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Brown wants party to take a leaf out of Obama's book
Paul Waugh12.03.09
The Labour party's traditional "command and control" structure could be torn up and replaced with a grass roots movement based on Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
In a move that could spark anger from trade union chiefs, Gordon Brown has given his tacit backing to plans to turn the party into a looser federation of supporters similar to the Democrats.
Mr Brown has penned a foreword to a new book which will later this month call for sweeping change to Labour's hierarchical structure, including allowing more dissent and removing "barriers to participation" to the YouTube generation of younger voters.
On his flight home from Washington last week, the Prime Minister wrote the introduction to the Fabian Society study titled The Change We Need: What Britain Can Learn From Obama's Victory.
The book - co-edited by Will Straw, son of Cabinet minister Jack Straw - proposes an end to Labour's tradition that only paid-up party members can be involved in campaigning.
Mr Straw said he wanted a "cultural glasnost within the Labour Party" that encourages rather than suppresses internal debate.
"Learning the lessons from Obama's victory isn't easy, but failing to do so could result in Labour becoming increasingly irrelevant to the ordinary lives of Brits," said Will Straw.
Party sources stress there is no formal backing for such radical reforms, but Mr Brown's foreword is sure to be seen as putting his personal stamp on a full debate on the issue.
During his run for President, Mr Obama generated an email list of 13 million supporters and raised most of this £500 million funds online. The campaign was driven by young people using Facebook and other "two-way" internet innovations.
Senior Labour officials have already held secret talks with David Plouffe and David Axelrod, the political strategists behind Mr Obama's victory.
Both have had extensive private meetings with David Muir, Downing Street's director of political strategy, at which Mr Axelrod and Mr Plouffe are said to have "opened the books" and promised to do what they can to assist Labour.
The Prime Minister is understood to have expressed admiration for the "people-powered politics" of Mr Obama's campaign, which he has compared to Labour's own origins as a "bottom-up" party built from friendly societies and unions.
One Labour source said: "Nearly 500 people went out to the United States to work for Obama. They have all come back enthused by the way the campaign trusted volunteers and voters as grown-ups."
Sunder Katwala, general secretary of the Fabians, said: "This is one of the first substantive reports digging into the US campaign in order to ask how we can translate the lessons of the movement politics to the different political structures and cultures on this side of the Atlantic."
In a pamphlet late last year titled Yes We Can, Will Straw said: "Political parties have to follow Mr Obama's lead by trusting the YouTube generation to take control of their own role in the campaign."
Reader views (13)
Brown would do well to take this leaf out of Obama's book, but you do need some grass to root.
- Bloke, London
blair was always on bush's leash as his poodle.
why wouldn't brown be obama's scottish terrier on a lead.
you should see him sit up for a bone, or roll over for a belly scratch.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
Holding an election would be a good start ...
- Marianne, SW France
A case of the blind leading the blind
- John Smith, London , England
blair followed the u.s.what happened after??
- Robert Phelps, bussiere poitevine 87320 france
Message for McBean, it's show over for you. The general election is just round the corner, start packing your bags.
- David, Fleet UK
If he takes a leaf out of Obamas book that will only leave one leaf.
- David., Chertsey.UK.
There is not anything that labour can do to persuade me to vote for them, i just want them to go now.
- Mark Burton, St. Ives Cambs
That might have been possible if a decade ago New Labour had put in place real mechanisms that its community in action project/s could ensure links between people and leaders. Instead they delegated material and social responsibility to a managerial and plutocratic elite. This has resulted in the kind of policy impasse that searches for momentum and inspiration through the Obama-model. New Labour was never a movement, nor were the Clinton Democrats.
- Ed, London
The important word in the article was 'trust' McBroon will never trust the people of this country.
- Jim, London
Quote: In a move that could spark anger from trade union chiefs, Gordon Brown has given his tacit backing to plans to turn the party into a looser federation of supporters similar to the Democrats.
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Surely Gordon Brown was far ahead of President Obama; in turning the New Labour Party into loosers?
- Mickyinlondon, london
A party that that not only sees themselves as the political elite, but is made up of individuals that have never participated in the real world, by way of work or otherwise can never be seen as grass roots.
The surprise is that the unions should even support them, probably under the misguided view that a new elite class represent the workers of the country.
They don’t represent their constituents, they don’t represent the unions, and they don’t even represent the country. They just represent the new elite class of politicos who believe they were born to govern and it is this club they will defend and represent.
- Ian, Reading, England
Until we get rid of this generation of political egos on the rampage (Blair, Brown, Cameron), political parties will only be kept alive through regular infusions of government money.
Just give it a year or so, and we'll be softened up for extended taxpayer funding of bankrupt parties who can't generate any funds themselves because they're so hated.
- David, Doha Qatar
