The need for left unity is so often expressed as to be a cliche – as is the left’s failure to unify. Given that this need is so widely recognised, why hasn’t it been achieved? Some possible factors blocking left unity are:
- internal diversity – people and organisations on the left pursue a wide range of goals using a range of strategies and base their work on different principles – this diversity could be an obstacle to unity and coordination
- factionalism and dogmatism – some on the left seem to value theoretical or ideological purity over unity and scale and are reluctant to make pragmatic compromises across factional lines
- defeatism – if people on the left believe they have no chance of winning, there’s little reason to compromise with those they don’t fully agree with
- the incentives facing existing organisations – organisations might have to dissolve entirely or give up relative prominence and power if they merge into a new unified organisation.
Some combination of these or other factors probably cause left disunity. We think that the left should try to have an honest conversation about what it needs to do to be a more effective, more unified political force, which seems more urgent than ever.
The New Common Sense 