[Marxism] The crisis in Respect

[Ratbag Radio]

It seems to me that Louis Proyect is a bit of a one trick pony as his
"analysis" of the Respect split suggests. Alan Bradley quite rightly calls
him out on his massive idealism in regard to new party matters.

Nonetheless a more considered version of what can be done in the real world
is carried in this argument below by Andy Newman:


dave riley
_______________
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=937#comment-15190
Let us step back a moment.

There is a lot of heat being generated.

Firstly, if we only look at what has happened in respect in institutional
and organisational terms then both sides can find fault with the other. This
is the problem with the approach of Canadien and John G.

However, if you look at the question in terms of the overall political
context first –there objectively exists the space to create a broad left of
labour organisation, but that space cannot be filled by the soi-dissant
revolutionary left.

What is more, due to low levels of class consciousness and trade union
participation, a political party based only upon traditional organised
Labour cannot be the whole answer. But at the same time, there is a big rise
in a general ideological opposition to neo-liberalism,
imperialism, and environmental destruction.

So the space to the left of labour needs to be filled by a pluralistic
force, that includes diversity, and in order for that to succeed we need
democratic structures that empower the membership.

As a result we need to work on two tasks simultaneously.

i) practical cooperation between socialists of all persuasions, which ever
political project they subscribe to, over campaining issues, and within the
trade unions.
ii) Building trust and cooperation over a long period to build a progressive
political alliance against new Labour

While neither side of the current debate in Respect are saints, the truth is
that the SWP leadership have politically isolated themselves, because they
have prioritised their institutional prestige and organisational interests
within Respect and by so doing destroyed trust, and undermined the working
relationships with other leading members.

Since August, the SWP have turned a loose and disparate group of figures in
the Respect leadership who had different concerns about the direction of the
project, into a united block with a shared understanding that the SWP's way
of working is incompatible with building a pluralistic project.

Naturally, the process has been much accelerated at the top of Respect, with
those closest to the disputes. Many Respect activists will not have
understood what was going on, and many SWP members working in local Respect
groups may have been behaving in an exemplary way, and so the criticisms of
the SWP leadership might not match some people's experience.

But we also have to say that in most of the country, Respect is a very small
organisation that is hardly greater then the SWP and one or two others, and
the SWP turn it off and one only for elections.

So the real strategic asset of Respect, apart from Galloway himself, are the
electrical bases and relatively mass membership if East London and
Birmingham.

Galloway is Galloway, and like all of us he has both his strengths and
idiosyncrasies. It is also true that some of the figures in Galloway's
corner now have a past history of acting in the way they now criticise when
they were SWP members themselves.

But the experience of the last few months have proven that that way of
working must be ditched forever. And the political task confronting us
cannot be achieved with behind he scenes deals and control freakery.

There are no guarantees in politics, but coming out of this dispute will be
a group of respect activists, including at a national level almost everyone
not in the SWP. They will have an MP and still some dozen councillors, with
an electoral base. What is more there will be a commitment never to go back
to the top down culture.

The immediate tasks will be to rebuild the confidence and involvement of the
members, which means proper functioning democratic structures; and also a
much more modest assessment of Respect. Repositioning Respect as a partner
and bridge builder to other progressive forces, not as the final answer.

If we can resist hubris. If we can do these simple tasks, and if we can
avoid recrimination against the SWP, then Respect has a future.

Comment by Andy Newman — 1 November, 2007 @ 11:18 am



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