Workers' Liberty

That just about sums up much of the sentiments expressed at the Saturday 28 February inaugural meeting of the Scottish Labour Representation Committee, which also doubled up as the formal launch of the Scottish People’s Charter.

Matt Wrack is general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). He spoke to Martin Thomas at the Labour Representation Committee conference on 15 November.

Martin Mayer is chair of the TGWU Broad Left. He spoke to Martin Thomas at the Labour Representation Committee conference on 15 November.

On 15 November the Labour Representation Committee meets for its annual conference. The rail union RMT has called a cross-union conference on working-class political representation for 10 January 2009.

The motion below has been submitted to the 15 November conference of the Labour Representation Committee by the AWL, and is also being proposed in other organisations affiliated to the LRC.

Report from The Convention of the Left, meeting in Manchester in parallel to Labour’s conference (20-24 September).

Though the organisers had successfully argued against a debate on links between the unions and Labour, the question of political perspectives for the unions ran through many of the contributions to the trade union session.

The left in Britain is in crisis. Recent years have seen the tensions caused by this crisis tear through the Socialist Alliance, the Scottish Socialist Party and Respect. Other projects have been even less successful.

A discussion article by Chris Ford (AWL and LRC National Committee) on the current crisis of workers’ representation.

AWL members will be attending the 2008 conference of the Socialist Youth Network (youth section of the Labour Represent

This AGM notes the decision of Labour Party affiliated TUs and CLPs to disenfranchise themselves at the Bournemouth conference, the failure of John McDonnell to get on the ballot paper for Labour Party leader and the collapse of the SSP. We believe that this has brought our class to a position of crisis regarding political representation.

Just over fifty people attended the launch meeting of the local Labour Representation Committee in Hackney, East London, on Wednesday 27 February.

Conference believes that it is important for unions to have a political voice.

Conference notes with concern the Labour Party's decision at its 2007 conference to ban political motions from unions and Constituency Labour Parties.

Conference notes that unions concerned to promote working-class political representation have affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee. LRC affiliates include both unions not affiliated to the Labour Party, such as RMT and FBU, and unions affiliated to it, such as CWU, ASLEF, the Bakers' Union, and the NUM.

Conference resolves to affiliate to the LRC and work with other LRC-affiliated unions to promote the working-class interest in politics.

Around 70 people heared John McDonnell speak at a Scottish Campaign for Socialism meeting in Glasgow on 2 February.

Extracts from an AWL leaflet distributed at a regional meeting of the National Shop Stewards Network, held in Glasgow on 1 December.

"The LRC meets at a time when socialists within the Labour Party, trade unions, left groups and many progressive campaigns are being forced to face up to a number of hard truths in reassessing their future", read the National Committee statement to the Labour Representation conference on 17 November.

“The LRC meets at a time when socialists within the Labour Party, trade unions, left groups and many progressive campaigns are being forced to face up to a number of hard truths in reassessing their future”, read the National Committee statement to the Labour Representation conference on 17 November

Leaflet for Labour Representation Committee conference, 17 November 2007. "The LRC needs to make itself the axis for a recomposition of the left... a new Workers' Representation Committee... an urgent appeal for socialist unity". Read the rest by downloading the attachment, below.

A "relaunch to achieve workers’ representation” — that is what supporters of Solidarity will be arguing at the conference of the Labour Representation Committee on 17 November.

Below are motions drafted by AWL members and supporters of the paper Solidarity for the Labour Representation Committee conference coming up on 17 November. Several of the motions deliberately overlap with each other in content, so that if some fail to get the support of bodies affiliated to the LRC, or fail to get that in good time, then not all the content is lost.

In response to Bournemouth, we should initiate a long-term consistent campaign to build or revive Trades Councils as political organs of the labour movement.

The national conference of the Labour Representation Committee on 17 November will provide an opportunity for socialist and trade unionists who want turn the tide of retrogression in the labour movement.

Party should be “committed to socialist policies” now lacks any means by which it might be carried through. The only practical suggestion was that, given the dramatic loss in Labour Party membership, it was now much easier for the left to take over moribund constituency parties (and presumably the smaller they get, the better, as it then becomes even easier).

On 23 September the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth voted to ban unions and local Labour Parties from putting motions on current political issues to any future Labour Party conference.

By a SYN executive member

At last year's Labour Representation Committee conference, a small group of young people met to discuss setting up an LRC youth organisation. Out of this came the Socialist Youth Network, which, after a number of planning meetings, held its first conference at University of London Union on 13 January.

David Broder, Chris Ford and Mladen Jakopovich spoke to John McDonnell about his campaign for the Labour leadership as well as what socialism means to him.

At the AWL summer school in July 2006, John McDonnell MP, Maria Exall and Sean Matgamna debated "Blair, new Labour's crisis and the fight for working class representation". Hear John McDonnell's speech by downloading this MP3 file.

Over 100 people attended the rally to launch John McDonnell's leadership campaign in Manchester last Thursday. The platform included Tony Benn, Alice Mahon and Jeremy Dear, General Secretary of the NUJ.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There are times when politics is in flux, when resolute action, or, alternatively, gutless inaction, shapes the future. Now is such a time.

Tony Blair’s “retirement agenda”, what he wants to do in his last period as prime minister, is thoroughly reactionary.