BY PETER BOYLE
Two questions dominated the May 10-11 second national conference of the Socialist Alliance: What space is there for an explicitly socialist party in Australian politics today and what program and focus should the alliance adopt to fill this space?
The main debate contrasted two perspectives for the alliance: as a socialist regroupment or as a mainly electoral "united front" based on the "values of old Labor".
While more than 75% of the delegates voted in the first session to build the alliance as a "single, multi-tendency socialist party" that accepts and welcomes a "strong revolutionary stream" within it, this debate continued over the rest of the conference.
United front around a 'old Labor values'?
The argument for the united front perspective was summed up by David Glanz of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) in a resolution seconded by Peter Murray of the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP):
"The continuing crisis in social democracy means hundreds of thousands of Labor supporters are prepared to vote to the left in defence of the values they support but [Labor leaders] Crean and Beazley have abandoned.
"The Greens have been the major beneficiary of this process to date. But the Greens' weakness on questions relating to class means there remains even now an important minority open to a socialist, pro-working class alternative.
"This is what makes the Socialist Alliance project of continuing importance.
"The alliance is most likely to succeed in involving erstwhile Labor supporters if it operates as a united front — a place where the existing revolutionary left and reformists can work together around common aims and objectives."
The same argument resurfaced later in the conference in a motion on "Socialist Alliance and the ALP" and a motion on elections, moved and seconded by ISO members.
Delegates opposing this perspective argued that people breaking from Labor had very different political understandings — the Socialist Alliance would need to stand for more than "old Labor values" to win their allegiance.
Many delegates argued that the Socialist Alliance needed to articulate a confident socialist vision.
Union activist Linda Seaborn, a delegate from Hobart, explained that she was "one of those people who had broken from the ALP". She said that she had initially joined the Greens, before leaving to join the Socialist Alliance. She said she was not looking for a party of "old Labor values".
Craig Johnston, former Victorian secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and a leader of the militant Workers First grouping in that union, said that while many workers were not sure about socialism they could be attracted by its ideas. He said that, like many other workers, he was "ashamed to be ex-Labor".
Louise Walker, a union activist in the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU), said she didn't call herself a "revolutionary' but neither did she think she was a "reformist".
Many delegates also stressed the importance of the unity of the various revolutionary socialist groups in the alliance, arguing that this attracted support rather than scared people away.
United front approach to ALP, Greens
The argument that the Socialist Alliance had to be kept a united front around "reformist" politics resurfaced in the debate around a motion on relations with the ALP.
The conference voted for an amended motion which stated: "Socialists want to channel this dissatisfaction with Labor in an anti-capitalist, pro-working-class and explicitly socialist direction."
It also stated:
"This cannot be done simply by denouncing Labor; we also need to find ways to work alongside those still in Labor's orbit, including many union activists, community leaders and even those who voted against Labor in recent elections. The Socialist Alliance needs to demonstrate, both in electoral terms and in practice through campaigns, that it can offer a genuine alternative to Labor.
"Socialist Alliance will therefore seek to work with Labor leaders and members over issues which affect the lives of working-class people. Concretely, this will typically mean inviting dissident and/or leftwing ALP members to share platforms on questions of common concern, like opposing the war budget or defending the CFMEU [Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union]."
A strong conference majority also decided to apply this united front approach to the Greens, voting that the alliance:
1. "Welcomes the rise in the vote for the Greens both federally and in state and territory elections as a reflection of the growing mass rejection of the policies of economic rationalism and war;
2. "Congratulates the Green parliamentarians on their opposition to the criminal war on Iraq and their role in the mass movement against this war;
3. "Calls on all Socialist Alliance organisations to pursue close collaboration with Green organisations in community, social and environment campaigns;
4. "Affirms that Alliance organisations will always be prepared to negotiate joint election campaigns with local Green organisations where there is agreement on the key issues of the election and that the Alliance is prepared to withdraw its own candidates in those specific cases where withdrawal would further the cause of left and progressive unity;
5. "Affirms the need for ongoing serious discussion between the Greens and the Alliance on how to advance towards a society based on the principles of grass-roots democracy, environmental sustainability, social justice and peace."
