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Thursday October 02, 2003 17:55 by Davy Carlin - W/Belfast SWP carlindavid at hotmail dot com
Left Unity -Anti Racism The Left Unity meeting in Belfast was standing room only and spilled into a second room. Also a report of next Anti Racist meeting. The left Unity meeting in Belfast was standing room only and spilled into a second room at the Unemplyed Resource Centre in Belfast last night. I seen leading representation of nine of the smaller left and socialist parties in the room. Apart from this a number of leading trade union figures are involved in the project along with various other organisations and individuals. Many stated that they had not seen such a large and representative meeting in calls for Left Unity before. Speakers on the platform were represented by the CP,Workers Party and SWP. A number of proposals were agreed after an open discussion and a final representative meeting is to take place next week. It was said that such an initiative will be a beacon for working class persons and there will be a final discussion on the aim to perhaps stand in all eighteen constituencies in the North, something that has not been done in this context before. |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11And what might such a disparate group have in common??............mmmm, oh yes they are all envious of the largest left wing party in the country, and want to damage it electorally. That is surely the only explanation as to why groups like the CP, WP and trots who have spent years nursing their irrelevant malicious hatreds of one another could possibly consider co-operating on anything.
Matt, are you going to post on every single thread mentioning any political party other than Sinn Fein and lay into everybody for not seeing the glory of the provos? If so, I suggest that you write a single comment saying "all of you suck, Sinn Fein are the greatest" and just cut and paste it every time. Why waste all that energy coming up with new ways to say the same thing over and over?
On the "left unity" meeting, the only report I have seen from anyone not in the SWP said that the only thing that was agreed was to hold another meeting.
The SWP, WP and CP are sniffing around each other but at this stage I would be surprised if the WP ends its long standing approach of standing on its own everywhere it has a potential candidate or if the CP abandon its support of the Womens Coalition.
I would be grateful to Davy if he could outline exactly what has been agreed and by what organisations rather than just telling us that the meeting had a lot of people at it.
Was merely treating the event with the solemnity it deserves. It could just as easily be a report of a similar meeting in 1968, 69 or 70. The same types of people pretending that they are the "beacon to the working class" and the solution to the problem of uniting protestant, catholic and dissenter. All very laudable but still totally out of synch with the realities of the situation. Now, as in the late 1960s, THE major issue remains the solution of the national question. Only when the unatural relationship of this country to Britain and the distorting effects that has on all aspects of life are solved, will it be possible to think about specifically working class concerns.
Interesting how 'left unity' to the SWP is all about elections and getting votes.
But I'm puzzled by Matts claim that only when the national question is resolved will it be 'possible to think about specifically working class concerns'. For all their crap politics the SWP are managing not only to think about 'specifically working class concerns' but actually talk about them as well. As are lots of others in the north.
"Labour must wait", right matt?
An attempted unity between these losers is an irrelevancy. All they have in common is a lack of support from working class people. While the gap to the left of Sinn Fein is huge and getting bigger all the time, none of these chancers have a hope of filling it. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anybody else capable either.
Touche sir! - Get a new slogan and one that's relevant. Just proves what I was saying earlier about people stuck in a time warp. Micro-left share exactly the same sorry arse chip-on-the-shoulder borne courageously by the Labour Party since they opted out of the Irish Revolution. Fatal flaw in all of this is that you seem to think there is some mystical conection between the Irish working class and your irrelevant parties. And that all that stands in the way of the working class realising this and flocking to you is the Catholic Church/Orange Order/Fianna Fáil/Sinn Féin/the weather or whatever your're having yourself. Deal with the realities of the situation and not wishful thinking then maybe people might start to listen to you.
Agree with your points but-
Interesting how left unity to the SWP is all about elections and getting votes.?
Know anything about the recent Belfast Anti War Movement march through Belfast several hundred strong? Or what about the Campaign against the water charges and the recent very successful community public meeting in South Belfast with others being set up around Belfast, or the establishment of the N.Ireland coalition against the water charges. Maybe you have heard about the Anti Racist Network and a possible Belfast march and rally as above, if not what about the Belfast mobilisations for the ESF. Know about the Campaign against selection or anything about the upcoming student march in Belfast, if not there is of course the N'E,ISF and lets not forget the IPSC or the BSF, maybe active solidarity to communities on the interfaces may count, or building rallies against sectarianism or marching against repression, Or how about organising solidarity marches from the falls or the Shankill or solidarity actions in the unions, or student and work walkouts, etc etc, Left Unity for us takes many forms and working closely and in solidarity with many many organisations, Trade Unions, political and community groups and idividuals
Oh and by the way there is of course that other Important Left Unity initiative that many are attempting to work together on - that of the elections.
And to end, to those that state that such are irrelevant, The 20,ooo Anti War demo which had every banner under the sun on it was brought about by such Unity within the trade unions community and political organisations and incidently the only political banner not in Belfast on that day was SF and with not even a placcard. Or the thirty thousand that rallied against a loyalist murder, was a far cry from the 300 or so at Belfast City Hall answering SF calls to restore democracy. What was that about irrelevancy?
Waiting for a Shinner to bite
Agree with your points apart from as you state 'SWP'S crap politics'.
"The 20,ooo Anti War demo which had every banner under the sun on it was brought about by such Unity within the trade unions community and political organisations and incidently the only political banner not in Belfast on that day was SF and with not even a placcard"
You twat, SF in belfast had taken the decision not to "brand" the march as they wanted to encourage cross community support. There are photos from the march and guess what, there are pictures of a bearded man with glasses standing in the crowd listening to the speeches. Give you three guesses who that was. SF were there in numbers it just that we did not need to go around shouting about it.
You child.