Open Selections: How Can Something so Boring, be so Contentious?

This week Rebecca Long-Bailey announced her support for open selections. Ash Sarkar explains why this issue cuts to the heart of the Labour Party.

----

We live in times of ecological, political and economic crisis. Our age is one marked by austerity, the rise in racist authoritarianism and climate breakdown. Novara Media exists to secure socialism, freedom and justice in our lifetimes. We believe the media is both a tool by which to achieve our aims, and terrain that must be won.

Help us do this 👇👇

[Nerdcoresteve]

Obviously more democracy would ruin democracy

[leonbrooks]

I hate the idea that MP’s think that when they get the job they are in for life. For me this led to MP’s becoming stagnant and is a big part towards why Labour keep losing seats.

[kaushikprasad]

This is beautiful. Labour will never come to power with these people. No wonder Scotland doesn't vote for them.

[arcarsenal]

I love that Novara vids get algorithm boost from the comments of Right-wing trolls. It means people in their circles might actually be exposed to critical and thoughtful material analysis of the political and social landscape for once

[dabay]

Openly select-out the backstabbing Blarite PLP

[markporciani]

It goes beyond this now. The lessons of the last four years is the PLP needs to be abolished.

[taliquetaylor]

Open selection is a great idea. However, I would advise making it a normal occurrence because the primary system here in the US heavily favors incumbents

[amasulem]

The question isn't whether this or that candidate is in favour of anything, but how the N.E.C. and N.P.F. feels.

[cliveguthrie-andrews]

in Corbynite circles "deselect was de rigeur" since it meant only true believers would be MPs. A rule change to say only people who live locally at the time of their appointment can be a Labour MP would be better. They would lose the whip if they move outside their constituency. Gender balance would be via constituencies drawn out of a hat so all have an equal chance of winnable seats.

[TheReubstar]

I am a fan of Ash Sarkar, I must say. But I am disappointed that she doesn't seem to have reflected much on what happened in the 2019 GE. She needs to produce a video on what she and Novara in general thought went wrong. Their explicit and consistent support for Corbyn was misplaced and, to me, they have lost a lot of credibility. One way of getting that back would be a more profound reflection on what happened and where we go. It just seems like she is pretending 2019 didn't happen or that it is not that significant: which it is.

[MrAzi]

So basically another way for labour to move further left?

[richardking]

I really like her. Beauty, brains.... You lucky Brits.

[dannycawley]

If there answering to momentum then no thank you, Nandy's good choice for the north

[TheReubstar]

Bad idea. Means Labour MPs will have to concentrate on campaigns in local constituencies as well as Westminster GEs. More pressing issues for Labour than this.