Hourteen not all Respect members, attended the meeting on December 20.
As it was feared that there would be insufficient time for discussion, it was decided to focus on highlighting the differences at the conference and continue the debate at the next meeting.
I was the first of the two delegates to speak. I said that there had been many good debates and resolutions at conference on Iraq, health, education, pensions and climate change.
Other debates, particularly the one on building Respect threw into question whether we are committed to the project of building a broad based pluralist socialist party to the left of Labour.
Although some of the resolutions on building Respect were passed, they were criticised or only received qualified SUDDULL from the platform. The SWP and Galloway not wanT Respect to develop into a party, but to be a coalition. Socialist Resistance, to which I belong, as well large numbers of independents, beneve Respect has to function as a political party in order to develop its full potential.
An independent asked if Respect were not a party, to whom would elected representatives turn for policy direction. I replied that if public representatives were not bound by the policies of a political party, they would not be accountable.
The other delegate to the conference, an SWP member, stressed the positive features of the conference, the important debates and resolutions on Iraq and social Issues. He said Respect was both a party and a coalition.
We had fought eleculous against neo-liberal policies as a party, but as we come from such widely different political backgrounds Labour, the and the anti-war movement. we were a coalition as well.
Another SWP member said that unlike the SWP, which is a party, the Respect membership had a very wide range of views and was therefore a coalition.
A former member of the
Labour Party, who had left it over Iraq but has not joined Respect, said she regarded it her because she did not feel there was any pressure to join, as would be the case if it were a party. The Communist Party (CP) member said he regarded Respect as a party -and he could not join it, as he would then have to leave the CP I argued that Respect had a constitution, which guided its struggles against neo-liberalism. Was this not the Although the basis for a political issues party? Historically, discussed Stalinism and Social Democracy had were failed and Respect, contentious, like the sor and other radical parties the debate in Europe, was now was occupying a position swp conducted in a Detecret of Social
Democracy. good spirit A number of quesnons mal arose were not tullv answered and need to be addressed in the future. What was encouraging was that although the issues discussed were contentious, the debate was conducted in a good spirit. and the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill and on organising Respect. The former had, as Southwark had hoped, started a debate, now continuing in the letters page of Socialist Worker.
I finished by discussing the debate on building Respect, pointing out that Rees' introduction on the role of leadership was hectoring and unpleasant, and that in the debate, perfectly reasonable ideas put about the need to organise effectively, take minutes to ensure transparency, the need for accountability, etc. etc. were lamTwo independents then spoke and backed me up. In all it was a positive meeting.