Any serious socialist party needs an internal discussion bulletin – a space where members debate ideas, propose strategies, share experiences, criticise the leadership and shape political direction before decisions are finalised.
The leadership of such a party will inevitably have more communication channels than the average member, that’s normal. But when communication is monopolised by a small clique, the party shrivels, becomes an echo chamber and loses sight of a basic principle; that party-building is a collective enterprise.
This is not Your Party’s (YP) only failing since it was announced, but it is close to the top. While its members voted at the founding conference for collective leadership, this is not how things have unfolded. YP’s parliamentary leader, Jeremy Corbyn, still, absurdly, an independent MP in the Commons, is the only person allowed to speak officially for YP outside parliament. Inside parliament, he never speaks for YP because he is not listed as its leader.
Jennifer Forbes, chair of the party’s ruling central executive committee (CEC), is virtually the only CEC member who communicates with the membership via email. Reports from other CEC members on social media make clear that Forbes’s accounts of CEC meetings bear little resemblance to reality. They come essentially from La La Land!
That, in sum, is the full extent of ‘official’ communication within YP. There are no sanctioned channels for members to talk to one another. Five months after the Liverpool founding conference, there are still no official YP branches. Members have no mechanism to question the leadership or scrutinise decisions.
Instead, YP members must rely on unofficial Facebook groups, scattered posts on X and some WhatsApp threads – all deeply limited as democratic forums for debate.
Liverpool Your Party provides a negative example
For example, the former The Left Lane posted for months in the Your Party Liverpool Facebook group without any trouble. But that changed on 8 April 2026 when we tried to post our latest issue to the group and the post was banned. That’s no coincidence because this issue contained a documented criticism of CEC member Sam Gorst, a moderator of Your Party Liverpool Facebook group.
In short, YP is Exhibit A in top-downism, megaphone politics and lack of transparency.
To help break open this blockage, The Left Lane launched a six-part series on 1 May. where former and current YP members explain why they decided to quit or stay with the party. Today, in the same spirit, we are giving a platform to six YP proto-branches, groups and caucuses – made up of both former and current YP members – who are actively debating the future of YP and the wider left.
In no particular order and without comment, here are their views, actions and planned events.
1. South Cumbria Socialists
Responding to the YP CEC decision to ban dual members, this group said in a recent Facebook post: “This announcement is just to clarify that following our meeting in Kendal on 15 April and in the wake of recent developments in Your Party, this group is dropping all YP branding and reverting to an inclusive and informal local socialist association: –
- South Cumbria Socialists seeks to unite socialists in the local area to discuss progressive ideas in mutual respect, meet and take agreed actions.
- Participation is open to all living in the Westmorland and Lunesdale constituency who identify themselves as socialists using a broad definition such as the Your Party political statement or the TUSC core policy platforms.
- Membership of other socialist and left parties and groups, including Your Party and the Greens, is expressly permitted.
Future meetings are likely to be around local campaigns and events and a Socialist Reading Circle to restart some actual political discussion! No membership fees, and no branch officers – we will self-organise as required as local socialists have been doing since 2021.
2. Connections
This online discussion group was formed early last autumn and “didn’t start out as an opposition group,” a Connections regular explained to The Left Lane last week. But the recent actions of The Many-dominated CEC have turned it “into exactly that,” he continued.
About 30 to 40 Connections-supporters discuss the worrying state of YP every Monday evening in an online forum. Its focus now is on a 6 June conference in Sheffield. Click here to get a ticket to attend Connections: Where Next for the Left and find out more about what they are planning.
The Connections statement says: “There is an amazing amount of energy on the left right now despite the challenges we all know about; the left clearly want to get together and be heard. The Connections network is hosting the first of a series of conventions to bring together socialist groups and activist organisations to discuss a way forward, as well as workshops to develop the tools needed to be successful whether you are in Your Party, a nationally recognised party/organisation or a local independent group. So, join us and other comrades actually doing the work in our communities to discuss the way forward.”
