Politics for the Many

Levelling Up Democracy: Andy Burnham
2022-03-03 18:30 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | Online
Join Andy Burnham, in conversation with Guardian columnist Zoe Williams, at the first of Labour for a New Democracy’s online Levelling Up Democracy series.
“If the status quo has created the problem, it can’t, by definition, supply the solution. Successful levelling up requires nothing less than the complete rewiring of Britain”
Andy Burnham, writing in Chartist Magazine
The UK has the worst regional inequality of any rich nation. Yet the current ‘levelling up’ debate ignores the deep, structural causes of this: from a system that hordes power in Westminster, to an unrepresentative House of Commons that struggles to see the big picture.
Before becoming Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham served as Labour MP for Leigh and in a number of Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet roles. Now outside of Westminster, and with the pandemic shining a spotlight on just how unequal the UK is, he will share his ideas on how radical democratic reform can help address inequality, net-zero and a healthier political culture.
How can Proportional Representation, devolution and more form a central part of Labour’s programme for rebuilding Britain? Join us to find out.
Find out more and book your place

USDAW for PR
2021-12-02 19:00 | Online

CWU for PR
2021-12-02 18:00 | Online

Unison for PR
2021-11-30 19:00 | Online

FBU for PR
2021-11-30 18:00 | Online

Does Labour need to work with other parties to win power? (ERS - Labour Conference)
2021-09-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront, Kings Rd, Brighton, BN1 2JF, United Kingdom
Join the Electoral Reform Society and the Fabians to discuss if Labour needs to work with other parties to win power.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Clive Lewis MP
Ayesha Hazarika (Columnist and Broadcaster)
Cllr Shaista Aziz
Nancy Platts (Politics for the Many)
Jess Garland (ERS)

Where next for Labour and PR? (L4ND - Labour Conference)
2021-09-27 20:30 - 23:00 | St Paul’s Parish Church, West Street, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 2RE, United Kingdom
Join Labour for a New Democracy and Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform for Where next for Labour and PR?
There’s unprecedented demand for Proportional Representation among the Labour membership. Join the panel on Monday night as they take stock of what the Labour movement for PR has gained at conference 2021 – and join the discussion about the next steps of the campaign.
Chair: Zoe Williams (Guardian columnist)

Sandy Martin (Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform)
Tessa Milligan (Open Labour)
Laura Parker (Labour for a New Democracy)
Professor Jeremy Gilbert (University of East London)

Refreshments provided. Wheelchair access.

Democratising the British State – The Foundation of a Good Society (Labour Conference)
2021-09-27 14:30 - 15:30 | The Old Ship Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 1NR, United Kingdom
To transform Britain a Labour government must first transform our democracy.
For too long the conservative nature of our political system has acted as a barrier to the policies we need to tackle the crises we face – on climate, on housing or the economy.
Join Clive Lewis MP, Sam Tarry MP, Christine Berry (Editor of The New Foundations), the ERS’ Jessica Garland and Open Labour’s Keiran O’Neill to discuss how a better democracy is the foundations of a progressive policy agenda.
Remaking the state is not a ‘nice to have’, but the only way a Labour Government can change Britain for good.
Presented by Politics for the Many and Open Labour.

Labour4PR Rally (L4ND - Labour conference)
2021-09-26 19:15 - 20:30 | St Nicholas Church, Church Street, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 3LJ, United Kingdom
Join Labour for a New Democracy for the big event of conference: The #Labour4PR Rally!
They’ll be joined by an amazing line-up of speakers from right across the political spectrum of the Labour Party, who will give their short pitch about why Labour needs to back PR. Perfect as inspiration for anyone hoping to speak in favour of PR on the conference floor.
Speakers include…

Stephen Kinnock MP
Ana Oppenheim (Momentum)
Luke Akehurst (personal capacity)
Pauline McCarthy (BFAWU)
Kira Lewis (Young Labour)
Jonathan Reynolds MP
Cllr Shaista Aziz
John McDonnell MP
Cllr Eva Murray
Amen Tesfay (Open Labour)
Seb Dance
Clive Lewis MP

…and many more!
Chaired by Laura Parker (Labour for a New Democracy)
Refreshments provided. Wheelchair access.

