23.06.2004

Coming clean

Tina Becker on the latest developments with the European Social Forum

Over June 18-20 the latest international assembly to prepare for this year's European Social Forum took place in Berlin. Around 200 people, representing 70 organisations from 20 countries, saw the two British 'government' organisations, the Socialist Workers Party and Socialist Action, behave almost impeccably - no doubt the comrades did not want to receive another ticking off from our European comrades.

What a little bit of 'encouragement' from abroad can do … It has only been a week since leading members of the Italian mobilising committee published two documents in which they were extremely critical of the high-handed, secretive and undemocratic methods of the main organisers of the London ESF, even threatening to "pull out" of the ESF. Last week's issue of the Weekly Worker was completely sold out by Saturday afternoon, as comrades from across Europe clamoured to find out about the latest shenanigans of the 'government' organisations.
In response, our SWP and SA comrades decided to play it cool: they pretty much kept in the background throughout the assembly, agreeing to a number of demands they had stubbornly rejected for months. Most shockingly though for many, they seemed to make an effort to be friendly. Members of the 'democratic opposition' (more or less everybody who is not a member of the two 'government' organisations) were visibly shaken after having been greeted for the first time by a member of Socialist Action or even being kissed on the cheek by the SWP's Chris Nineham.
Autonomous spaces

The only really annoying participants this time were comrades from Workers Power, who bored everybody to tears by demanding over and over again that a youth camp be set up at the ESF (a supportable idea in itself). Literally unable to talk about anything else, the five comrades hysterically accused participants from across Europe of "not understanding how young people are oppressed by society and now also by the ESF". 
However, most participants from across Europe seemed pretty much aware that Workers Power is chiefly interested in such a camp in order to recruit to its tiny youth front, Revolution, from which it occasionally picks up new members.

Much more seriously considered were requests for 'autonomous spaces' within the ESF - ie, self-organised areas, where organisations and networks from across Europe could meet and exchange ideas and opinions (of which the youth camp might be one, if WP gets its way). It was agreed that all such areas would be given advertising space in the official ESF programme - something that the comrades from the SWP and SA had long avoided taking a clear position on.
Surely, such spaces are the whole point to making the ESF successful in any meaningful way and there should be many dozens of them. We need areas where international networks can be formed, common demands formulated and joint activities across Europe prepared.
What is still unclear, though, is how they would be financed. Most participants agreed that it would be unfair on the one hand to demand payment from groups who organise workshops and seminars - and on the other hand offer free spaces for the whole week to other, 'autonomous' organisations. It was agreed that some kind of financial and organisational formula would be agreed within the next three weeks.

However, even the biggest practical problems or financial restraints must not be allowed to stop us forming European-wide alternative structures. Last week's deal on the European constitution underlines the urgent need for the left to get its act together. This year's ESF must make progress on this question. So far, the ESF has been limited to an annual festival of the left. The particular democratic problems plaguing the London ESF have further hindered us from moving forward organisationally and politically, as massive amounts of energy have been absorbed fighting for a minimum of democratic structures and transparency.

As a positive step towards such joint structures, a working group has now been set up that will prepare for the Assembly of Social Movements, which is to take place on the last day of the ESF. The ASM is a way around the idiotic official ESF rule, according to which we cannot decide on any joint activities during the ESF itself. This rule is supposed to 'protect' trade unions and NGOs who might be involved in the ESF, but do not want to take part in any common action. Last year, the ASM was stitched up on the evening before the actual event. Hence, while it called for various demonstrations, it failed to either democratically draw in participants or propose any real, European-wide campaigns.

This year, things will hopefully be different. The ASM working group will enjoy the input of Franco Russo (from Italy's Rifondazione Comunista) and Pierre Barge (from the French League for the Rights of Man), who are the driving forces behind the ASM 'constituent assembly'. 
The comrades are attempting to formulate a joint response to the EU's draft constitution, as well as a 'declaration of social rights' (see Weekly Worker June 3). Despite the SWP's insistence that Europe and its constitution are "non-issues" in Britain, other comrades in Europe are less philistine, recognising the need for the left not only to take these questions seriously, but also to form structures in order to make an impact.

The comrades recognise that constitutions are not set in stone, but are a reflection of class struggle. Our united opposition - and alternative proposals for a Europe from below - can actually make a difference: not only can we influence the actual final product; we are building long overdue organisational structures in the process.

