Convention of The Left

Making it Public - in defence of public services

2010-02-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

A one day conference organised by the Convention of the Left
Saturday 27th February
11.00am - 4.00pm
Friends Meeting House
Mount Street, Manchester

Agenda

11.00am -12.30pm
Opening Plenary - Why do we want to "make it public" with John Nicholson (overview of event); plus contributions from Bill Jefferies (socialist economist); John Lister (Health Emergency) and Jerry Hicks.

Sessions - There IS an alternative

Sessions 12.30-1.30pm
1. Economy - Banks and Co-operatives - Eleanor Lewington (CPB), Bill Jefferies (Permanent Revolution), Andrew Fisher, (Left Economics Advisory Panel)

2. Unions - Building the Rank and File - Norma Turner (Unison), Kevin Brown (FBU), Jerry Hicks (Unite), Bill Greenshields (NUT)

1.30pm -2.30pm Lunch - refreshments provided

Sessions 2.30pm - 3.30pm

3. Health and Education - Declan O'Neill, Bill Greenshields (NUT), John Lister (Health Emergency)

4. Promoting public open space; debating regeneration, housing and transport - Steve Durrant (Green Left), Peter Allen (Green Party candidate for High Peak), Kay Phillips (Chair of Respect, Blackley candidate), Gayle O Donovan (Green Party candidate for Central Manchester)

5. Unity or Division? - the threat of racism and nationalism - Ian Parker (Socialist Resistance), John Tummon

3.30pm - 4.00pm Closing Plenary - actions to take arising from the day

Why should we Make it Public?

All three main political parties are proposing cuts and more cuts in the public sector. At the same time they can find unlimited money to bail out banks and failed privatisations (PFI) - as well as to continue wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But public service workers are fighting back - as shown by bin workers in Leeds and university workers in Manchester.

Vestas workers struggled against closure of socially and environmentally useful production of wind turbines. The Government could easily have afforded to take Vestas into public ownership - just as it could still save the jobs of steel workers in the North East.

The truth is that the wealth exists in society to pay for our essential needs. The Government's cuts are senseless and stupid, as well as savage.
Cutting civil servants who pursue tax evasion will cost the economy billions. Privatising the building and ownership of schools and hospitals has put the country into massive debt for years to come. Instead we should cut Trident, stop the wars, and make the rich pay. We should build houses for rent, create sustainable jobs and promote peace.

The recession has not been caused by the poor but the Government's response has widened inequalities and encouraged racist scape-goating and the rise of the right. They are buying themselves out - through bonuses for the bankers and expenses for themselves - but still blaming the crisis on its victims.

The alternative is to fight against the public service cuts, to show that privatisation is costly, ineffective and simply wrong for services such as health, education, housing and transport, and to promote the idea that public ownership is the only answer to the environmental and financial crisis of the wasteful, warlike and unfair system of global capitalism.
The media dont even allow the suggestion that there is any alternative to cuts. We want to "make it public" that there IS..... and that this alternative is to "make it public".

Whatever our different opinions of what to do in the forthcoming elections, we believe that the left can unite to defend public services and promote public ownership.

If you are interested in joining an open and participatory discussion to challenge to cosy consensus of the mainstream parties, the media and the moguls, please come to the Convention's "Making It Public" event on Saturday 27th February in Manchester.

LRC Conference backs Convention and looks forward to 2009

2008-11-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

On Saturday 15th November at the annual Labour Representation Committee Conference in London, a resolution calling for support for another Convention Of The Left was passed overwhelmingly.
Resolutions are easy but now the hard work begins making that hope a reality.
Plans for another Convention are of necessity still embryonic but the LRC hopes other groups will come forward, as they did last time, to build a broad coalition of socialists and progressives who can find common ground for debate and discussion. At this stage, it seems pertinent to point out that in no sense will the LRC be taking "ownership" of any future Convention or aiming to dominate in a "top-down" way.
As a group working largely within the Labour Party, we have learned much by building alliances with those outside, including our affiliated unions the RMT, FBU and NUJ. So much so a new body, the Trade Union Co-ordinating group, was launched at the TUC Conference in September. The PCS is also involved in the TUCG.
COTL 2009 is likely to be planned around TUC or Labour Conference in Brighton in September. Our resources for building for it are still pretty much an unknown quantity. It might be a one-day event, a weekend school, or even if we are very resourceful on a scale comparable with the hugely successful COTL in Manchester

What is clear is that everyone interested in making it happen needs to make their views and contacts known as soon as possible. As one of two newly elected Vice-Chairs of the LRC, I'm keen to hear from others who want to get involved.