Why First Past the Post doesn’t add up for Labour (L4ND - Labour Conference)
2021-09-25 20:30 - 21:30 | St Paul’s Parish Church, West Street, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 2RE, United Kingdom
Join Labour for a New Democracy for Why First Past the Post doesn’t add up for Labour.
At its founding, the Labour Party was committed to Proportional Representation. But as Labour came to replace the Liberals as the second party of British politics, it came to embrace First Past the Post. Yet over the century that followed, FPTP has delivered neither the fair and equal society nor the open and inclusive democracy that Labour stands for.
Join the panel to hear why FPTP doesn’t stack up for Labour, and why we must back a fair, proportional system at this year’s Labour Party conference.
Chair: Nancy Platts (Politics for the Many)

Professor Rob Ford (University of Manchester)
Debbie Abrahams MP (Oldham East & Saddleworth)
Alex Sobel MP (Leeds North West)
Olivia Blake MP (Sheffield Hallam)
Paul Sweeney MSP (Glasgow Region)

Refreshments provided.
Wheelchair access.

Has FPTP Worked for Workers? (TUC Congress)
2021-09-13 18:30 - 19:30 | Online
The powerful levers of the state are being used to undo rights and freedoms, attack communities and lock people out of their democratic rights. Growing mistrust of politics and politicians is opening the door to a resurgent authoritarian right. Empowerment is perhaps the most important thing the trade union movement can offer people. Only by putting democracy at the heart of our agenda can we build an economy and society that works for all – a politics for the many.
Chair: Lynn Henderson, PCS and Chair of Politics for the Many
Speakers:

Sam Tarry MP
Julie Ward – former MEP and Unite member
Cllr James Beckles – Unison member
Julian Vaughan – ASLEF member and former PPC
Pauline McCarthy – BFAWU and member of Labour NEC
Caroline Osborne – Labour for a New Democracy and Unite member

As this is a fringe event you do not need to be a delegate to attend.
Register Attendence

Labour for a New Democracy: A new democracy for a Green New Deal?
2021-06-21 20:00 - 21:30 | Online
Is our current system really the best way to achieve radical policies like the Green New Deal, or can a new democracy get us there faster? Join the discussion at this event co-hosted with Momentum.
Featuring an open discussion including Clive Lewis MP, trade union climate activist Sam Mason, American academic Salomon Orellana, chaired by Momentum’s Ana Oppenheim.
Book here: https://www.labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk/event-listings/new-democracy-green-new-deal

Labour for a New Democracy: Defeating right-wing populism
2021-06-10 20:30 - 22:00 | Online
With politicians like Donald Trump, Victor Orban and Boris Johnson taking unbridled power under winner-takes-all systems, it’s time for a look at how first past the post hands power to extremists.
Join us for our fourth Roadshow event, featuring Billy Bragg, MPs Rachael Maskell and Stephen Kinnock and LCER’s Maria Iacovou – chaired by Compass’ Frances Foley. We’ll be discussing why First Past the Post no longer offers protection from extremism, and how the far right can be defeated under Proportional Representation. What can we learn from other countries – with both FPTP and PR – about facing down right wing populism? Come along and join the discussion.
Book Here: https://www.labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk/event-listings/defeating-right-wing-populism

Labour for a New Democracy Roadshow: Levelling the playing field
2021-05-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
The purely democratic problems with First Past the Post are widely known. What’s less well understood is the profound implications it has for progressive parties, voters and politics.
Renown academics Jonathan Rodden and Rob Ford join Debbie Abrahams MPs to explore these issues. Why does First Past the Post have a right wing bias? How can Proportional Representation level the playing field for left-wing parties? And what does the UK’s changing political demography mean for Labour’s future prospects under First Past the Post. Join us to find out.
Book here: https://www.labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk/event-listings/levelling-the-playing-field

Labour for a New Democracy Roadshow launch
2021-05-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
The Road to Conference: Why PR? Why now? How to make it happen!
With Proportional Representation shaping up to be one of the biggest issues at Labour conference this year, join us for the launch of the Labour for a New Democracy Roadshow – a season of online events about why electoral reform is critical to delivering the Labour Party’s mission.
We’ll be joined by a great line up of speakers: Guardian columnist Poly Toynbee, Clive Lewis MP, Chair of LCER Sandy Martin and activist Abbie Jones. They will be tackling why this is the year Labour needs to take up the mantel of electoral reform – and how we’re going to make it happen. Hope you can make it!
RSVP here: https://www.labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk/event-listings/the-road-to-conference

