14.11.2002
Socialist Alliance marginalised
The Socialist Alliance unfortunately played no real part in the ESF. There was no SA stall, no SA workshop and no SA speaker. Besides the distribution of some leaflets at a couple of the meetings and a banner on the demo, it was nowhere to be seen. CPGB members had pushed for the Socialist Alliance to have a platform speaker at the meeting on 'political parties and the movement'. This was rejected at the last organising meeting in Barcelona in favour of a Globalise Resistance speaker, and CPGB comrades were attacked by Alex Callinicos of the Socialist Workers Party for daring to suggest that Chris Nineham should be replaced by a representative of the Socialist Alliance. Unfortunately the focus of the SWP, the largest SA component, at the ESF was on building itself. Globalise Resistance (GR) was used on this occasion as the united front through which this would happen. A meeting hosted by GR with the title 'Another world is possible' was predictably a transmission belt for the SWP and its International Socialist Tendency. Jonathan Neale opened with a call for a revolutionary alternative by which he meant, of course, the SWP and its clones. Comrade Neale was followed by amongst others Alex Callinicos, who spoke of the need for openness, democracy and revolutionary politics. All good stuff, but hardly the kind of politics that the SWP promotes in the Socialist Alliance. Comrades will remember, this is the same Alex Callinicos who derided SA members at the euro conference for talking like "Marxist professors" when they raised the need to take a revolutionary approach to the question of Europe. He is also the same man who has opposed CPGB proposals for the SA to commit itself in its programmatic documents to a working class, internationalist socialism rather than some red-green mish-mash. But in Florence, with an audience of young people eager for change, he presented the SWP's most leftist face. However, true to form, the GR meeting was a stage-managed affair. The chair was 'guided' by comrades Nineham, Callinicos and Chris Bambery as to who to allow in as speakers from the floor. A few token women speakers were allowed, but in general it was an array of GR/SWP members who acted merely to confirm what their leaders had already said. The thing ended with comrade Bambery conducting the r-r-revolutionary chanting. The same breathless leftism dominated the SWP's overall intervention. They were eager to present themselves as the revolutionary pole of the ESF and were determined that the Socialist Alliance should be kept safely at home. No mention of the SA was made by any of their speakers that I heard. This is despite the fact that Rifondazione Comunista - the main organising spirit behind the ESF - has made it clear that they are very keen to work with the Socialist Alliance and indeed want to promote political unity across Europe. Indeed CPGB comrades found that the Weekly Worker's front-page call for a Socialist Alliance of Europe provoked a lot of interest at the ESF conference and on the November 9 demonstration. Our SA executive should have organised an effective intervention but did not. There must be answers as to why this did not happen. It was an opportunity lost. The preparations for the next ESF in France are beginning. The executive must make sure we are involved from the very beginning. Anne Mc Shane * European left gathers * Communist SWP * European SA needed
Worker