17.07.1997

Blow against sectarianism

Simon Harvey

I am pleased to see that Lewisham SLP in south-east London is building on its successes in the general election and is contesting the Churchdown ward by-election. The party’s candidate for the July 24 vote is NEC member Terry Dunn. Our party received 1,400 votes in Lewisham on May 1.

Already SLP comrades are wearing down their shoe leather distributing our party’s election address. Other London SLP support is most welcome.

What is most interesting about the election address concerns its reference to Lewisham Socialist Party councillor Ian Page alongside councillor Tony Link of the SLP. You will remember that from the very beginning of the SLP’s existence, the Socialist Party (then Militant Labour) has been seeking, as a minimum, electoral alliances with the SLP. Many SLP activists continue to support forming such alliances and the Weekly Worker has also campaigned for electoral cooperation amongst socialist forces.

Considering there are such differences on electoral strategy inside the SLP, Terry Dunn’s election address seems to me to be a clear sign that he and his branch support open cooperation with the Socialist Party.

Terry Dunn’s address begins with the following: “Lewisham Council has 67 councillors, with only two socialist councillors.” It adds that by “voting for Terry Dunn you will be electing another councillor to join up with councillors Tony Link and Ian Page”. Such statements are reinforced with a quote from comrade Dunn himself: “If elected, I will be working with other socialists.” The leaflet claims that “socialist councillors are the only ones who can challenge New Labour in the council.”

This stands in stark contrast to the action of Arthur Scargill, who autocratically demanded the liquidation of the Lewisham Council ‘Socialist Group’ formed earlier this year between Tony Link and Ian Page. In a letter to Tony Link dated February 11 1997 (see Weekly Worker March 20), Scargill instructed comrade Link that he was to

“make clear to councillor Ian Page that . . . you will not be part of any pact or agreement, and certainly not be part of any ‘Socialist Group’ on Lewisham council with members of another political party”.

Terry Dunn’s election statement faces up to the political reality that the working class needs a united socialist alternative to the Labour Party. The sectarianism of Scargill towards other socialist forces will not be stomached by those fed up with Blair’s Labour Party.

It is clear that Terry Dunn shares such concerns and is committing himself to working openly with the Socialist Party in Lewisham council. As I reported previously (Weekly Worker February 20), Terry Dunn was in support of the formation of the Lewisham Council Socialist Group and attended the meeting where the decision to form the group was taken.

The Socialist Party itself is not contesting the by-election and is supporting the SLP.

SLP congress

Rumours are beginning to spread around the SLP of yet another ‘unconstitutional’ postponement of our party congress. Supposedly ‘iron guaranteed’ for every May, readers will recall that this year’s congress had already been moved from May to October 25-26. The reason given was the general election.

I have heard that the congress is now being moved to December. The reason? No one could find an appropriate venue to book in either October or November. Well, we could all understand the move from May due to the election, and I for one would have accepted it, were it not for the fact that Scargill’s bureaucratic ‘constitution’ was being applied selectively when it suits the leadership. But this move yet again underlies the abitrariness with which the leadership treats the membership.

Just whose party is it?