Crossroads

Could the road less travelled be the path to power?

An SDP member and former parliamentary candidate – @AlbionsBlues on ‘X’ – writes: 

Members of the SDP will gather in Manchester shortly for their annual conference. With Labour securely installed in government, the Tories limping on, the Liberal Democrats gifted 72 seats, and Reform set to attract the growing disenfranchised, there’s much to discuss. Namely, where do we go from here? 

Older members take inspiration from the original SDP, but we would do well to remember what gave David Owen and co their impetus and near breakthrough. It was the promise of a new kind of politics.

A recent UnHerd interview with Dr Owen suggested – at least to this listener – that this promise was built on little more than wariness at Labour’s drift toward militancy, an admiration for Willy Brandt’s West German Social Democrats, and, perhaps, something of that Eurocommunism vibe present in Europe at the time.

Still, those ‘80s pioneers recognised there was an appetite across the country for something new. For something ‘politics as usual’ could not deliver.

Fast forward 40 years and in a recent interview William Clouston said: “Part of our political project as a party is to bring people together, to try to find a new us.” Later, in conversation with Mike Graham, he suggested, “What I’d really like to see is a grand coalition”.

Grand coalition

You could argue this is an idea born of desperation. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong. If you believe as I do that the crisis we face is existential, then the stakes could not be higher. There is a growing constituency of people alienated and all but excluded from power in their own land. ‘Politics as usual’ will not deliver change. A different approach is urgently needed.

Political parties large and small assume their focus must be on elections. But for us, here and now, electorally insignificant and nobbled by a grossly unfair electoral system, is that true?

The Brexit referendum showed what an extra-parliamentary alliance can achieve, while in the US, Trump’s recent triumph was built on an unprecedented, remarkably diverse coalition. There appears to be potential for a similar coming together of disparate groups here in the UK. The key questions: How? And for what?

Ben Cobley wrote recently: “This social and political deficit is also a deficit of democratic society. Democracy doesn’t just consist of voting. Indeed voting seems to achieve relatively little (just ask Conservative or Brexit voters of recent times). In the years between votes, civil society keeps up its own pressure on whoever happens to be in power through constant activity and intervention, amplified by 24-hour media and social media.”

Here then should be our focus. As Cobley says, “Those who are not represented in this arena are easy to ignore or manage away and their democratic participation will be markedly inferior as a result.”

Reform would likely spearhead any such coalition, but may now be too captured, too enticed by ‘politics as usual’ and the lure of respectability to initiate and champion the idea. Someone or some group must step up, must be prepared, at the risk of appearing naive, to inspire and champion this coalition, and define its goal.

What exactly would be the purpose of this coalition? It should be to secure a referendum on an issue of profound importance, either 1) Immigration, or 2) Proportional Representation. Choosing between these is a strategic decision for another day; the aim here is to persuade you of the merits of this complete reset of our party’s objectives for the next four years.

An opportunity for the SDP?

I believe so, but I’m not talking merely about a continuation or even expansion of our previous pact with Reform. This is about radically changing the way we as a party do politics, by making advocacy for and development of this coalition our sole focus for the duration of this parliament.

Depending on the subject of the referendum, this coalition could attract all those currently unrepresented in mainstream politics other than by Reform (immigration), or a broader group still,  including such unlikely allies as the Liberal Democrats and the Greens (PR).

Either way, it’s clear ‘the based’ must initiate this. I’m talking here about those who recognise this as an emergency; who know the mainstream media for what it is; who don’t need the term ‘duopoly’ explained to them; who watch, aghast, at the return of antisemitism; who understand the significance of the ‘culture wars’. For the SDP specifically, it’s the chance to be seen to lead.

Day to day

How would this work? What exactly would we be doing? Advocacy, in all its forms, acting as a think tank-cum-campaign group, with membership participation to the fore, and using all means and channels possible to promote the idea of a coalition. We would of course continue to support (and cherish) our elected councillors, but our resources would not be spent trying to add to them – at least, not unless, as part of said coalition, we were nominated to put forward candidates.

This is about facing up to reality. Our society is being destroyed. Time is short. Reform has tremendous momentum. On the most fundamental issues facing the country, we are in broad agreement. On other policy areas, our influence can already be seen to be bearing fruit. And in the absence of power, influence is a very good thing.

It’s not about us being modest. There’s potential here for the SDP to more than pull its own weight in any such coalition, providing the backbone, radical edge and intellectual clout that Reform lack.

Like me you no doubt want to see William Clouston, Cllr Wayne Dixon and others elected to Parliament in four years’ time. As leading members and chosen candidates of the aforesaid coalition, forged and battle-hardened over these next few years, their chances would be greatly enhanced. 

I believe an extra-parliamentary coalition could be what William Clouston has called left conservatism’s last chance of steering the UK away from disaster. We have four years max. The SDP claims to be aligned with all the key political positions favoured by the majority of the country. It’s time we proved it.