of workers rights and the protection of privacy. We believe we should have a fairer more progressive tax system and that the demonisation of particular groups of society by this government, such as those with disabilities, is deeply wrong and disturbing.
We all believe that although immigration is an important issue, it is not fact, but fear that is leading the discussion. We all think that all our policies should be affected and influenced by the real and present danger of climate change and that it should be the policy that encircles all others.
We must demand that the parties of the Left work together.
We must demand that there are single preferred candidates for each seat based on current control and which party has the best candidate to challenge.
We must accept, regardless of the individual parties results that the next government will be a Green/Liberal Democrat/Labour Coalition government after the election. With the SNP only accepted if, as the next Government will defuse hard Brexit, there will be no independence vote for the term of the next parliament.
This is an opportunity, a once in a lifetime opportunity, for the political parties leaders of the left to be brave and lead. It is a chance to redefine the politics of the left in the UK
These are extraordinary times in the politics of our country and world — we need our leaders to stand up and be extraordinary, instead of insisting on politics as normal.
If they don’t, we all, every supporter of every party of the Left, must demand they do.
Ranjit Sidhu is is the founder of SiD, Statistics into Decisions. Follow him on Twitter.
12 Responses to “Progressives must demand that the parties of the Left work together in this election campaign”
Andrew Bratt
I do not trust the Lib Dems and would find it hard to see them as either progressive or left.. my heart says they must not be part of any such plan. My head says it must be done and tuition fees, Tory backing and Trump bombing backing must be forgotten. I am still not sure
Daniel Vulliamy
Happy to work with Greens (offer Caroline Lucas a Shadow Cabinet post now), SNP (support the rhetoric rather than the policies), possibly even with Liberals (try to ignore their shameful recent past). But I do really struggle with the prospects of working with New Labour toad MPs who have done so much to damage Labour’s prospects?
Brian Allison
Last election I took part in vote swap. Can this happen on a bigger scale in June.
I a Labour voter voted Green so a Green member could vote Labour.
I think the Lib Dems could be involved this time to join together to prevent a hard brexit
Ian East
Totally agree. We must not have a repeat of the 1980s. Mrs Thatcher was bad enough, Mrs May promises to be even worse. We need Labour, Greens, Lib Dems and Nationalists to work togeather on a united platform to develop a tolerant society, tackle poverty, protect our education and save the NHS.
Derek reed
I do wonder why some think the SNP are progressive in any way shape or form.
With the exception of a brief daliance with Labours Manifesto (which lasted no loger than the general election) the SNP have proven adept at rubber stamping Tory Austerity. They may occasionaly talk left, but generally they walk right, and actions speak louder than words for those mindful enough to monitor them.