Labour could form pacts with parties across left, says Corbyn ally
![Jeremy Corbyn with Clive Lewis during last summer’s Labour leadership campaign [Image: Albanpix Ltd/Rex Shutterstock].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160729-Corbyn-Clive-Lewis-Albanpi-Ltd-Rex-Shutterstock.png)
Jeremy Corbyn with Clive Lewis during last summer’s Labour leadership campaign [Image: Albanpix Ltd/Rex Shutterstock].
One of Jeremy Corbyn’s key allies has made a bold suggestion that Labour could form progressive alliances or electoral pacts with other parties across the left including the Greens, Liberal Democrats and SNP.
Clive Lewis, the shadow defence secretary, raised the suggestion of an alliance with Caroline Lucas of the Greens in an article for the Guardian, arguing that grouping together with others on the left is necessary and would lead to better decisions.
“Such progressive alliances are now essential not just because that is the only way we can beat the Tories but because that is the way we will make better decisions and take more of the country with us,” he said.
Source: Corbyn ally suggests Labour could form pacts with parties across left | Politics | The Guardian
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Considering these parties are more representative of the masses than Labour Right hollow suits – then yes, make it happen.
An alliance with SNP, which has much to lose from opposing JC would give JC a great many more seats should the Labour Right decide to join LibDems if Corbyn wins the leadership contest. Likely it is yet another tactic to dissuade voters from choosing Corbyn, but should they move – a welcome one from my perspective, the real Labour Party would be almost 100 MP’s strong with more to come as the traitorous MP’s are deselected.
In fairness to Corbyn, a little while ago, during an interview, he was asked if he would consider forming ‘relationships’ with other parties, and he confirmed that he wouldn’t rule it out. So, people should already be aware of that one?
Well, as I remember it the Conservative insinuated that Labour would work with the SNP after the last general election, whipped up fear and loathing about it, and went on to win a small majority. And weren’t the Liberal Democrats in coalition with the Tories when they slashed benefits and brought in horrors like the bedroom tax? The Lib Dems are still in single digit figures in most polls most of the time and have not been forgiven, may never be forgiven, for siding with the extreme right wing government led by Cameron. I can’t see much good coming of some sort of co-operative arrangement between Labour and the Lib Dems. The Greens are even more left-leaning than Corbyn and only have one MP. How could they help move Labour’s flagging programme forward?
Change the voting system to the single transferable vote and such partnerships would be helpful.
Trouble is under a voting system with much more proportionality Labour itself would probably do much worse and cr@p parties like UKIP do better.
Bit of a bind really isn’t it?
A cry of desperation, I suspect, as Labour’s poll ratings plummet under the court Jezster.
With Scotland all but lost to the labour Party this is an idea which should be carefully considered.
Given the chances of a split in the party and/or the unlikelihood of Scotland voting in great numbers for Labour, it’s the way forward, the parties mentioned already have similar policies to Jeremy’s Labour similar values, a plus point might also be Scotland at least delaying another independence vote, I expect some would be against it but for me as long as the policies remained the same why not?
Not sure he could, a pact would be dependent upon Proportional representation and I understood that he whipped against it on Fridays debate.
Under first past the post we have suffered enough from minority government by the Tories and a Labour party seeking to appeal to the centre right. Pending the introduction of PR, which many on the left are campaigning for, alliances of the kind advocated offer a practical means of out-voting the Tories. A guarantee to introduce PR on election would be an irresistible incentive to the minor parties.
Is this likely? Did Labour not say that it was the suggestion of a possible pact with the SNP, promoted by the media, that lost them votes in 2015.
Seems like a bad idea to me. Media will have a field day! Labour supporters of JC will be confused. Are these other parties radical enough? LibDems have the legacy of the Coalition. Greens too narrowly focused. Maybe if GE resuts in hung Parliament then some kind of alliance may be necessary.
I like Clive, and he’s a bright bloke, but he’s politically inexperienced. He also has a bit of an army “command and control” view of management. So 50/50 here. Of course all alliances would be useful in the event of a minority govt, (not forgetting the Tory election fraud still rumbling on, that many apparently have forgotten in the May honeymoon) but that presumes that the FPTP will actually produce the numbers needed to make it work. So realistically, the only alliance the LP might consider would be the SNP, and then that would fail at the first EVEL vote. However, up to 30% of Labour voters in Scotland are returning to Labour under Corbyn from the SNP, so SNP dominance in those 50 seats is not a foregone conclusion either.
I agree – that progressive alliance could be a vote winner, could even win a General Election.
Yes