GO BUSH. strength of Respect" and that "we are a coalition and whilst membership figures are important they are is less important in a coalition".
This is the crucial point. Membership is not seen as so important in a loose coalition as it is in a party. The SWP treat Respect mainly as a platform for electoral interventions and SWP members can be called upon to provide the troops in an election campaign.
Nor is it just membership wnich Is seen as less imporlant for coalition. reflected in the downgrading of Respect's independent public profile, in opposition The war remains a key factor in
Respect's support. Not just
the strategic disaster, which is now obvious, but the brutal daily carnage in lraq and the growing
resistance in
Afghanistan.
This is why Socialist Resistance strongly supports the constitutional amendment to conterence (submit. ted under the 20 member rule) designed to open up the structures of respect and connect them more directly to the local branches.
This calls for the current NC elected by conference to be replaced by a delegate based NC which will be its very nature involve the local branches far more in the functioning of Respect.
It also calls for an end to the slate system of election at conference, which has long been a bone of contention for many of the independents in Terry Conway THE NORTH Manchester Respect branch has tabled a motion for Respect conference calling for Respect to develop links with Solidarity. While regretting the split in the SSP, the motion cannot be read in any other way.
It would be extremely unfortunate and divisive if this motion went in front of conference and even more divisive if it were adopted.
This issue was discussed at a Respect officers meeting -which took the unanimous view was that Respect should not seek to intervene in the crisis surrounding the split in the SSP or to take sides in it.
There are several reasons why this was a wise course of action.
Firstly the left in England and the left in general are deeply divided both on their analysis Socialist
Hosted by Socialist
socialism in Scotland
The left in England and the left in general are deeply divided on the issue of the SSP
split of the course of events in the courts and outside and on the political issues involved.
There are those who say that Sheridan was right to take his case to court, that the outcome was a victory for the working class of Scotland and have joined Solidarity.
Then there are those, including Socialist Resistance, who were opposed to Sheridan taking his case into the court and thought it was scandalous that he dragged leading members of the SSP with him and then called them scabs when they told the truth.
We think the split was a disScottish Socialist Party aster and we continue to support the SSP.
The other factor is that these events have only just happened. Solidarity has not yet even had a conference to fully establish the political basis on which it will build itself.
Nor is the legal process is over, in fact it may only just be beginning.
On this issue, the Respect conference should follow the view of the officer's group and not take sides on this question. That means the motion should either be remitted or defeated. • As we go to press, the News of the World has just printed fresh revelations about Tommy Sheridan, allegedly based on video tape evidence, which they claim could be enough to send him to jail for perjury. We will cover the various reactions to this in our next issue.