Left Unity.org / People’s Assembly
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Ian Bone: "the Peoples Assembly which is a John Rees/Lindsay German stitch up" – (ex SWP Trots -expelled from SWP a few years ago)
The People's Assembly – http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/the-peoples-assembly/launch-letter/ – Owen Jones plugging this group which also has Ken Loach support – launch 22nd June 2013 – see the long list of leftist Labourites, Trots, peaceniks, greens support
http://leftunity.org/ – Ken Loach plugging this grouping, and anrchist Ian Bone is suggesting anarchists work within Left unity.org
The true socialist alternative is the Socialist Party of Great Britain.
The Socialist Party of Great Britain, therefore, enters the field of political action determined to wage war against all other political parties, whether alleged labour or avowedly capitalist, and calls upon the members of the working class of this country to muster under its banner
The left unity grouping is an interesting one.I don't think arguing that we are the true socialist alternative alone will be sufficient argument for persuading the workers supporting left unity.One article makes their case here and gives an insight into their perspectiveA united socialist party: this would be our USP!
Quote:So what would a new party of the left look like? What would be its core values and principles? Firstly, I would hope that it would be united and underpinned by modern socialist values and principles. A united socialist party: this would be our USP. I grew up a Stoke City supporter, and our club’s motto is “united strength is stronger”; this could also be the motto of the new left.In no particular order of importance – indeed, these are probably of equal importance – the following are what I believe could be the core values and principles of the new left:Fairness and Equality: all people should be treated fairly and equally, regardless of class, sex, race, religious belief, age, gender, and sexuality.Respect for All: all people should be treated with respect, as per above.Compassion: when people require help and support, they should receive it; cruelty, aggression and bullying of any kind would not be tolerated.Peace and Justice: dispute resolution should be through peaceful means, and justice should be available to all, regardless of means.Value of Work: people’s roles and their contribution to society should be properly valued and rewarded; capitalism should be tamed and re-made.A Rational, Balanced and Fair Economy: the basics for a fair and sustainable society should be public goods (for example food, energy, water, transport, health services, housing, etc.); a tamed and re-made capitalism should serve society, and the financial services sector and taxation system should be reformed.Environmental Stewardship: we are tenants of the Earth, and we should tread carefully as we go, with all policies ‘green-led’.Education: a first class education should be available to all, and the education system should reflect the needs of citizens and a reformed economy.Devolution and Evolution: there should be a robust and positive approach to community empowerment, and the power of Whitehall over the regions should shift; local government should be reformed to reflect true economic geography and not be forced through gerrymandering.Quote:So what would a new party of the left look like? What would be its core values and principles? Firstly, I would hope that it would be united and underpinned by modern socialist values and principles. A united socialist party: this would be our USP. I grew up a Stoke City supporter, and our club’s motto is “united strength is stronger”; this could also be the motto of the new left.In no particular order of importance – indeed, these are probably of equal importance – the following are what I believe could be the core values and principles of the new left:Fairness and Equality: all people should be treated fairly and equally, regardless of class, sex, race, religious belief, age, gender, and sexuality.Respect for All: all people should be treated with respect, as per above.Compassion: when people require help and support, they should receive it; cruelty, aggression and bullying of any kind would not be tolerated.Peace and Justice: dispute resolution should be through peaceful means, and justice should be available to all, regardless of means.Value of Work: people’s roles and their contribution to society should be properly valued and rewarded; capitalism should be tamed and re-made.A Rational, Balanced and Fair Economy: the basics for a fair and sustainable society should be public goods (for example food, energy, water, transport, health services, housing, etc.); a tamed and re-made capitalism should serve society, and the financial services sector and taxation system should be reformed.Environmental Stewardship: we are tenants of the Earth, and we should tread carefully as we go, with all policies ‘green-led’.Education: a first class education should be available to all, and the education system should reflect the needs of citizens and a reformed economy.Devolution and Evolution: there should be a robust and positive approach to community empowerment, and the power of Whitehall over the regions should shift; local government should be reformed to reflect true economic geography and not be forced through gerrymandering.And they call us utopian – LMFAO !