The New Foundations - Launch Event
2021-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Politics for the Many are delighted to launch The New Foundations, an important collection of essays at Open Labour’s 2021 Conference on 21st March.
The British state is a legacy of an empire and society long since transformed by technological and social upheavals.
So why hasn’t it evolved?
In The New Foundations, a bold new collection of essays, thinkers from across the left detail the inherently conservative nature of the British state and how it impacts the possibilities of a transformative Labour government succeeding.
The launch event, at 7pm on the 21st, will feature a discussion between the Electoral Reform Society’s Dr Jessica Garland, Christine Berry and Maya Goodfellow – it is free to attend for those with tickets to the conference.
Book your tickets

Politics for the many: Transforming power for a real democracy (Labour Conference)
2019-09-23 14:00 - 15:00 | Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront, Kings Rd, Brighton, BN1 2GS, United Kingdom
Join Politics for the Many, the trade union campaign for political reform, for a panel discussion on creating a political system that works for workers.
Featuring Jon Trickett MP, former MEP David Martin and Dr Jess Garland at Labour Party Conference.
The event will include a buffet lunch.

Workers Vs Westminster: How trade unions can help build a better democracy (TUC Congress)
2019-09-10 13:45 - 15:00 | Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2GR, United Kingdom
From the Chartists pushing for universal suffrage, to the Scottish TUC’s role campaigning for a Scottish Parliament, trade unions have often been at the forefront of demands for a democracy that puts working people at the centre.
Join Politics for the Many, the trade union campaign for political reform, to discuss how trade unions can help build a better democracy. Featuring Unite’s Howard Beckett, PCS’s Lynn Henderson and the Electoral Reform Society’s Jess Garland.
This event is inside TUC Congress, so you will need a pass to attend. Includes a light buffet lunch.

This is What Democracy Looks Like: Building A Politics For The Many
2019-08-31 - 2019-09-01 | The Manchester Conference and Pendulum Hotel, Sackville St, Manchester, M1 3BB, United Kingdom
Throughout history, the labour movement has been at the forefront in demanding progressive change to address the big challenges of the era. Today, the UK faces a social, political and democratic crisis. Yet the democratic crisis – the breakdown of trust, the divide between the rulers and the ruled – has often gone ignored.
200 years ago in Manchester, tens of thousands of people at St Peter’s Square changed history when they bravely stood – and many fell – fighting for Parliamentary representation.
Each generation, democracy must be defended, remade and revitalised. Today it is time to rebuild our democracy.
Our political system is undeniably broken. Power is held by the few, not the many. We need a vision for a political system where people feel their voice is heard, where ideas can be tested and debated on a level playing field, and where our institutions – local and national – are responsive and accessible to the millions.
This conference will address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in campaigning for real democracy today. Meeting these challenges is not an optional extra for the labour movement – it is part of its historic purpose. If we don’t act, much darker forces will emerge to speak for the voiceless.
“This Is What Democracy Looks Like: Building A Politics For The Many” will be the launch pad for a new campaign for a political system that works for all of us. It is not to be missed.

Book Tickets
Programme:
9am doors open and registration
10am Welcome and housekeeping
10.15 – 11.15 Launch Plenary
“Then And Now: Overhauling Our Broken Democracy” Looking back on the legacy of Peterloo – and the labour movement’s role in our democratic history. What lessons can we take, to inform a vision for the kind of democracy we need?

Paul Mason – Journalist and author
Lynn Henderson – Politics for the Many Chair and PCS National Officer for Scotland and Ireland
Katy Ashton – Director, Manchester People’s History Museum

11.15 – 12.30 Morning Workshops
The People Demand – Voices from those ‘locked out’ of democracy.

