Labour Left for Socialism – Building the Resistance
JVL Introduction
JVL is amongst 16 labour movement organisations issuing the statement below.
It includes a joint statement of common goals and announces a conference on September 18, the Saturday before Labour’s Brighton conference.
This will be organised around the themes of restoring and strengthening Party democracy, ending the wave of suspensions and proscriptions against the left, committing Labour to repeal all anti-union laws, ensuring that the Party is actively anti-racist, demonstrably committed to equalities in its practice, a place for open and respectful political discussion and learning, and building on socialist policies.
Labour Left rallies to reclaim Party as democratic force for socialist transformation
Today we are publishing a statement, signed by 16 labour movement organisations, calling on the Labour Party leadership to abandon its destructive attacks on left-wing members, and proscriptions targeting left-wing groups, and focus instead on mobilising in opposition to the reactionary policies of the current Tory government.
Many weeks of talks between the groups, including the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD), Welsh Labour Grassroots (WLG), Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), Labour Black Socialists (LBS) and the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), have resulted in a joint statement of common goals and an event on September 18, the Saturday before Labour’s Brighton conference.
More left unions and organisations are expected to sign up once they have consulted through their constitutional structures. Signatories demonstrate their support for the principles in the statement, not each other’s organisations.
“Unions that founded the Labour Party, and ordinary members who are its backbone, no longer feel themselves to be represented by the organisation. More than 100,000 have left since Keir Starmer became leader and the party’s finances are in crisis,” said Ben Selby, FBU Vice President and Chair of Don’t Leave, Organise which initiated the talks.
”By organising this initial gathering – which will be the first of many – we proclaim our determination to build a movement which can reclaim our party as a democratic force for socialist transformation, offering real hope for working people from all their diverse communities devastated by the pandemic and fearful of its aftermath.”
Full statement text and signatories list
The current Tory government is the most right-wing in living memory and people are suffering terribly as a result. The Covid-19 virus has made around five million people sick, put almost half a million people in hospital and led to more than 150,000 deaths in the UK. But Labour has not organised or mobilised opposition.
The people need and deserve an Opposition worthy of the name. Below are just some of the pernicious government actions that Labour needs to organise around and lead opposition to the Tories:
- Britain has had one of the highest per-capita COVID death tolls in the world – plus many now suffering from long-term health problems
- The impact of the pandemic has not affected communities equally: disabled people, women, people from African, Caribbean, Asian and other racially marginalised communities, those on low incomes, older people and frontline workers have been hardest hit
- Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, enabled by draconian anti-trade union laws, and thousands more will be lost when furlough ends
- The NHS is being privatised at speed, vast sums of public money have been squandered and corruption is rife in the allocation of contracts
- The Tories are using the worst ‘divide and rule’ tactics, whipping up racism and promoting ‘culture wars’ to divert attention from their disastrous handling of the pandemic
- Climate change poses a growing and existential threat and the Tory response is pathetic
- Our rights to protest are being severely curtailed
- Undercover police are being permitted to commit crimes, including murder
- British military forces can now commit war crimes and not face prosecution.
These are just some of the many reactionary policies of the current Tory government.
Unfortunately, on almost all of these issues, Labour has not effectively opposed the Tories; on many of the issues, Labour has rather echoed the Tories’ approach, as in its racist treatment of Black members and with Islamophobic and anti-Traveller positions put forward in election campaigns and much more.
This has enabled most of these policies to be adopted with ease, thereby encouraging the Tories to go further to the right, deepening their reactionary offensive confident in the knowledge they will face no serious opposition.
A consequence of Labour’s failure to stand up against the Tory government has been the party’s steady decline in the polls since last summer, overwhelmingly poor local election results and huge loss of votes in three by-elections.
Meanwhile, the democracy of our own party is under threat. A growing number of local parties have been taken over by unelected officials; the Forde inquiry report has not been published; many members who have spoken out have been suspended or expelled; proscriptions have been introduced against socialist groups; Jeremy Corbyn remains without the Labour whip. As a result, over one hundred thousand members have resigned from the party over the last year.
