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Labour Party 'alienating' the voters, Blair is warned

Andrew Grice
Tuesday 23 July 2002 00:00 BST
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The Labour Party has lost touch with ordinary people, its top official will tell Tony Blair and other senior figures today.

In a confidential report leaked to The Independent, David Triesman, Labour's general secretary, warns that the party must take urgent action to counter "alienation" among voters by becoming more involved in community activities and explaining why politics matters. His frank report to the national executive committee (NEC) says: "The Labour Party faces very serious issues of voter apathy and voter alienation. The party needs to find new ways of engaging in dialogue with our communities to help combat alienation and to find new ways of delivering policy which underline the significance of politics in arriving at decisions which directly benefit communities. We need to work to ensure that the party is an integral part of our local communities."

Mr Triesman adds: "In too many cases the Labour Party is not seen as relevant to the local community. It is not seen as the voice of the community. It is not involved in vital community issues. Part of the reason for this is that we do not have the structures to enable continuous dialogue to occur."

His report suggests that local parties are too inward-looking. He calls for changes in the way constituency parties are organised to enable them to reach out to local people and attract new members, including more meetings open to all members and fewer decisions taken by small committees of committed activists.

Mr Blair shares Mr Triesman's desire to revive Labour's grass roots by deepening its ties with local communities. Such a course was recommended in a report commissioned by the Prime Minister and written by Phil Wilson, a former official at Labour's Millbank headquarters and a former membership secretary of his Sedgefield constituency party.

The Triesman report outlines plans by a task force to build up the party. But Mr Triesman admits: "The financial situation of the party dictates that our development strategy will need to run with limited resources." The group suggests that local parties seek sponsorship, especially from trade unions.

The NEC will be told today that Labour is about £8m in the red and faces its biggest financial crisis. The meeting is expected to approve a sharp increase in membership fees. Spending cuts and staff redundancies are also planned.

Mr Triesman warns that Labour's constituency parties have been left behind by rapid changes, including devolution in Scotland and Wales, reforms to local and health authorities, the growth of "community politics" and voter alienation.

He says more action is needed to build "an inclusive party", "to bring into activity passive members" and to involve trade unionists. He adds that special focus should be given to developing work with women, young people and ethnic minority members.

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