radiofree.asia

Yes, you can now join the new Sultana/Corbyn-led party

The Zarah Sultana/Jeremy Corbyn new left party is wasting no time laying the groundwork for its debut.

It looks like the public won’t have to wait long for this hotly anticipated new home for the Left, because the pair of independent MPs co-leading plans for it have now announced they have started the formal process for forming a new political party.

And true to the spirit of its community-centred, democratic ideals, they want people to participate in the process from the very start.

Sultana/Corbyn party: raring to transform the system

At the start of July, MP for Coventry South Zarah Sultana quit the Labour Party for good. At that, she and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn declared plans to co-lead the forming of a new party.

And since the initial announcement, Corbyn and Sultana have continued doing what they do best. That is: showing up this sham Labour government for all it’s worth.

Sultana’s recent scathing condemnation of Starmer’s spineless premiership has pulled no punches. She threw rightful shade on his decision to suspend Labour MPs who opposed the wretched welfare cuts bill. Of course, it’s the same treatment Starmer previously meted out against her and other rebel Labour MPs with more than a shred of integrity over the two-child benefit cap.

The pair have unwaveringly stood up for Palestine, and all as the authoritarian Labour government – and a complicit parliament – have proscribed a non-violent direct action group successfully targeting companies supplying arms to Israel for its continuing genocide, because the government has refused to.

So already, it’s clear the kind of party the two will seek to build. A communication from the Peace & Justice Project over the plans stated that:

We are not fighting for crumbs. We are fighting for bread and roses. We’re here to transform the system and provide a real political alternative.

Work begins, and it needs you on board

On Thursday 24 July, Sultana and Corbyn issued a new statement. It provided an update on the progress of the formulation of the new party.

The statement reads as following:

It’s time for a new kind of political party. One that belongs to you.

The system is rigged.

The system is rigged when 4.5 million children live in poverty in the sixth richest country in the world. The system is rigged when giant corporations make a fortune from rising bills. The system is rigged when this government says there is no money for the poor, but billions for war.

We cannot accept these injustices – and neither should you.

We will only fix the crises in our society with a mass redistribution of wealth and power. That means taxing the very richest in our society. That means an NHS free from privatisation and bringing energy, water, rail and mail into public ownership. That means investing in a massive council-house building programme. That means standing up to fossil fuel giants putting their profits before our planet.

Meanwhile, millions of people are horrified by the government’s complicity in crimes against humanity. Now, more than ever, we must defend the right to protest against genocide. We believe in the radical idea that all human life has equal value. That is why we will keep demanding an end to all arms sales to Israel, and for the only path to peace: a free and independent Palestine.

Our movement is made up of people of all faiths and none. The great dividers want you to think that the problems in our society are caused by migrants or refugees. They’re not. They are caused by an economic system that protects the interests of corporations and billionaires. It is ordinary people who create the wealth – and it is ordinary people who have the power to put it back where it belongs.

It’s time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements. One that builds power in all regions and nations. One that belongs to you.

Sign up at www.yourparty.uk to be part of the founding process, leading to an inaugural conference. At this conference, you will decide the party’s direction, the model of leadership and the policies that are needed to transform society. That is how we build a democratic movement that can take on the rich and powerful – and win.

Real change is coming.

In short, the soon-to-be new political party is ready to welcome the public on board.

And it needs as many people as possible to help shape the founding of this new democratic force for change. You can sign up here to find out more and get involved.

Featured image via the Canary

By Hannah Sharland

This post was originally published on Canary.