In one episode of the Simpsons, Marge Simpson tells Homer that one day he’ll regret not spending time with the kids.
“That’s a problem for Future Homer,” he dismisses. “Man, I don’t envy that guy.” Before mixing himself a vodka and mayonnaise drink.
Behavioural economists call it “discounting the future”. Smokers choose endorphins now over the health risks later. Most of us know we should do more exercise. And I think every parent has told their kids, “do you homework now and get it out of the way.”
It’s in our DNA to think a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Our Stone Age ancestors faced death daily. Predators, food shortages, and sepsis from wounds made living for today a sound long-term strategy. In short, we often make decisions because they feel good, rather than because we’ve checked the facts.
Corbyn hinted at it – but is a new political party realistic?
So when it comes to building a new political party – as Jeremy Corbyn recently mentioned – we should check we’re not just after a quick emotional fix. First, let’s have some sober thinking, and examine some of our assumptions.
I worry for my kids. Potentially catastrophic climate breakdown. The rise of government oppression. An extreme wealth gap driving us towards fascism. We owe it to all the future Homers to get this right.
So let’s ask ourselves some tough questions.
Are we serious about winning state power? Is it enough that someone is speaking for the politics you believe? If so, launching a progressive party will be easy. If fact, you’re spoilt for choice. You could join Transform, the Communist Party, or any of a dozen Trotskyist parties. I know good people in all of them.
Do you just want a party you can vote for? Workers Party GB stood 152 candidates in the 2024 general election.
Victory or change?
Do you want hope from some victories? In Majority, we are targeting Newcastle City Council in the 2026 all-out local elections as part of a progressive alliance. Last May, I polled 25,000 votes, to Labour’s 26,000. If we win control of a major UK city, people will start to believe in a big way. And although we’re concentrated in the North East, we have members as far as the South Coast, the Welsh Valleys, and Glasgow.
Or do you want to actually change the world in a big way? Matthew Brown has worked wonders with the Preston Model. Joe Cullinane did something similar in North Ayreshire. Modesty aside, I achieved a lot in the North of Tyne. But you have to go back to 1945 for anything that could reasonably be called transformative.
Wealth taxes, public ownership of utilities, ethical foreign policy, and serious climate action all require the levers in No 10. We have to walk before we can run, but we are not doing this to let off steam. A handful of MPs is not enough, nor is a few dozen. The LibDems went from 12 to 72 MPs in 2024, but are no closer to government.
Ask yourself, are you willing to run the marathon of delayed gratification that this requires? Building an electoral project of that magnitude requires money and professionalism.
Will a new party even work?
In 2023, a non-election year, Labour spent £59 million. The Tories £41 million. LibDems £8 million. SNP and the Greens £4 million each. No US healthcare company is going to give us large donations. Our money will come from members. Allowing for a proportion of low income members, £5 a month needs 1.3 million members to match Labour. That’s not going to happen.
For all the talk of 300,000 people leaving Labour after Corbyn, there’s no guarantee they’ll give money to a new project. Workers Party GB reported 7,469 members. The CPGB, 1,308. At its peak, Momentum never passed 40,000 paying members, even when belief and excitement was at its highest in 2017, and annual membership was £10.
It took Reform years to build up to winning some councils. That’s an argument for getting on with it. It’s also an argument for sound planning. They get £millions from dodgy donors. They have their own TV station. They have a season ticket on Question Time.
Will we get a free run from the press? Not a chance. We are out-funded and outgunned. If we try electoralism – publishing a programme, and waiting for people to vote for us – we will lose. People don’t trust political parties. We will have to do the hard yards of community engagement, building trust and relationships.
Like the hundreds we had in our Newcastle People’s Manifesto event. Food Poverty campaigners, public transport users, disabled rights activists. Sean Halsall in Southport also makes the case for listening to people. Faiza Shaheen builds community power in her constituency.
Optics, politics, and ideology
So that’s another decision we have to make. Will we go out and tell people we have the answers to their problems if only they will vote for us? Or will we listen to them and ask what they want? I’m in touch with independent socialist councillors up and down the country, and I’ve heard both sides.
“If we have a bold socialist programme, people will flock to us.”
I wish it were that easy.
The evidence suggests otherwise. The 2015 Green Party manifesto called for a Wealth Tax and more radical investment than Corbyn’s Labour 2017 manifesto. They still only returned one MP. TUSC had the definition of a bold socialist programme. They averaged 285 votes per candidate, losing their deposits.
Liking your programme is not enough. Remember the Funny Tinge Party? They called themselves Change UK. Launched in February 2019. In theory, they had a large voter coalition. Moderate Labour, moderate Tory, Lib Dems. All the People’s vote/second referendum supporters. They said “politics is broken” and that parties should work together. 73% of people agreed with them. They started with 11 MPs. Their press launch was a car crash. They were dissolved after 10 months.
You get one chance to make a first impression. We have to decide, is this party of the left, for the left? Or is it a party with left policies that intends to win support across the board? Including the five million self-employed and small business owners.
Corbyn may have hinted – but the wheels may well be in motion
Boil it down, and voters want two things. Almost no one reads manifestos. They will look instead at political leaders and ask two questions. One, can these people run the country? And two, do these people have my back?
At the moment, millions think no one can run the country. So they vote for those shouting the loudest, or no one at all. To win with a socialist programme, against a hostile media, you have to look credible. Wish lists won’t get you very far.
When Nick Robinson asks you on the Today programme, “how will you pay for this?”, you need the figures at your fingertips. You need to articulate how we will build council homes, and support that with evidence. How we will overcome the legal barriers to public ownership of water. How we will stop billionaires dodging a wealth tax. That needs movement-wide political education and training, so our members can be our human microphone.
Building a new party in a single bound, from whole cloth, with a rule book and democratic structures is not realistic. Corbyn knows this. It will have to start as an alliance, so independents can come in and build trust. So you can join and shape it.
Many watching, including trade unions, want to see that it is professional before they will commit. If you want to get cracking now, and be on the front foot, you can join Majority.
Featured image via the Canary
