When the Socialist Alliance was founded in February 2001, Green Left Weekly supported the new political organisation. The social problems created by the capitalist profit system — war, unemployment, poverty, racism, the oppression of women, etc — can only be solved by socialist solutions, and the alliance offered a chance to organise many more people to fight to have those solutions implemented.
In the GLW #454 editorial, published July 4, 2001, we explained our decision, pointing to the never-ending attacks that the Coalition government had made upon working people — anti-union legislation, the sale of Telstra, the GST, charging more for higher education, attacks on Indigenous land rights and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), racist immigration changes and attacks on refugees, and work for the dole and other attacks on the needy.
We pointed out that "maximum co-operation between left organisations and individuals" was "essential to oppose capitalism's relentless attacks on working people". We argued that the Socialist Alliance presented a unique opportunity to move forward in meeting these challenges.
In the intervening two years, the Coalition government's attacks have gotten worse: More asylum seekers get deported; ATSIC is likely to lose control over its funding; the building unions face persecution from the federal government and now Medicare and higher education are under wholesale assault, justified by the need to pay for a brutal, murderous, horrific war.
In the face of such attacks, the federal Labor "Opposition" has been pathetic. Labor leader Simon Crean's inability to take a clear, unequivocal stance against the war on Iraq pushed even more of Labor's supporters to seek alternatives. An increasing proportion of Labor's primary vote has been swallowed by the Greens, who have trebled their vote and membership.
The Greens have taken principled positions on most of the key questions before the Australian parliament. They vigorously opposed the war on Iraq, have voted to defend the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and opposed anti-union legislation. But they do not argue for systemic change — they do not demand that working people democratically control the economy. They are not a socialist party.
Australia desperately needs a strong socialist party. As big business gets its cutlery out to dine off the misery of the Iraqi people, as the forests are cut to ribbons for the sake of the almighty dollar, as Medicare is sacrificed in order to prop up the health insurance fat cats and as higher education is sold off to the highest bidder, we need a party that will campaign for society be run by and for the majority — for people, not for profits.
The Socialist Alliance has already achieved much. It has proven that the left can collaborate on a major project over a sustained period. It has achieved some modest electoral success, scoring up to 6.5% of the vote in some council elections. It has provided a space for socialists to come together and debate politics, and it has assisted the development of militant left networks in some unions.
Attended by 280 people, the March 10-11 Socialist Alliance conference was an indication of the organisation's growing strength. The seriousness of the conference, the range of those attending, and the greetings that were presented to the conference all showed that the alliance has garnered significant respect in the last two years.
The conference attendees took significant inspiration from the achievements of the Scottish Socialist Party, which now has six members of the Scottish parliament. The SSP's success is an indication of the success organised, passionate socialists can have in winning the confidence of working people.
In this issue of GLW we carry coverage of the policies, campaigns and organisation decided upon by the conference. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage all our readers to think about joining the alliance — more information is available by visiting < http://www.socialist-A HREF="mailto:alliance.org.au"><alliance.org.au>. We would also like to encourage all those alliance members and supporters to participate in and write for GLW.
There really could not be a better time to join the fight for a better, more just and democratic world!
From Green Left Weekly, May 21, 2003.
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