Which Way’s Left? What to do with power?

4 November 2009

Should the Left be collecting or dispersing democratic and political power in seeking to bring about change?

“The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away”, Nye Bevan said. But, historically the Left has been divided about whether it wants to collect power in the state or give it away to citizens and communities. Majoritarian power and the centralised British state were crucial to the creation of the NHS and development of the welfare state. But, as the Thatcher era showed, this power need not be used for centre-Left or egalitarian purposes.

This ambivalence has been borne out during Labour’s period in government, combining radical constitutional reform with ambivalence about its consequences. This raises fundamental questions about the centre-Left’s attitude to power and democracy. What is the next stage of constitutional reform? Is a more pluralistic centre-Left possible? Is the essence of democracy the outcomes it produces or the process it entails? Can tensions between egalitarianism and devolution be reconciled? In addition to the next phase of democratic reform, these are central issues for the future of public services, the shape of the state, the role of local government and the contribution of community and voluntary organisations.

To help confront this issue we have asked Marc Stears, Lecturer in Political Theory at Oxford University, and Meg Russell, Reader in British and Comparative Politics at University College London, to write short papers responding to this question.

As a guide, we think there are broadly two potential approaches:

  • The centre-Left’s model of change should emphasise dispersing political power and embracing radical democratic reform of both the state and wider society. This agenda goes beyond just procedural and constitutional reforms that are seen by some as incidental (or purely instrumental) to achieving other centre-Left goals. A more democratic society is a valuable goal in itself. In particular the centre-Left must become far more comfortable with the dissent, disruption and plurality of democratic deliberation. Increasing people’s agency over democratic decision-making – both individually and collectively – guards against concentrations of power and its arbitrary exercise. Taking decisions closer to the level at which they impact is likely to lead to better outcomes, but dispersing power has value in itself. The central state is sometimes an essential agent of change, but the centre-Left must guard against its natural tendency to extend its power and reach (disempowering individuals, communities and civil society as it does so).
  • Our political system is in need of significant reforms to deepen our democracy, empower citizens and challenge unaccountable and arbitrary power. So, further democratic reform must be central to any renewed agenda for the centre-Left. However the primary (though not only) role of democracy is as a means to an end to get things done. This is the basis on which judgements should be made about how, at what level and by whom political power should be exercised. While occasionally imperfect and frustrating, representative democracy and the central state are protective forces looking out for a broad set of interests. They also enable change to happen relatively clearly and quickly. Dispersing and decentralising power is too often asserted as an inherent good without its practicalities and consequences being properly thought through (some of which could very well be antithetical to other centre-Left goals, both process and outcome).

Some Responses:

On LabourList Anthony Painter suggests that dispersing power provides a stronger underpinning for economic and social reforms.

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