We will not stand idly by and allow this to continue. We are, therefore, coming together in solidarity not only with the people who are being so gravely disadvantaged by this government but against the purge of the left, which is key for the Leadership to achieve its aim of reversing the socialist policies brought in under Corbyn and to make the Party a safe place for capitalism. We stand firmly against proscriptions, and stand in solidarity with every grouping that is proscribed solely for holding socialist views. We will always oppose the proscription of any groups that remain committed to supporting Labour and that do not stand or support other candidates.
As part of the ongoing fightback, a conference has been called for Labour members and activists to discuss the changes in the party that are urgently necessary and how to achieve them. The conference will be led by party members active at local and national level and by key trade unions, and organised around specific demands:
- Restoring and strengthening democracy throughout the whole of our Party
- Ending the wave of suspensions, lifting those already unjustly imposed, reversing bans and proscriptions against the left
- Committing Labour to repeal all anti-union laws, ending zero-hours contracts and “fire and rehire”, demanding fair statutory sick pay
- Ensuring that the Labour Party is actively anti-racist and supportive of international solidarity issues
- Ensuring that the Labour Party is demonstrably committed to equalities in its practice
- Ensuring that Labour becomes a place for open and respectful political discussion and learning.
- Building on, with no retreat from, socialist policies, for example as developed after 2015.
Labour must oppose the Tories and once again make the case for a socialist transformation of society. We must fight and organise to get our party back.
Initial signatories supporting the statement
Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU)
Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD)
Campaign for Socialism (CfS), Scotland
Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
Grassroots Black Left (GBL)
Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL)
Labour Representation Committee (LRC)
Labour Black Socialists (LBS)
Labour Left Alliance (LLA)
Labour Women Leading (LWL)
@LabourLeft
Northern England Labour Left (NELL)
Red Labour (RL)
Socialist Appeal (SA)
Welsh Labour Grassroots (WLG)
For maximum impact it would be better to concentrate on points 1, 2 and 6 in the list of demands. Broadening the campaign to electoral issues and socio-economic policies dilutes the focus and limits potential support from many ordinary members and the centre-left. Once democratic process are established policy priorities can be pursued and achieved. Otherwise the campaign becomes an alternative manifesto which will be easier for a right-wing leadership to rally wider support against.
A typical response Bryn – while I welcome you in the fight against the Tories I am also reminded that it was the “” centre “” you refer to who were the architects of the sabotage and removal of the very Manifesto that won MILLIONS of votes – centre -left is a nonsense when the destruction of Theresa May’s majority was delivered by the LEFT while the “‘centre”” sat back hoping for a Labour LOSS – such “unity ” such “progress” — such treacherous front stabbing don’t you think ??
Great stuff, JVL and all the progressive movements coming together.
You make us feel good. I love you all. I trust you to do what is for the best.
I despise the bad lot in the Party who are so concerned with top-down rule and so observably useless in what they should be doing for Britain.
I would like to attend the Brighton conference supporting the socialist principles.
In fact both Labour Against the Witchhunt and Labour in Exile Network, two of the four proscribed groups have also signed up to this statement although for some reason our names don’t appear here.
Having said that we do not accept the few weasel words in the statement that:
‘We stand firmly against proscriptions, and stand in solidarity with every grouping that is proscribed solely for holding socialist views.’ This is a sectarian statement included for the sole purpose of differentiating between Socialist Appeal and LAW/LIEN.
In other words the author of these words wanted to differentiate between a purely socialist group, Socialist Appeal and those of us who have stood up against the fake anti-Semitism campaign that has been waged by the JLM, the Board of Deputies etc.
It seems that there are still some people on the left who refuse to face up to the fact that the ‘antisemitism’ campaign was not about antisemitism but anti-Zionism and support for the Palestinians.
As long as we have the two-Party system, we will have Labour as an alternative to the Tories. It has to be ‘acceptable’ and no real threat to capitalism and foreign policy. That’s what the current fight is about – making Labour acceptable. Electoral reform is important.
