A bold move for left unity: but can it become a proper party?
Socialist Resistance in print2000sScanned print read by OCR, and not yet proofread: expect run-together words, dropped letters and, where a piece began partway down a page, a few lines of its neighbour. The printed page is the authority.
After his expulsion from the Labour A Party in November 2003, George
Galloway made a call for a new political formation at a London rally of 1400 people. He shared the platform with Salma Yaqoob (chair of the Birmingham StWC), Ken Loach, George Monbiot, Linda Smith (London Region FBU), Bob Crow (general secretary of the RMT) and John Rees who was speaking for the Socialist Alliance. All these speakers, in one way or another, talked about the need for a political alternative. Galloway's proposals built on some of the ideas floated a few weeks earlier by George Monbiot and Salma Yaqoob.
Initially Galloway put out a call for a new "Unity Coalition" on his web site, but this was brought into a collective framework through the setting up of a working group. Those invited were the platform of the London rally, plus Nick Wrack, chair of the Alliance, Lindsey German, convenor of the StWC, and Mark Serwotka of the PCS. Bob Crow and Mark Serwotka were unable to attend.
The political statement adopted by the working group is a good basis for the initial launch of Respect. It is in line with the kind of unity platform argued for by the Socialist Alliance both in the manifesto People before Profit and the Alliance pamphlet, Building a Socialist Alternative. It is remarkably close to the kind of initiative projected by supporters of the main resolution adopted by the Alliance AGM last May.
The organising group is proposing that Respect is established in a two-stage process; with a provisional structure and steering committee set up on January 25, and further developed at a second conference after the elections - probably in October. This is a framework that will give space for careful thought about the final structure and basis of the organisation.
The basic structure of Respect, over which there seems to be consensus though both individual members and affiliated organisations as platforms within it.
This is a positive break from the SLP experience in the mid-|990s when such affiliations and platforms were banned. People were told that if they wanted to join the SLP they would have to leave any other organisation they were in. It reflects the organisational structure of the SSP and opens the way for an organisation based on democracy and
Respect, however, will be more Roitaly de than the Soilet
Alliance, or even the Scottish Socialist Party. If parts of the trade union left join or give support in various ways, this would be a major breakthrough. Bob Crow and Mark Serwotka are clearly interested, and it is worth noting here that the RMT in Scotland has just affiliated to the SSP!
Hopefully the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and the Socialist Party will also come on board. The CPB executive was evenly divided on the issue in December and they have a conference coming up in January no formal decision, is an organisation with which will hopefully take a positive decision. The SP have written to the organising group asking for discussions which will hopefully happen quickly.
This, along with the prospect of large numbers of independent socialists joining, would make Respect an organisation with a wider range of debates than the Socialist Alliance: although it would be remarkably close to the kind of organisation called for by the Alliance at its AGM.
It would be a radical left organisation, containing the bulk of the existing left. This would include many more members from an "old Labour" background as well as a big revolutionary component.
The Respect initiative has been roundly denounced by various sectarian organisations, of course. They regard it as some kind of manoeuvre by the SWP and others to get rid of the Socialist Alliance and replace it with something they don't regard as socialist.
Workers Power, who are on an ultra-left trajectory, see it as a reformist swamp and exclude themselves until it adopts a full revolutionary programme. The Alliance for Workers Liberty maintain their scandalous denunciation of George Galloway. They will movement, while postal workers notched up a victory that shows the possibilities for unions that stand firm and fight in 2004 not join unless he is excluded.
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), however, after being wrong on a series of destructive scare stories they pub. lished (it was preparing to junk lesbian and gay rights, for example, have now done a sharp U-turn and decided to give it "critica support".
These organisations could hardly be more wrong, however, either on the way Respect has emerged or on its necessary or actual political character as we explain in the Editorial on p3.
One question being debated which merits serious consideration is whether Respect will become a party, or be restricted to being a coalition - along the lines of the Socialist Alliance but much bigger and more diverse
The material basis for Respect becoming a party is much stronger than was the case with the Socialist Alliance: where the debate had become sterile because the Alliance did not have the possibility of becoming a party other than via a meaningless name change.
Socialist Resistance will argue strongly that Respect becomes a party - in the political rather than the organisational sense - as Anti-Bush protests in November confirmed the strength of the anti-war soon as possible. But for it be a party in the full sense of the term means having a single main publication and increasingly doing campaigning and agitational work collectively through the party - like the SSP does.
This is unlikely to be resolved in the short term, and is likely to be an ongoing debate. There is no evidence, for example, that the SWP - whilst they are very positive and enthusiastic about Respect in fact they have played the key role in facilitating it at this stage though their role in the StWC) will want it to become a party of this sort.
in fact at the moment they are still
defending their conception of the
| Socialist Alliance as a "united front of a special kind". This is a formula which allows them to retain major areas of campaigning work within the orbit of the SWP.
The Convention of the Left itself will be presented with a mass of amendments to the statement which, if adopted, would limit its political potential in attracting broad forces and risk driving away potential supporters at this stage.
The issue will be which amendments to accept. We have to ensure that the overall political character of Respect is not changed: in other words it remains a radical left appeal aimed at a broad audience.
The left and the workers' movement has been through a difficult period, which can now be changed with the emergence of the anti-capitalist/anti-war movements
For the first time in many years the left has the opportunity build something that can significantly shift national politics to the left and in favour of the working class and the oppressed.
We must therefore ensure that we do not rupture the unity of this project in its early stages but see its development as a process of discussion and development.
The first conference of Respect cannot resolve everything. But amendments which strengthen it within its current political . framework, which is an anti-capitalist action programme rather than a revolutionary programme, should be welcomed.
la stres tance January 2004 3
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