1. Women in politics: how to breakthrough the barriers?

Cllr Eve Holt, Manchester Chorlton and Director Happen Together CIC
Nicola Waterworth, Director Happen Together

2. The power of community: Energising local democracy

Jess Blair – ERS Cymru
Ed Cox – Director of Public Services & Communities RSA
Sue Bowen – Former Coordinator, East Manchester Community Forum
Pauline Grandison – Act As If You Own the Place

3. Locked out: 200 years after Peterloo, why the poorest are still the least represented

Michela Palese – Research and Policy Officer, ERS
Ian Allinson – President, Manchester TUC
Charlotte Hughes – Writer, Thepoorsideof.life
Dawn Foster – Columnist
Penny Hicks – Manchester People’s Assembly

4. Missing voices: Young people, minorities and the political system

Poppy Turner – Manchester Momentum
Rick Burgess – Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People
Dr Katy Sian – Lecturer in Sociology
Emma Greenwood – UK Student Climate Network

12.30 – 1.15 – lunch (we suggest you bring a packed lunch)
1.15 – 2.15 Middle Plenary
“Transforming The World: A Democratic Revolution to Win Social Change”
Delivering social change requires a revolution in how we do democracy. Join us for this inspiring session.

Dr Jess Garland – Electoral Reform Society
Jon Trickett MP – Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
Cllr Amna Abdullatif – Manchester Ardwick

2.15 – 3.30 Afternoon Workshops
The Change We Need – Taking the provocations from the workshops Round 1 and the middle plenary, we go into more detail about our ideas for reform and key discussions around what works, and what doesn’t.
1. Westminster isn’t working: what does a democracy for the many look like?

Shavanah Taj – Vice President, Wales TUC
Christine Berry – Author, Preparing for a Corbyn Government
Pauline Bryan – Labour Peer
Julie Ward MEP – Labour, North West

2. Delivering economic transformation: why does democratic reform matter?

Michela Palese – Research and Policy Officer, ERS
James Meadway – Former Economic Advisor to John McDonnell
Sam Tarry – President of Class & National Political Officer TSSA
Mathew Lawrence – Common Wealth
Hilary Wainwright – Editor, Red Pepper

3. A corrupt constitution: how do we rebuild trust in our political system?

Jess Blair – ERS Cymru
Adam Ramsay – Editor, Open Democracy
Sarah Clarke – Policy and Communications, Unlock Democracy

4. Where do we go from here? How do we build a movement for real democracy?

Lynn Henderson – Politics for the Many Chair and PCS National Officer for Scotland and Ireland

3.30 – 4.30 Closing Plenary
“Politics For The Many: A New Movement for Democracy”

Willie Sullivan – ERS Scotland
Holly Rigby – Momentum
James Meadway – Former Economic Advisor to John McDonnell

Book Tickets
Partners

PCS and ERS' eve of congress reception (STUC fringe)
2019-04-14 20:00 - 21:30
PCS and ERS Cordially invite STUC delegates to attend our eve of congress reception
Sunday 14 April 2019, 7pm – 8.30pm
RRS DISCOVERY Discovery Point, Discovery Quay Dundee DD1 4XA

Remaking the state: Transforming Scotland for Citizen Power
2019-03-09 12:30 - 13:30 | Caird Hall, City Square, Dundee, DD1 3BB, United Kingdom
***Please note that this event is being held at Scottish Labour Party conference and you must be a passholder to attend***
A discussion presented by Politics for the Many, UNISON and Red Paper Collective –
Remaking the state: Transforming Scotland for Worker and Citizen Power
How can we update the old fashioned institutions and rules of British politics so that people really have power?
Saturday 9 March. 12.30pm. Committee Room 5. Caird Hall.
Panel:
Pauline Bryan, Labour Peer
Jess Garland, Director of Policy and Research Electoral Reform Society
Angela Feeney, Vice Chair UNISON Labour Link and PPC Motherwell and Wishaw
Chair: Neil Findlay MSP, Red Paper Collective

