On 7 May, Labour experienced defeat on a scale that threatens to keep our party out of power for a generation. The leadership election is an opportunity to reflect: not just on our policies, but also on our entire approach to politics.
Change does not come easily to our party, in spite of its roots in our country’s radical tradition. Rafael Behr’s assault on traditional canvassing as “robotic data collection” has rattled more than a few cages among some of our party’s stalwarts. They argue that canvassing done well does start with a conversation about issues of concern that can then be acted upon – from tackling fly-tipping to running campaigns for new community facilities – as well as gathering all-important information about voting intentions. My constituency Labour party spoke to more voters between 1 January and 7 May than any other constituency Labour party in Britain. It helped us to identify where our vote was, where the undecided voters were and, crucially, which doors we needed to knock up on polling day. So I know how valuable traditional canvassing is.
But old loyalties blind us to new dangers. The weakness of traditional canvassing is that it prevents a real conversation with people who are, on the whole, less tribal and more discerning than they have been in the past. Party affiliations based on issues such as class or race are slowly eroding. Against this backdrop, gathering data about voting intentions remains necessary, but insufficient.
We need to open up our party to wider involvement to build the movement we need to win elections and change our country. To his credit, Ed Miliband tried to put community organising at the heart of the Labour party, but it remains unfinished business.
One person who has been talking about changing the way we campaign since she was elected in 2010 is Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy. Creasy has developed a new system that her teams use to collect data in a much smarter way than anything that is centrally provided at present. It allows you to track the issues that voters are interested in and the community groups they are part of, and to interact with them accordingly. It works on tablets, so the all-too-familiar scenario of canvassing sheets blowing around in the wind or soggy from the rain is a feature of the past, just as it should be. The fact that this is a big deal is a reflection of the outdated nature of the technology and techniques that Labour currently uses. We won’t win in 2020 with technology designed for 1997.
Creasy has the distinction of being one of the few parliamentarians to secure a change in the law from the opposition benches. Her work on legal loan sharking embarrassed the government into action and people across the country will benefit as a result. Her work on tackling online sexism and harassment tapped into a wider movement of people – many of whom share our values, but who would never walk into the general committee of their local Labour party.
We need a similarly open approach to the recruitment of Labour’s candidates.
Having got to know the class of 2015 in recent weeks, it’s clear that many of us have diverse backgrounds and life experiences that will add something to the green benches too often dominated by those donning the old school tie.
But even someone like me – brought up on a council estate, single-parent family, free school meals, worked outside politics – can benefit from the powerful networks that come with a Cambridge education and involvement in student politics. We need to spot talent in unusual places and that means ending the stitch-and-fix culture that sees too many party selections predetermined in backroom deals.
Labour won’t win with the same old machine politics. Nothing should be off the table and everyone should have the chance to be heard. In a crowded field of candidates, Creasy has emerged as one of the front-runners for Labour’s deputy leadership by asking big questions and providing answers to some of the central organisational and political challenges facing the party. It’s this kind of thinking we need to rebuild Labour as a truly national movement again, which is why she has my support.
