Here's another, more recent article form Compass. The forward is jointly written by Clive Lewis Caroline Lucas and  Layla Moran. Imagine a cabinet led by PM Keir Starmer, with those 3 round the table - along with a progressive MP for Hexham. Have we got the will to make it happen?

All you need to know about a progressive alliance by Neal Lawson

https://www.compassonline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/All-You-Need-to-Know-about-a-Progressive-Alliance.pdf

FORWARD

Politics needs to change so we can change our society – to make it much more equal, sustainable and democratic. We are convinced that can only happen if parties of the left and centre start to work together, or at the very least stop fighting one another. There are two reasons for this. The first is the sheer scale of the challenges we face – not least the climate emergency, which will take all of our traditions, insights and energies to overcome. The second is that the voting system is now skewed strongly in the Conservatives’ favour – this is abetted by the right bloc working effectively together, meaning we have to do the same. 

There has been much welcome talk about progressive alliances, and it has been encouraging to see parties forming alliances locally at council level. But it is at Westminster where we need seismic political change, and progressives forming a one-off alliance for democracy and change at a national level is a clear way this could happen. 

This report from Compass shows how this might work. We are not endorsing every aspect of it but strongly commend the direction of travel – towards greater collaboration and the trust-building across parties that such cooperation demands. There is no one size fits all model. Whether it results in standing aside for one another, local or national ceasefires, or efforts towards tactical voting, it is clear that the foundations for success have to be built now. 

Our concern is that without such concerted effort, even the most basic efforts will crack in the heat of a general election. This report shows us how we can bring about this trust-building process and start the journey together towards a better, more progressive future for the country. With Compass and many others, we are committed to making it happen. 

Clive Lewis 

Caroline Lucas 

Layla Moran

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