In the midst of an ongoing power struggle at the top, and a wave of enthusiasm from below, Your Party has finally launched its membership portal and set out a timeline for the party to be launched formally.
By Paul Callanan
For socialists, a key question will be how this party orients itself to the working class and what role can be played by the trade unions.
Orientation of the new left party
At present, 11 unions, including the big hitters like Unite and UNISON, are still affiliated to the Labour Party. This is totally unjustifiable given the actions of this Labour government – austerity 2.0, attacks on workers such as the Birmingham bin workers, and enabling the genocide in Gaza.
The government has demonstrated that, far from being on the side of workers, it is a bosses’ party through and through.
Add to this the silencing of dissident voices from within. Five MPs remain on the sidelines, having the whip withdrawn over opposing the two-child benefit cap. There was a further wave of suspensions for those MPs who opposed Starmer’s attacks on disability benefits. This has gone hand in hand with mass expulsions of left-wingers from Labour since the very beginning of Starmer’s leadership.
Starmer signalled his intent when he said “those who don’t like the changes we have made, there is the door and you can leave”. Many have taken him up on that offer.
The total dominance of the pro-capitalist, pro-genocide leadership of the Labour Party is confirmed by the fact that the two candidates who stood in the Deputy Leadership election were Blairites. The left could not even get a candidate on the ballot paper.
So poor is the choice on offer, Unite have refused to back either one.
It is clear from this, if it wasn’t before, that all roads are now closed for the left in the Labour Party. The challenge for socialists and trade unionists is: do we accept this defeat and do nothing, or fight to build a new political voice for the working class?
Breaking the unions from Labour
Unite took the correct decision in refusing to back a Deputy Leadership candidate, but the union must take proactive steps towards building a new party.
At its recent policy conference, Unite voted to review its affiliation to Labour in light of the attack being made by Labour-run Birmingham City Council against refuse workers. That decision must now be acted on.
The debate over political affiliation should now take place at all levels of the union, with members’ meetings hearing from the opposing sides in the debate. This should culminate in calling a special rules conference (the body with the power to vote to disaffiliate) being called to settle the question.
Socialist Alternative members have been active in the union both in calling for the debate to take place and with a clear call for disaffiliation.
An important battle is also taking place in UNISON with the upcoming general secretary election. Andrea Egan, the left-wing candidate, is standing on a platform that includes “no more blank cheques for Labour”. She too is calling for a review of the union’s link with Starmer’s Labour.
Socialist Alternative have pointed out that this review can be an important step to disaffiliation from Labour and building support for Your Party within the union. That’s why we have published an open letter calling on the union to do just that!
Across the movement as a whole, there is discussion taking place on political representation and Your Party. Already the call for a new party has galvanised the fighting elements of the trade union movement, many of whom have signed up and are taking part in launching local groups up and down the country.
Building support for Your Party within the unions
In each union there should be Your Party caucuses built. These should meet to discuss the new party’s programme, what structures it should have and how we campaign within the unions to make the break from Labour and take an active part in building a new party.
As well as national meetings within unions, these should also take place at local level. Such caucuses could also elect delegates to local and national leadership bodies.
If and when unions do affiliate to Your Party, they should be given formal representation in its leading bodies. This would allow millions of ordinary working-class people to exercise democratic control over the party and have a key voice in shaping its program and policies.
The new party should not just be about standing in elections and getting left candidates into parliament and council chambers. It is an opportunity to rebuild working class political organisation.
To achieve this, it is vital that the trade unions, still by far the biggest democratic workers’ organisations in the country, have a leading voice in developing the party.
This is the best way to ensure that the party campaigns on the issues that are important to our class – the cost of living, public services, growing militarism and the growth of the racist far-right to name but a few – and will ensure that it develops as a fighting, democratic and socialist party.