The Recall Conference on January 24 in Manchester will be an opportunity for us to move this forwarded - let's get to it!
Susan Press, LRC Vice-Chair, Calder Valley CLP

Recall Event Date Change - January 24th

2008-11-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

Please note that the Convention of the Left Recall Conference - Capitalism isn't Working - has been moved from November 29th to a new date of Saturday January 24th 2009. This is due to an unfortunate problem with the previous venue. The event will now take place from 10,00am till 4.30pm at the Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Convention of The Left - January 24th Recall Conference - Capitalism Isn't Working

2008-11-06T03:13:00.001-08:00

Convention of The Left - January 24th Recall Conference - Capitalism Isn’t Working

The Convention of The Left brought together the left across labour, socialist, communist, green organisations and those in none. In 5 days of countering the official security-bound (non)event next door, we did well to meet our threefold aims: protest at Labour's warmongering and privatisation, presenting an alternative of people not profit, and proposing ways of working together in unity for The Left as a whole. Our agreed Statement of Intent envisages local left forums that can support practical campaigns and co-ordinate local action, as well as continuing the spirit of genuine debate started by the Convention.

There were criticisms: "a sinking ship" (before we had even set sail!), "a talking shop" (what’s wrong with talking?), and, perhaps most critically, that we failed to set up "the one" (or "an other"?) new left party. Of course, many of us might want this to take place; but the Convention recognised that it will take time, we have to build confidence and develop trust, and it is better to start by doing so through unity in practical action rather than planting a flag and saying "we" are the true party already.

I am really pleased how so many people have praised the Convention, not least for its style and process, participatory discussion with (sometimes spontaneous) decision-making by those attending, no top-down platforms in an event called and organised by rank and file activists working together in the Manchester area. These comments have been echoed in the weeks since in emails and letters received by the organisers; thanks to all those for your kind words.

Even more, I am pleased that initiatives for unity are continuing. We cannot honestly pretend that our crystal-ball gazing enabled us to predict holding the Convention at such a timely moment as the crisis of capitalism; the oncoming misery of millions simply delivered us a silver lining in this respect.

But in parallel to, contributing to, and arising from the Convention have come several important developments that we should all be supporting.

- The Trade Union Co-ordinating Group, announced at the TUC, will take forward left unity in and across the unions.

- The Campaign Against Fuel Poverty, launched at the Question Time event at the end of the week, has already given local groups the ability to campaign on the streets, not just for windfall taxes but public ownership.

- Agreement is growing on uniting our various "Charters" (CPB, LRC, Public Services not Private Profit, for example); we must seek widespread support for an alternative economic strategy that does not let the government force the poor to pay for the crisis and that does not allow the recession to become an excuse to scapegoat migrants and increase racism.

- Further Conventions of The Left have been proposed, for both the Labour Conference and TUC in Brighton next year.

- Most immediately, there will be a "Recall Event" of the Convention on January 24th in Manchester, under the broad title "Capitalism isn’t working, what is our alternative"; and progress on all these practical proposals can be reported and hopefully taken further.

At this point, I would like to thank all those who helped make the Convention so effective. Among these, John McDonnell and the Labour Representation Committee, together with Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn, gave generous and unstinting support to its development from the start and to many of the sessions during the week; Robert Griffiths of the Communist Party of Britain and John Haylett of the Morning Star encouraged and gave excellent promotion throughout; Matt Wrack, Mark Serwotka, Pat Sikorski and Gregor Gall ensured the left trade union input; Clive Searle and the Manchester Respect party created and sustained the publicity and website; while Lindsey German, Martin Empson, Amy Leather (SWP), Derek Wall, Chris Hyland, Steve Durrant (Green Party) and Colin Fox, Frances Curran, Pam Currie (SSP) contributed personally and organisationally to give the full flavour of the left, both politically and geographically. And all the local activists involved for the year beforehand, too numerous to mention, and though un-named here, you know who you are and the value of the unseen organisation that you contributed.