Unsuccessful amendments were moved by comrades from the ISO and Workers Power, which would delete part or all of the fourth point in this motion, respectively.
Developing socialist policy
Comrades from some affiliate groups were concerned that there was not enough programmatic clarity in the platform of the Socialist Alliance, which was adopted by the founding conference in 2001. In the course of policy discussions, large sections of a comprehensive policy statement drafted by the Freedom Socialist Party were adopted.
These included policy sections on corporate globalisation, defence of workers' rights, education, welfare, healthcare and housing. Other sections were referred as drafts for more detailed consideration through a policy development process.
The outgoing national conveners had expressed concern that this comprehensive policy draft had not been debated in the branches, as it was submitted right at the end of the pre-conference discussion. The conference debate, however, revealed substantial agreement about socialist policy in the alliance.
International solidarity
The argument that the political differences between affiliates are too wide for the alliance to become a single, multi-tendency socialist party was tested in discussion around international solidarity.
Two areas shaped up as contentious: policy on the Middle East conflicts and on solidarity with Cuba.
For instance, a policy motion from Workers Liberty titled "Against Australia's imperialist foreign policy" included two contentious sections:
"Solidarity with struggles against repressive regimes and reactionary forces including political Islam.
"For the right of nations to self-determination, including, in the Middle East, the Palestinians, the Israeli Jews and the Kurds, as well as around the world."
After some sharp discussion about "political Islam" and Zionism, the conference voted to delete the references to the former and to specific nationalities mentioned in the latter part of the motion.
Later in the conference, there was some debate about an attempt to amend an otherwise uncontroversial motion opposing the imperialist invasion and occupation of Iraq. Comrades from the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq (WCPI) moved to insert:
"1. Immediate withdrawal of the USA troops and substitute them with UN forces for a provisional period.
"2. At the end of this provisional period an election must be held.
"3. A referendum on self determination must be held in Iraqi Kurdistan"
The third point was accepted but, concerned that the US, British and Australian governments were seeking to get retrospective UN endorsement for the invasion and occuption, most delegates opposed the call for UN occupation.
Comrades from Workers Liberty supported the WCPI amendment because they argued that a reactionary Shia clerical regime, like that in Iran, might otherwise gain an upper hand in Iraq.
Solidarity with Cuba
There was also some debate over a resolution moved by the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) that read:
"In the face of rising threats from the US government against Cuba the Socialist Alliance Second National Conference:
"1. Supports the solidarity call with Cuba made in a recent statement by Nobel Laureates and other prominent intellectuals for 'policy makers to uphold the universal principles of national sovereignty, respect of territorial integrity and self-determination, essential to just and peaceful co-existence among nations';
"2. Calls upon the United States to cease all operations towards Cuba that encourage and fund the overthrow of the Cuban government;
"3. Demands that the United States immediately lift its economic and tourism blockade of Cuba;
"4. Calls on the left and progressive movement in Australia to show its opposition to the renewed attacks by the United States towards Cuba and support solidarity actions that oppose US imperialism's attacks on Cuba."
An addendum accepted by the movers added that the alliance:
"Calls upon the USA to recognize the complete integrity of Cuba, a Cuba that includes Guantanamo Bay, and hereby calls upon the USA to close their base there."
This resolution was strongly supported by the comrades from the ISO even though they made it clear they did not agree with the DSP's recognition of the Cuban government as revolutionary. However Workers Liberty comrades moved to add:
"Calls upon the Cuban government to recognise and respect the right of the Cuban working class to dissent."
The Workers Liberty amendment was supported by delegates from Socialist Democracy (a group in sympathy with the United Secretariat of the Fourth International) and others. It was defeated.
[Peter Boyle is a member of the incoming Socialist Alliance national executive and is also a member of the DSP. Green Left Weekly will report on further conference decisions, including on trade union work, in coming weeks. More information is available from <http://www.socialist-alliance.org>]
From Green Left Weekly, May 21, 2003.
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