United leftwing general election challenge to Labour?
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Convention agrees plan for a united general election challenge to Sunak and Starmer
Missed this at the time. Don’t know if this will come to anything in the end as there are basic divisions between Trotskyists like TUSC and neo-Stalinists like Galloway’s WPB on the one hand who look to the working class and employ that language, on the other, those who look to social movements like feminism and ecology and don’t talk about class.
Another contribution to this debate, from Ed Griffiths who we know:
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1481/how-we-should-contest/
He points out correctly that
“When left groups stand candidates, they usually – and quite correctly – issue a manifesto. In many cases that manifesto turns out to consist mostly of policies (often fairly modest left-Keynesian ones)”
But also says:
“The actual goal of the far left is not a wealth tax and a higher minimum wage: it is a society where wealth belongs to everybody and wages no longer exist.”
That’s rather dubious. When it comes down to it they really do stand for a wealth tax, a higher minimum wage and others “fairly modest left-Keynesian” reforms — and don’t get many more votes than us when we stand on straight socialist ticket.
Another contribution to this debate, from Ed Griffiths who we know:
And not one mention in that lengthy article, as far as I can tell, of the SPGB, who Griffiths knows not only well, but I see gave a talk at your Head Office some nine years ago!
Yes, we do have guest speakers and that talk can even be described as a classic on the subject. But Ed Griffiths knows us well enough to realise that there is no chance of us supporting, campaigning or voting for a united left-of-Labour candidate anywhere. For the reason Imposs1994 mentions.
We are opposed to the Left if only because they don’t stand for socialism as “society where wealth belongs to everybody and wages no longer exist” and if they do have it as a theoretical long-term aim they don’t advocate it but only “fairly modest left-Keynesian” reforms. TUSC, Galloway and Corbyn being prime examples.
Anyway, it’s not going to happen except that most of them might agree to flood Islington North in London to campaign to get Corbyn re-elected. To get above 5 percent of the votes cast (and so save the election deposit of £500) will only be possible in constituencies where Galloway’s party can pull in sufficient Muslim votes. In fact, I would guess that this will happen in some constituencies but of course won’t be votes for the Left, let alone for socialism.
Ed Griffiths himself does not think much of Galloway, even questioning whether he is part of the Left:
“Quite a few on the left have recently been saluting his indefatigability in connection with the Rochdale by-election. That may be wise, or it may not; but any suggestion that patriotic Keynesian social conservatism, fronted by a climate change sceptic who voted Tory only three years ago, represents the future (or even, let’s be honest, a part) of the British far left is for the birds.”
Sandra Laville. (May 24, 2001, Thursday). “We want to be noticed, says far-Left leader Dave Nellist has modest plans for his Socialist Alliance” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
“Others are less convinced. The Socialist Party of Great Britain, formed in 1904 and older than the Labour Party, is having none of it.
“They didn’t even approach us. They knew we would tell them to **** off,” said Bill Martin of the SPGB. “We don’t consider ourselves to be part of the Left. As the saying goes: Left-wing, Right-wing, they are all part of the same bird.”
1 ) We have had discussion with Nazis despite the fact that we do not support Fascism or Nazism. We had public discussions with Anarcho capitalists and we do not support them either
2) This Trotskyist group is doing a wide campaign to vote in the USA elections. One of them was elected was elected on a municipality election
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/03/02/mich-m02.html?pk_campaign=newsletter&pk_kwd=wsws
3) We post articles written by Leftists but it does not mean that we support leftism
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