11.06.2026

Statements from Connections Convention

Connections lead statement

We believe:

1) That there is a burning necessity to build an independent, working class, socialist political alternative, rooted in the struggle and self-organisation of workers and the oppressed.

2) That the hundreds of Your Party proto-branches and independent socialist groups that have been built across England, Scotland and Wales during the recent period point towards the potential strength of such a party.

3) That YP’s ruling bureaucracy, with the support of a majority of its central executive committee, is squandering an historic opportunity. This has included, but is not limited to: a refusal to recognise and establish a democratic branch structure; a failure to seriously contest the May 2026 elections; a disregard for the national and democratic rights of members in Scotland and Wales; the banning of organised socialist groups; and an inadequate and undemocratic launch conference, in which central debates could not take place. Among other things, this has prevented the party from discussing and developing a serious programme that could fight for the kind of internationalist, socialist, anti-capitalist political alternative we so desperately need.

4) That the above has already led to the departure of many individuals and numerous proto-branches from Your Party, and the entire Scottish leadership of YP.

We want to:

5) Continue to build ‘Connections’ as an alliance of local independent socialist groups and YP proto-branches, welcoming all socialists, regardless of political affiliation.

6) Strive to maintain and strengthen our local groups, whether inside or outside of YP, as a basis for political organisation and discussion in our localities.

7) Create an online (and, if possible, published) discussion forum and journal, inviting and publishing written contributions and articles about the type of party that is needed, from a broad range of contributors.

8) Support and collaborate with existing grassroots socialist networks/initiatives, such as ALDA (All-London Delegate Assembly), GMYPB (Greater Manchester Your Party Branches), CSN (Cornwall Socialist Network) and others, to hold local/regional, cross-branch, aggregate meetings in the summer and autumn to discuss how to strengthen our groups.

9) Support and collaborate with new organisations, such as SEDA (Socialist Education and Debate Association), to discuss and debate potentially contentious political questions, and build unity in action.

10) Support and collaborate with the organisers of the newly born Socialist Federation in promoting and participating in their founding congress in September 2026, and potentially also organise an additional all-Britain conference of proto-branches, local independent socialist groups and other left labour movement organisations interested in building a socialist alternative, including, but not limited to, plans for a socialist challenge in the 2027 local elections.

11) If successful, such steps could help to prepare the ground for the building of the kind of member-led party we actually need: with a clear programme for socialism (ie, a classless society, in which production is for need, not private profit, with a planned economy in place of the market and private ownership), transparency, openness, accountability and thorough-going democracy.

12) The conference should be a space for open and democratic debate, reflective of the need for a culture where differences are not brushed under the carpet, but are openly debated and discussed, in front of the working class.

13) To hold report-back meetings in our local groups to discuss the outcome of the convention, and propose endorsement of this motion to those meetings l

Second statement

This convention agrees to encourage local socialists to build an open meeting to organise against the coming anti-cost of living crisis and prepare to resist it, aiming to unite the left, local unionists and community campaigners, including tenants and renters groups, as well as those of the oppressed. This could lay the basis for a national anti-crisis assembly in future months that could outline an emergency plan to make the bosses pay, not us, and put it into action.