17.01.2002
Teesside gets going
After a lull during the holiday period and some rather slapdash organisation over the past few months, around 15 Socialist Alliance comrades met in Middlesbrough to map out activity over the coming months. The meeting began with a report-back on the December 1 SA constitutional conference. The debate that ensued was actually more heated than any we had previously. Most comrades were less than overjoyed that the conference had adopted the SWP model. However, a big majority of those present agreed that the SA needed tighter organisation and seemed pleased at the prospect of the alliance taking on more of a national profile. So, despite reservations, comrades were prepared, in the words of one speaker, to "suck it and see". If, as the Socialist Party alleges, the SA will now inevitably end up like Scargill's Socialist Labour Party, comrades "know where the door is": no one was going to be told what to think, by the SP, SWP or anyone else, and we are free to determine our own local policy as before. A comrade from the SP, who had previously played a valued role in Teesside SA, attended as an observer and bravely put forward the usual cynical 'SWP bogeyman' presentation. Our attitude towards the SP needs to discussed - we need to avoid the temptation to answer sectarianism with sectarianism and should attempt to build bridges with SP members. We should welcome them as observers if they insist on leaving the SA and should ask for a reciprocal arrangement for SP branch meetings. On Teesside the departure of the SP is probably more of a loss than in most places. Here, its relatively active comrades have played a helpful role. With the reduced numbers we will now meet on an all-Teesside basis - although plans will still go ahead to develop SA branches in every borough, with Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Hartlepool planning to set up their own group in the next week or so. We decided by a large majority to contest the forthcoming Middlesbrough mayoralty elections. Jeff Fowler, a long-standing socialist and prominent Natfhe activist, was selected as our candidate. Discussion then centred around the type of politics we should highlight during the campaign. Certainly we need to provide an alternative to the law and order nonsense that will be a feature of the election, in no small part due to the standing of 'Robocop' Ray Mallon, the former head of Cleveland police accused of corruption. ('Robocommie' was suggested as a campaign title for comrade Fowler). Our attitude towards the police will be the source of interesting future discussion, with one section demanding 'accountability' and the other calling for workers to aim for their own democratically run defence corps. Similarly there are differences over the centrality of democracy, although everyone agrees on the need to highlight the democratic deficit in the election for mayor. We need to present ourselves as the anti-mayor party which champions democratic rights, in a campaign targeting particular estates and workplaces. Our campaign newsletter, Teesside Worker, is now in production. Lawrie Coombs
Worker