The Recall Event takes place in Manchester on January 24th to take the vital process of left unity further forward.

Capitalism isn’t working; we must make sure that we are building the socialist alternative!

John Nicholson

Convenor of the Organising Group, Convention of The Left/ Left Debate, Manchester 2008

Some thoughts from the Scottish Socialist Party

2008-10-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Remarks ahead of 'Convention of the Left' recall conference on November 29th

by Colin Fox, SSP National Spokesman, 20/10/08

Introduction

The SSP is proud to have participated in the September 2008 'Convention of the Left' in Manchester. We congratulate all those who worked so hard to organise it. The belief that the Left in the UK could and should come together to develop greater understanding and cohesion was entirely vindicated by its success.

We feel some important progress has been made in developing greater respect and trust on the left and we see this as a necessary prerequisite for rebuilding the socialist movement in Britain as a coherent and effective force once again.

The subsequent capitalist financial collapse has certainly put into sharp focus the economic and political crisis on the right. But the collapse of the financial markets and the disorientation of their political classes at this time also poses huge challenges for the left and provides many opportunities to put over our alternative socialist case, yet collectively we are punching 'below our weight'.

Like others the SSP also accepts the Convention has a long way to go yet if it is to re-establish the strength of the collective left and achieve the political and policy objectives we hope to see implemented in the long run. It is disappointing that two important groups on the left, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party of England and Wales, appear less than enamoured at the emergence of the Convention, perhaps they feel threatened. We certainly don't, in fact we feel rather more optimistic about the Convention's prospects in making important headway towards its goals as long as it continues to work within a democratic and pluralist template.

The attendance of several Labour MPs and Labour delegates at Manchester was important. As we understand it Labour Party members made up the largest single political contingent over the week. It remains to be seen whether this reflects a desire for greater engagement by them with the non Labour left or simply a reflection of the Conventions proximity to the LP Conference itself. Either way it remains clear to us that working towards an effective left realignment must include engagement with the existing Labour left. For our part, the SSP took the opportunity to make closer contact with John McDonnell and the Labour left at this level.

We welcomed, as others did, the statement of intent as an important first step towards greater political cohesion and unity. We also welcomed the joint initiative on energy bills and fuel poverty. We believe this could become the first of many such initiatives. Perhaps another area we could just as easily link up on is in combating privatization and putting the popular economic and social case for public ownership. There are bound to be many other issues fundamental to us that we can use to tap into the wide scale opposition that exists towards neo-liberalism. This is especially so, it seems to us, with the change in consciousness following the recent collapse of the financial markets worldwide.

We felt the website was and remains an excellent resource, well designed and easily accessible. We particularly enjoyed the leaflets that were easily understandable and to the point. We received them quite early so were able to distribute them widely.

Ideas for Recall Conference - November 29^th

We look forward to the 29th of November follow-up event as an opportunity to continue the process of dialogue and developing closer relationships between the different Left groups.I have some specific ideas to offer for the recall meetings consideration;

- I believe Manchester was a successful first step and we would certainly welcome it as an annual event.

-That future Conventions of the Left shadowing Labour Party Conference might be complemented by one which takes place alongside the TUC Conference.

Many trade unionists are still tied to Labour because their unions are affiliated. It might be valuable to make closer contact with them when they gather in their thousands. Unions are crucial in building further meaningful Left unity in any campaign. The suggestion would be to continue working with the union leaders but also locally with the branch stewards and branches on specific campaigns.

- On local Conventions it may be best to move towards a Scottish Convention of the Left in the first instance for next year using the same all inclusive template as was used at Manchester.

Capitalism isn't working - What is our alternative?

2008-10-15T05:56:00.001-07:00

The organisers of the Convention of The Left would like to invite you to a meeting next Tuesday :

Tuesday - October 21st at 7pm in the Friends Meeting House, Main Hall.

Following the success of the Convention in Manchester recently, this meeting will discuss the crisis of capitalism and develop our ideas for action in response to it. We have been clear all along that the wealth exists in society to pay for our essential needs - and now the way the Governments of the UK, EU and US have found this money at the drop of a hat proves what we have been saying. The trouble is that they want to use it to prop up capitalism - which will inevitably lead to the same results all over again. They are buying themselves out of their crisis, but letting the rest of us pay the price - with the added danger that recession will lead to another crisis - scapegoating, racism and the rise of the far right. We should be saying that the recession should not be blamed on the victims. The poor should not be punished for the crisis of capitalism. We must provide the alternative.

