AWL conference 2006

Solidarity with Iraqi workers

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. 1. The situation in Iraq three years after the invasion and overthrow of Saddam is one of chaos and instability within which none of the contending forces (the occupying powers, the Sunni-Baathist insurgency, the Shia and Kurdish parties, the labour movement) is strong enough to impose its will on the others. This stalemate is reflected in: * the continuing inability of the parties elected in December 2005 to form a government representative of all sections of the Iraqi people; * the inability of the US and its allies to defeat the insurgency...

Iraq

Amendment defeated at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. Add at the end of point 6: As a consequence, we adopt as a central demand, prominent in our press, alongside our support for and solidarity with the workers’ movement and our opposition to the ‘resistance’, a generalised opposition to the occupation of Iraq. This may be expressed in a range of slogans such as ‘No to the occupation of Iraq’, ‘End the occupation of Iraq’, ‘For an independent, sovereign Iraq.’

The Muhammad cartoons

Motions passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. Religious conservatives are on the march against free speech and secularism. The violent demonstrations that stopped the play by Gurpeet Kaur Bhatti in Birmingham, the Christian drive against Jerry Springer The Opera, and the support of most religious groups for gagging free speech in the Religious Hatred Legislation, are all part of this reactionary religious offensive. The international Islamist campaign against the cartoons in the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten has reinforced the urgent need to oppose religious reactionaries and the...

Muhammad cartoons: submissions which were defeated or fell

Submissions which were defeated, or fell, at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006, on the Muhammad cartoons. On Muhammad cartoons - defeated To include in motion 2: "It would have been better not to have republished these particular cartoons ourselves". On Muhammad cartoons - fell The debate within AWL on the Danish cartoons has been distorted by an understandable desire to define ourselves against the unprincipled British 'left' consensus. By publishing the cartoons however, we did not distingushed ourselves clearly enough from the reactionary arguments and racist prejudice against muslim...

Building a Marxist presence in the trade unions

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. "The Communists are distinguished from the other working class parties by this only: 1. In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they point out and bring to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat independently of all nationality. 2. In the various stages of development which the struggle of working class against the bourgeoisie has to pass through, they always and everywhere represent the interests of the movement as a whole." Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, "Manifesto of the Communist Party"...

Labour Party conference

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. This AGM calls on comrades to look at the possibilities of becoming delegates to this years Labour Party Conference, either through affiliated Unions or local Constituency Labour Parties.

Trade Union Freedom Bill

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. This AGM recognises the opportunities to push forward the case against the anti union laws in the campaign for a Trade Union Freedom Bill. This Bill is currently being promoted by the United Campaign for the Repeal of the Anti union Laws and the Labour Representation Committee. We note that it is also has much mainstream labour movement support being the current Conference policy of both the TUC and the Labour Party. We recognise the danger of a watering down of the current demands in the Bill through the actions of the right of the trade union...

Welfare State campaigning

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. For many on the left the LRC and the crisis of working class representation in politics seems an abstraction compared to short cut demands for a new party now. We have called over the years for a campaign to link the issue of political representation to the defence of the Welfare State representing the independent political economy of the working class. Despite our best efforts and some well attended lobbies and conferences we failed to build the Welfare State Network (WSN) into the broader CND style campaign we desired. Nevertheless the idea...

Anti-racism

Motion passed at AWL conference 29-30 April 2006. 1. The growth in hostility to Britain's Muslim communities after 9/11 and 7/7 has combined with New Labour's failure to meet working-class aspirations for improved living standards, public services and social rights and its vicious legislative and rhetorical assaults on immigrants and asylum-seekers to create fertile ground for the growth of racism and the far right. We have seen a rise in racist attacks on black and Asian people, Muslims, asylum-seekers, migrant workers, Jews, and gypsies In this situation anti-racist propaganda and...

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