Alternative: Towards a New Progressive Politics

The 2015 election result was a disappointment for almost everyone on the progressive wing of British politics, at least in England and Wales. A shock for Labour, which had expected to capitalise on unpopular austerity measures; a disaster for the Liberal Democrats, who now face a struggle for survival; and a frustration for the Greens, who saw their membership and average share of the vote rise significantly, but failed to add to their one parliamentary seat. By the 2020 election, the Conservatives will have led the British government for all but thirteen of the previous forty-one years. And the outlook for those holding progressive political opinions in the next general election is not auspicious, particularly against the backdrop of likely boundary changes that will make it very difficult for Labour to gain a majority in the future. However, beyond Westminster, there is evidence to suggest that there could be a majority for the progressives in 2020 if only the mechanics were in place for it to happen. The Alternative is a collection of essays that makes the case for a new, plural, radical politics.These essays, from a very broad range of politicians and civil society experts, set out a base of core values around which progressives can unite, proposing a number of big policy ideas that embody those values and, crucially, setting out an urgently needed new form of politics to achieve them.