Successful Campaign for a New Workers’ Party launch conference

Campaign for a New Workers’ Party

For the millions, not the millionaires

Successful launch conference

SUNDAY TRANSPORT problems meant that, as the Campaign for a New
Workers’ Party (CNWP) conference started, many people were still
arriving, squashing into the back of the overcrowded hall. Others
couldn’t fit into the hall at all and had to sit in an overspill cafe
and listen to the conference over speakers – which unfortunately only
worked intermittently!

Despite such organisational glitches – which came from having an
oversubscribed conference – the CNWP launch was a resounding success.
More than 450 people attended, most of whom held local or national
positions in trade unions and community campaigns.

Chair of CNWP conference and Socialist Party councillor Dave NellistIn
opening the conference, Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist said
there was a glaring need for a new party – that represented the millions
not the millionaires. He added that the existing three mainstream
parties were so similar, with their sleaze and anti-working class
policies, that it was more like one party with three wings.

Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist, (photo Marc
Vallee)

Dave reported that more than 1,300 people had now signed up to the
"declaration for a new workers’ party" from 25 different trade
unions and a whole range of community campaigns. He announced messages
of support from Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers’
Association, a NATFHE Executive and Labour Party member, Pat Sikorski
assistant secretary of the RMT and Matt Wrack, general secretary of the
FBU, who were unable to attend the conference.

Sultans of sleaze

Tony Mulhearn (Liverpool City Councillor 1984 – 87 and President of
Liverpool District Labour Party 1979 -85) was the first speaker. He
declared that revulsion and disgust at New Labour – the sultans of
sleaze – had reached unprecedented levels. Tony explained that we needed
to build a movement capable of translating the language of socialism
into jobs and homes just as Liverpool city council had in the past. We
needed to build a party that would act as a pole of attraction to the
disenfranchised as had been done by the socialist Labour council in
Liverpool.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the civil servants' union PCSMark
Serwotka, general secretary of the civil servants’ union PCS, (left)
began by congratulating the organisers on a magnificent turnout.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the civil servants’
union PCS, (photo Marc Vallee)

He emphasised the need for a political alternative to New Labour –
highlighting the one million workers who will be taking strike action to
defend their pensions, the cuts and redundancies in the NHS and the
continuing brutal occupation of Iraq.

Mark went on to raise points on how a new alternative will be
created. He emphasised that the majority of national trade union leaders
still argue that they have to support New Labour as the only show in
town. In the last six months 14 unions had given £1,634,000 to New
Labour – yet many of those unions are having to taking strike action to
defend their members against the government’s attacks on their pension
rights.

Mark argued that a new party is necessary and that we don’t want two
or three alternative parties competing against each other. He welcomed
the fact that the Socialist Party had held talks with Respect – and
argued that the process should continue because more unites us than
divides us.

Claus Ludwig, a councillor for the new party, Election Alternative
for Work and Justice (WASG) in Cologne, Germany, explained about the
important developments that are taking place in Germany. Against a
background of vicious attacks on the living standards of working class
people, the new party – standing on a joint list with the PDS (Left
Party) – had received 8.7% of the vote and had 54 MPs elected in the
recent general election. There were now 12,000 members of the WASG.

However, a debate was taking place over a proposal to merge with the
Left Party and in particular what programme a merger would take place
on. Everyone agreed with the need for the maximum principled left unity,
however the Left Party was part of the government in Berlin and had been
carrying out neo-liberal attacks on the working class, including
lowering wages in the public sector and privatising public housing.

Talking about socialism on Sunday and carrying out cuts during the
week was no way forward. Any merger should be around building a
fighting, class struggle-based party and that would mean the Left Party
leaving the Berlin government first.

Hannah Sell, spoke on behalf of the Socialist Party executive committeeHannah
Sell, spoke on behalf of the Socialist Party executive committee, to
explain why the Socialist Party had initiated the Campaign for a New
Workers’ Party.

Hannah Sell, Socialist Party executive committee (photo
Marc Vallee)

She argued that New Labour’s latest sleaze scandal was the inevitable
consequence of a party that was in the pockets of big business. Big
business had been trying to buy off the leaders of the Labour Party
since its inception, with some success but had now clearly taken over
the party, lock, stock and barrel.