The meeting will be in three parts:

1) Discussion on the general political situation

2) What we want to do - what campaigns we want to start or work together in, whether we can put forward our own "programme" of action and see how the unity developed through the Convention of The Left can be taken forward in the Manchester area

3) Proposals for the Convention Recall Event on November 29th

You can download a leaflet at http://www.conventionoftheleft.org/resources/211008.pdf

a day in the life

2008-10-11T04:13:00.000-07:00

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ONE OF THE ORGANISERS OF THE CONVENTION OF THE LEFT ALTERNATIVE CONFERENCE

I found the Convention stimulating and offering possibilities of an alternative way forward for the left to put socialism as a real alternative for the working class.

Then I went back to work and have been struggling intellectually to marry what at the moment feels like two lives.

I am a health visitor, my job is to advise and support parents in ensuring their children are healthy and developing normally.

Today I made 5 home visits and was confronted by people's day to day problems. First a mum with a new baby, she is 26 years old, has now 4 children under the age of 7 years. Her partner is a junkie, now on a methadone programme. His pattern is when he is using he gets himself arrested to get clean in prison. He comes out, back to her, stays on a programme, then starts using. Today she is upset because he has gone out with his dad. I think isnt this a positive thing, him having some support. No, because his dad is a junkie and that is what father and son do together.

Next visit to another mum, with four children, house nicely furnished, children well dressed. Ex partner has a drink problem, tried to strangle her while holding the one year old. He is on bail but continues to harass her. Plus his family harass her, saying they have a right to see the children. She is thousands of pounds in debt on store cards, rent and council tax arrears etc, and is ignoring all the demand letters that come through the post.

Next visit requested by grandmother on behalf of her daughter and 4 year old grand-daughter. They have been told by a friend of a friend from the area that the couple who have moved into the flat below are paedophiles and the daughter is demanding to be rehoused. Turns out on investigation by me that this couple were harassed in another part of the town and the same unfounded rumours are following them.

Nex visit mum with an 18 month old child needing some speech and language support. Main problem her ten year old is being racially harassed by her neighbours kids. She dare not call the police as this will turn more neighbours against her. She tried to talk to the parents and got abuse and dog shit through her letter box. The family causing the harassment have huge problems themselves and when they are hitting out there is respite from beating up on themselves.

Finally a mum with 2 young children seeking asylum, cannot speak English, no-one else in the area speaking the same language. I have access to interpreters and need to find ways of breaking down her isolation.

Back at the health centre a 17 year old mum with a 2 year old is waiting to ask me to refer her to the furniture station as she needs a bed for her 14 year old sister who is coming to live with her, as he mum is moving the rest of the family to Blackpool for a change and her sister does not want to go.

Phone calls waiting from Social Services doing welfare checks on families because of domestic violence.

Plus a call from a union member asking what their team can do to resist the reorganisation of their department which will result in downgrading and reduced numbers of staff.

These issues do not go away. They get worse and are the fabric and reality of life on a council estate. Issues of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, racism, isolation.

None of these problems are new but they are no concentrated within smaller areas because of lack of council housing stock across the borough. Plus the deliberate policy of isolating people seeking asylum and refugees from communities that could support them.

As a worker I am equipped with a box of sticking plaster and I go home somewhere else at night. This is not my reality, I feel I am part of the jigsaw in a social experiment of containment.

The primary schools in the area are well resourced. Provision of services for parents and young children are good. There is easy access to welfare rights, housing advice, drug and alcohol services, sexual health services. The local GPs are excellent and accessible. There are no secondary schools, pupils are shipped out to other areas on buses, a policy to avoid sink schools in the area. Public transport to the centre of town is good. There is a nice park, youth and community centre.

What is missing? Well, unemployment in the area is high, literacy levels are poor, teenage pregnancy rates are high. It is as though people dont know any better and do not want any better, as long as they feel someone is worse off than them. The cycle is hard to break for individuals and for the community. It becomes harder because more people with problems move into the area and people who can still raise their heads move out.

I am writing this background because as a socialist I think I should have a solution. I have an analysis about why this situation exists.

I know that the key is housing and employment.