3. Spotlight Socialist Network
This highly active group, set up by Spotlight newspaper editor Koser Saeed, is collectively debating and creating a socialist manifesto, “a list of policies that the left can unite around”. Click here to check out their current progress on a manifesto.
Saedd explains: “With May elections looming and Your Party struggling to get off the starting block, I’ve been considering what Spotlight could do to help get things back on track for the left. The first thing I know we can do is to help put together a socialist manifesto – a list of policies that the left can unite around. Having our own socialist manifesto makes it easier on Your Party proto-branches, who might be considering who they’re going to endorse for the upcoming local elections, as it allows them to select candidates who more closely align with their values.
“I’ve already made a start and pooled together policy ideas from various left sources, including the all-London delegate assembly 12-point manifesto, the Labour Party 2019 manifesto and various contributions from comrades in the Spotlight Your Party Network WhatsApp group. I’m now inviting comrades to provide feedback. Join the debate in the Spotlight Your Party Network WhatsApp group to propose changes, expand on what we already have and/or suggest any new policy ideas we may have missed.”
4. The Members’ Charter group
This group, formed quite recently, has developed a Members’ Charter and, as of 2 May, 628 YP members had signed it. Click here to read their charter. A few days ago, The Left Lane received the following statement from the executive of this group.
“The charter signatories have voted to hold a conference to consider and decide on the best way forward. This could be the establishment of a federation, network, or party. We’ve appealed for proposals which will be debated at an online conference on 31 May. A follow up hybrid conference at the end of June will then consider establishing an organisation in principle. This organisation should aim to be a home for the many socialists that have left YP, as well as those who are still YP members. We’re also reaching out to existing socialist organisations for collaboration, as combining our efforts is critical in tackling the historic impasse we face. The Members’ Charter initiative has the potential to form the basis and steps necessary for establishing the genuinely member-led socialist party that many recognise is needed now more than ever.”
5. Democratic Bloc
Set up well before the Your Party founding conference in Liverpool, the Democratic Bloc is dedicated to building a democratic, members-led, pluralistic left party. Below, Harry Cross, co-chair of Democratic Bloc, offers The Left Lane his group’s assessment of the current state of Your Party.
“’Your Party has demonstrated a troubling democratic deficit since its creation. The agenda, motions, and procedures at the founding conference were handpicked by a small self-appointed group. During subsequent elections for a collective leadership, an arbitrary voting system was imposed that prevented preferences from being redistributed among candidates, skewing the results. Most seriously, local branches have not been empowered to meet, with the leadership instead planning to recognise informal local groups on an ad hoc basis.
“This means that there are no legitimate means for all-member meetings of members in a local area to meet, pass motions, and to debate and endorse candidates for local elections. Dem Bloc has highlighted the democratic deficit in Your Party since it was created and we continue to bring activists together and to collaborate with other groups so that there is a space for a democratic and socialist left-wing of British politics.”
6. Democratic Socialists of Your Party (DSYP)
The executive of DSYP sent The Left Lane the following statement outlining their position earlier this week.
“Democratic Socialists have recently voted to re-found the organisation and launch a campaign for a democratic socialist party. We are still in the process of its re-founding but have committed to intervene in both the Connections Convention, as well as the Members’ Charter conferences, to promote the political, strategic and organisational vision we established, both during the campaign prior to the founding conference of Your Party and the Grassroots Left CEC campaign. We will also be working to strengthen the anti-war movement, build solidarity against the far right and the rising tide of transphobia. We have decided to continue to engage within Your Party, acknowledging it as an important forum for networking with socialists who may not be reachable otherwise.”
Find out more about the DSYP on their website here.
The Left Lane offers solidarity and support to all of these groups. Debate and discussion are hard-wired into the basic purpose of our rolling news and views website. So, if you have news or want to make an editorial contribution, please write us at [email protected] And one thing is very obvious – building a mass socialist party is an arduous task. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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