She added that the Socialist Party would argue in any new party that
MPs and other public representatives should only take the average wage
of the workers that they represented in order to help ensure they remain
in touch with ordinary working people.

Hannah reported that most of the press coverage for the conference
had suggested a new party would be launched at it. However, the
Socialist Party was not proposing this. Nor were we proposing that an
electoral coalition be launched as a step towards a new party – although
the Socialist Party and others were standing in the local elections and
she hoped CNWP campaigners would support these candidates.

She emphasised that it wasn’t because the Socialist Party was not
serious about fighting for a new party that we weren’t arguing to launch
one at the conference but precisely because we were serious. Part of the CNWP 2006 ConferenceAfter
the false starts of the 1990s, we wanted to make sure that this time we
did it right.

Part of the CNWP 2006 Conference (photo Marc Vallee)

The Socialist Party hoped that from today’s conference everyone would
go away and strain every nerve to argue for the idea of a new party. As
the early history of Labour demonstrated, the process towards the
foundation of a new party could be complicated. A mass party was needed
– tens of thousands strong.

The Socialist Party was not suggesting that we delay moving towards a
party until those numbers were assembled. We want to draw into activity
a significant number of trade union activists, young people, community
and environmental campaigners and anti-war activists, a process which
had already started with today’s conference. We should come back to the
next conference and discuss they way forward.

Hannah also emphasised that the Socialist Party would argue that the
CNWP should encourage and support any initiatives taken by trade
unionists towards a new party.

Respect

On Respect she reported on the discussion that had taken place and
the Socialist Party’s request to try and avoid electoral clashes and
clashes of trade union conference fringe meetings. She emphasised that
the Socialist Party, while it welcomed George Galloway’s election, did
not believe that Respect had solved the problem of working class
representation.

She briefly touched on the Socialist Party’s criticism of Respect.
However, she added that, notwithstanding these criticisms, the Socialist
Party had asked Respect to support CNWP and hoped that they would do so.

Hannah commented that it would be a mistake to try and predetermine
the structure and programme of a future new party at the conference. She
argued that this would pre-empt the views of workers who will be
involved in founding a new party. A programme and structure would come
out of a process of democratic debate, leading to clear agreement
amongst all the forces involved, at the time of a new formation being
launched.

The Socialist Party believes it is crucial that if a new formation is
to be successful it has to be open, democratic and welcoming, not just
on paper but in practise. The Socialist Party believes that the best way
to achieve this is a federal approach (the approach adopted by the
Labour Party in its early years) which would allow the bringing together
of many different organisations and trends, preserving the rights of all
to organise and argue for their particular points of view.

Finally, Hannah emphasised that a party would have to represent a
fundamental break with the big-business parties which currently dominate
politics. It would have to stand up against privatisation, against cuts
and for workers’ rights.

To be a party for the millions, it is necessary to stand up to the
multinationals, which dominate every aspect of people’s lives. The
Socialist Party would argue that a new party adopt a socialist clause
calling for democratic public ownership of the vast conglomerates that
dominate the economy.

Discussion

The discussion began with the moving of resolutions.

Roger Bannister, of the UNISON NEC moved the Socialist Party
resolution (see below).

Pete McLaren moved the Socialist Alliance resolution which called for
signatories to the Declaration to be grouped geographically to contact
local activists, to meet and elect local Interim Committees.

The Reading CNWP group moved a resolution for any new party to be
open, inclusive, democratic and representative. It must appeal to
anti-war activists, those that campaign on environmental issues,
pensions and against racism. It called for no single group to be allowed
to dominate, and mechanisms to ensure democratic policy making. All of
these resolutions were passed.

Another five resolutions were defeated. They raised a number of
issues; however, the central discussion was around the question of what
the programme of a new party should be. For example, two of the defeated
resolutions argued that a new party must be based upon
"revolutionary Marxism" or a programme "to set out a
strategy for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of
working-class power".

