10.09.1998
SML prepares UDI
Scottish Militant Labour is on the verge of completing its unilateral declaration of independence from the Socialist Party in England and Wales - the decisive moment will be the September 20 conference of the Scottish Socialist Alliance. Going ahead with the transformation of the SSA into the Scottish Socialist Party relies on SML’s willingness to defy Peter Taaffe and the Committee for a Workers International. As the SML internal document we reproduce below shows, it is determined to proceed.
Dated August 26, it pre-empts the SPEW and CWI conferences - a split is imminent. The SPEW executive committee faxed reply that has come into our hands reveals a leadership that is impotent and bankrupt. Lynn Walsh and Peter Taaffe are the chief architects of the crisis - they refused to fight SML’s demand for an independent class state in Scotland. They only objected to its organisational consequences when it affected their “small mass party”.
Resolution to SML conference from SML EC
1. The Scottish EC’s proposal to launch a new Scottish Socialist Party, that we first debated at the SML conference in March this year, has dominated the agenda of SML over the last six months.
2. An intensive period of debate and discussion has taken place not only in Scotland, but in Britain, and to some extent in the international. Numerous documents have been written by the SML EC, the British EC and the International Secretariat and a whole series of debates putting both sides of the case have been heard, especially in Britain over the last few months.
3. Comrades from the British EC, the IS and representatives of sections of the CWI have visited Scotland on four separate occasions allowing the opposition to our proposals to be heard by the Scottish comrades at first hand.
4. The intensity of the debate has reflected the importance of the issues under discussion which has been an attempt to clarify the best strategy and tactics to pursue and strengthen the forces of socialism and Marxism in Scotland in the coming period.
5. Clearly there are still differences between ourselves and the British EC and IS and many other comrades who have genuine concerns about our proposals. However, while we are still prepared to debate the issues at stake, it is clear we will not reach agreement with the British EC and the IS as to the best way forward.
6. The Scottish Committee agreed overwhelmingly in June that the SML conference in September should come to a decision on the launch of the new SSP. If the conference voted in favour, we agreed at the Scottish Committee to launch the new party in the autumn. We still believe that it is vital that any new party be launched this year to take advantage of the opportunities that already exist for this party and to allow time to fully prepare our intervention in the 1999 elections.
7. This would, of course, mean that the British conference and the world congress both scheduled for later this year have the right to discuss and take a position on our proposals. However, it would also mean that the decision of the Scottish organisation would be implemented prior to these conferences taking place. We realise that it would have been better to have agreement before going ahead, but as clear differences still exist, we feel it is right in these circumstances to allow the Scottish organisation to proceed while recognising doubts and opposition still exist.
8. The SML EC is therefore proposing the following:
(i) On agreement being reached at the SSA conference on September 20, to launch the SSP in October this year.
(ii) Launch the SSP with a series of city-wide rallies and press conferences to have the maximum impact prior to Christmas.
(iii) Set up functioning SSP branches in as many areas as possible that would aim to meet at least fortnightly.
9. International Socialists
(i) To establish a revolutionary platform/tendency inside the SSP, to be called the International Socialists (IS), which would be the Scottish section of the CWI.
(ii) The IS would be based on the current membership of SML and the role of the IS would be to organise and promote the ideas, analysis and methods of our organisation and international within the SSP.
(iii) IS branches would be formed in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow and other areas where that is appropriate. IS branches should meet monthly as a minimum, supplemented by other IS meetings where that is necessary.
(iv) IS branches would discuss political ideas ... and monitor the progress of our work inside the SSP, as well as collect subs for the IS and CWI.
(v) The IS will produce a public journal in the form of a magazine called International Socialist. We propose to produce this journal quarterly to begin with and moving to a more frequent journal as resources allow.
(vi) Our journal would give an analysis of events in Scotland, Britain and internationally and would be a forum for our ideology within the SSP.
(vii) A regular members’ bulletin/newsletter will be produced to carry updates of the work of the IS. The bulletin can also be a forum for the members of the IS to raise issues in a written form.
(viii) The IS will hold an annual conference to discuss policy and programme, and the work of the IS. This conference will elect a national committee and the NC will elect an EC. We will aim to organise NC meetings every three months.
(ix) All IS members who hold public positions in the SSP and elected representatives will be accountable to the IS.
(x) The IS will have the right to have members-only meetings, although as a general rule we would have as many open meetings as possible to attract new members to the IS.
(xi) The IS will elect an organiser, who we propose will be one of the current SML EC members.
(xii) The IS will apply to the International Executive Committee and the world congress to be recognised as an official section of the CWI.
10. Finance
(i) Because the SSP as a new party will need time to develop its financial resources, we are proposing that for a six-month interim period, our executive, some of whom will work for the SSP, will continue to be financed by SML/IS. Our current level of subs contribution to the CWI, the cost of the CWI comrade and the production of the IS members’ bulletin will also be paid from the SML/IS subs.
