Socialist Alliance

The (former) Socialist Alliance

No unity in Scotland

According to an Open Letter distributed in Glasgow by members of Solidarity (the 2006 breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP)), which has also been posted on the Socialist Unity website: “It is our understanding that a group of prominent Scottish trade unionists linked to none of the parties of the left in Scotland are in the formative stages of brokering left unity talks specifically on the issue of the Glasgow North East constituency [i.e. Michael Martin’s seat, where a by-election is due to be called]. “Our understanding is that during the next week [i.e. the week this issue of...

Build a Socialist Alliance to fight back!

The AWL has launched this appeal to socialist and working-class organisations and activists. So far the response from the SWP (Socialist Workers’ Party) and SP (Socialist Party) at national level has been negative, but many individuals have signed it. In the 2009 Euro elections, the fascist British National Party increased its percentage of the vote and won two seats. If UKIP leader Nigel Farage’s claim that he reaped £2 million in expenses in his last term as a Euro MP is a model, that means millions extra for BNP funds. UKIP polled second with 16 percent. The right-wing nationalist English...

Left Unity: Progress in Newcastle

In Newcastle we have a Tyneside Socialist Forum which has existed for a long time — before the Socialist Alliance. It was relaunched last year. Along with AWL members it includes independent socialists, left anarchists, ex-CPers and some people from FRFI. It meets regularly and has political discussions, it could be the springboard for greater left unity. Our next meeting will be discussing precisely that. The SWP have said they will come to the meeting, which is good. The Socialist Party haven’t said they won’t… at least not yet. It would be good if the group could initiate its own campaigns...

Left Unity: SWP presents its left unity initiative

The SWP has held meetings about its “left unity initiative” on the fringe of the Unison union conference and in Sheffield and other cities. Ed Whitby reports from the meetings in Middlesbrough and Gateshead: “The SWP have little to say, but these two meetings were useful for us in opening up the discussion and for showing to the SWP periphery that we are serious about working with them even when we are very, very critical of them ideologically. And that we have concrete ideas for united activity when they just say ‘unity’ and UAF and demos”. At the Unison conference fringe, Charlie Kimber was...

Left Unity: The Socialist Party responds

At the Left Unity Liaison Committee meeting on 13 June, the Socialist Party said that it is not interested in a new Socialist Alliance for now. Instead, it hopes to continue its “No2EU” alliance with RMT general secretary Bob Crow, the Communist Party of Britain (Morning Star), and the Alliance for Green Socialism, into some “son of No2EU” coalition for the general election. The Socialist Party has also responded to the SWP’s call for unity, by rehashing an argument the SP had inside the Socialist Alliance which led to it leaving the alliance in December 2001. Its argument about the SWP is apt...

Open letter to the left from the SWP; and the AWL's reply

Open letter to the left from the SWP; and the AWL's reply An open letter to the left from the Socialist Workers Party It’s time to create a socialist alternative Dear comrade, Labour’s vote collapsed to a historic low in last week’s elections as the right made gains. The Tories under David Cameron are now set to win the next general election. The British National Party (BNP) secured two seats in the European parliament. Never before have fascists achieved such a success in Britain. The result has sent a shockwave across the labour and anti-fascist movements, and the left. The meltdown of the...

Matt Wrack: we need a workers’ party

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. Matt Wrack of the FBU said trade unionists needed a political party and that he was worried by a drift towards the North American system where unions just backed whoever promised to do the best for them on specific issues (an approach supported by Mark Serwotka...

Obituary: Greg Tucker

RMT members learned with great sadness of the untimely death on Sunday 6 April 2008 of Greg Tucker, secretary of RMT’s Waterloo branch since 1993 and of the union’s National Conference of Train Crews & Shunting Grades since 1992, writes Alex Gordon on the Bristol RMT website. Greg had suffered a malignant throat cancer diagnosed over a year ago. As well as being a leading socialist activist for over 30 years, Greg Tucker played a crucial role in the emergence of RMT as a democratic, fighting, industrial trade union following the NUR-NUS merger in 1990. Greg joined British Rail as a member of...

LOOKING LEFT: SWP +Left Convention

SWP: bad times If you believe the official SWP and Respect reports, everything is going swimmingly, with both groups marching steadily from one triumph to the next. But what about debacles like the defection of one of their councillors in Tower Hamlets to the Tories? And the recent Respect rally in Leeds (19 February), considered “big” enough for both John Rees and Oliur Rahman to travel up from London? The total turnout was 12 including the two speakers and interveners from other groups. Meanwhile, in many big cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester, SWP full-timers, once...

What now for the left?

Former Socialist Alliance activists give their views: Pete McLaren was the secretary of the Socialist Alliance before the heavy involvement of the SWP in 2001-3, and is now secretary of the continuing Socialist Alliance group: Respect was never going to succeed. In the original Socialist Alliance, back in 2002-3, when it was first mooted that the SWP was in discussion with people from the mosques, George Galloway and so on, we said that it was such an unlikely alliance that it would never succeed - too many divergent interests. Personally I agree with getting as broad an alliance as possible...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.