Tag Archives: Thornhill report

Party reforms are crucial for our fightback

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Our party has come a long way since the devastating general election defeat of 2019, when we lost many people including our then leader, Jo Swinson.

As someone standing in a Northern Leave-voting seat, I saw firsthand the effect of the mistakes that cost us so dearly in that campaign and which Dorothy Thornhill’s post-election review documented so clearly.

We must not make the same mistakes again – and that means fixing the party systems and structures that let us down in 2019.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 29 Comments

An endangered species – Where are we with party reform?

John Pugh and Sir David Attenborough John Pugh with Sir David Attenborough

We are, by nature, political outsiders. None of us has been able to find a home in the establishment parties that dominate our political landscape. The political climate – electoral system, media, financial backing- is not favourable to us either. We struggle to get our voice heard, and our limited grip on power is always in peril and often short-lived.

As an endangered species, we would merit the David Attenborough treatment and as any endangered species need to husband carefully and efficiently our resources to survive. We survive by campaigning effectively on causes that matter to us and the electorate. However as Dorothy Thornhill said in her landmark report on the 2019 election “winning seats in elections has too often come second to internal discussion and management”, pointing out that “resources are being deployed on committees concerned with operational ..minutiae and their purposes and agendas at all levels of the party-national, regional and local”. The Thornhill report called for a review of the governance of all areas of the party.

Interestingly Dorothy in the report describes herself as “not an insider”, but even a party of outsiders needs its insiders. We should be grateful for those prepared to sit through the committee hours keeping the party’s cogs turning year after year as leaders, MPs and other stellar luminaries explode temporarily onto the scene, as membership waxes and wanes.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 18 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Mick Scholes
    I agree with Adam that there is a void that we can fill. The Tories have always (falsely) promoted themselves as the party for business and pretended to be f...
  • Richard Whelan
    Reading the extract from Ed's book that he shared on his e-mail worries me. Because he outlines the same type of difficulties in getting help with John when bo...
  • Peter Martin
    @ Mick, I do agree that trans people shouldn't be mistreated in our society. On the other hand I am aware that there can be problems whichever way we go. You...
  • Thelma Davies
    It's pretty straightforward Mick. Many many women do not want to share their private spaces with biological males. Wether that be locker rooms / changing rooms ...
  • Mick Taylor
    @ChrisMoore I sense sarcasm in your final sentence. I have repeatedly asked for examples of trans women committing violence against other women in womens' spac...