01.02.1996

Kent Socialist Alliance

A MEETING of socialists in Kent to discuss the formation of the Socialist Labour Party took place in Canterbury on January 17. Those in attendance included current Labour Party members (including at least one ex-councillor), members of Militant Labour, the Communist Party of Great Britain, and current and former members of the Socialist Workers Party. Also present were a wide range of activists from movements such as the anti-poll tax campaign and the animal rights protests at Dover, alongside veterans of the 1984-85 miners’ Great Strike and the P&O strike.

The following resolution was agreed overwhelmingly with only one vote against:

“This meeting of socialists in Kent welcomes the formation of the Socialist Labour Party, and its decision to leave Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’.

However we believe that an important opportunity has been missed in not allowing members of existing left organisations to participate on an equal basis. We urge the SLP Steering Committee to reconsider this decision.

In the meantime, we urge all socialists either currently in the Labour Party, or not in any other organisation, to join the SLP.

We resolve from this meeting to establish some form of broader ‘Kent Socialist Alliance’ involving the SLP and any other (existing or future) groups/parties who agree to work together.”

Chris Weller