This election is a shock to the system for everybody. There are too many unknowns. Does anybody want this by-election? It is fraught with danger for all the main political parties, with the possible exception of the Green Party of England and Wales. All have something to lose, Starmer in particular. But here are downsides all around. For socialists and Your Party, the timing could not have been worse. It is still stuck in the inward-looking mire of forming branches and electing a leadership.

The two party system once loved by all (apparently) is still able to utilise the first past the post electoral system to allow those two parties to hold 80 per cent of House of Commons seats. The prime minister can still get away with claiming a landslide even with a million votes less than an allegedly unpopular predecessor. But their collective votes have crashed, signifying the end of that system.

By-elections have often been significant markers, but this one is another step into the new pluralism. The resignation of the MP and the unexpectedly quick call of the by-election (damage limitation, perhaps) have set many hares running. And some are running into danger. Starmer could not allow the Labour Party’s best candidate to stand. Farage lost the last by-election in the face of concerted opposition. And there`s a lot of that being organised again.

Farage’s one-man band is beginning to look incompetent in office. His big friend in the White House is hated by the Daily Express, and Clarkson thinks Brexit was a disaster. Suella Braverman is trying a comeback, and who knows where it will go. There is so much to lose for all involved.

Even the Liberal Democrats, with a strong presence in at least part of the constituency in the past, must be feeling the pinch, having lost their ‘only alternative to Labour’ cachet. Step up the Greens. Here is a chance to seize the moment. A new leader is flying high. Loads of new members on the back of Polanski’s radical presence and Your Party’s shambolic start.

The constituency

So what of Gorton and Denton? It’s a hodge-podge of a constituency, bringing together distinct geographic demographics, seemingly united only by hating Starmer and being so fond of Andy Burnham. It is split at random between two local authorities by arbitrary Whitehall hands. The failure of Starmer to change anything has left voters looking for somebody, anybody, who can change that. The Burnham way seems to be the expected one, except it is not on offer.

His exclusion is understood for the Starmer machination it is. But that creates great danger as far-right populist non-solutions are gaining traction. It seems unfair to the denizens of Gorton and Denton to thrust all this party-political national spin on them. They just want to live better. Though somehow I think many will relish being in the limelight and causing trouble for Starmer. Hopefully, they will be responsive to messages other than those of division and hate.

Your Party chaos and confusion in Gorton and Denton – is it a missed opportunity?

The decision by Your Party not to stand was, sadly, the right one, while revealing the damage caused by months of feuding, dysfunctional decision-making, control freakery, and the reluctance of many comrades to accept anything less than the party being made in their image. Not standing was based on an appreciation of a lack of capacity in a situation where there was much to lose and uncertainty about what could be gained. Standing was counterposed on the need to do something to break the logjam, frustrating the party’s development.

Your Party difficulties

.As soon as the by-election was called, the story was all about Andy Burnham. His exclusion moved the discussion on to whether the Reform or the Green Party could reap the rewards of the bitterness towards Starmer. This was already a week old by the time Your Party could make a decision – in a starkly divided, but well-conducted, debate. Your Party was invisible, unable to act.

The need for Your Party to decide whether to stand a candidate in the by-election has exposed all the problems caused by the agonising party launch process and the delay in establishing local branches. The best efforts of activists to get the branches going have been frustrated by a cautious and wary leadership. Genuine and mostly constructive debate has been limited to a small number of activists by the current party leadership’s reluctance to facilitate proto-branch activity.

Your Party activists in Gorton and Denton, as in every constituency, have had no access to the membership data to get themselves up and running. There was a high-quality, sensible discussion in local meetings and on social media, where activists considered the factors affecting the decision. But participation was limited, and there was no established way to organise a more participatory process.

Gorton and Denton was always going to be difficult. The constituency is new. It crosses two boroughs, which tend to be in different workers’ movements and activist structures. There are more than two clear geographical communities with distinct class, ethnic, and age demographics.

Building YP branches is vital

As it was unclear who should make the decision, decision-making became contested among different claims to legitimacy locally. Principles, such as whether to allow constituency activists to make the final decision, were articulated and then challenged as invalid because the numbers involved were small. The outcome was prioritised over the process, even though Your Party had prioritised the democratic process throughout the conference period and afterward.

Some ponder that this is the end for Your Party. The leadership appears not to want it to work. Committed local activists don’t see how they can overcome the blockages at the centre to activate the enormous pool of interest that existed last year, many of whom are now inspired by the Green Party of England and Wales. For this to work, there must be some give from the competing ends of the party. The controversy over whether to stand was a symptom, not the cause, of Your Party’s problems. Sorting those out is the only way to move forward positively – and branch building is a vital part of that.

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