Compass, the grassroots and supposedly radical grouping of disaffected Labour people and left wingers who haven’t found a home in the Liberal Democrats, likes to think of itself as radical.
By some measures, it is a successful organisation. Founded by Neal Lawson who sold his share in a lobbying company to create it, it still exists – almost five years after it was created. That’s an achievement given how many political organisations never make it beyond that particular fad. Secondly, it is the only part of the Labour party that consistently organises lobbying, using grassroots pressure to coax MPs.
However, by other measures it is monumentally unsuccessful. Its candidate for deputy leader of the Labour party didn’t win, despite the organisation he inherited and being the only candidate free to pluck the heart strings of activists.
Compass is prone to organising events and publishing pamphlets; a trait that has served the Labour party well over the past 110 years. However, the market for events is competitive and personally I find the idea being spoken at by cabinet ministers and academics who’ve been on the circuit for over 20 years deeply uninteresting.
The most unsuccessful, disappointing and concerning failure of Compass is to generate new ideas. The organisation has tried again this week. Its “policy competition” (a strange notion for an organisation that rejects that competition can generate good outcomes in other walks of life) has come up with ideas such as:
- a 6 hour working week – possible not followed at Compass EDIT the Compass email said it was a 6 hour working week. However, it also said that it was a 6 hour working day. I’m happy to correct the record.
- a living wage, subsidies of healthy food – is the Common Agricultural Policy not bad enough?
- Convert (sic) the pharmaceutical industry into cooperative social enterprises
- Nationalised utilities
- A Capital Gains Tax
- Council housing
- Annual targets for carbon emissions – thanks, think the government is ahead of you there
The merits of each can (and no doubt will) be debated. Just because they are old ideas, already rejected by the electorate, doesn’t make them bad and doesn’t mean their time may not come.
However, I’m deeply concerned that the self-styled future of progressive politics is in the hands of people with such long memories and short imaginations. Where’s the new thinking? The new radicalism? Or even just the new cohort of thinkers and activists such as those who came through Marxism Today?
When Labour loses power, it will need to do a lot of apologising before it can re-engage with the electorate but if it is to be a serious opposition, it will need to come up with new ways of communicating its timeless vision to a tired electorate. If Compas is the best there is then (to quote a senior civil servant) we’re all fcuked.
Related posts:
- Is Compass successful in engaging its members?
- Voting Labour with a heavy heart
- Why I’m voting for Luke Akehurst
- Labour Party reform isn’t about GCs
- A Progressive Entrepreneurs association
Tags: Compass