But I also know that this can only be achieved by the organisation and aspiration of the working class.

Within this community there is no organisation or aspiration and with now a third generation of unemployed who now not only cannot work but will not work - the chances of change coming from within these communities diminish.

I myself am from what I consider Labour aristocracy, born and lived on a council estate, parents working in the steel industry, organised in trade unions. That is what I understand and within Britain it no longer exists.

The estate I work on is replicated throughout the country and as socialists what we need to inspire is self organisation and determination.

To my mind it is no use demanding of the government more housing, better services, better welfare provision - if this just leaves the people I work with with their hands out asking for more to be provided by someone else and the responsibility of someone else.

The leadership socialists should be providing is how to organise and demand democratic participation in achieving a community / society that people are committed to and responsible for.

I understand that we need the demands on government and the campaigns that may galvanise enough people to pressure the government for change and for people to experience some victories.

But the anti-war movement did not stop the war. The success of the anti-poll tax movement resulted in the council tax and New Labour.

As part of the debates on the Public Services Day at the Convention of The Left's alternative conference, we heard from the experience of socialists in Seville in Spain, who are developing participatory democratic models to democratise public service structures through education, which develops community members as public service citizens who are able to control services. This is in contrast to mobilising people as users of the service. This requires within communities a transformative process through teaching and spreading information.

Also we heard from Norway the experience of preventing the neo liberal global agenda of privatising public services, by organising a coalition of activists across trade unions and political parties.

And there were contributions from socialist academics on community regeneration projects and independent tenants organisations.

What I realised at the Convention is that amongst socialists we have a wealth of experience and knowledge but we do not stand still long enough to come together to develop long term strategies for community change. Maybe thats bgecause the attacks on the working class are so massive and immediate and that we are so much on the defensive that we barely have time and resources to mobilise in defence of what we have got.

But after a day in my life as a health visitor, noting special, not a special day, I can see that my other life as a socialist and political activist simply provides me with a big sticking plaster to put over all the little plasters I use in the day.

The current economic collapse of capitalism shows that the ruling class have bigger plasters at their disposal to ensure they maintain their wealth and position. Their plasters are made from the blood sweat and misery of the working class. What they are doing is obvious yet they manage to sell it as in the best interest of everyone. Somehow they are trying to convince people that they got into this mess not because of their short term greed but because they wanted everyone to share in the wealth they created for themselves. And now its gone wrong, well, they cannot be expected to give up their wealth, so they need to take back everything and anything that the working class has gained (even if this was based on debt).

I would like to finish this polemic with a way forward paragraph. But I am still where I started.

I see the problems every day and I know there is a socialist alternative and I am offering this as part of the debate started at the Convention and ask for contributions to develop a strategy for turning things round.

Questions:

- how to engage communities?

- what alternative economic policies are we offering which will guarantee socially useful jobs?

I plan to get together with others to look at housing and regeneration. This could provide a link into communities to develop ideas of democratic control and accountability within communities. Building houses with minimal carbon footprint will provide jobs.

It feels like a good plan, it should bring together community activists, academics, trade unionists, socialists, greens, campaigns.

This could be a session within the recall conference or an alternative economic way forward for regeneration of communities and public services.

What do you think?

Norma Turner

Capitalism isn't working - We need an emergency progamme

2008-10-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

by Peter Allen

Following the success of the Convention of The Left , and given the urgency of the moment, I think it is essential that we formulate a coherent response to the actual and growing crisis of capitalism. I think it should not be beyond the recall event on Nov 29th to produce a statement around which we could all unite. We might call it an emergency programme. If we are to achieve this though we need to start discussion and debate now, on this blog and elsewhere.

Emergency Programme

The capitalist system is in crisis and is reliant on financial handouts from the government. The financial deregulation that began in the mid seventies, with Labour in power, accelerated under Thatcher and Major, and continued under New Labour, has run it's brutal course.

If capitalism requires huge amounts of taxpayers money to bail it out then it is reasonable for taxpayers to make some demands of capitalism. There is an opportunity for socialists to get a hearing, and a responsibility for us to formulate a series of practical, reasonable and realisable set of proposals, which will try and tame the beast, and in doing so will help build a movement ultimately capable of killing it. The following is offered as a contribution to a debate about the nature of the programme we need to formulate.

