Building The Forces Of Socialism Internationally


THIS INITIAL article contains examples of the work being done in some of the CWI sections as reported in the session ‘Building the CWI’.

Unfortunately, many inspiring examples have had to be omitted due to lack of space. (Future issues of The Socialist will carry reports of the congress’s main political sessions).

Australia

THE MELBOURNE branch of the Socialist Party (SP) in Australia has gained 22 new members so far this year, most of them young. A majority of them joined following a party campaign in support of the rights of refugees incarcerated in the isolated Woomera Detention Centre.

SP comrades raised money from trade unions to finance a 16-hour, 1,200 kilometre journey to the camp, to join a 1,000-strong protest, taking with them tents, water and even toilets!

They then proved in practise how our method of organising – having full democratic discussion and debate and then acting efficiently on decisions made – was able to provide help for a number of refugees directly and highlight their plight in the media.

(Victoria state elections – see CWI website)

Ireland

SECTARIAN TENSION has increased amongst youth in Northern Ireland but a significant layer are rejecting sectarianism and are open to alternative ideas. Socialist Party members have assisted in building four branches of the organisation Socialist Youth in the North and most of the young people involved support the ideas of the CWI.

Socialist Party member Carmel Gates gained 38% of the vote in the recent election for General Secretary of the public sector union NIPSA, the largest union in Northern Ireland. The SP has party members on the executive committees of a number of trade unions, including NIPSA, the Fire Brigades Union and the CWU (communication workers).

In Southern Ireland, the re-election of Joe Higgins to parliament last May and the near-election of Clare Daly (with an 85% increase in vote compared with the previous general election) show the support that the Socialist Party is gaining.

CIS

(Commonwealth of Independent States – the former Soviet Union)

THE CWI is now organised in four countries: Russia, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova, with an overall increase of 130% in membership since the last world congress.

In Russia, there are CWI members in nine cities. They have been active in many campaigns including; anti-globalisation work, on the environment, against government rent reforms and on trade union issues.

Comrades in the Ukraine are present in over 15 cities. In Kazakhstan, CWI members held a successful launch conference in May. As well as doing independent work, they are also participants in the Committee for a Workers’ Party.

Germany

SEVEN NEW branches have been set up by Socialist Alternative (SAV) since the last world congress and political activity started in ten other new areas. Attendance at their annual Socialism weekend has doubled over the last two years and the number of papers sold each month has doubled over the course of this year.

Brazil

SOCIALISMO REVOLUCIONARIO (SR) have been very active in building the ‘Movement for those excluded from Education’ (MSE). MSE has organised debates, rallies and actions in a campaign to improve access to university by the poorest in society.

Following consistent work, including at the second World Social Forum in Porto Alegre at the start of this year, MSE is now widely recognised by many social organisations, the media and government and academic bodies.

At a recent 1,500-strong youth meeting in Sao Paulo state, organised by the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), the call of MSE for university occupations at the start of 2003 was enthusiastically agreed.

SR has members in leading positions in the Sao Paulo state teachers’` union who were recently involved in leading an important strike in the Cotia area. They also have members and supporters working in the largest hospital in Sao Paulo.

In the recent Brazilian elections, SR stood a candidate, gaining 1,150 votes. 60 activists participated in the campaign, giving out 50,000 leaflets and selling 400 papers.

Israel

WITH THE Israeli economy in an unprecedented crisis and the continuing onslaught on Palestinians in the occupied territories, members of Maavak Socialisti in Israel face a particularly difficult challenge in building the forces of the CWI.

They are rising to this challenge by carrying out consistent party building work, with a membership figure and level of activity higher than ever before. They are regularly the largest, most youthful and dynamic political contingent on left demonstrations.

Party branches have been established in several of the most important Israeli cities and a successful founding conference was held in October.

Sri Lanka

SINCE THE last world congress, the United Socialist Party (USP) has been recognised as a party by the Sri Lankan electoral commission and has been able to build its influence through election work as well as through other campaigns.

It is the only party with a membership consisting of a real mix of Tamil and Sinhala workers and a paper that has articles in the two languages.

USA

IN SEPTEMBER and October Socialist Alternative (SA) organised a speaking tour of eight cities for Nigerian CWI member Segun Aderemi, which attracted 1,200 people. This tour, combined with campaigning against war on Iraq, enabled SA to sell a record number of copies of their paper Justice and to recruit many new members.

Belgium

LEFT SOCIALIST Party/Movement for a Socialist Alternative (LSP/MAS) has grown by 40% in the last 18 months.

A large part of the growth has come from the work party members have put into building the youth organisation International Resistance and in taking many of these new young people to the international anti-capitalist demonstrations in Gothenburg, Genoa, Brussels, Barcelona and Seville.

Party membership has recently increased in the French speaking areas, particularly following public meetings organised by LSP/MAS during the French Presidential elections. The party held its largest ever national conference in November, with 103 attending discussions over the course of a weekend.

South Africa

THE DEMOCRATIC Socialist Movement (DSM) held a re-foundation conference in Durban in October, with 45 delegates present. Working in four key provinces of the country, the members are mainly young and already have a formidable record of struggle in fighting against the exclusion of university students who cannot pay their tuition fees and of supporting workers unable to pay water and electricity charges following recent privatisations. DSM has had a four-fold increase in members since the last world congress.

Sweden

IN RECENT elections, Raattvisepartiet Socialisterna (RS) increased its number of councillors from two to five in the two most important cities in the north of the country. They recruited 42 new members during the election campaign and have recruited a further 17 since then.

RS is a leading force in protests against war on Iraq and took the initiative to set up a network against the war in Stockholm that involves 40 organisations. RS is involved in all major anti-racist campaigns and has a record as a fighting party for women’s rights.


A fuller Congress report is available on the CWI website – www.worldsocialist-cwi.org


A NUMBER of documents, resolutions and amendments were discussed and voted on. These will be published as soon as possible. A new CWI Executive Committee was elected.


Comrades in Maavak Sozialisti in Israel, who have been working as a CWI group for a number of years, were recognised as a full section.

A group in Kashmir, in existence for two years, was recognised as a sympathising section.


World Congress sessions

Post September 11 – Can US Imperialism be Challenged?

World Economy and Globalisation

Latin America.

New Features of the Crisis in the Neo-Colonial World.

Europe.

Building the CWI.

Elections for CWI leadership bodies.

For report backs to Socialist Party members, contact your regional secretary or phone the National Office 020 8988 8768.