What next for Momentum?

Submitted by AWL on 21 April, 2020 - 9:11
Forward Momentum

Socialists across the country are discussing candidatures for the upcoming elections to the National Coordinating Group of Momentum.

The NCG was set up after an office “coup” abolished all previous democratic structures in Momentum. Left slates have run in previous elections, and won good numbers of votes, but generally office-supporting slates have won all or almost all the places, and the NCG has not been lively.

Labour for a Socialist Europe is discussing updatings to a platform it adopted in January as a criterion for supporting candidates, and a number of activists have expressed interest on standing on that platform.

Forward Momentum, a new grouping in Momentum led by organisers of The World Transformed (the festival run on the Labour Party conference fringe since 2016), has announced that it will “publish an updated set of proposals for the future of Momentum in a month’s time”.

It also says it will “stand candidates in the upcoming [Momentum] National Coordinating Group (NCG) elections”, and promises “details” of an “open selection process” soon.

Its aim is to “refound Momentum so it is more democratic, member-led and capable of uniting the left”.

Sadly, Forward Momentum, focused on Momentum procedures, says little about the big “outside-world” issues — the pandemic, the Tory government, class struggle. The structure and procedures it advocates to "democratise" Momentum do not seem particularly democratic either. But supporters of the L4SE platform will of course seek to establish a cooperative working relation with Forward Momentum.

Momentum itself, a grouping which claims 40,000 members but didn’t do much at the Labour Party’s lively 2019 conference, is in flux.

It has produced a (not too bad, though bland) “statement” on the pandemic, but has done nothing to campaign on it.

It promises NCG elections “soon” (they’re now a year overdue), but has given no date.

More on The Clarion:
Five points on Forward Momentum, by Michael Chessum
Ten things the Momentum left should fight for, by Mohan Sen

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