Fuel Poverty

Reduction of gas and electricity prices to January 2008 prices and freezing prices at that level. Commitment to nationalise all utility companies (including water companies) during 2009 to enable proper planning of energy use to be achieved, removing the profit motive from this essential service and prioritising energy and water conservation measures and the replacement of fossil fuel burning with the use of renewables.

Housing Crisis

An immediate ban on all repossessions until measures are in place to allow homeowners to extend the terms of their mortgages, receive immediate help with mortgage costs in the event of unemployment or to have the option of becoming secure tenants of social landlords without the need to move out of their homes. Councils to be given immediate powers and sufficient resources to build,renovate or purchase sufficient homes for all their residents, working in conjunction with other registered social landlords. The right to housing to be recognised as a universal right, equivalent to the right to education and healthcare.

Unemployment Benefits

An immediate increase in the basic allowance paid to single people or couples who are unable to work due to sickness or caring responsibilities or are unable to find employment. This basic allowance should be increased to reflect increases in average earnings since 1997.

The above to be paid for by increased taxation of the wealthy and a reduction in military spending involving the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

After the party

2008-09-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

In 2004 the Fire Brigades Union disaffiliated from the Labour Party. FBU general secretary Matt Wrack explains what it has meant for the union politically. (first published by Red Pepper at http://www.redpepper.org.uk/After-the-party )

There had been a long-running debate in the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) about our affiliation with the Labour Party going back to the 1980s. But it all came to a head during the 2002/2003 disputes. Our members were taken aback by how suddenly the pressure was put on by the government and the harshness with which we were treated. One Labour politician even described us as fascists. We settled the disputes in 2003 and at the following year's conference we disaffiliated from the party.

An overwhelming percentage of the FBU membership supported the decision. I suspect that in the beginning a lot of our members just wanted to give Labour a bit of a kick but they have continued to back disaffiliation in the following years. Since then we have been thinking through how we develop: what we do politically as a disaffiliated union.

There was a concern among our officials that we would be left isolated and politicians wouldn't talk to us anymore. I don't think that has happened. We have a very good relationship with a lot of MPs and have also rebuilt some of our relations with government. Ironically, it seems that since disaffiliating we have formalised a lot more of our parliamentary work.

Using the political fund

We continue to use our political fund to support individual Labour MPs, such as John McDonnell in his leadership bid. Our regional groups have supported Green and Respect candidates, although the FBU nationally has not supported any other parties' candidates since Labour.

In Scotland being disaffiliated has opened more doors for us. We have backed a range of candidates, including the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP). We have a good relationship with the Scottish government, possibly better than the one we have at Westminster. It strikes me how different the political debate in Scotland is to England. The first minister goes to the Scottish TUC and talks openly about council housing and opposing the war stuff that a politician would never tell you here.

We also support plenty of single-issue campaigns. This year we have worked closely with the anti-fascist movement, funding the Love Music Hate Racism march and festival.

Some people think we should be moving further towards an approach where we pick out individual candidates and campaigns. I don't agree. I feel strongly that there needs to be a wider approach the left and the working class needs a political party but there isn't one for them at this time.

No longer Labour

In theory, you would think that if the Labour government is on the ropes it would be an ideal opportunity for the trade unions to put some demands to them. I've not seen any evidence, although I hope this will happen.

Instead, it seems that among the affiliated unions there is currently a move to rally round the Labour Party as the election approaches. I'm pleased we don't have that in the FBU, as I don't think it washes with either members or people generally. There is no sign of a change in direction now and there is unlikely to be any change after an election either.

There is a huge amount of frustration with mainstream politics. There is consensus among the three main parties around a neoliberal agenda. For us as trade unions that is about the privatisation and restrictions on trade union rights that have alienated Labour's core supporters.

I am no longer a Labour member. I am not convinced the party can be reclaimed in the way people want it to be at the moment. But we need to be political and the working class needs representation in parliament. How we achieve that is a drawn-out process. The trade unions that are clearly opposed to the mainstream agenda need to discuss and co-operate a lot more. The challenge for us is the need for a fundamental debate about the type of society we want.

For me as a socialist, I'd like a socialist society. I think there is a growing unease about some of the developments ever-growing inequality and climate change, for example and the fact is the policies around which Labour, Liberals and Tories address those issues a market based approach can't do anything.