Lois Austin explained why the Socialist Party could not support these
resolutions. She explained that to do so would pre-empt a discussion
amongst those forces who would found a new party.

The crucial thing is that such a party involved the working class and
could pull in trade union and community activists who are looking for an
alternative. It has to be a party that understands and takes account of
the different moods and levels of understanding of those most combative
sections of the working class who would join it.

Lois answered those that say the party should be clearly a
revolutionary socialist party at the outset. She said that it is a big
leap to go from being anti-privatisation, anti-capitalist and anti-war
to understanding the need for fundamental revolutionary change.
Different sections of the working class would draw those conclusions at
different speeds.

That is why a new mass party, which brought together workers in
common struggle and allowed an open discussion and debate on ideas,
would be an enormous step forward and a crucial part of developing
working-class consciousness, even if its programme is initially quite
limited.

It is not a question of hiding our ideas or programme but rather of
not imposing them on a new party being formed.

Judy Beishon also spoke from the Socialist Party and explained why we
would argue for a clear socialist clause in the programme of a new
party. But even if this was not initially agreed, the party would be a
big step forward if it was clearly anti-cuts and anti-privatisation and
involved important sections of the working class.

Following the moving of the resolutions, there was a wide-ranging
discussion on these and other issues.

In the course of the discussion Alan Thornett was invited to address
the conference for ten minutes on behalf of Respect.

Speakers from the floor included Paul Sutton, Stoke councillor, Glenn
Kelly UNISON NEC, Rob Williams convenor of the Visteon car plant, Marion
Lloyd PCS NEC, a Green Party activist, and James, a health service
campaigner from Cardiff.


Note: all trade union representatives spoke in a personal capacity.


Action points from the Socialist Party resolution which was agreed
at the conference

We will actively support any initiatives towards the development of
a new party. In particular we will encourage those trade unions and
trade union leaders that no longer believe that New Labour can
represent their interests to take active steps towards founding a new
party.

We reaffirm our support for the declaration for a new workers’
party and will continue to use it as a means to build the impetus for
the idea of a new party.

We aim to have at least 5,000 trade union, community and anti-war
activists signed up by the end of 2006. We recognise that there are
many important points not included in the declaration but we think it
would be premature at this stage to start deciding what should, or
should not, be added to the declaration. Instead it would be better to
keep a minimal declaration and concentrate on building momentum for
the campaign.

However, it is important to emphasise that any future new party, if
it is to be successful, must be something completely different to the
existing neo-liberal order. As we state in the declaration, a new
party would need to represent a fundamental break with the
big-business parties which currently dominate politics, giving workers
the opportunity to resist the neo-liberal capitalist agenda and fight
for a socialist programme – including a living minimum wage, full
trade union rights and for fully funded, democratically controlled
public services.

We agree to establish affiliation to the CNWP. Affiliation for
national organisations will be £50 and for local community, trade
union and campaigning organisations £25. All national affiliated
organisations with 100 or more members would have a seat on the
steering committee.

We appeal to local community, trade union and campaigning
organisations to invite CNWP speakers to their meetings.

We organise a CNWP speaking tour in May, out of which we aim to
develop local CNWP campaigns in those areas where they don’t yet
exist.

We organise CNWP fringe meetings at as many trade union conferences
as possible.

We give support to genuine socialist and anti-cuts, anti-privatisation
campaigns in the local elections.

We ask the steering committee to act to develop the campaign as far
as possible and call a second national conference, by the end of March
2007 at the latest, to assess the progress we have made and look at
how we take the campaign forward from here.


Officers elected

The following officers were elected for the campaign:

Position        Nomination     
Secretary Roger Bannister (member of UNISON
national executive – personal
capacity)     
Chair Dave Nellist (Socialist Party
councillor, Coventry)  
Vice-Chair Kevin Kelly (vice-president PCS
national executive – personal capacity)
Vice-chair Jeremy Dewar
Press
Officer 
Pete McLaren
Treasurer Fiona Pashazadeh
Trade union
liaison officer
Glenn Kelly (UNISON national
executive – personal capacity)  
Assistant
Secretary
Hannah Sell  

In addition a wider steering committee was elected.