07.06.2000

East Anglia Socialist Alliance launched

On Sunday June 4 the East Anglia Socialist Alliance was launched. There was a good spirit, with all 50 comrades in attendance committed to moving the project forward. The main left organisations were also well represented - the SWP, Socialist Party and CPGB.

The meeting began with an address by Greg Tucker, secretary of the LSA. Comrade Tucker set the formation of the Socialist Alliances against the overall political backdrop. The possibility of standing candidates in the general election was raised, with 50-60 being floated as the potential number. EASA's launch was to be welcomed in this context, he said.

The meeting was then opened up to contributions from the floor. The first came from the SP - there were a good dozen SPers there. Its comrade spoke of the "tragedy" of London, which saw the Campaign Against Tube Privatisation and the LSA stand separately, and emphasised the need for a "broad" socialist programme. Then came the call, which many others in the organisation echoed, for a new mass workers' party.

The fact that the Socialist Party comrades were present in such numbers (outnumbering the SWP, for example) and were keen enough to push the alliance project forward was significant. This no doubt reflected the partial shift in the SP leadership - as a result of pressure from the London rank and file and 'stars' such as Dave Nellist, Ian Page and Tommy Sheridan - to support the alliances. But it seemed to me that the SPers present were genuinely enthusiastic in their own right.

There were several speakers who wished to move the emphasis slightly from electoral work towards more general campaigning. There are both benefits and dangers in this. Getting involved in local campaigns is a way of raising the profile of the alliances and propagating socialist ideas, and campaigning for working class causes should definitely be a key part of the SA project. However, comrades must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Those issues that do arise on a local level should be linked to the national issues which are of political importance to the class. Otherwise there is a danger of localism creeping in.

In this context it is pleasing that comrade Tucker was invited: this broadened the scope of the meeting, giving it more of a national flavour.

The exact geography of the region caused some problems as comrades did not expect attendance from such a wide area. It was eventually decided that there would be a broader Eastern Region body with local areas forming there own SAs.

This linked into a debate over whether the next step should be a conference or a rally. It was felt by some comrades that a rally would be more successful in attracting broader forces to the SA.

However, there were those who quite rightly pointed out that not all left organisations in the area were in attendance - for example, some branches of the SWP were not represented (Norwich and Cambridge were notable absentees) - and that some 'nuts and bolts' decisions needed to be made.

There was a tendency from a few comrades to downplay the role of the organised left. While not wanting to limit the scope of the project, it must be emphasised that existing left groups have a vital part to play. It is a little unrealistic to expect the masses to flood the organisation straightaway and, even if they did, that they would remain closed to the various viewpoints and programmes represented by the left.

Such an attitude detracts from the SAs' political content and tries to run them down into little more than activist networks. Any move to water down the need for political content should be resolutely opposed. Our primary focus at this stage must be to bring the groups on the left together, building unity across sectarian barriers.

The meeting eventually decided on a conference as the next step, with rallies being held in the different areas to launch local SAs. I believe this was broadly the correct way to proceed.

The formation of the steering committee was the other main advance. It was agreed that London was the model, with emphasis being given to the representation of the constituent political organisations in addition to the different localities. It is important that comrades now build more localised Socialist Alliances which can coordinate groundwork in their area, while the proposed Eastern Region can provide an important link in the chain between the local SAs and the national project.

The political composition of the steering committee reflected that of the meeting - with one major exception: strangely, the SWP declined to nominate anyone.

As a result, Socialist Party comrades dominate the committee; the CPGB is also represented, along with one non-aligned individual. The meeting ended with a call for comrades to give any assistance they could to the LSA's campaign in the Tottenham by-election.

Though in its infancy, there are encouraging signs that the Socialist Alliances will develop and grow in the Eastern Region.