Matt Wrack was talking to Lena de Casparis

Question Time for The Left

2008-09-26T10:22:00.001-07:00

And it finally seems like we've figured out what the questions are

By Tom Walker (from the Red Pepper blog at http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Question-time-for-the-left

The convention's final session, 'Question Time for the Left', brought together a panel from across the left to see, once and for all, if they could work together. Not to spoil it for you or anything, but the answer was 'yes'.

The panel was certainly wide-ranging: the panel took in Colin Fox (SSP), Clive Searle (Respect), Lindsey German (SWP), Robert Griffiths (CPB/Morning Star), John McDonnell, (LRC/Labour left) Mark Serwotka (PCS union), Derek Wall (Green Left) and Hilary Wainwright (Red Pepper).

I'd be blogging all day and all night if I wrote about every question that was asked and answered: the session was rapid-fire, with speakers' points kept short and audience participation made central to the session. The 'us and them' wall was broken down once and for all.

Their verdict on the convention was unanimous, though: it was 'historic' (Wainwright), 'a tremendous success' (McDonnell), and even 'maybe, just maybe, the start of 21st century socialism in Europe' (Wall).

The discussion darted from why left organisations are so 'pale and male', to the anti-war movement, to free public transport to tackle climate change but it somehow stayed on track, making real links between the problems we face without resorting to the old 'the problem is capitalism' schtick. Suddenly the underlying question wasn't 'what are the problems?' or 'can we work together?' it was 'how will we win?'

Lindsey German pointed out that not only can the left make a difference, but it does every day: on strike picket lines, in the anti-war movement, in fighting the BNP. 'I don't think the left should beat itself up,' she said. Our groups might not be perfect, but our convention was full of life Labour's conference had none.

On fuel bills, most of all, the mood to go out and build a mass campaign right there and then was palpable some members of the audience told of how they'd seen their bills almost double. 'We need to be going straight onto action,' said John MacDonnell, while Mark Serwotka called it 'the best issue I can think of' to organise around.

Colin Fox called for militant action to stop people dying from the cold: 'There are millions who will be disconnected this winter. We have to say: if they try to disconnect one single worker' the rest of the sentence got lost in the wild applause.

German offered a nice slogan 'can't pay, won't pay' while Clive Searle said it was an opportunity to really make the left relevant to people's lives, and Robert Griffiths told an encouraging story of how well petitions on fuel bills had gone. Hilary Wainwright added: 'The importance of a mass campaign around a winnable issue is that it opens things up for us.'

Other campaigns with broad support included the climate camp (which may be forced to launch direct action at Heathrow as soon as December if the third runway gets the go-ahead in parliament), civil disobedience against ID cards (the next poll tax, for sure), renationalisation of public services, and the Europe-wide mobilisations against Nato and the spread of war.

When the convention's idea of local left forums was raised again, McDonnell had news of some people who have already gone home and started setting one up: 'I think it could be a tremendous breakthrough.' Searle tackled the 'talking shop' issue head-on: 'If they were just talking shops they'd be good, if they're talking shops linked to action it'll be excellent.' There is going to be a 'recall conference' on 29 November to hear reports back from the local forums, so we'll soon know whether we're getting anywhere.

Summing up, Serwotka said: 'If movements like this are to mean anything they've got to be linked to action. We need some victories.'

So, after five days of discussions, the job of the left suddenly appears much clearer than before. All we have to do now is get started.

There IS an alternative

2008-09-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

By John Nicholson, Convenor of the Organising Group

An unknown Labour Minister (they all look alike to us) responded to a leaflet given her about the Convention of The Left – "there's no such thing as left ideas".

And to listen to the radio or watch the TV you would have thought nothing more was happening in the world than whether Brown would still be here next week, next month or next year.

But the entire Cabinet could have lined up in Albert Square in central Manchester and none of them would have been recognised. What was desperately missing from both conference and sycophantic media entourage that ate their free pizza and drank their free wine on the outdoor patio behind the steel and wire protection alongside Lower Mosley Street, was any discussion of policy.

The honourable exception was the Guardian journalist who came to our transport session on Tuesday and told us that since he'd had an advance copy of Gordon Brown's speech, he'd come to the Convention instead.

