20/7/09   Graeme Cooke, Head of the Open Left project writes on what it means to be on the Left.

To be on the Left is to be restless about injustice and impatient about change. It is to combine a desire for each of us to be able to lead fulfilling lives and for all of us to share in the creation and the fruits of the common good. To be on the Left is to be preoccupied with the distribution of valuable things: power, resources, chances and the other components of a good life. And to be constantly asking whether this distribution is fair and how it could be changed. Left to take their ‘natural’ course, both the market and the state tend to amplify the power and rewards of the powerful at the expense of the powerless. The purpose of the Left and the job of democracy is to take action to rebalance that equation. Being on the Left is also about recognising that we are all in it together. That what I do affects you, and vice versa. That our lives are implicated in each others. This is why our relationships and common endeavours have both intrinsic and instrumental value.

Read on at www.openleft.co.uk

Today Demos launches Open Left, a conversation about the future of the political Left led by James Purnell MP.  To kick off the discussion, we've asked some high profile left wingers to share their thoughts about what it means to be on the left.  You can read contributions from the likes of Polly Toynbee, Billy Bragg and Jon Cruddas MP, to name a few, and share your thoughts on what it means to be on the Left today.  

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