If the IWCE analysis is applied to the Labour Party and trade unions, then both training and education are essential requirements. As with Unison every organisation will have its own approach to the content of its ‘political education’.
There
are debates about this in the Labour Party.
Last
May Lara McNeill argued in Tribune that with its membership ‘now exceeding 550,000, Labour Party
members must be encouraged to organise and formulate their own political
demands, enhance their political understanding and self-confidence, and be
equipped to make use of democratised policy-making structures.’ (1)
In August 2018 Sean Bennett suggested: ‘The ambition is not to create socialists only within our party, but to equip our mass membership with the knowledge to strengthen and inform conversations which are happening in the homes, social spaces, and workplaces up and down the country by people who would never label themselves as ‘political’. (2)
Tom Blackburn discussed the issues in New Socialist June 2018. (3)
Croydon Councillors And
Political Education
It is
clear from Croydon’s current financial crisis that Councillors are ill-equipped
to run the Council. Training is being recommended, but it is in danger of being
dominated by managerialism. Councillors need to set managerialism within the
context of their political vision for what they want the Council to do, so that
it is a means to achieve it. That vision will be determined by the values of
whichever political party they represent, and this should be subject to
‘political education’ within the party.
Croydon
Council is run at the moment by the Labour Group. Its Councillors are chosen by
Labour Party members. The motives of Labour Party Councillors across the
country often seem to be based on wanting local personal prestige, and a need
to be lay social workers. The final decisions are often taken on who can obtain
the most votes in each ward branch based on past personality relationships and
factionalism, rather than skills, experience, common sense and a
questioning/probing approach.
Labour And Political Education
One of
the flaws of the national Labour Party is the lack of consistent continuing training
and political education, even though each ward branches and constituencies can elect
Political Education (PE) and Policy officers.
Back
in the early 198Os in a paper I wrote for Battersea Labour Party I suggested
that there appeared to be no common agreement among PEOs on what political
education is and what their functions are. Views ranged from the provision of
internal education to Party members to external education of the public.
‘Political
education seemed to be about stimulating people to think about the theoretical
and practical problems facing them, assist them to increase their knowledge and
understanding about those problems, and to assist them develop their skills as
activists in the political process.
Political
education should pervade very activity the Party undertakes, whether at simply
organisational level in trying to build up the strength of a ward branch, or in
the public work of the Party. It would in my opinion be self-defeating to
expect the Political Education Officer of a constituency to handle all matters
which may have a political education content. Firstly, to do so makes the task
implementing political educational unmanageable, Secondly, it concentrates too
much power and responsibility in one person. Firstly, it will frighten most
people off so that either there will be no one acting as PEO, or if they are
elected they do not function.
Since
there is a danger of concentrating too wide a range of functions on the PRO,
simply because they have some political education aspect, the GMC and EC of a
Constituency must think clearly about what it wants in the way of political
education and how it wants it organised. They should clearly define a minimum
role for the PEO. If they want their PEO to do more, and can find the person
willing to do more, then that is their prerogative, but their should be aware
of the risks.
What should constitute a minimum
PEO role?
The
first principle is that the task of the PRO should be a manageable one. It may be,
according to the capacities and interests of individuals that the different
functions of PEO might be shared. What are the functions that could make up the
minimum concept?
Given
the reservations about the dangers of too wide a role, the responsibilities of
the PEO should be largely political education of Labour Party members. This can
consist of:
1. Assistance to Branch Secretaries in
arranging their programmes of sneakers.
2. Finding out what Party members want ‘education’
on.
3. Organising programmes which concentrate
on:
(a) Concepts
of democratic socialism
(b)
History and organisation on the Labour Party
(c) Development of skills as party activists and
representatives
(d)
Party policies
4. Suggest how political educational material
coming from Region and Headquarters can be used.
5. Suggest how material from outside the
Party which may contribute to the development of political education can be
used.
6.
Ensuring that current political problems are discussed in depth within the Party,
whether by speakers at GMCs, branches, day schools, conferences.
Above
all the PEO should take an overview of the political education needs of the
Party, identifying tasks and activities that could/need to be undertaken, and
organising specific political educational events within the Party for Party
members.
It does
not mean actually doing everything.
The
PEO may feel that a bookstall operation is needed to provide a range of
literature to assist Party members in individual and collective self-education.
But running the bookstall is a job in itself, and the PEO cannot afford to take
on that responsibility, because there will be little time to do anything else.
It may
be that the PEO identifies the need for development of skills among Party school
managers and governors. The PEO may organise the occasional one-off conference
for them. But here are issues involved with them which go beyond the remit of
the PEO, such as choice of the people to serve, welding them into a group,
making the accountable to the Party. It may therefore be that a Constituency
may therefore want to PEO to organise an initial day conference for governors
and managers, at which it establishs a Schools Sub-committee accountable to the
GMC for the oversight of all Party nominees and governor and managers, and
review of education policy.
