Grassroots Voice NEC Candidates Collective Statement 2020

CAMPAIGNING FOR A LABOUR VICTORY

All CLGA candidates are committed to the principles of democratic socialism in practice as well as theory. They stand for a transformative Labour Government, socialist policies and Party democracy.

Saving lives should be the priority in the coronavirus pandemic – the Tories’ priority of protecting profits has already led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and has not contained the virus. There was a complete failure to plan for the pandemic despite clear warnings over more years. A decade of austerity has undermined public services and the weakened the ability to tackle the pandemic. Labour should stop supporting the government’s deadly policy and instead fight to defend people’s lives and jobs.

For a socialist Labour government – the best vehicle for transforming society in the interests of the majority, working within communities and harnessing links with trade unions. This requires year-round campaigning in every constituency and a fully accountable and professional staff committed to a Labour government regardless of who is leading the party.

For an economy for the many, not the few – rejection of the Tories austerity agenda was at the heart of the 2017 and 2019 manifestos and provides the basis for moving forward. Labour should commit to expanding democratic public ownership and universal provision of universal public services and to guaranteeing the building blocks of a high-quality life including education, housing, healthcare, social security and social care.

For a socialist green new deal – Labour must be the party of workers and planet, investing in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure and building support for a rapid and just transition to a zero-carbon economy. This means creating millions of well-paid, unionised green jobs, taking on the big polluters, and expanding commitments to public ownership across the economy. Workers must be at the heart of this transition and they must be unshackled from union busting laws, that’s why Labour must repeal all of the UK’s anti-union laws and deliver a revolution in workers’ rights.

For an ethical foreign policy – Labour should have an independent, internationalist foreign policy the core objectives of which should be peace, conflict-resolution, and nuclear disarmament. Rather than participating in illegal foreign wars, we should support people struggling against oppression across the globe.

For liberation and equality – Labour should be a great force for equality, intersectionality and working class unity. We must stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and achieve lasting structural change. We must campaign against all forms of racism including antisemitism, Islamophobia and Afriphobia and the scapegoating of migrant and Traveller communities.  We must challenge discrimination and prejudice wherever it occurs, including tackling sexism, sexual harassment, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and ableism. We will build inclusive self- organised equality structures in the Party, and strengthen our candidate selection processes accordingly.

For party democracy – to represent the interests of the majority in society we need to democratise the party and empower individual members and affiliates. This must include open selections of all candidates for public elected office; natural justice, transparency, accountability and fairness in internal processes; a member-led policymaking process at every level; and properly resourced political education. We must build an inclusive party and break down barriers to participation.