Here's Ian Bone's case for anarchists getting involved in this Left Unity project:http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/why-i-support-left-unity/I can't imagine him making any headway amongst them than he would amongst us.It will be interesting to see where this project goes. Nowhere I suspect, if only because of the first-past-the-post election system for elections in England and Wales. And of course there'll be the problem of keeping the Trot groups out.To give him his due, he does have a sense of humour:http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/the-schism-between-marxism-and-anarchism-is-over-historic-accord-signed/
Workers' Liberty give their verdict and not for the first time, omitting to mention the SPGB, despite mentioning many smaller groupshttp://www.workersliberty.org/story/2013/05/01/how-make-left-unity
jondwhite wrote:Workers' Liberty give their verdict and not for the first time, omitting to mention the SPGB, despite mentioning many smaller groupshttp://www.workersliberty.org/story/2013/05/01/how-make-left-unityThis seems to be more a call for Trotskyist Unity than Left Unity, so surely we should be flattered at not being included.In any event, Trotskyist Unity is never going to happen and Left-of-Labour Unity is never going to work either if any of the Trotskyist groups are going to be involved in it. Some of those involved in the Left-of-Labour Unity movement realise this and are saying so. See this (and the comments):http://leftunity.org/what-some-of-the-left-groups-are-saying-about-left-unity/Interesting (but predictable) that SPEW are opposed to Left Unity as it would be a rival to their failing and doomed TUSC project. After all, there can only be one Vanguard and it's not going to be anyone else.
The minor Trot groups are loving this — the prospect of bigger party to entry and fish for recruits in. Here's the point of view of "Socialist Resistance" (the Uk arm of the official official 4th International, I think):http://links.org.au/node/3333It's all going to end in tears of course
Looks as if this should be called Left Disunity:http://derekthomas2010.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/kate-hudson-has-usurped-the-goodwill-of-8000-anti-sectarians/It seems that the anti-Trotskyists are fighting to exclude at least the big Trot groups (SWP, SPEW) as they realise that admitting them would kill their project.Interesting, though, that TUSC seem to want to negotiate as if the Left Unity did get off the ground it would sink them. The final decision here of course rests with Bob Crow not SPEW.
http://leftunity.org/left-unitys-first-national-meeting-a-report/A report of their first meeting, from an author we'd recognise (late of this parish); note the vituperative comments below from the sects at the decision not to give them a formal presence in the organisation (I'm sure they'll try and use the space for debate to get themselves embedded structurally).
Interesting but isn't he more formerly of the parish of Occupy than of us? I see, though, that he still regards himself as a socialist though, unless he's boring from within the embryo new party to put across real socialist ideas, it seems to be Old Labourism.Incidentally, a "Left Party" has already been registered since the end of March with the Electoral Commission with Kate Hudson as Leader and Andrew Burgin as Treasurer. The variants on its name that it has registered give some clue as to what it's going to be like:
Quote:fighting racism and warbuild hospitals and schools for equality and no to discrimination Left UnityIn other words, a left-of-Labour reformist party.
Almost feel sorry for TUSC, at least they had the word socialist in their name!Two Weekly Worker podcasts this week (dated May 12), a take on the past weeks world events, and a special *bonus feature* dedicated to the Left Unity project.
Quite shocking that a former SPGB member could undergo such a radical political transformation in such a short space of time."The only alternative to the chaos of capitalism is a planned economy"
jondwhite wrote:Almost feel sorry for TUSC, at least they had the word socialist in their name!Surely it's the other way round. It's a bad thing that TUSC has "socialist" in its name and a good thing that the new Left Unity party (hopefully) won't!
Ed wrote:Quite shocking that a former SPGB member could undergo such a radical political transformation in such a short space of time.SW is a master at metamorphosis; transformations occur on a fairly regularly basis.
jondwhite wrote:Almost feel sorry for TUSC, at least they had the word socialist in their name!ALB wrote:Surely it's the other way round. It's a bad thing that TUSC has "socialist" in its name and a good thing that the new Left Unity party (hopefully) won't!Precisely! The fewer organisations using the description the better…
gnome wrote:Ed wrote:Quite shocking that a former SPGB member could undergo such a radical political transformation in such a short space of time.SW is a master at metamorphosis; transformations occur on a fairly regularly basis.
jondwhite wrote:Almost feel sorry for TUSC, at least they had the word socialist in their name!ALB wrote:Surely it's the other way round. It's a bad thing that TUSC has "socialist" in its name and a good thing that the new Left Unity party (hopefully) won't!Precisely! The fewer organisations using the description the better…
Good point.
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