The convention to found Respect -- The Unity Coalition, was a great
success, well attended with around 1,500 people, and for the most part conducted in a democratic and transparent fashion. It is a great gain for the left in England and has the potential to fill the vacuum to the left of New Labour.
The aim identified by George Galloway to win a million votes, in the European elections in June, and for El million to fund the campaign was ambitious but potentially achievable.
It's also a good line when electioneering that such a good vote would make the existing parties fall off their chairs - that is a vote for Respect will not be a wasted vote. And proportional representation in these elections means that it is possible for Respect to win some seats.
The main pressure at the convention was from the ultra left - groups and individuals trying to amend the founding statement to make it more explicitly socialist or in some cases more openly revolutionary.
While many agreed with the content of these resolutions, in abstract, the majority were aware that Respect will have to appeal to its right in this period if it is to have any impact. It will be seeking the votes of exlabour voters, young people who do not yet see themselves as socialists, many who opposed the war in Iraq, who may be antiimperialist, but have not yet moved to anticapitalist conclusions. Quite rightly many of these amendments were rejected on this basis.
In the future however, if Respect manages to attract large numbers of people, it will come under a much greater pressure from reformism. It is bound to be a rather unstable organisation politically, combining, groups of revolutionary Marxists and reformists.
Like the broad left parties in Europe such as Italy's Party of Communist Refoundation, Respect may move to the left or the right, depending on the political situation it finds itself in.
In the end it is not the words written down on paper that will determine its political character, but the character of the forces it attracts, the content of its positions informing the actions it takes, and the campaigns it supports.
The role of revolutionary Marxists in this process will be of paramount importance
It is likely that there will be platforms in Respect, as there are in the Scottish Socialist Party, and this will be an important element of its democracy. What then will be the role of Socialist Resistance, which presents itself as a Marxist current?
Unlike the Labour Party, where revolutionaries are unwelcome, we will not be doing 'entry' into Respect. On the contrary, we will be a platform with a clear programme and will not hide the fact that we want to build a revolutionary party.
This does not mean putting a full revolutionary programme at every point - indeed SR does not have such a thing itself!
Rather we will need a programme which responds to the main issues of the day, including some key demands that directly challenge the system as a whole. In other words, an 'action programme", made up of basic, or minimum demands, and transitional demands, which begin from today's struggles and issues, but lead those who fight for them towards recognising the need for socialist solutions.
Such a programme, comprised of policies relevant to working people today, can only be won by confronting capitalism. Even some minimum demands such as those for equality or democratic rights, will not necessarily be granted within a capitalist system.
But through a struggle to win these legitimate demands, we can win people to social. ism, to an understanding of the impossibility of reforming capitalism, of the need to overthrow the system.
As an example we could look at the issue of asylum seekers and refugees. As has been said this is the cutting edge of racism at prespolicy on 1. The defence of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, including the right to work, to food and shelter, the right to free access to all legal, education, health and social services 2. Opposition to the EU's racist "Fortress Europe' policies. 3. The scrapping of all existing immigration legislation, reparations to rebuild economies shattered by imperialism.
sv1o2 livio ent, and will play a role in what is likely to be a very right wing debate during the elections in June.
It is essential that we have a good position on the issue, and that we raise it within Respect - not that they adopt our positions wholesale, but that a debate takes place. [See box for possible SR position and one we raised at Respect Convention, remitted for future discussion.]
While much of the SR position could be accepted by Respect, point 6 which calls for borders, is clearly too advanced a demand for such a broad organisation as Respect.
The resolution put to the Respect convention was different, detailing out the initial proposal put by the interim executive in point 1, adding an international dimensior with reference to the EU, and then, by con trast to the SR point, calling for the scrapping of all existing immigration legislation, but not arguing that there should be none, and link. ing this with reparations so that the reasor why many people migrate is addressed
We would not necessarily expect that Respect will accept this last point, but the discussion would educate and provide ideas for people when faced with ignorance and prejuyunslice while electioneering on this contentious wen issue.oesn er ntiw 1e/gro:
By this sort of process SR could provide leadership within Respect to wider forces than it presently organises, including those who may remain organised within the Socialist Alliance.
It will not be possible, given our limited resources, to organise within the SA as well but that does not mean we would abandor such independents. We could organise oper forums to debate out policy and politics with them, without expecting them to agree with everything we say or to join us