The resignation of Neil Findlay from Scottish Labour has sent ripples through the party’s left flank. His departure highlights deep frustrations with the leadership, but not all socialists within the party are ready to follow him out the door. Some, like Vince Mills, believe the battle is far from over.
A Heavy Loss for the Left
Neil Findlay’s exit from Labour on March 19 was more than just a resignation—it was a scathing indictment of the party’s direction. His letter to the leadership lambasted decisions that, in his view, prioritized corporate interests over working-class needs. For many on the left, it was a moment of reckoning.
Findlay’s contributions to Scottish Labour were significant. His 2014 leadership challenge against Jim Murphy wasn’t just about personal ambition—it was about giving the left a voice. He pushed for higher minimum wages, increased council housebuilding, and a reduction in private sector involvement in healthcare.
His leadership within the Scottish Labour Campaign for Socialism and his role in supporting Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard underscored his commitment to a socialist Labour Party. Those efforts made him a key figure in the struggle for a fairer society.
Staying in the Fight
Despite Findlay’s departure, some Labour leftists remain determined to fight from within. Vince Mills argues that Labour’s history has always been a battleground between competing traditions—one aligning with market-friendly pragmatism and another rooted in class struggle.
Labour’s past is riddled with moments where its leadership made painful cuts:
- Philip Snowden’s insistence on slashing unemployment benefits in 1931 to protect the gold standard.
- Hugh Gaitskell introducing NHS charges to fund the Korean War in 1951.
- Dennis Healey’s spending cuts in 1976 to secure an IMF loan.
- Gordon Brown’s reduction of single-parent benefits in 1997.
These decisions were not anomalies but reflections of Labour’s historical attempts to balance socialist ideals with economic pressures. For Mills and his allies, Starmer’s leadership is just another chapter in this ongoing tension.
Labour’s Left-Wing History and Future
Labour was born from an alliance of trade unions and socialist organizations, and that DNA remains. While some may argue that its transformation into a centrist force is irreversible, history suggests otherwise. The success of the Corbyn movement, albeit short-lived, demonstrated that Labour’s left could still seize power.
A key factor in this battle is the relationship between Labour and the trade unions. Transforming the Labour Party requires transforming the unions as well. Political power at Westminster, in Mills’ view, cannot be achieved without trade union backing.
“The venom directed at the Corbyn project,” Mills notes, “exposed the elaborate defensive frameworks of the British state.” The hostility from within and outside the party was immense, yet Corbynism managed to reshape Labour’s agenda for a time. That proves that change from within is possible.
The Alternatives? None Are Convincing
If not Labour, then what? For Mills, the idea of leaving to build an alternative socialist movement is a dead end.
- Independent socialist groups often struggle to gain traction, frequently losing deposits in elections.
- No cohesive left-wing force outside of Labour has managed to develop a mass political program with the necessary trade union backing.
- The constitutional link between trade unions and Labour remains a unique asset.
While many wish for different leadership—whether Corbyn in Westminster or Findlay in Scotland—political realities cannot be ignored. Those who choose to stay in Labour do so not out of blind loyalty but because they see no viable alternative that can command broad working-class support.
The Battle Within Continues
For Mills and many like him, leaving the Labour Party is not an option. They acknowledge the challenges, the setbacks, and the disappointments. But they also recognize that Labour, for all its flaws, remains the primary vehicle for working-class political representation in Britain.
As he recalls from Paul Doran’s song Natives: “Of those who are forced to choose, some will choose to fight.” For now, the fight continues within Labour, not outside of it.
