Tag Archives: Thornhill report

Party reforms are crucial for our fightback

Embed from Getty Images

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
Advert



Recent Comments

  • Joe Bourke
    Public spending will need to increase at least in line with inflation but this will not provide for improved services or benefits. To increase the level of pub...
  • Joe Bourke
    The above OBR forecasts expect a deficit of 5.1% of GDP. To increase public spending requires either idle resources that can be brought into use or competing wi...
  • Robin AG Bennett
    Will the City of Edinburgh Council be up to the task of enforcing the new law? Landlords who have responsibly sought planning permission for short term lets ha...
  • Peter Davies
    The last three major rail construction projects (HS1, Jubilee line extension and Crossrail) all brought the tunnelling in on time and on budget with everything ...
  • Joe Bourke
    The ...