14.04.2004

Beleaguered in Wales

Respect in Wales has suffered a blow in its attempts to forge a left-of-Labour slate of candidates to fight the European elections in June, says Cameron Richards

Already spurned by the Welsh Greens, Respect has now been rebuffed by Forward Wales, the party founded by John Marek AM.

At its meeting on April 8, Forward Wales decided to select its own list of candidates for the forthcoming elections, to be headed by the former New Labour cabinet minister, Ron Davies. Forward Wales has subsequently written to George Galloway asking Respect to stand down in Wales to give it a free run in the elections, as Respect has done in Scotland with the Scottish Socialist Party. According to a spokesman for Forward Wales, no reply has yet been received.

All this may come as a surprise to those who had been reading the public statements of Respect, which had been implying that a joint slate with Forward Wales was almost a foregone conclusion. As late as April 4, Respect was claiming on its website that a “provisional agreement” had been made with Marek. All the meetings so far of Respect in Wales have seen its Socialist Workers Party leadership confidently assert that negotiations were at an “advanced stage”. So what went wrong? Did Forward Wales pull out at the 11th hour?

In fact, the truth is rather simpler. Ever since Marek shared a platform with Galloway in Cardiff in January, Respect has spun the story of a deal being made. Yet at no stage did Marek ever make a commitment to Galloway. Indeed in private comments, members of Forward Wales close to Marek explicitly ruled out the possibility of a deal with Respect.

True, last summer Marek speculated on a left bloc for the European elections. In Red Pepper he stated that he sought to “involve other socialist groups - still small and disorganised - so as to develop a common platform and agree priorities for Wales and for Europe”. Indeed some tentative negotiations did take place last summer with the Welsh Socialist Alliance and later with the Socialist Party - though to its credit the SP was far more circumspect about dealing with Forward Wales. After all, Marek believes that explicit talk about socialism would be a big vote loser (rather like Respect).

Yet with the defection of Ron Davies to Forward Wales early this year, Marek and his coterie of advisers, centred on the left nationalist group Cymru Goch, clearly believed that it was now time to push their own party name. With a ‘star’ like Davies aboard the ship, why bother to lumber yourself with the far left?

Respect has attempted to put a brave face on this outcome. SWPer Martin Chapman stated on the Respect website: “We would have preferred to have been on a joint list with Ron Davies, who has helped to highlight the problems with New Labour and who also seemed to understand the need for a united slate, but we have a brilliant set of candidates who represent the grassroots of the anti-war and progressive movement” (April 9).

Alas, if only this were so. For all its attempts to create a wider basis of support than that achieved by the Welsh Socialist Alliance, the SWP in Wales has been unable to do this with Respect. Whilst attempting to isolate those in Respect to its left - ie, the CPGB - it has made few friends to its right. As well as being ignored by the Welsh Greens and Forward Wales, precious few of “the grassroots of the anti- war and progressive movement” have so far joined Respect.

Respect in Wales is now beleaguered. With the progressive anti-Labour vote likely to go to a myriad of fake and soft left parties - Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats, Forward Wales and the Greens - Respect will undoubtedly receive only the normal fringe vote.

Yet, in one sense, Respect in Wales has a point. With its programme very similar to that of Forward Wales and Greens - and not too dissimilar from Plaid - it made no sense for the elections to be littered with so many ‘progressive’ parties. None were going to prioritise that dreaded word ‘socialism’. Perhaps now Respect will stand down to give others its support. This would be logical from the perspective of the SWP. What is the point of electoralism if one has no electorate?

Of course, this points to another alternative, one that Respect will no doubt spurn. That is to reject the logic of electoralism and the bonfire of principles that flows from it. Instead, create clear red water between it and these so-called progressive parties.

Let’s campaign for republicanism, open borders and a workers’ party. Above all, let’s argue that there is an alternative to capitalism and it is called socialism.