By Lorcan Whitehead

Last month, more than eight years after Momentum’s founding, we announced our first ever all-Members’ Convention taking place online on Sunday 10th March. 

Momentum was founded in October 2015, yet this is the first time our members will have the chance to come together to make the strategic and structural decisions which will help define our future direction for the coming years. It’s a long awaited moment which highlights efforts over recent years to build a more democratic organisation, most notably the Refounding process which empowered members to rewrite our constitution. Given this context, we should pause to reflect on just how significant a landmark this is in our organisation’s history. 

Against the backdrop of a Labour leadership which gives more reason to despair than to hope – from its refusal to back the full and immediate ceasefire so desperately needed in Gaza, to the watering down of what few progressive policy commitments remain – we are putting our democratic socialist values into action. 

One of the things that defines us as socialists is our commitment to democratising politics, society and the economy. Contrast this with Labour’s right wing, which has scrapped democratic structures for BAME and disabled members, ditched equality officer roles, stitched-up selections, and ignored resolutions passed at Labour Conference, to name just a few examples.

Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership we saw a return to real Labour values alongside moves (albeit insufficient) to restore member democracy. Under Starmer’s, we have a war on Labour democracy which goes hand-in-hand with his shift to the right.  

The Labour right know that members want to choose their own candidates from their own communities, not have them imposed by Westminster cliques. They know that members and unions, like the public, want to see the Party call for a full ceasefire in Gaza, and set out a transformative plan to address decades of failed neoliberalism, from public ownership of our public services to greater investment, wealth taxes to free school meals. They know all this, and that’s why they prefer undemocratic stitch-ups to fair fights.

As if it was in doubt, Starmer and Reeves’ recent ‘business summit’ confirmed that their project is about restoring the Party as a reliable, pliant partner for big business. There they ‘wooed’ corporate bosses with pledges not to raise corporation tax (already the lowest in the G7) or reintroduce caps on bankers’ bonuses, and to cut regulation in the City. 

Where Corbynism sought to cultivate the grassroots movement his programme needed as a counterweight to the power of established interests if it was to succeed, Starmer has sought to sweep us aside so we don’t obstruct the red carpet he’s devoted to rolling out for bosses. 

The lesson from this is that democracy isn’t just something nice to have – it’s essential for achieving the changes we as socialists know are necessary. Democracy means putting the many in the driving seat, in place of the few.

But if these are our principles, then we must practise them ourselves. Both because we have to show people that we’re different from the anti-democratic right, and because if we don’t engage our grassroots and strive to build a mass movement, then we can’t hope to compete with the power of the corporate elites who’ve been flooding Starmer’s Labour with cash, freebies and lobbyists. 

Democracy in practice can be messy and difficult. But for socialists who want to build a social force capable of really changing society, it never ceases to be vital. 

That’s why at Momentum we’re putting the power of democracy back where it belongs, in the hands of our members, with our first ever Momentum Members’ Convention. 

Our Convention will provide a space to discuss and debate the future of our movement – and how we should be getting organised to work for a socialist future. It will be an opportunity for socialists up and down the country to meet other like-minded activists and chart a new path forward for Britain’s largest democratic socialist membership organisation.  

Our members are vital to our project. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do the work we do campaigning for a socialist Labour Party and a socialist Britain. That’s why we are empowering them to shape the next steps in our journey, by submitting motions to debate at the Convention, with a focus on three key areas: campaigns, strategic priorities and constitutional amendments. 

To take up that opportunity you must be a Momentum member, so why not join us today and help us build socialist capacity for the long-term. Collectively, we can strategise how to harness the public hunger for change, which we know won’t subside as long as establishment politicians keep following the failed policies of the past and build socialist strength for the long-term.

The Convention will address the key questions of socialist strategy, from what we campaign on to how we organise. By coming together, we can exercise our collective strength. So, if you’re not already a Momentum member, join today to take part in our inaugural Members’ Convention online on Sunday 10th March. 

Our message is simple: this is your movement, your choice. 

Lorcan Whitehead is Momentum National Secretary.