In the appeal reproduced below, Labour Hub reports on a new development which aims to establish a network of grassroots organisations without asking people to leave any parties or campaigns they currently support. The initiative is being launched to coincide with Labour Party Conference and appear to be explicitly aimed at attracting people who supported Labour under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. We await to see with interest how far such cross-party unity can be achieved under current conditions.

An invitation to join us

These are harsh times.  Our public services are failing and those who work in them are badly treated.  Many face insecurity at work, anxiety for elderly relatives, and see youngsters starting life in debt or with few prospects.  For millions it is worse, with parents going without food so their children do not go hungry.

Even the comparatively secure worry what kind of world their children will inherit.  Will they find somewhere to live?  Is the climate catastrophe now irreversible? And will the world ever be at peace?

But people always fight back.  Across the country and in every community good people rally round to support their neighbours and help those in need.  We stand with health and care workers, teachers, railway and postal workers and all those facing similar problems.  We join the picket lines to support those on strike.

And then there are brave campaigns to save our environment and defend human rights here and abroad. We are collectively shamed by the hostile treatment of migrants and the racism that lies beneath it – opposition to all racism is at the heart of all our activities.

It is to link all these groups and campaigns that an alliance of grassroots organisations is being formed.  There are so many of us doing all we can to make life better and more secure, but often we work in isolation.  Think what we could do if we support and learn from each other, both regionally and nationally.

We need fundamental, structural changes.  The present system is rotten, it creates poverty for some, insecurity for many, and great wealth for the very few. Current politicians will change little, whether Tories, Liberals or Starmer’s Labour party.

For many of us, there was a moment of hope in 2017 when Labour had a programme to restore our public services, reassert rights at work, and put the interests of ordinary people first. It was a beginning.  However, we know what happened to destroy that hope.

Now we have to re-group and move on.  We propose a new way forward: an active alliance of grassroots organisations. We would unite around the principles that are at the heart of a just, sustainable society, in which all can live in peace and security.  These principles have been the demands that people have made over the centuries when they have faced exploitation and hardship. Then they were aspirations, now they are urgent and essential.

OUR PRINCIPLES

 1. Public ownership of all public services and infrastructure, including utilities and transport.

2. A National Health and Social Care Service, fully funded from progressive taxation, which employs directly all who work in it. No sub-contracting, and no out-sourcing.

3. A major programme of council house building and regeneration to solve the housing crisis and to create communities that are sustainable both environmentally and socially.

4. High quality, state education to ensure all have an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential without incurring the burden of debt and an end to privatisation, for example academies and outsourcing.

5. Access to sports, leisure facilities and the arts available to all. We want Bread and Roses too!

6. Full employment rights for all workers from the first day of employment, and the repeal of anti-trade union legislation, in order to return power to union members.

7. A new Welfare State, in which those in need are not forced into poverty, and in which public service and the public good replace private greed in our national life.

8. A justice system accessible to everyone regardless of wealth, and the protection of civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and the right to protest.

9. Protection of the environment, with a serious plan for a just transition to a sustainable Green economy, fit for purpose to confront the impending catastrophe facing people and the planet.

10. Uncompromising opposition to all forms of racism and discrimination.

11. A foreign policy committed unequivocally to work for peace, the rule of international law and universal human rights, the rights of refugees, and a fair, non-racialised immigration system.

12. Transformation of the economic system in the interests of the people not corporate power, so that ‘workers by hand or by brain receive the full fruits of their industry’.

 What will our Grassroots Alliance do?

• We will be a link for the support groups, campaigns, unions and trades councils, political organisations, individuals and all who commit to the above principles.

• We aim to:

– Be a source of information and help to co-ordinate activities

– Provide papers, fact sheets and information to support events on particular issues

– Suggest speakers and events to bring groups together

– Organise larger, regional public events for discussion and taking decisions on how to advance the principles which have brought us together

• We will begin with our founding signatories and work for others to join us.

• We will organise locally and regionally, developing a network of community hubs.

• We are not a political party, but we intend to be a social movement.

• We do not ask that anyone should leave their present organisations or campaigns, simply commit to the twelve principles.

• We have always spoken of unity, but rarely achieved it.  For people who care about creating a just society, this is simply a beginning. There is nothing to lose by joining us but there is everything to gain.

What is a community hub?

• Our hubs are made up of members who have signed up to the principles of the founding charter.

What will the hub do?

• The aim of a hub is to engage with our local communities and create the space for discussions, share information and materials around the founding principles and build campaigns, hold public meetings, provide speakers and train others to become speakers at local events

• We will engage with political parties. We will engage with individuals and organisations that commit to our principles and sign up to join the hub/network.

• Parties and organisations who have our logo will act as the gold standard of recognising how we bring people back into politics and raise all our lives.

 Are there any positions that are elected and how often will elections take place?

• Yes, all positions in the hub will be elected on a 12-month basis; any current position holder will stand down after a 12-month period and won’t be able to stand for 12 months.

What roles are there in a community hub and can I still have input if I’m not in an elected position?

• Yes, all members of the hub have an equal voice. The roles will include a chair, a secretary, a membership secretary, a campaigns co-ordinator and a treasurer/fundraiser.

 How do unions fit in?

• We will support our fellow trade unionists in their struggles to improve and organise in our communities, helping build membership and workplace power.

 Will there be a national body?

• Yes, and each hub will elect a representative, but we recognise that this may need to change as we grow and would need to consider a different proposal in the future.

Will there be a conference?

• Yes, we intend to hold a conference as we move into a position of stability.

Is there a controlling group?

• Initially there needs to be a steering group so we can lay the foundations that the members will build on in the future.

Will one version of the hub fit all?

• No, we believe a framework with the principles and guidance will enable each hub to organise organically.

 JOIN US

If you believe you have a right to a secure future for your loved ones, a society that delivers for the many instead of just the few, then join the movement that will put the people’s voice back into politics.

Please email us directly to add your name to our membership list. Sign up to connect with other members in your area.

Contact: forthemanynetwork@gmail.com

Facebook: forthemanynetwork

Twitter:  @forthemany_net

 #Buildingafutureforall

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/91261194@N06/49737659911. Creator: Jernej Furman. Licence: CC BY 2.0 DEED