supporters have been part of Respect since its inception, fighting to build it on the ground and to fulfil its potential to reach out to all those disillusioned by New Labour's warmongering and profiteering. At the same time, we are conscious of the fact that Respect is weaker in so far as other forces in the trade unions or on the farleft who are equally critical of Blair do not necessarily feel there is a place for them under this umbrella. The RMT conference at the end of January was one important initiative which brought some of these forces together and now the Socialist Party are holding a conference on March 19 to look at many of the same issues. TERRY CONWAY from Socialist Resistance spoke to the Socialist Party's DAVE NELLIST about their plans. D JOHN HES! OP L TAX ILINGS esty Now! Q: The Socialist Party has been in favour of a new workers' party for some considerable time. But it seems that in recent months you have been stepping up your campaign on this question again?
If I'm not mistaken, this seemed to happen after Labour Party conference 2005. Why was that? A: It is true that we have called for a new mass workers' party, and attempted to support everv potential step towards one, for over a decade now. However, in the wake of both the 2005 TUC and Labour Party conferences, the Socialist Party decided that we needed to go Turner and initiate The Campaign for a New Workers' Party (CNWP).
The Labour Party conference was a graphic illustration of the changed class character of the party; onethird of constituencies did not bother to send delegates while corporate sponsors were present in unprecedented numbers.
A majority of constituency delegates voted against all of the attempts of the unions to slow the rush to the right.
Even when Walter Wolfgang, a visitor to the conference, was manhandled out by security guards, no delegate found the will or the CouLarC LU ULULCOL
In addition Gordon Brown usea Dolo conterences to make it completely clear that if he was party leader there would be no "shift to the left".
While none of this is qualitatively new, we felt sure that these events, combined with st Worker working-class political representation.
Although there was a very limited trade union mobilisation for the conference, including from the RMT, the turnout could have filled the hall twice over.
It showed that even though young people. it is only the beginning of a process, there is a significant layer of trade unionists and socialists who would enthusiastically take part in any moves towards a new mass workers' party.
It was also significant that, despite Bob Crow's call for anyone who thought the Labour Party could be reclaimed "to explain how" nobody, including John McDonnell MP from the Labour Representation Committee, argued that a fight within the Labour
What is needed is a party that brings together broad sections of the most combative layers of the working class - trade unionists, but also unorganised workers, community and anti-war activists, and radicalised
To successfully build such a formation it is essential to reach out to all sections of the working class and to have a structure and approach which is genuinely federal, open and democratic.
This has not been the case in Respect up until now.
However, we also recognise the importance of building the maximum possible principled unity of the left.
That is why we have arranged an initial meeting with the Respect leadership on March 7 in order to dis-