In the few months since Socialist Resistance refounded itself as an organisation, we’ve welcomed several new members and renewed contact with many more long-time sympathisers who want to move back into activity.
We’re asking every reader to consider what kind of relationship they want with our new organisation, and to take a step forward: to join our facebook group; to become a supporting subscriber; to collaborate with us in a formal way or to become a member. Think over what you can do, and send an email to ICanHelp@socialistresistance.org.
This more open culture is one of many changes unfolding in our organisation since the conference in July, at which SR also become the British section of the Fourth International, the world socialist organisation. We now have a constitution and a national leadership. This magazine’s editorial board is now accountable to the national committee.
The founding conference decided to respond in a coordinated way to Palestine’s rising importance in world politics. On January 16 we’ll host a national seminar with speakers including Gilbert Achcar and Joel Kovel, veteran socialists and anti-Zionists. Our members are stepping up their participation in the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, twinning organisations and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Nationally we are also using discussions around the recession to raise the demand for Green Jobs and deepen our campaign for ecosocialist ideas, reflected in our new book on ‘The Global Fight for Climate Justice’ and September’s ‘Climate and Capital’ seminar, which was organised with our friends in Green Left.
Our Birmingham branch has been leading the way in developing a programme of regular public meetings which other branches can emulate. It’s also producing a regular socialist bulletin to connect up the city’s activist community.
Members in the North-West are taking the lead online, building conversations with new members. Both cities sent new activists to the international youth camp, who then decided to join our organisation. Sending the delegation to the camp in Greece was very expensive: we were impressed by the help that members and friends around the country gave to make it happen.
Activists in London are involved in a wide range of national and local projects, including work with an organisation of radical youth in South London and playing an important role in the leadership of the Respect party and TheRespectPaper.
Our new National Committee is implementing a programme of steps to develop recruitment including a ‘Join’ page on our website and the membership coupon introduced in the last issue of the magazine (which, we are happy to say, has been cut out and returned!). More effort is going into distributing our books, especially through Amazon.co.uk. Members in Hull and Cambridge are taking the lead in producing a book containing the resolutions adopted by the conference, which are already available at socialistresistance.org (Go to ‘Socialist Resistance’ and then ‘Our basis’).
The foundation of Socialist Resistance has certainly unlocked energies. It has made us and easier organisation to join – as well as a more effective and transparent one. We’ve been delighted to see how many readers are stepping forward to help renew and feminise our membership and to attract a more diverse community of readers and supporters. Join us!
This is the opening editorial in Socialist Resistance 56.