Mary Mason asks what impact can the Independents have?
The General Election was a huge victory for Starmer, elected on a promise of creating change, kickstarting economic growth, reforming Britain’s economy, and improving the NHS, schools, and public services without raising taxes.
The General Election wasn’t all good news though. The priority to get the Tories out was mixed with wariness about Starmer’s authoritarian leadership alongside horror at the Labour Party’s ongoing support for Israel as it commits genocide against the Palestinian people.
The Party has drawn a clear line between those who support the Israeli Government and those who call for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, an immediate ceasefire, and divestment from companies engaged in selling arms to Israel.
Perhaps most cynically, the smear campaign against protestors as supporters of terrorism, has been used to attempt to isolate and reduce the right to protest, the very essence of an open society.
Independent Socialist Councillors and MPs grew primarily from the Labour Party’s refusal to allow debate on Palestine and to label dissenters as antisemitic. It was the pivot on which Starmer spun to eject international socialists from the party. A large number were Jewish people, who rejected Zionism, and were expelled from the party for antisemitism.
Independents, running a campaign on support for Palestine, gained large support from Muslim communities who for the first time turned away from Labour. They were elected with a commitment to support international law and solidarity with Palestinians in struggle. But they also support the right to free speech, to democratic decision making and to reversing the draining of funding from local services, and the NHS. Independent MPs are organising as an alternative group in Parliament; while locally, Independent Councillors are meeting together to support communities in struggle.
The rise of the independent socialist voice provides a platform for community organising, community representation and national support for peace, justice, and equality. Locally, Community Assemblies are being planned, aiming to hold elected representatives accountable to their constituents with the aim of building a voice for all.
In Haringey discussion about Palestine and Israel in the CLP and the Council has been ruled out of order. A Council Pensions Committee meeting heard petitioners seeking divestment from arms companies, but the minutes of that meeting were then agreed behind closed doors and no further discussion was allowed.
But our community, like so many others, are organising. Haringey Community Action Network (HCAN) has been growing for the last two years. It brings together local community campaigns in the Borough, including Migrant Support, Right to Food, anti-racist campaigns, Trade Unions and Climate campaign groups. It is a vibrant and lively organisation, dedicated to claiming its place and its power in Haringey. Haringey’s Independent socialist group councillors actively support HCAN and work closely with community organisations. We are listening and building an alternative vision for British politics.