As one of the many members who is a) disgusted by Starmer’s proscriptions and suspensions and b) not involved in any of the signatory groups, I’d like to know how I can engage in the September 18th event.
Terrific. We perhaps could found a ‘Scottish Labour Grassroots’ ?
I’ll help as much as I can bring this about.
Fraternally yours, Bill Ledger.
I fully support the statement as presented.
Its broad appeal is more likely to attract the support of party members (and potential members).
What is there that we cannot support !!
BUT …
Where is Momentum’s support for this broad front of resistance ?
To paraphrase Jaws…”we’re gonna need a bigger vote!”
Reading the two comments above it is evident that there is a question over where the ‘left’ begins and ends and consequently is it possible to pidgeon hole all issues as left or right? The classic example being Brexit.
Within any group of individuals there is bound to be a cross-over of opinions, therefore it is fruitless to go down the ‘I’m more left than you’ route because it only leads to factionalism and splits. As the article points out, each subject should be debated on its own issues with all sides given a fair hearing without one side attempting to ostracise the other.
As a a non member of the Labour Party who mostly votes Labour and is appalled at the behaviour of the party towards many who I regard as my comrades and friends, and to others who I do not know personally, but whose reputations speak for themselves, I want to throw in my two-penorth, or, perhaps, three-penorth.
First, I very much like your list of demands. But once you go outside basic principles about democracy and freedom of thought and debate, any ‘omissions’ do rather stand out. Chief of these is no mention of prioritising climate change, what it will mean for this country, and the wider world, and the need for a party which will do its best to protect the most disadvantaged while taking what may be difficult decisions to preserve the planet for future generations. You criticise the Tories, but don’t include it in your list for Labour to fight for above all else.
Second, the Labour Party gets elected – or not – on the votes of millions of non members. Many do nothing more than vote, others are activists in all sorts of community and/or political groups, while others are even supporters/activists in other parties, who vote for Labour as the best bet to oust the Tories. One of the worst failings of Labour for me is the arrogance – which infects many on the left too – which assumes that the Labour Party is the natural inheritor of anti-Tory sentiment, and that everyone who hates the Tories ‘should’ vote Labour. This leads to terrible sectarianism – towards ‘lone socialists’, members of other parties, people who organise outside the party arena (Extinction Rebellion and other climate change activists), and a failure to confront the appallingly undemocratic electoral system which hands victory to single minority (vote – as distinct from seat) parties nearly every time. After all, if Labour were to back PR, it would probably mean we would never have another solely Labour government again, but there is also a fair chance that the Tories would get far fewer chances at power, and either way, far more voters would get a result closest to their aspirations, and to ours.
Third, once again, this left-unity platform – which, as I have said, I support – shows no sign that it sees Labour as other than an electoral machine, fighting internally, via tedious agendas, meetings and manoeuvring, to achieve the ‘right policies’ and then externally to win FPTP elections. Surely what has happened to the Labour left since the last election, should underline how this is not enough, and surely even a nod to another way of being political should have been made.
While everyone who supported Jeremy Corbyn knows he was swept into office on a massive wave of new-joiners, especially young people, we also should acknowledge how fragile this base has proved to be. There was no radical ‘movement’ supporting him, and when he met huge Parliamentary Party resistance, there was no radical movement of which the PP had to be fearful. Once the right wing got back in power, there was nothing to stop them picking off both Corbyn and so many other socialists, especially those involved in campaigning for Palestinian rights. Meanwhile, those socialists remaining have become more despairing, disillusioned and isolated, and are leaving in droves, thus further weakening the left. Unless the Labour Party becomes a party of grass roots campaigning and movement, where the left is protected and strengthened by its strong roots in the community all over the country, there will be no way of protecting another left leader or ensuring that another right wing putsch won’t happen again. Nor, and worst of all, that those socialist policies which we want to implement, will ever come into force.
The LP is a unity of opposites social democrats v socialists. After a brief socialist interlude with Corbyn as leader the social democrats are back in under Starmer. It is up to party members to strengthen socialism within and to others to help create the conditons to bring about social change. Your initiatives are part of that combined struggle.