The World Transformed: A Radical Agenda for Democracy
2018-09-23 14:00 - 16:00
“The greatest inequality is inequality of power”
Jon Trickett and Paul Mason will open the workshop with a discussion on the ongoing centralisation of power in the UK and the impact this concentration has on the political, economic and social structures, institutions and outcomes.
We will then hear from campaigners and movements who are trying create a democracy from the bottom up, both in the UK and abroad before running a deliberative workshop exploring how such a movement can be supported and developed by Labour.
Speakers :
Jon Trickett MP: Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office – Jon is MP for Hemsworth in Yorkshire. Jon argues that inequality is entrenched in the structures and institutions of the British State. He is leading Labour in exploring those concentrations of power and has recently spoken about the regional inequalities and alienation these imbalances cause.
Paul Mason: writer, author and film-maker. As economics editor at Newsnight, then Channel 4 News he covered the global financial crisis, the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement and the Gaza war. His bestselling book Postcapitalism has been translated into 16 languages. His play Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere was televised on BBC Two in 2017.
Kate Shea Baird: a member of the executive of Barcelona En Comú, the municipalist platform currently governing Barcelona City Hall. She joined the platform shortly after its launch in 2014 and has been active in its Communication and International Committees, working on mapping and building up the emerging network of municipalist movements from around the world.
Nancy Platts: is a Labour Councillor in Brighton and was the former Trade Union Liaison Officer in Jeremy Corbyn’s Office. She now heads up ‘Politics for the Many ‘ Trade Unionist for political reform. She has written and spoken extensively about how parliament skews power towards the interests of the few and against the benefit of working people and their organisations .
Alice Kinghorn Grey- Chair : is a Campaign Organiser for Electoral Reform Society, Scotland. She has organised ‘ Act as if you own the place ‘ A campaign led by a coalition of organisations for Scottish Town and Villages to take back power over their own affairs. The campaign has significantly influenced the new Bill on Local Democracy due to come out from the Scottish Government next year. After graduating from the School of Oriental and African Studies where she developed an interest in Marxist and critical State theory, she moved back to Scotland and advances relations between the municipalist movements across Spain and Scotland.
Jonathan Shafi: Is Campaigns Manager with ‘Common Weal’ the crowd-funded think-tank that aims to make ‘all of us first‘. A member of the Coalition behind ‘Act as if you own the place ‘ . Recently he was a lead organiser behind the Anti-Trump protests in Scotland and a large conference on Local Democracy. He was a founder and coordinator of the Radical Independence Congress a coalition that aimed to ensure a possible independent Scotland would hear strong socialist arguments. He has a column in the Sunday Herald where he writes on national and international politics.
Sunday, 23rd of September,
13:00 – 14:30
Black E, Main Space

TUC Congress Fringe: Building a new Democracy
2018-09-11 13:45 - 15:00
Join us at TUC Congress for a panel discussion on creating a political system that works for workers.
Chair: Willie Sullivan (ERS Scotland)
Sam Tarry (National Political Officer, TSSA)
Howard Beckett (Assistant General Secretary, Unite)
Shavanah Taj (PCS Wales Secretary & President, WTUC)
Lynn Henderson (PCS Scottish Secretary & President, STUC)
Today, there is a new democratic frontier for trade unions in Britain: reforming Westminster’s creaking establishment. From a broken voting system, to an unelected House of Lords and denying 16 and 17 year olds the vote, Parliament is skewed towards a privileged few.
Trade unions exist for workers to stand up against concentrations of power and wealth. Today, our politics concentrates power to a handful of voters in wealthier swing seats, while throwing 22m votes in the electoral scrapheap. That’s a recipe for alienation and distrust.
Exchange 3, MCCC, Windmill St, Manchester, M2 3GX

TUC Congress drinks reception: With Mark Serwotka
2018-09-09 20:00 - 22:30
Join the PCS General Secretary, Mark Serwotka, at Politics for the Many’s reception, just two minutes walk from Congress.
Today, there is a new democratic frontier for trade unions in Britain: reforming Westminster’s creaking establishment. From a broken voting system, to an unelected House of Lords and denying 16 and 17 year olds the vote, Parliament is skewed towards a privileged few.
Trade unions exist for workers to stand up against concentrations of power and wealth. We know that political inequality leads to economic inequality: if working people don’t have a voice, it’s inevitable that our economy will deny them a voice too.
Walters Suite,
Radisson Blu Edwardian,
Manchester

Politics for the Many at Scottish Trade Union Congress
2018-04-16 13:30 - 15:00 | MacDonald’s Hotel, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1PN, United Kingdom
Join us at the STUC to discuss how we can forge a political system that serves the many, not just the few.
Speakers include
 Nancy Platts – Politics for the Many
 Willie Sullivan – Electoral Reform Society Scotland
 Mike J Kirby – Scottish Secretary, UNISON
 Lynn Henderson – National Political Officer, PCS Union
 Billy Hayes – Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform
 Sofi Taylor – STUC Black Workers’ Committee
