Here are two articles from latest issue of Socialist Party paper, Voice.
Lets build a new workers' party
The March 17th announcement by several left wing unions in Victoria that
they are to disaffiliate from the ALP is the most exciting development
in working class politics for decades. What is even more exciting is the
possibility that they will create a new workers' party. The media and
ALP and union right-wing will put tremendous pressure on the breakaway
unions (Electrical Trades Union, United Firefighters Union, Textile
Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia, the plumbers union and
the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union) not to create a new party.
But there must be no turning back.
Tens of thousands of union and community activists and loyal Labor
voters have felt increasingly betrayed by the ALP as it has ditched
commitment after commitment to its traditional supporters. The ALP has
embraced privatisation, cuts to health and education spending, and has
offered no solidarity to construction unions facing a Royal Commission.
It is, and has been for some time, a capitalist party with no
possibility of rank and file renewal. That explains the exodus of
members in recent years. The success of the Greens -especially in the
Yarra City Council election on March 16th (see inside)-shows that there
are big possibilities for the growth of a new party to the Left of the
ALP. In Yarra, the Socialist Party have created a community alliance
(Yarra Alliance) with the Greens and this was an important factor in
getting the Greens and Socialists their highest vote anywhere in Australia.
However we believe that workers need their own political representation,
based on their unions and community organisations. No other class can
represent workers except workers-supported by students, the aged, poor
farmers and the unemployed. In the inner cities, the Greens are a party
of the radical middle class and a new workers' party must enter into an
alliance with them as the Socialist Party did in inner city Melbourne.
But we must organise separately and march separately, while striking
together.
The Greens do not link their programme of social and environmental
reforms to the need to change society. They have a solely parliamentary
focus, rather than a focus of mobilising people to act to change
society. That is why we agree with Dean Mighell, State Secretary of the
ETU and Peter Marshall, State Secretary of the UFU, that we must create
a new workers' party, not join the Greens. As an aside, the successes of
the Greens and now the possible creation of a new workers' party shows
that the Socialist Party was correct not to enter into the premature
Socialist Alliance.
A new workers' party must be activist, it must fight on the ground in
day-to-day battles like stopping freeways, supporting workers in
struggle, for free education etc. A new workers' party should have a
basic programme of demands that can mobilise workers such as a 35-hour
week, free education for all, free health care for all as a basic human
right. A new workers' party must be have a clear socialist goal,
explaining that it utopian to believe that reforms can be won and
maintained on a permanent basis under this rotten capitalist system.
A new workers' party must be democratic with control over its leaders
and public representatives, with all MPs and councilors on a workers'
wage plus bone fide expenses and the rest donated back to the movement.
A genuine workers' party must be a broad church allowing different
opinions within the workers' movement to be heard and debated.
The party needs a youth wing and a conscious effort to recruit women;
especially important with the male-dominated nature of most of the
unions creating the new party.
In the early stage what is key is to allow the party to breath, by
concentrating on building new members around a basic programme and a few
winnable campaigns to get runs on the board. Most importantly benefit of
a new party is that it will allow workers to put their own stamp on
events such as the refugees, Ansett, Hollingworth etc. It is the lack of
a socialist and class-based explanation that is causing the confusion
amongst workers on the refugee issue. The Socialist Party pledges to
join and be the best builders of a new workers' party, while arguing
within its ranks for a socialist programme and militant activism.
Melbourne Council elections
Greens make big gains, plus a good Socialist Party vote
On March 16th several Victorian councils went to the polls. including
Yarra City Council (Richmond, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill, North
Carlton etc) where the SP is in an alliance with the Greens and
progressive independents.
In the face of a big ALP attempt to regain ground lost in the October
by-election where Green Gurm Sekron was elected with SP preferences, the
Yarra Alliance partners put up an excellent show. For example, the ALP
did six letter drops in the Nicholson ward, the Greens four, the
conservative independent two, while we could only afford one for Denise
Dudley Four Greens were elected in total, four ALP, and one
Liberal-leaning Independent opening up the possibility of a first-ever
Green-controlled Council. SP preferences were vital to Green victories
in the three seats where we stood. In Nicholson Ward, the SP's Denise
Dudley won 7% and her Independent left-wing running partner, Lynda
Memery, won 3.7%. In Carringbush ward, the SP's Stephen Holdsworth won
6.8% and in Merri ward the SP's Anthony Main won 3.6%. These results
gave heart to the ETU's Dean Mighell in deciding to disaffiliate from
the ALP (see page 1).
The Socialist Alliance stood four candidates in the Darebin City
Council election getting between 1% and 3% of the vote each. In Moreland
City Council, the two Socialist Alliance candidates received 3% and 4%.
.
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