This statement seems to be a step forward, but there is a major shortfall. It doesn’t address the antisemitism narrative that the right wing have used to purge the left and Palestinian solidarity activists from the Labour Party. Given that fighting the witch hunt and rebuilding the left go together it is necessary to tackle the so called “antisemitism crisis” head on. It does not exist. What does exist is a lot of members who support the Palestinian struggle against Israeli settler colonialism and we support their right to do so without losing their party membership.
The majority of members who have faced charges of antisemitism have been smeared as Jew haters because of their political views on Israel. Holding a left wing “world view” has nothing to do with antisemitism. If the left keep ducking this the party leadership will just carry on with the witch hunt until there’s no one left in the party to challenge its indifference to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.
I’m not sure I fully understand Tony Greenstein’s comment. Yes, there should be a mention of all groups who’ve signed, if the Party’s response is to proscribe all signatories for collusion with already proscribed groups then it will be proscribing some unions, one assumes other unions would stand in solidarity with their brothers and comrades and that would sound the death knell of the centrist dominated Party, bankrupted by the complete withdrawal of union funding.
What I struggle with is Tony’s assertion that “socialist values” don’t equate with opposition to the fake campaign of antisemitism that was and still is being waged against the left. Surely anyone who holds socialist values is only too aware and opposed to the misuse of “antisemitism” in this way? One can hardly accuse JVL or many if the other signatories of not recognising this, many of their members have been suspended or expelled. “Weasel words” is unfair and unjustified, if we can’t agree amongst ourselves then we won’t defeat this centrist led cabal.
Richard,
Let me clear up your confusion. I am not saying that anyone who holds socialists views is not aware of the weaponisation of antisemitism. Far from it.
What I am saying is that certain sectarians, who originate in the CLPD and Socialist Action, inserted a clause in the above statement which reads:
“We stand firmly against proscriptions, and stand in solidarity with every grouping that is proscribed solely for holding socialist views. ”
This sentence is aimed at EXCLUDING LAW and LIEN both of which were excluded for their positions on the anti-Semitism witchhunt. In other words they are only supporting Socialist Appeal which is a traditional economistic Marxist group that has no involvement in the antisemitism campaign.
This reflects the decision of some of the NEC trade union members to oppose the proscription of Socialist Appeal but to support that of LIEN and LAW.
It is because of these weasel words that the Socialist Campaign Group of Councillors refused to sign the statement.
Rest assured I don’t make the distinction between being a socialist and an anti-imperialist which is what this is really about.
Tony Greenstein l share your concerns about the weakness of this statement. All members of the party who have been the victims of this witch hunt should be included in this initiative. It makes no sense to talk about rebuilding the left without their involvement. The vast majority of them hold left wing views and were subjected to bogus charges of antisemitism. The statement fails to reflect this reality. The witch hunt is not only about an attack on socialist groups inside the party. It goes much further to include individuals and groups on the left prepared to oppose Israeli settler colonialism.
In response to several comments above:
Tony G – There is no discrimination against LAW or LIEN in the list of signatories. Only organisations involved in the talks prior to launch have been listed at this point. Regarding the wording on proscriptions, if you look at both sentences about this, you’ll see a firm commitment to “always oppose the proscription of any groups that remain committed to supporting Labour and that do not stand or support other candidates.” The “solely for holding socialist views” wording in the previous sentence is a bit clumsy, but what it’s trying to say is that whatever specious excuse is given for proscribing a group – such as “enabling antisemitism” – we know the real reason is because it is a socialist group.
John Coates – The door remains open for Momentum to add its support.
Dave Peck – Everyone who supports the goals outlined in the statement will be welcome to join the Sept 18 conference. It will be a hybrid event, livestreamed from a venue in London and also on Zoom. The programme and access details will be announced soon.
I am a democratic socialist with Jewish ancestry and a member of the LP. I am disgusted & disheartened by the present leadership & deplore their current ‘illegal’ practices. I totally support JVL & its policies & responses to the present regressive actions of the LP.