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Next steps towards a New Left

The results of the European elections contain important lessons for the left. As John Bulaitis explains in this issue, the militant left only gained seats where it had pre-existing party or party-type organisations of some significance. In Italy, this was the Party of Communist Refoundation, in Spain the United Left and in France the Lutte Ouvriere-Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire coalition. The left in Britain - with the exception of Scotland - lacked a militant socialist organisation with a real national presence capable of mounting such a challenge. This points to the general strategic problem of building a new, pluralist and militant socialist party - which has been the objective of Socialist Democracy since its founders left the Socialist Party/Militant. There is no doubt that the political space to the left of New Labour will grow as the government slips further into farce. As Blairism unravels, it can expect further election reverses such as it experienced in the Euro-elections. Political apathy and abstentionism will also be a continuing feature of the next period. The best antidote to this would be the a party like the Scottish Socialist Party on an all-British scale. But given the differences in political conditions between Scotland and the rest of the UK, this will not be easy. For the moment, only partial steps can be taken to start to resolve the crisis of political representation of the working class. In this regard, the news of emergence of groups of ex-Militant/Socialist Party supporters who are beginning to organise in several major cities is most welcome.

Taken together, these groups could take an important step towards creating a new culture on the British left: one rejecting the congenital absolutism of British Trotskyism. As Chris Brooks argues in this issue, the New Left that is emerging needs to discover New Rules: favouring a creative and experimental culture on the left. These groups and others could become a real attractive pole for people wanting a militant socialist alternative, but rejecting fossilised sectarian dogmatism. On a European scale, however, we can see that there will be plenty of competition to win radicals - especially young radicals - to the left of the pro-capitalist social democratic parties. This can be seen, for example, in the French situation. Probably the LCR-LO coalition, which won five seats in the Euro-election with 5.3% of the vote - lost a couple of percentage points during the campaign to Cohn-Bendit's Greens. This was because of the hysteria whipped up over the Balkans war, and the pro-Nato position of Cohn-Bendit - who combined a pro-imperialist position with radical social policies on some questions. In Britain a Cohn-Bendit type position is defended by Euro-journalist John Palmer, a regular contributor the magazine Red Pepper and long-time defender of the European Union, who vigorously advocated left support for the Nato war effort. As a welcome riposte, Patrick Scott's article reviews the response of the left to the war and the need to fight for self-determination for the Kosovars, while opposing Nato. For the same reason Peter Gowan's essay, The Twilight of Europe, dominates the second half of this magazine. Gowan's conclusions are hotly debated on the left, including amongst Socialist Democracy supporters. However his article represents a rare attempt to look at the global and political implications of the Balkans conflict for the left. In general, the Greens in Europe have moved substantially to the right, participating in bourgeois government alliances in several countries. If continued, the right-wing Green drift will produce at least accommodation to social democracy (as in France and Germany), and probably the consolidation of sections of the Greens as bourgeois liberal parties. This is the not surprising result of social radicalism that is not rooted in militant anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism. As Nick Long explains in his article, an open letter to the Way Head group in the Green Party, the antidote to this is a new left which bases itself neither on vague radicalism nor fossilised dogma, but socialism, struggle and solidarity. The best opportunity to move towards this today is the forces emerging from the Militant tradition. Socialist Democracy completely supports these efforts.

Building a new party of the left

Re-launch of London Socialist Alliance 1st August

1999 Speakers: Rosie Kane, Scottish Socialist Party, Ian Page, Lewisham socialist councillor, Terry Liddle, Green Party. Also invited: National SA committee, Green Socialist Network, London ILN, Socialist Party and Socialist Outlook. 12-6pm Calabash Centre, George Lane, Lewisham SE13. Ladywell/Hither Green BR