Over the past months, immense enthusiasm has been expressed throughout society for the call made by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn to launch a new left party to stand against war and austerity.
Statement from Socialist Alternative
Over 800,000 have signed up. Local groups have sprung up all over the country. Huge hope and enthusiasm has been invested in this process, and continues to be.
Earlier today, an email went to all those who have signed up to the party offering people the opportunity to sign up as members. This too was correctly greeted with enormous enthusiasm. Over 20,000 joined and paid within less than two hours.
Unfortunately, what was then revealed is a substantial rift at the top. This will be shocking and disappointing for many, and it must not be allowed to derail the launch of this vitally needed political force.
Platform for Democracy
Socialist Alternative has been arguing for some time about the need for a transparent and fully democratic approach to getting the party started. We have fully supported the ‘Platform for a Democratic Party’, launched by leading YP supporters including film director Ken Loach and Bakers’ Union President, Ian Hodson, which puts forward the need for a broad and representative committee to be formed to organise the conference. The Platform also called for the urgent establishment of branches to begin campaigning, discussing and electing delegates, and for the party to adopt clear socialist policies.
We believe that this Platform was necessary, in part, because the existing arrangements for organising the conference have been treated as the sole property of the Independent group of MPs. Unfortunately, this group has clearly too often excluded Zarah from any decision making process. While the involvement of parliamentary representatives is vital, we supported the demand for there to be a more inclusive and representative group set up, including prominent campaigners, trade unionists and activists, and ensuring an appropriate gender and geographical balance. Unfortunately, this has not taken place – something which has clearly led to growing frustration and ultimately, to the damaging and embarrassing impasse which has today been laid bare.
It appears that all this reached something of a boiling point over the last few days, when plans for the launch conference were announced earlier this week, without a ‘dual sign off’ from Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn. In response, Zarah Sultana chose to take action herself. She writes that she: “took the step of launching a membership portal so that supporters could continue to engage and organise. This was in line with the roadmap set out to members on Monday and is a safe, secure, legitimate portal for the party.”
This action has then been followed by a harsh public rebuke, signed by all the Independent group of MPs disowning Zarah Sultana, with the threat of legal action. Their statement contrastingly urges people not to sign up as members of Your Party through the online portal which has now been opened. This was an extremely unfortunate statement which most working-class people will find deeply bewildering and confusing.
The issues involved in this dispute are real and politically important. Socialist Alternative has shared many of the concerns Zarah Sultana raises in her statement regarding the process needed to launch the new party. Nonetheless, we are deeply concerned first and foremost with the interests of the working class and our movement, which are seriously threatened by developments which might undermine the prospects for building Your Party before it has even been able to get off the ground. There is a very real danger of an open split at the top which could rupture plans for a united left party, which our class desperately needs.
With the far right on the march and Starmer’s government attacking working class people, the overall urgency of developing a political force that can give voice to the millions hungry for a break with rotten capitalist politics remains utterly salient.
We therefore strongly urge restraint and de-escalation on both sides of this dispute, and support the call for an urgent meeting, including Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, along with their advisors, to try and find a way forward together. They should be joined in this meeting by authoritative representatives of trade unions and the antiwar movement who can help to throw fresh light and insight onto any issues under dispute.
We also believe that it’s even more vital now that those fighting to build Your Party continue to get organised at a grass-roots level, and to fight for this to be the party we all know is needed. That means coming together to discuss and debate the next steps, including the kind of democratic approach that’s necessary, but also the political ideas around which the party should be formed.
Socialist Alternative is fighting for this to be an open, democratic, mass party, that roots itself firmly in the struggles of working-class people and that has a clear socialist programme that offers a fundamental break with crisis-ridden capitalism. If you want to help us fight for principled unity, a democratic approach and a socialist programme, sign the Platform for a Democratic Party, and better still, join us today.
