Our victory – no compromise

Jeremy Corbyn’s overwhelming victory now presents the possibility of consolidating Labour as a left wing socialist party – a task that means there is no room for compromise with the right wing.

Our victory will be celebrated as a great achievement of hundreds of thousands of members and supporters who have campaigned successfully to stop the old party establishment overturning the Corbyn revolution.

Now we need to take up the Jeremy’s appeal for a united fight against the Tories’ latest attacks: we need to stop the increase in grammar schools and fight for a comprehensive National Education Service; we need to move quickly to stop the looming winter NHS crisis destroying the service; on a hundred other fronts there are battles to be fought and won.

We have secured a convincing victory because the vast majority of the Labour Party – and millions of working class supporters – want to see a committed and credible alternative to austerity, in parliament and on the streets.

The democratic decision of the members must now be put in practice without delay.

We hope that the clear and present danger of Theresa’s May new offensives will focus the minds of those on all wings of the labour movement.

But the call for unity against the Tories must not be used as shorthand for an unwarranted compromise with people who have been soundly beaten.

We have won – let’s take advantage of our deserved victory:

• Let’s press ahead and stand representatives of the left at AGMs this autumn to make local parties campaigning and welcoming organisng centres for hundreds of thousands of new members
• Let’s build a coordinated fight to reinstate all those unfairly suspended or expelled – and an inquiry into how the compliance unit carried out its purge
• Let’s win control of the Local Campaign Forums to ensure that councillors can be selected who actually reflect the will of local party members
• Let’s stop the unhelpful diversion of speculating about deals with the Greens and the Lib Dems. We need the Greens’ votes not their seats, staying left and independent is the best way to win their people over. As for the Lib Dems, an alliance with them is the kiss of death. We should not entertain this divisive proposal. Instead we need a strong an independent Labour Party.

Next Saturday at the Tory Party conference, let’s start as we mean to continue; taking the struggle against privilege and inequality onto the enemy’s doorstep. That is the best way to celebrate a famous victory.