It takes a particular skill to cast something called a “democratic review” as being nothing short of a manipulative power grab and a stitch-up, to boot. But detractors of the Labour party’s current efforts to open up its decision-making structures and be more bottom-up have portrayed it as a dark plot designed to allow the hard left to tighten its grip, or extend its stranglehold on the party.
It’s true that this democracy review by the leader’s political secretary, Katy Clark, which concluded a seven-month consultation last week, is a Jeremy Corbyn flagship. The plan is to get Labour’s membership of more than 550,000 people more involved in the party. This is a good thing because it will increase participatory democracy and it is also likely to turbo-boost the extraordinary grassroots campaigning in evidence during last year’s general election.
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