by We are sharing news about this event, but not without criticisms: in the negotiations, we were arguing strongly – but unsuccessfully – for this initiative to come out more explicitly in solidarity with all those auto-excluded, suspended and expelled in the campaign against the left. Most participants however felt that would put the event ‘at risk’. We believe that considering the current state of the witch-hunt in the Labour movement, there is only one way to avoid ‘risk’ – doing nothing. The new standing committee coming out of this event must take a more principled stand on these very important issues.
On the plus side, more events are planned for the near future and we will argue for those to be proper, decision-making conferences where we can transparently debate differences of opinion on the left. Here is a joint proposal on that issue: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1By3ZoSwCQUDrPp3YixtpIX0_o9i4u9BMolou84DKC_c/edit?usp=sharing
We are also pleased that the manifesto section on ‘free speech and democracy’ (over which we fought very hard) now includes criticism of IHRA and the need for Labour to protect free speech, “including in its disciplinary procedures, stop and reverse the proscription of groups who do not stand candidates against the Labour Party and oppose any “conflation of antisemitism with legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights”, as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign put it in a recent statement.”
The full manifesto is available here: https://labourleft.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LL4S-Manifesto-.pdf
Labour Left 4 Socialism to unveil manifesto for unified mobilisation
Register here for the launch on Saturday September 18, 11.00 – 13.00: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ai3OLJ18SVibhT9WjhfiNQ
he Labour Left 4 Socialism coalition is launching a manifesto setting out an agenda of unified defiance on major issues affecting all sectors of the labour movement. It is also backing calls for delegates at party conference in Brighton later this month to reject Keir Starmer’s ally David Evans as general secretary.
LL4S released a founding statement on August 20 signed by a range of left organisations including the Fire Brigades Union, the Labour Representation Committee, Jewish Voice for Labour, Labour Black Socialists, Labour Women Leading, Welsh Labour Grassroots and Campaign for Socialism (Scotland).
Speakers at the online launch on September 18 will include Andrew Scattergood (Fire Brigades Union) on workers’ rights, Ekua Bayunu (Labour Black Socialists) on the fight against racism, Chris Saltmarsh (Labour for a Green New Deal) on the climate crisis and Matt Wrack (FBU General Secretary) on Public Services. The event will be chaired, in personal capacity, by Howard Beckett, activist and an Assistant General Secretary of Unite.
A standing committee is to be established representing supporting organisations, to plan a series of working conferences to debate and organise resistance based on the manifesto outlined below. Work is under way for an initial conference on November 27.
“This is the start of something for the whole of our movement, the result of months of work by members of left groups and unions working together to confront attacks from the Tory government and also from Labour’s right wing,” said Beckett.
“With the ferocious ratcheting up of suspensions and expulsions in recent weeks, it’s clear that delegates to Labour Party conference in Brighton next week need to follow the lead of Unite the Union and vote down Evans as party general secretary,” he added.
“The right have got away with a full-scale assault on the left of the party, to rid it of socialism, to become a party of the establishment, because the left has not been united. Now we are putting down a marker that we are united and we are not going anywhere. We are calling on all socialists in the party to come together around common goals and join us in setting in motion the process of left mobilisation.”
The Zoom link to register for the launch webinar taking place 11.00 – 13.00 Saturday September 18 is here.
For further information contact LabourLeft4Socialism@gmail.com.
