From Pete McLaren, Convenor SADP
The Socalist Alliance Democracy Platform has called a conference on 12 March 2005 at the United Services Club, Gough Street, Birmingham.
The Socialist Alliance NEC, under the direction of the SWP leadership, have promised to organise an AGM of the Social ist Alliance on February 5th 2005. The SADP encourage all comrades who can, to attend this AGM of the Socialist Alliance.
We recognise that the Socialist Alliance has been virtually disbanded by the SWP leadership, and the SA’s basic aims of uniting the Left and its potential for moving towards a mass workers’ party have been seriously damaged. We have a Dossier on the sectarian and undemocratic behaviour of the SWP leadership in the Socialist Alliance and a list of 28 questions for the SA Committee which are still unanswered. Both can be found on our website, as can the SA original policy document “People Before Profit”.
Our purpose in calling a Conference on March 12th 2005 is to gather together those comrades who wish to carry forward the policies as stated in “People Before Profit” of the Socialist Alliance and the aims of unity on the Left and organising for a mass workers’ party. One organisational mod el might be the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) -- one Party with the right of members to belong to platforms or tendencies within it but with no possibility of a sectarian take-over by one Left Group. We acknowledge that the building of such a Party is a long process. We believe that the lessons and traditions of the Socialist Alliance are one important basis for this process. We are not prepared to let them go at the diktat of the SWP. We intend to hold a Conference in March whatever the outcome of t he February SA AGM.
The need for a political challenge to the Left of New Labour becomes every day more clear. New Labour is locked into actively promoting the imperialist policies of the International Monetary Fund. This means attacking the working cla ss and smoothing the way for international big business. The official Communist Parties have imploded and most Left Groups seem locked into the politics of a bygone age. There are of course many struggles going on internationally and locally. These need to be supported in a spirit of dialogue and learning from joint experience, not in a spirit of sectarianism – i.e. using them to boost the numbers of your own group – or in a spirit of opportunism – i.e. pandering to backwardness while using the struggl e to enhance your own popularity. These are difficult times because many of the issues are no longer straightforward and simple; the need for dialogue and listening is vital.
The policies of the Socialist Alliance are contained in the document “People Be fore Profit”. We are proposing that only policy resolutions on emergency issues are taken at the Conference. Policy issues can be discussed at a future Conference. The main discussion and decisions will be around what sort of organisation we want and ar ound ideas for how we are going to get there.
We are proposing a pre-Conference discussion culminating in a pre-Conference bulletin on this question -- “Building a Democratic Socialist Alliance Towards a Mass Workers’ Party” -- and on how to promote a democratic and anti-sectarian culture within a new Socialist Alliance. Contributions to the bulletin can be made by sending them to me as above
The next meeting of the SADP will be held on January 29th 2005 in Birmingham and will be devoted to organising for the February 5th AGM of the SA and for the March 19th Conference. This is an open meeting for comrades who support the process. Please contact Pete McLaren: julie.mclaren@virgin.net 07881 520626
The SADP website and can be used for discussion on the March Conference and contributions to the pre-Conference bulletin.
