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Australian ISO letter of resignation from the Socialist Alliance
[ Editor's note: This letter is being carried for readers' information only, and does not indicate any agreement on our part with its contents. If the DSP makes a public reply, it will be carried on this site .] Dear comrades, It is with regret that we write on behalf of the International Socialist Organisation to inform you that the recent ISO national conference voted to disaffiliate from the Socialist Alliance. The ISO participated in the launch of the Alliance in early 2001 in response to the rising anti-capitalist movement, signified by the success of the Melbourne S11 demonstration in 2000. This movement created the possibility of exploiting the growing divisions between the expectations of Labor's working class supporters and what Labor was prepared to offer. From our perspective, the Alliance was a worthwhile exercise in left unity with the specific aim of providing a space for disaffected Labor supporters who were both inspired by the emergence of anti-capitalist protest and looking for a new political home. Of course, Labor's commitment to running capitalism has meant that the party always disappoints its supporters when in government. But this tension has become even sharper due to its wholesale acceptance of neo-liberal economic policies since the 1980s. The anti-capitalist protests at S11 and M1 (2001) further exposed this tension. As we know, the expected Labor victory at the 2001 federal election never eventuated. The political situation was radically altered by the arrival of the MV Tampa, followed by the events of 9/11. Labor's subsequent capitulation to imperialist warmongering and racism handed Howard another term in government and established a new, more challenging environment for the left. Despite the real difficulties we encountered during the period immediately following 9/11, the Alliance continued to offer a glimpse of how a united radical left alternative could attract new faces and start to grow. Many on the left were pleasantly surprised and encouraged by an initial willingness among Alliance members and affiliates to work together in a way that emphasised agreement, rather than disag