05.09.2001

For a democratic and effective Socialist Alliance

The Socialist Alliance has grown and developed through our collective experience of the general election. We are now a registered political party and have the beginnings of a national profile, national leadership and we have our democratically agreed manifesto. To fight for our manifesto (which culminates in socialism), we must move beyond our present structures. We need an effective and therefore democratic organisation.

The Socialist Alliance is more than an electoral organisation. We need to take initiatives in all fields of society.

The Socialist Alliance should neither be bureaucratically controlled from above nor limited to an ineffective non-aggression pact.

We need democratic unity above and below. The SA needs clear central priorities with local autonomy and democratic rights for members.

The Socialist Alliance should strive for maximum unity in action through debate at the highest level involving a broad, wide-ranging and inclusive discussion. The Socialist Alliance should strive to ensure that all significant trends find representation on leading committees.

Making the Socialist Alliance an effective weapon in the struggle for socialism means that all members must enjoy the following rights:

• freedom of opinion and expression;
• the right to take part in the formation of Socialist Alliance policies;
• the right to put oneself forward for and to take part in the selection of Socialist Alliance candidates;
• the right to hold officers and representatives of the Socialist Alliance to account through democratic mechanisms;
• the right to collectively recall all elected Socialist Alliance officers and committees;
• the right to form distinct temporary or longer-term political platforms;
• the right to read, write for and publicly distribute publications;
• the right to information about Socialist Alliance activities;
• the right to political education and socialist theory in the Socialist Alliance.

Initial signatories

• Janine Booth (SA candidate, Islington South andFinsbury)
• John Bridge (CPGB representative, SA Liaison Committee)
• Anna Chen (Socialist Alliance press committee)
• Dave Church (executive committee)
• Lawrie Coombs (SA candidate, Stockton South)
• Peter Grant (SA candidate, Salford; chair Manchester Piccadilly Aslef)
• Marcus Larsen (chair, London Socialist Alliance; executive committee)
• Mike Marqusee (executive committee)
• Dave Osler (LSA steering committee)
• Lee Rock (LSA steering committee; London regional secretary, PCSU)
• Martin Thomas (executive committee)
• Neil Thompson (SA candidate, St Helens South; chair region 9 FBU)
• Nick Wrack (executive committee; chair Southwark Socialist Alliance)