Socialist Alliance

The (former) Socialist Alliance

Socialist Alliance

The AWL and the Socialist Alliance

Links: AWL home page | Socialist Alliance | Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform (archive) | Respect coalition | All recent articles on this site relating to the Socialist Alliance and an index page.


SWP pushes through SA shutdown, February 2005

Socialist Alliance minority resists shutdown, 13 March 2004

The future of the disrespectful left, January 2004, and What will SA branches do now?


The Galloway/SWP coalition ("Respect") and the Alliance's new turn since May 2003

Questions and answers on "Respect" (pdf)

Shelving socialism: the "Respect" launch conference, 25 January 2004.

Socialist Alliance Council, 17 January 2004

Statement: for a working-class challenge to Blair - a response by socialists and trade unionists to the "Respect" coalition (download pdf). December 2003.

AWL National Committee resolution on "Respect" coalition, 14 December 2003.

SA chair's statement on "Respect" coalition, 9 December 2003.

The "Respect" coalition announced, 3 December 2003.

Class politics and coalitions: a reply to John Rees of the SWP (August 2003).

The turn to a "new coalition": Socialist Alliance conference 10 May 2003. Report from Solidarity, 15 May 2003.


The Socialist Alliance debate on Europe

Neither Euro nor Pound, but Workers' Unity: a contribution to the Socialist Alliance debate. The position outlined here was adopted by the Socialist Alliance in March 2001, but then overturned by a special conference in October 2002, in favour of a policy of campaigning for "no to the euro" in a referendum.


The 2001 General Election campaign and after

From a "front" to a living political force: motivation for proposals to the Socialist Alliance conference, December 2001, by Martin Thomas, Janine Booth and Pete Radcliff.

Left candidates in the General Election, May 2001: A full list of results


The Socialist Alliance and the labour movementIssues and directions for the London Socialist Alliance: a document for discussion: Alliance for Workers' Liberty, 1 August 2000

Debate between the AWL and the CPGB/ Weekly Worker, May 2001


The Socialist Alliance platform

Socialist Alliance Policy Conference, March 2001 - AWL guide to the amendments and debates, March 2001

The key is workers' representation: a contribution to the policy debate, March 2001


Debate on a new Socialist Alliance paper, 2002

Leaflet to the Socialist Alliance
"independents'" conference, 19 January 2002

Letter
to the CPGB, 22 February 2002

Reply
from Jack Conrad of the CPGB

Stalinism and the return of the repressed:
Reply from the AWL to Jack Conrad, 12 March 2002


AWL calls for debate on new paper, Solidarity 16 March 2002

The AWL, Labour and the Left

Matthew Caygill 1955 — 2016

Workers’ Liberty is saddened to hear of the sudden death of Matthew Caygill, a Marxist historian, a left wing activist and trade unionist. Matthew started out his political life in the anti-Apartheid movement and through that ended up joining the Socialist Workers Party. Eventually he and others left the SWP over their “anti-imperialist turn” in the late 80s and early 90s which Caygill criticised as a move away from the anti-Stalinist left tradition that the IS/ SWP grew out of. Some of his criticisms chimed with ours, and he retained an interest in the anti-Stalinist critical Marxist...

Does the labour movement need a Marxist educationalist group like the AWL?

An examination of the role of a Marxist “Fighting Educationalist Group” in the class struggle and in the transformation of existing labour movements. Click here for other discussion of the same issue. “It is necessary to find the particular link in the chain which must be grasped with all one’s strength in order to keep the whole chain in place and prepare to move on resolutely to the next link.” V I Lenin What is the role of Marxists such as the supporters of Solidarity and Workers’ Liberty in the labour movement? Is it only to develop the influence of Marxism by making propaganda in the...

How to make left unity

The political situation makes a strong case for left unity. The letter below has been sent to SWP, SP, Left Unity, ISN, ACI, Counterfire, Socialist Resistance, Workers' Power, and Weekly Worker. Click here to download as pdf. Hi comrades, We believe that the best way to get a good result from the current discussions about left unity would be to start talks for the establishment of a transitional organisation - a coalition of organisations and individuals, organised both nationally and in each locality, which worked together on advocating the main ideas of socialism, working-class struggle...

The “second coming” of George Galloway

Some parts of the left have greeted Respect’s success in Bradford West with what can properly be described as religious enthusiasm. Writing over the Easter weekend on Britain’s most widely read socialist blog, one long-time activist even described the spectacular by-election overturn as “the second coming”. What George Galloway — a politician who frequently plays on his Catholic devotion — makes of such implicit comparisons between him and Christ, I cannot guess. But while his victory may not be quite the equivalent of walking on water, the sheer scale of what was achieved is beyond dispute...

Can the left ever unite?

What Is the Bolshevik-Trotskyist Tradition? Our Fragmented Tradition Unite the Left? The Left and Left Unity In the Perspective of History (1998) The Road to Left Unity (1999) Unity? The Left Must Reorientate!(1999) Can the Left Unite? (1998) Left Unity? Yes. But Why Is the Left Divided Now? Unite the Rational Left to Stop the Fascists Socialist Alliance Ended: We Still Need Left Unity! Left Unity: the SWP Presents Its Left Unity Initiative (2009)

Tyneside debates: “Can the left unite?”

About 60 socialists, activists and trade unionists attended a Tyneside Socialist Forum open meeting about left unity on 15 July. The timing of the meeting wasn't ideal, as most students had left for the summer, but still the organised left turned out (Socialist Workers Party, Revolutionary Communist Group, Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, Labour Representation Committee, as well as Green Party). Trade unions were also represented including PCS, Unison, and Unite. Although the Socialist Party could not attend No2EU was represented by the RMT Regional Organiser. The lead off by two older comrades...

Socialist Alliance call makes progress in North East

Several dozen activists in the North East have signed the call issued by Workers’ Liberty for a new Socialist Alliance. There is special interest in the area because of the existence of groupings such as Tyneside Socialist Forum and Teesside Solidarity Network — forums in which socialists from different tendencies and none can come together in common activity and debate. Tyneside Socialist Forum has existed since the old Socialist Alliance, but Teesside Solidarity Network is a new grouping initiated by AWL comrades. Both groups will be discussing the statement soon. Even in areas without...

Is the People’s Charter the answer?

The groups involved in the “No2EU” coalition for the Euro-election — the RMT union leadership group around Bob Crow, the Communist Party of Britain (Morning Star), the Socialist Party, and the Alliance for Green Socialism — are due to meet again before 28 June to discuss a “son of No2EU” project for the coming general election. What may it look like? CPB secretary Robert Griffiths has written that for him the People’s Charter (PC) launched by the CPB last year is central to “realistic and non-sectarian” electoral initiative, so a meeting called on the People’s Charter in Lambeth Town Hall...

Union leaders start to bark, but will they bite?

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB general union, used his speech to the GMB congress in Blackpool (15 June) to call for the Labour Party to select “fresh working-class candidates that people can relate to”. “Now is the time to select and elect 40 to 50 fresh real people, real trade unionists, people who actually know how much a pint of milk costs, and what it is like to get on a bus, MPs driven by commitment rather than being worried about being driven by a chauffeur”. As ever, the question is, what will Kenny do about it? The Labour Party leadership obviously wants to limit the number...

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