The absence of any communication about how YourParty is to be taken forward from those involved at the centre of the initiative is very worrying.
It gives the impression that they don’t really know what to do with the 800,000 names that have signed up for the project.
One communication asking for people to suggest a name is not enough.
There is a danger that many who signed up will lose their enthusiasm for the call-up.
It seems to be argued that nothing can be done until we have a national founding conference.
But how can we have a national founding conference until we have membership of something, and branches to organise in?
It is impossible to have a democratic conference that involves 800,000 people, or 80,000, or even only 8,000.
Who gets to be at the “founding conference”? What is the criteria for attendance? Who decides?
What is it that is being established? Is it a national party? Is it an umbrella of local groups? What is its programme? How will the leadership be elected?
When do we get to know?
The absence of any concrete proposals leaves open the worrying prospect that what will happen is that those involved at the ‘centre’ (who is not yet not clear) will speak to a rally, without democratic discussion and debate, present their proposals (what is not yet clear) to an amorphous online presence, which will be then be adopted by acclamation by the click of a button?
Instead, we need a delegate-based conference.
That requires branches to elect/select delegates.
We need to know who is doing the organising?
What is being proposed? Any by whom? Is there a difference of opinion? We should be told.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of people already trying to set things up locally. They need to know what the plan is.
In the meantime, local organisation should continue and expand.
This is a massive opportunity to build a genuinely democratic and socialist party. Let’s not miss it.