Last Sunday, on 31 May, a conference organised by Your Party grassroots activists voted to move towards the formation of a new Socialist Federation. Attended by around 250 people, both from Your Party and beyond, the conference showed that in spite of the popular wave from last summer having left to the Greens, there is still an appetite on the left for something more – a party unwaveringly socialist, focused just as much on building working class power in workplaces and communities as on getting voters out to the ballot box. This is where Reform and the far right are building and winning elections alone will not be enough to arrest their growth.
The question of how to relate to the Green Party has already reared its head at this first conference. There was broad agreement around the need for a left-wing party differentiated from the Greens, but there were differences of opinion on how strongly to oppose them, with some arguing for opposition across the board and others calling for tactical flexibility. While I lean towards the latter, this must be undertaken without naivety.
There is a huge risk of falling into the same traps of other left electoral projects like Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece, capitulating to forces arrayed against us and moderating radical positions in order to gain power in a coalition. There is only any purpose in a new party if it consistently presents something unique, to be a radical flank to the existing parties.
Socialist Federation needs to show “its purpose in action”
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Unlike Your Party, Socialist Federation is not starting from the position of a large on-paper membership and celebrity political endorsements that would make the question of challenging the Greens on the national level a pressing one. Much more important is what the federation can do right now with its existing resources. Over the coming weeks and months, the federation has to produce an effective democratic structure, but more important still is demonstrating its purpose in action.
Local Your Party groups have been highly active on the ground in many areas, often building a presence equal to or exceeding that of Green Party branches. This is despite a complete lack of funding, membership data, promotion, organisational infrastructure, training, or any other resources that you would expect from a political party. By providing what Your Party has refused to – as quickly as possible – and contributing to concrete grassroots organising, Socialist Federation can prove its worth for people to join and for groups to affiliate, including those who have previously given Your Party a wide berth.
On the flip side, the federation has to avoid falling into well-trodden far-left habits and shrinking into a tiny and irrelevant group. And viable answers are already being put on the table. The discussions are already looking towards the unique practices of Your Party groups like Oorparty.scot, Islington YP, and Bread and Roses North Staffs (formerly Stoke YP), whose community listening exercises have been directly reaching people outside our usual spheres of influence.
Making this approach standard practice for building deeply-rooted local campaigns could help to create the kind of active and militant organisation that previous projects have failed to establish. And it can also feed into a broader strategy and programme, creating a party whose direction is shaped not only by its members but by the wider working class.
Not starting from a blank slate
We are not starting from a blank slate and Your Party left us with problems that are already showing their presence and which must be tackled urgently. While the event on Sunday was a success and well attended with vibrant debate and only a reasonable amount of democratic friction, the demographics represented were limited – disproportionately older, white, and male.
Much of the youth and diversity of Your Party noticeably collapsed following the numerous early stumbles and that organisation is unavoidably our starting point, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. From here on, the Socialist Federation alone is responsible for the direction it takes and we must make efforts to redress the balance.
I was pleased therefore that Tom Lennard’s proposal and spoken contribution was highly supported, expressing the need for a better organisational culture than often seen in the socialist movement – more accessible language and ways of communicating, more caring and less combative attitudes and a focus on cultural interventions alongside those in the workplace. As the Life of the Party podcast put it, the Green Party has a vibe which is attracting people, where the vibe of Your Party repelled them.
Over the next few weeks, the highest voted proposals from the conference will be composited and amended by the original proposers, with a further Zoom conference on 28 June and an in-person conference in the Midlands in September to consummate the process. We appeal to anyone who understands the need for a new mass working-class and socialist party to rally to the Socialist Federation and to volunteer with us over the period ahead.
Read our recent article on why Jeremy Corbyn should step down as Your Party leader.
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