Progressive Politics When Our Parties Fail Us

Every now and again, you read a piece that makes the point you would like to make, only much more powerfully and coherently. That was the case for me with this article by Alex Evans on how we may be politically engaged at a time when the world feels politically hopeless.

The solution is not denial. Indeed, he speaks quite openly about the need to prepare for a future Reform government. The solution is not to hope for salvation by some charismatic politician who does not exist, or to expect political parties to finally organise themselves in such a way that they offer people a real opportunity for change.

Instead, our key task is building communities of purpose, which can create an environment in which change can happen. I’d argue that the progressive consensus on the late 1990s (in the UK at least) arose from grassroots organising against the Thatcher government. Similarly, the way in which society reacts to Trump, or to Farage, or to the ineffective government of Starmer, will surely determine the next decade of our political life.

This all resonates very strongly with my own thinking about my engagement with the political sphere. I had previously felt that political engagement meant joining a party, campaigning for change within it, and supporting it unquestionably in the public. I’ve had enough of that. I think it is far more important to build networks in which the progressive majority can build a culture which will ultimately shape the politics that we receive.

All of which is a long way of saying that I resigned from the Labour Party this week. It isn’t just that I’m frustrated with their policies, though I clearly am. It’s that I feel whatever time and energy I might have to invest in political action is better spent elsewhere.

I’m reminded of when Tony Benn said that he retired from the House of Commons to spend more time in politics.