Has Corbyn just opened up the prospect of an electoral pact?
We’re a long way from the 2020 General Election, but already we’re hearing hints about party strategies – on Saturday the Telegraph ran a piece entitled: “Jeremy Corbyn ‘to protect Caroline Lucas in pact with Greens’”. It was hyperbolic nonsense, of course – he said nothing of the sort. But, there was an element of possible truth in the story.
In an interview with Red Pepper magazine last week, Corbyn did suggest an openness to the idea of electoral pacts that’s not been seen among Labour leaders for decades (if not since the Lib-Lab pact at the start of the 20th century). It’s worth quoting the interview question by Hilary Wainwright – and Corbyn’s response – in full:
Hilary: OK, just one final question. You are known for your exemplary lack of sectarianism. You work with whoever is on board for the cause. You worked with the Greens, for example, in Stop the War, on anti-austerity platforms and so on. Now people are worried – and this is reflected in the crowdsourced questions – about the party’s electoral approach to the Greens, and in particular whether the Labour Party should stand down in the next election from challenging their leader [sic], Caroline Lucas, in the Brighton constituency she is MP for. How does a non-sectarian ethic extend to that level as a party leader?
Jeremy: That’s tomorrow’s problem, that’s not today’s. We’ve got to build the ideas, then develop the movement, and then we’ll see. Today is what we’ve achieved so far.
It’s the ‘we’ll see’ that really matters of course – the rest is politician hedging/guff.
The funniest thing is how Labour MPs are already spinning it: as ‘fixing the system’. Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove, is quoted in the Telegraph piece as saying: “We can attract voters from the Right and unify the Left. But we cannot do it by fiddling the electoral system and limiting who voters can vote for. The public will take a very dim view that we are fixing the system.”
The reality is that many progressive-minded voters find it disgraceful that Labour still stand against Caroline in Brighton Pavilion and spend so much time trying to undermine her. The same of course goes for the Greens standing against left-wing Labour candidates in marginal seats: Caroline Lucas noted at Autumn Conference in Bournemouth in September that it was a shame that two left wing candidates (from Green & Labour Parties) stood against each other in Brighton Kemptown in May. She called for genuinely reciprocal electoral pacts between Labour and the Greens in 2020 – something that won widespread applause on the conference floor.
So we are now at a fairly unique juncture in progressive politics. The door is actually open for the first time to Green/Labour talks. We can’t read too much into what Corbyn said last week. But we do know that he didn’t rule it out – and in politics, that is often an affirmation that something is very strongly on the cards.
Caroline Lucas’ office was asked for comment but a spokesperson was unavailable (it’s Christmas time!)
This [from the Red Pepper interview] is potentially helpful, a chink in Labour-tribalism; but it would be disastrous if we Greens allowed the impression to stick that we would ever settle for a deal like this. We need at every opportunity to make clear that we are looking to grow, not to stay at 1 MP forever. So: we should talk about Bristol West, we should talk about the other Parliamentary seats where Greens are in second place, we should talk about the Isle of Wight, we should talk about our plans for gains in Scotland Wales and London in 2016 which could change the electoral landscape and put us in contention in those places…
I think the main thing we should talk about is proportional representation. A deal can then be discussed about whether greens should stand down in marginal constituencies where either Labour or Conservatives are going to win. I think LibDems, Plaid and maybe TUSC should also be involved in talks. Rob
Be aware of the history of electoral pacts. The rule seems to be that at the election following a post-election pact, the smaller party loses much of its support c.f 1977 Lib-Lab pact and 2010 Lib-Con pact.
The practical effects of a pre-election pact are less clear but likely to be similar. The Scottish Green Party’s support for independence has not translated into increased representation in the Scottish Parliament.
As one who left the Labour Party many years ago in despair at its inability to embrace sustainability in general and nuclear disarmament in particular, I doubt we’ll see much change there.
It’s important to remember why we need a separate, distinct Green party.
The point about Brighton Kemptown constituency was that Nancy Platts, the left-wing Labour Candidate lost to the Tory Candidate by about 700 votes. Davy Jones, a decent Green Left-wing candidate gained over 3000 votes. With the Tories unexpectedly gaining a 12 seat majority and the FPTP voting system with added ‘Tory Friendly’ boundary changes means 2020 needs a strategy. Whoever leads Labour into the next GE will face the right wing wheeling and dealing of the Majority of Mainstream media, including local press and radio. It doesn’t really matter what the state or stance of Labour is by then. If George Osbourne manages to raise his ‘election winning’ surplus then the focus will be on what he could do with that rather than the pain we have all endured in paying for it through the decimation of our public services. What may look like more power to local authorities is in fact an exercise in starvation of our locally provided services, only payable for by council tax or local business rates the terms of which are fixed by the Government.
The policy of ‘Vote for what you believe in’ was only partially successful. It is only really viable in a Proportional voting system. We have a democratic system that is geared towards 2 party politics increasingly in favour of the Tories. Labour’s powerful minority propose to win elections by appealing to those ‘in the middle’, who aren’t really politically motivated but effectively ‘in it for themselves’ hence, lower taxation and a less socially generous programme will win them over. In order for those who care about equality, justice and the environment to depose the Tories whilst we still have a decent society left to salvage we have to play the system we have. That means electoral tactics, tactical voting or ‘soft campaigning’ in the absence of electoral pacts on the doorsteps where the ‘other’ candidate can win but we cannot.
Look at what the french Socialist party have acheived, with little support from Sarcozy’s party, in keeping out the french National Front. Whilst tactical voting is more common in France, it still has it’s verbose critics, the FN themselves particularly! If we are blatant in stating where we suggest voting tactically and where we have a chance of winning we could inspire many voters to feel more positive about casting their ballot. Of course there are many Labour or Lib Dem candidates that are the political equivalent of an unhinged Tory, Hove MP Peter Kyle being one of them and agreements of some kind should be sought. But, many more years of Tory rule will threaten the validity of democratic politics in the UK. Cuts to short money, boundary changes, individual voter registration and the stemming of local authority powers to deliver anything but an austerity agenda will push the disaffected electorate further away from active politics. We need to inspire by example and i don’t think we can leave it up to the Corbynites for several reasons ( Policy and desire to work with others.).
I still think Caroline Lucas, Rupert Read et al are dead wrong about this, and feel very strongly that it’s downright undemocratic.