Money and website

All of a sudden information on the financial situation has been forthcoming. In a meeting that discussed practicalities, Chris Nineham reported that "we have said very openly all along that there would be a £250,000 donation from the Greater London Authority and an equal amount from the trade unions". No, Chris, you did not. These amounts were only ever mentioned in secret meetings and to trusted allies … and of course they found their way into the Weekly Worker. However, when we reported these donations - together with the fact that the ESF will cost roughly £1.5 million - we were not only accused of "inaccuracies", but of "threatening and sabotaging the whole ESF".

It seems that Ken Livingstone's re-election as mayor of London has somewhat loosened that blockage on reporting financial details. We have now also been told that the TGWU has pledged a donation of £25,000. However, just as with Unison's donation of £50,000, it is unclear when or how this money will find its way to the ESF and - crucially - how it will be spent.

It is therefore interesting to see how some of the money is being allocated. For at least months, members of the democratic opposition had - unsuccessfully - demanded information about the ESF website. What would be on it? Who would design it? Who would run it? Suggestions that the skills of some of the many web designers from the ESF movement itself could be made use of were brushed aside. All we were told was that that there would be no GLA support for the ESF if the website was not run by professionals and that the GLA had therefore initiated a 'tendering process'.

In Berlin at the weekend some details came to light. For example, the fact that GreenNet has been given the contract and the website should go live on July 7, replacing our current, temporary site. Strangely, when speaking to members of the democratic opposition, the 'government' organisations could simply not recall how much this website would cost. They only remembered when they were asked by some European comrades. Possibly fearing another slap on the wrist from Europe, they disclosed that the website will cost "around £40,000".

This hefty price does not include translations (which will be done for free by the volunteers from Babels). As far as we can tell, the site will not even be interactive to allow the self-merging of seminar proposals. So a fifth of the GLA's 'donation' has already been spent on a website that seems somewhat inadequate compared to the task - and is roughly £39,400 more expensive than last year's site, which cost the French ESF a mere €1,000. That site admittedly suffered some serious technical problems in the run-up to the event - but surely our many web-wise ESF supporters could have produced a functioning site for less than this truly exorbitant amount.
Indeed, in Berlin the SWP and SA surprisingly agreed to make use of a database facility that has been set up by members of the democratic opposition. Currently, we have a long list of proposed seminars and workshops up on our temporary site - a mish-mash in a mixture of languages that is in no particular order and is not searchable. The database, on the other hand, will allow organisations wishing to propose a seminar or workshop to search out other proposals, register certain key words and contact other organisations to discuss a merging process. And all of this did not cost a penny.

Ken's reward

While the ESF is struggling to get its finances together, Ken Livingstone has rewarded six of his most loyal lieutenants with a hefty pay rise - amongst them Socialist Action members Redmond O'Neill and John Ross. Comrade O'Neill, who has been instrumental in bringing the ESF to London, has been promoted from adviser to director of transport and public affairs and will become deputy chief of staff - and now earns a chunky £111,000 per year. Ross has been made director of economic and business policy. The six will be earning more than the mayor of New York and even more than Livingstone himself, who is on a paltry £108,000.

SA members have proved themselves faithful servants to the mayor: they have concentrated on achieving controlling positions in a number of campaigns and organisations, many of which are directly or indirectly used and supported by Livingstone: the National Assembly Against Racism, Unite Against Fascism, Abortion Rights, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, National Union of Students and others. SA make sure that they fit in as far as possible with Livingstone's vaulting ambitions.

In the ESF, SA comrades like Redmond O'Neill have been the most vocal in insisting that entry tickets should be raised from the minimum last year of around £2 to £20 ("a reasonable amount", according to comrade O'Neill, even though this applies to the unwaged; non-concessions must pay £30); that all financial details should remain a secret - and that Weekly Worker journalists got thrown out of meetings whenever such matters were discussed.

If comrades O'Neill and Ross were to take only the average wage of a skilled worker in Britain - let us say £30,000 - donating the rest to the ESF, the balance could be used to pay for literally thousands of people attending the event. Alternatively, the comrades could facilitate the running of a few self-organised spaces - and therefore help further left unity across Europe