Brighton – how can new party fight cost-of-living crisis?
Callum Joyce, Brighton Socialist Party
300 people attended. Socialist Party members put forward our ideas around how Your Party can be built into a genuine mass workers’ party, by leading mass struggle against Labour austerity.
There was discussion on how Your Party can reach working-class people who do not yet see it as a clear alternative to the establishment parties. We raised fighting on material issues, like low pay, housing, and cuts to public services.
We made reference to the estimated one million UKIP voters who were won to voting for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, as an example of how an anti-austerity programme could undermine Reform’s support.
Your Party and the trade unions was also debated. There is support for trade unionists being encouraged to join Your Party, and that Your Party members should organise in their workplaces.
We raised that local trade union branches should also have the ability to send delegates to Your Party meetings, who would represent the collective interests of their union members locally, rather than just attending as individuals.
There was discussion about how Your Party can distinguish itself from the Green Party, by being rooted in the working class, with a clear socialist programme. We raised the Green Party’s record.
The Greens previously led Brighton Council, and passed on millions of pounds of then Tory government cuts. Your Party councillors could fight for no-cuts budgets, by mobilising workers, trade unions, and communities to fight for more funding from Keir Starmer’s central Labour government. This idea was well received.
It was understood by those at the meeting that we need to fight against Labour’s war and austerity agenda, and the threat of Reform. However, there was frustration at the drawn-out process of founding Your Party, and the absence of local branches that can discuss and campaign.
Attendees had been split into small groups, and told to choose which areas of the Your Party documents they wanted to discuss. Although, this and time constraints did not allow for a full discussion on all of the important issues in a single meeting.
The meeting held consultative votes to “take the temperature”. These showed overwhelming support for allowing existing socialist organisations, like the Socialist Party, to join Your Party, and that Your Party’s ‘central executive committee’ is elected and fully accountable. But it remains unclear how these views will be considered and acted on by the existing leadership.
Socialist Party members will continue to contribute to Your Party developments. We are pushing for local trade unions to organise a ‘people’s budget’ conference to discuss how we can fight no cuts, including the role of Your Party in that process.
Merseyside – where do these discussions go?
Becca Bayman, Liverpool North Socialist Party
There was scepticism about who organised the event, and how they were selected to do so, as well as who had written the Your Party documents being discussed. But this questioning was met with little explanation.
The 150 people were mainly already organised in socialist organisations, and older activists. Socialist Party members making up the majority of the youth voice.
The assembly was structured similarly to others – 10-15 breakout groups. There were not always enough facilitators to manage each group, which led some groups’ contributions not being included in the report back at the end.
Socialist Party members called for local ‘people’s budget’ conferences, with input from trades councils, unions, and community groups. This would arm Your Party councillors with an anti-austerity programme to fight cuts, with the demand of building council houses.
As well as supporting this, the breakout groups also largely agreed that dual membership is democratic, so socialist organisations and parties, like the Socialist Party, should be allowed to affiliate to Your Party. Most also agreed that a delegate structure for decision-making would be more democratic than sortition. And that affiliation of trade unions and other groups to Your Party would ensure the working class is truly “at the heart”.
However, facilitators were selective with what they reported back to the room, not always accurately representing what groups had discussed, including the ideas put forward by Socialist Party members, despite the popular agreement they received.
This was a clear demonstration of why an elected delegate system should be in place moving forward, so that all members are represented, and that elected representatives are held accountable.
Bristol – Green cutting council
Clinton Hatcher, Bristol North Socialist Party
The 250 attendees wanted to talk politics over structure, even if this wasn’t the focus intended by the organisers.
Socialist Party members made a strong contribution to the meeting. Before it even kicked off, we were outside on our campaign stall putting forward our position on Your Party, handing out leaflets, and selling the Socialist – over 30 bought a copy. And a few people expressed an interest in joining the Socialist Party.
Dozens of tables were laid out for breakout groups to discuss different sections of the founding documents. On my table were ex-Labour members that wanted a party that had a plan for fighting back against austerity and cuts.
I was able to put forward the Socialist Party’s ideas with great success to the group I was in. I felt like I was on a table with other Socialist Party members.
I was able to put forward that ‘nationalisation’ alone is not enough, we need workers’ democracy and collective ownership of the leading heights of the economy. And that we shouldn’t stand aside for the Greens, who are implementing millions of pounds of cuts in Bristol.
Many still hold high hopes for what Your Party can do. For it to meet the ambitions of the working class, the trade unions must be at its heart, and other socialist groups must be allowed to join too.
There was concern about the role of the independent MPs in the leadership of Your Party, with no chance for the membership to scrutinise. People also wanted the party to take up the real issues facing the working class, rather than speak in generalities.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear how the concerns raised in the meeting will actually influence the founding documents of Your Party. What is clear, however, is that people are willing to fight for the ‘member-led socialist party’ talked about in the documents, and that the Socialist Party has an important role to play in putting forward what’s needed to achieve that.