It may
be that a Constituency wants to run an internal news sheet for its members, as
a way of improving communication within the constituency. Given the amount of
words involved it would be unwise to give the responsibility for his to the
PEO, although g the PEO may wish to be a contributor from time to time.
One of
the best forms of political education is participation and accepting responsibilities.
The wider the degree of involvement, the more healthy and active is the CLP.’
At the
time I wrote this within Battersea Labour Party I was working in the national
Party’s Research Department. A colleague
and I wrote an internal note on political education. We listed the following as
aspects of political education:
·
Introduction
of new members to the Party’s history and ideas
·
Explain
existing members what our policies are
·
Wider
theoretical considerations on which policies are based
·
Education
of the public in the political process
·
Lessons
from campaigns elsewhere
·
Projection
of the party to the public
The
use not only of written information and meetings- but also theatre groups,
outings to the cinema, study groups.’
‘People
can learn as much from their experience of local campaigns as they can from more
formal’ political education meetings. The danger is that so much time and
energy is spent in campaigning that the lessons are not learnt. For example, what are the ownership links
between the company against which an immediate campaign is being fought and other
companies; do those other companies invest in South Africa contribute to the Conservative
Party.
More
formal kinds of political education are needed to explain basic ideas of. e.g.
economic theory.’
The
Labour Party has changed considerably since the early 1980s. The following
comments made then would need to be assessed as to whether they are still
relevant.
‘In
many areas the most important contribution that Head Office can provide is to
facilitate the transfer information between constituencies. It would be helpful,
for example, to produce video/posters/ leaflets, etc) showing how
constituencies already organise. And to demonstrate practical skills: how to
run a bazaar, a bookstall, to raise funds, to speak in public.’
We
suggested that the Research Department ‘was a wasted resource. ‘We could
formalise arrangements to enable us to explain policies throughout the country.
This could also help us to test ways of presenting ideas.’
Political Education in
Battersea Labour Party
For a
while when I was Battersea’s PEO we held a meeting designed to enable new
members to meet each other, to meet Officers and representatives, and to
discuss how the party operates. Having explained the basics about the
constituency and branch structure and the decision making process, and a brief
word about the financial cost of running the Party, I concluded:
‘Party
activity can be varied and fun: socials, dances, walks. etc. But the success
depends on members participating in supporting tend organising, and in contributing
their ideas. The basic motto is ‘if you want to see something done, work up our
idea, present it within the party, and take responsibility for putting it into
effect.’ The Party is us and reflects us.’
A Practical Example: Lambeth
2017
In
2017 I was asked to run a series of political education sessions for a section
of the Labour Party in Lambeth. This included a quiz to understand existing
knowledge, a PowerPoint presentation and material on the Party’s history, and
discussion around a number of questions I posed and those raised by people
taking part raised. Mine included:
·
What do you think are the on-going positive and
negative legacies of Thatcherism?
·
What do you think are the major social and economic
changes in Britain since 1997?
·
What do you think is the balance sheet of the Blair
Government?
·
What do you think was the balance sheet of the Brown
Government?
·
What are the challenges facing Labour in the
continuing process of BREXIT negotiations?
·
If the May Government falls apart should Labour seek
to form a Coalition Government with anti-Tory parties or insist on a General
Election?
·
Can Labour’s manifesto be implemented if Britain
remains in Europe?
In
relation to Lambeth Council:
·
What do you think of the policies being pursued by
Lambeth Council under Labour control?
·
How do you make the Councillors accountable?
·
How can you influence what is does?
·
How can you influence the manifesto?
What Now?
Over
three years on how would I start a political education session? The Labour
Party has become a centralised undemocratic organisation preventing members
from debating issues the Leadership and the bureaucrats want buried. For me
this contempt for members goes back to 1996 when I resigned the Party because
of growing centralism under Tony Blair. The issue of inner party democracy
debate should be a key element of local Parties’ political education
programmes, along with two superb articles printed in The Guardian Journal today (20 February):
·
Brexit left the elite unharmed:
a truly English revolution
by Rafael Behr
· Who’s the one millionaire the Tories dislike? by Marina Hyde – about Marcus Rashford being more successful in changing Government policy than the Labour Leader.
(1) https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/05/why-political-education-matters
(2) www.thepoliticalabyss.com/the-blog/2018/8/31/the-importance-of-political-education
(3) https://newsocialist.org.uk/waking-up-the-giant
A PDF of the three sections is available on request at
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