(ii) This will mean that comrades should continue to pay subs to SML while joining the SSP as individual members. We would ask comrades to consider paying the SSP minimum sub over and above their current subs to SML. For comrades where this is not practical, an agreement should be reached after discussion.
(iii) After six months, we will discuss a split in our subs, taking into account what we need to run the IS organisation, the rest going to the SSP.
(iv) We are proposing that as a minimum initial financial contribution the SSP pays for the cost of the Glasgow office, but that the IS would have access to the office and would contribute an amount to its running costs.
11. Scottish Socialist Voice
(i) The SSV, we propose, would be the paper of the SSP with an elected editorial board. We would expect that two of the current SML executives who are responsible for currently producing the paper, would continue to play a leading role in the production of the SSV.
(ii) The SSV would continue as a fortnightly paper, with a discussion about increasing the number of pages and the overall funding of the paper being opened up inside the SSP.
12. SML executive (see separate proposals)
(i) It seems likely that the SSP will want to have three area organisers to help develop the party in Scotland. The SSA currently organises in three areas: north Scotland, east Scotland and west Scotland. We should propose to the SSP that three of the current SML EC play these roles. In addition, comrades will play a leading role in the SSV, industrial work, as well as the financial development of the SSP.
(ii) We are proposing one comrade is elected as an IS organiser, but other comrades will have varying degrees of responsibilities for the work of the IS in Scotland.
(iii) In effect, a number of the SML EC will be seconded to the SSP until an SSP conference is convened, to ensure that maximum impact of the new party in its initial stages. After that, we can look at the situation in the light of the circumstances at that time. We would expect that a number of the EC would continue to play leading roles in the SSP after that time.
13. CWI affiliation
(i) It would be wrong to impose a time scale or give any guarantees as to the outcome of affiliation to our international by the SSP. We should discuss among the IS members and with the CWI leadership the best approach to take on this question. Whatever the outcome on affiliation, big sections of this new party can be won to the ideas of the CWI if we work in the right way, with a very open and bold approach.
(ii) It is true that these proposals are new and untested. We need to have a sober assessment as to the likely development of the SSP and how quickly it can make an impact. Nevertheless, in our estimation, this new party gives our organisation and international a great opportunity to take the ideas of socialism and Marxism out to a new audience in the politically turbulent situation that is currently unfolding.
14. Proposed role of the SML EC comrades
CF - west of Scotland SSP organiser and SSV; KK - SSV; AMC - SSV;
RV - west of Scotland SSP organiser and west of Scotland workplace organiser;
KB - SSP/IS finances; PS - north of Scotland SSP organiser and IS magazine;
FC - IS Scottish organiser
(i) While these are the main responsibilities of the comrades, they do not cover all the areas of work the comrades will be involved in. All comrades will be involved to varying degrees in the work of the IS
Extremely inappropriate
Socialist Party Executive Committee to Scottish Militant Labour Executive Committee
August 27 1998
We received your ‘Resolution to SML conference from SML EC’ on August 25. We will circulate it to National Committee members before the meeting on September 5-6.
We still consider that these latest organisational proposals are completely inadequate from the point of view of maintaining a revolutionary Marxist organisation and establishing a viable section of the CWI in Scotland. We will produce an EC resolution making our position clear in the next few days.
We feel that we have to write to you straightaway, however, on the course of action you are proposing in the resolution. As you say, there are still “clear differences”, which will of course be discussed at the NC, the special conference on October 3-4 and at the CWI world congress in November. You say that you do not believe that we will be able to reach agreement as to the best way forward. The resolution also makes it clear, however, that if your proposed procedure is followed, “it would also mean that the decision of the Scottish organisation would be implemented prior to these conferences [the SP special conference and the world congress] taking place”. Such a step would be unprecedented in the history of the CWI and a breach of the norms and especially the democratic spirit of democratic unity. It is surely an extremely inappropriate way in which to propose the establishment of a new section of our International.
We would appeal to you, even at this stage, to reconsider the timetable and, at the very least, defer any implementation of your proposals until after the SP special conference on October 3-4.
At the moment, the Scottish organisation is still an autonomous unit of the British section, and we do not agree that either the political situation in Scotland or our agreement that the Scottish comrades form a separate section of the CWI makes it right for SML to pre-empt the outcome of the present debate and take unilateral action. We recognise that many SML comrades favour pressing ahead. But we would ask you to recognise that a great many members of SP and other CWI sections (in our estimate a majority), who have the highest regard for the Scottish comrades’ achievements and want only to see the further successes of Marxism in Scotland, are strongly opposed to your proposals. They consider that they have a right to participate fully in the debate before a decision is effectively taken.
Yours comradely,
Lynn Walsh
For the executive committee