By James Alexander
I consider myself to be very much a citizen of the world and an egalitarian. These are some of the reasons why I am a member of the Labour party. I also take a great interest in foreign affairs, especially in the politics of Ireland.
But I believe that gloablisation, international interdependece and pressures from other external forces mean it is no longer enough to ensure a centre-left government in the UK alone.
To ensure a centre-left future for the UK, we must also fight to retain a Democrat in the White House and that other centre left parties are in office in major democracies around the world.
Therefore, I believe there should be a “socialist defence force” set up, a crack squad of elite electioneers who are part-financed by different centre-left parties in the democratic world. Their remit would be to ensure election victories in multiple countries for centre left parties.
This would allow globalisation and interdependency to be carried out in a more liberal fashion, as well as help homogenise a centre-left political response to international problems.
The Labour party has a lot in common with foreign counter-parts and working together in a more coherent way could be achieved on a party level, helping centre-left Governments work more closely together.
Some months ago I visited Dublin and both the Houses of the Oireachtas as well as the old British Rule House of Lords. My visit to the Leinster House was organised by the Irish Labour politician Brian O'Shea, TD for Waterford. As someone who is of Waterford ancestry this meant a lot to me.
I did not realize until visiting the Dáil Éireann, that the Irish Labour party was set up by James Connolly, Jim Larkin and William X O’Brien in 1912 as a political branch of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Both James Connolly and Jim Larkin were previous residents of Scotland and England respectively. Both had links with the British Labour party and had helped in the formative years of the party.
It became clear that the Irish Labour party and the UK party have a lot in common in terms of current philiosophy as well as formation. I visited the Irish Labour party at Ely Place and discussed this with Dublin City Councillor, Dermot Lacey.
While listening to Australian Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, at the Labour party conference last year, it was explained how the Australian Labor party had been set up by Chris Watson, a young organiser and protégé of Keir Hardie. Indeed, Chris went on to become the first Labor Prime Minister anywhere in the world.
We often share a heritage with these sister parties and we work with some in the PES and the EU. However to ensure a centre-left UK we need to ensure a centre-left Europe, a Democratic US and centre-left democratic world.
It is about time there was more cooperation between the parties to help ensure mutual success in elections and a basis for more profound outcomes of international agreements. It is time to establish pan-electioneering strategies.
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James -
this sort of thing happens already. Every American election, the BBC sends a huge coterie to achieve these aims, and every leftie student wannabe politician considers it 'work experience' to work on democrat phone banks or envelope stuffing
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/funny-pictures-this-cat-disapproves-of-your-party.jpg
I found this article deeply disturbing.
Never before have I felt that democracy is viewed as nothing more than a means to an end by people like you.
When I hear that phrase I reach for my revolver. Only a total bounder and cad would describe himself as a citizen of the world. It basically means you're a traitor.
Im not so sure that any such perception even exists. More as state of a series of automatic reflex actions in order to maximise survival without any referal to belief. The process of rationalising is now complete. Its what happens after 3 terms.
If further proof is required then such negative emotion would normally manifest itself as guilt, shame or embarrassment.
Seen any of that recently?
Indeed not! I think a dictionary is probably also going to be essential.
It is about time there was more cooperation between the parties to help ensure mutual success in elections and a basis for more profound outcomes of international agreements. It is time to establish pan-electioneering strategies.
It's time for a new world order, led by champagne socialists who know so much better than those dreadful little oiks what is good for them. You must, somehow, be related to Polly Toynbee, because you both write such utterly patronising, muddle-headed drivel.
Today I hear we have lost our freedom to travel, yesterday they finally owned up to the Ir*q dossier being a bunch of lies and the day before that Fatty Ahmed was let out of jail for being far too important and busy to be there. I wonder what will happen tomorrow?
How do members of the Labour party cope with all that cognitive dissonance?
There are very good reasons why democracies generally don't announce public support for one candidate over others in foreign countries. I do hope you attempt to set something like this up, it might well be the end of an international leftist movement!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm hold on a minute, Im just trying to recall how the US responded to the last socialist state that embarked on expansionism.
Oh yes I recall.... (sniggers into cupped hand).... it went sooooo well for the socialists... Push forward with all haste boys.
Where's good old Arther Scargil, you can wheel him out now, surely he will be needed in this brave new world.
Come on give Arfur a blog spot.
Secondly even if they weren't illegal, do you think the electorates would take kindly to the parachuting in of a load of foreign activists to ensure the 'right' result? I'm reminded of the Polish szlachta rejecting bribes of Louis D'Or in the 18th century, and more recently the bad reaction the Guardian had in Ohio when it tried to run a letter-writing campaign to get residents to vote for Kerry.
Did all this 'start in America' too by the way?
Truly barking.
Sorry Mr Alexander but this is dangerous nonsense. Suppose the tables were turned and Cameron decided we neede Conservative governments all riound the world and a Republican in the White House?
It is not for us to tell other countries how to vote, and, to be brutally candid, I wouldn;t wish the New Labour policies on my worst enemy (and I speak as a Labour voter of the best part of 40 years)
But I didn't come here to talk fruit. I know; it's a herb, actually.
As for your ideas. I think they're dangerous. International cooperation is great - but it's going beyond that now, isn't it. We already seem to have most of our laws made in Brussels and most of them appear to be to the detriment of ordinary folk.
The Empire has gone, apart from the Falklands and Tristan da Cunha. My suggestion would be to make the Labour Party actually deliver what it says on the tin - then if it is that good, the rest of the world will want some.
Essentially you are saying a small group of people would have control essentially over the world by giving them the money and power to persuade us to do anything that they wanted.
They wouldn't get voted out because of the influence and money behind them if this was a truly global 'party' and the needs of the individual country may not be met.
Now I don't see myself as a citizen of the world. I see myself as British but I care about the world. I know that one thing that is good for Britain may not be good for Norway or Russia or Iran and I think it should be a country backed government that retains power not an elitist minority. It would be disastrous for democracy and as for globalisation, it's happening, it's relevant, it's not going to stop but would it be right to effectively say that globalisation should go hand in hand with a global party approach?
I think, although I understand where you are coming from if we had democrats everywhere wouldn't the world be lovely, but realistically think about how this would effect the individual country? Not to mention the citizens of that country feeling powerless to shape where there country is heading and it is very easy to have voices lost when many are powered by few especially in this case of smaller, less powerful countries.
And think about what can come out of that: elitism, scandal, corruption and what if they weren't right. This socialist defence force, what if they put someone into power who really isn't right for the country but who this 'squad' think should be in power..Mugabe anyone?
No I think that would be a very very bad day for politics and democracy as we know it. And then who would chair this global party as a party it would become? We would, as nations, societies, individuals, lose our rights and would continuously be told what, when and how to do things this standardisation would also lose our already crumbling cultures.
I think you need to re-think your stance on this issue as though I can see your point I really think that it would turn to an Orwellian style world and quite frankly that is not where I would want to live.
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