13.03.2003

Transparency needed

Politics are in flux. George Galloway quite rightly keeps repeating a phrase of Lenin's: "There are decades when nothing happens. Then there are weeks when decades happen." Undoubtedly, the unpaid and voluntary workers in the Stop the War Coalition office will be snowed under with requests for speakers, leaflets and press enquiries. They have done a great job in pulling together the People's Assembly at short notice. However, even the busiest schedule is not a good enough excuse for the lack of transparency at our first People's Assembly. The agenda was not available before the meeting. When we requested a copy a few days before, we were informed by the STWC office that an agenda would be presented, but "we can't circulate it beforehand, because the meeting will decide on the agenda. You can of course bring your own proposal." Similarly: "You can send us your motion, but we will not be able to circulate it and I don't think we will be taking any motions anyway," we were told. The first thing we saw of the 'Declaration of the People's Assembly for Peace' was at the meeting itself. Incredibly, even the Socialist Party and Workers Power, who both have representatives on the STWC steering committee, had not seen the declaration before the meeting, let alone discussed it within their organisations. So delegates had to prepare motions 'blind', in the hope that they might fit into the agenda. Most drafted their proposals on scraps of paper, after seeing the agenda for the first time. Of course, rational and informed debate on such motions was almost impossible. This is very bad practice. We quite rightly complain about the undemocratic nature of parliament under the constitutional monarchy system. Our assembly is supposed to be the people's answer to the unrepresentative House of Commons. Obviously the fight for democracy must we waged in the anti-war party too - otherwise the biggest mass movement seen for decades will be robbed of its cutting edge and dynamism.