The reality was that the Convention of The Left was brimming with new ideas, exciting debates, and a vision of a world free from the tyranny of market forces. In our strong debates about how to reclaim our world from the spivs and the speculators, everyone agreed that we don't need more war and privatisation and that we are not going to punish the poor for the economic misery caused by the rich.

Much More than Just a Talking Shop

The Convention was three things together – buy one and get two free.

Protest. Against the security-bound city-centre and the waste of public resources protecting Brown & Co from the very public who've paid for this. Against warmongering, privatisation, failure to tackle environmental destruction, and inflicting on the victims the consequences of the crisis of capitalism. And crucially against following (or even writing) Daily Mail headlines which legitimise the far right and leave the door open to the rise of the fascists.

Alternative. Right next door to Labour's official (non)event, a positive alternative – save the planet, stop the war, scrap privatisation. Not just a windfall tax but taking the utilities back into public ownership. Not just stamp duty holidays but extensive public house building (we don't mean pubs, but we can't necessarily trust councils who've sold off all their housing to be in charge of future homes for people in need). Not just cancelling the debts of the banks but cancelling student debt. Not just scrapping Trident but all existing weapons of nuclear madness (in the hands of the UK, US and Israel…… er, not Iraq…..). And using the savings to provide free public transport and free school meals – a fraction of the cost of PFIs in hospitals and academies.

Unity. There's nothing wrong with a talking shop, but we must unite across The Left to win the ideological arguments for peace and public ownership.

This really was unprecedented. We all signed up to a Statement of Intent – creating local left forums to promote discussion and co-ordinate united action across The Left, in an inclusive, participatory, pluralist, tolerant and democratic way. The style will be as the Convention – sessions were free entry, no security, no queues. Debates were participatory, not top-down platforms. The whole thing was organised by local activists, without any major funding backer or any big name or single organisation dominating. We are about policies not personalities.

Immediately there will be practical outcomes – first, a united Campaign Against Fuel Poverty, involving trade unions, MPs and local campaigns. Over the next year we will work together to combine our different Charters and Petitions into one.

Then maybe even the mainstream media will notice, by next year's Conference, in Brighton, that there is indeed an alternative. Not just any old alternative, but THE alternative – The Left.

A statement of intent

2008-09-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

The following statement was passed overwhelmingly by the final session of the Convention on Sunday 21st September. We hope other individuals and groups will add their names.

We explicitly challenge Labour’s programme of warmongering, neoliberal privatisation and failure to tackle environmental destruction.We believe that there is an alternative.

The wealth exists in the world to abolish famine and poverty and to pay for our essential needs; the debt-fuelled culture of conspicuous consumption does not produce a fairer or happier society – and is anyway unsustainable; and peaceful collective public enterprise is preferable to the private profit-making of the unregulated market and its escalating competition for scarce resources.

The problem is capitalism, which produces only for profit not need, which destroys the environment and carries out endless warfare in pursuit of market domination.But we also believe that we must win these arguments. We must find ways to develop and promote alternative positive policies and demands – of peace, social and environmental justice, public ownership, workers’ rights, civil liberties and equality.We must join together with all those seeking a better society, as an anti-capitalist left fighting for an alternative socialist society.

Question time for the left

The Convention of The Left takes place in Manchester 20-24 September as the alternative to Labour’s conference (held right next door at the same time). The Convention aims to debate alternative strategies that are critical of capitalism – environmentally and socially just, inclusive and peaceful, pluralist, tolerant – in pursuit of a greater common objective that benefits the many and not the few.

We aim to ask ourselves the essential questions – and we hope to arrive at some of the answers.We also aim to encourage participation from below, not top-down platforms. We want to start defining new ways of working - so that we can join together in making policies, putting forward demands and campaigning in practice - regardless of the organisations (or none) that we may belong to or support.Participation in debate - unity in action

We are not saying that this means the construction of another political party. But we do resolve to find ways that the Left as a whole can co-ordinate action both nationally and locally wherever we can. We are not aiming to displace existing united campaigns, but to strengthen these and to encourage working together across the widest range of organisations and individuals.

We therefore resolve to encourage the development of local left forums, where appropriate, and to support those already in existence, in order to promote discussion and co-ordinate united action across the Left, in an inclusive, participatory, pluralist, tolerant and democratic way. We also resolve to hold a “Recall Event” on Saturday November 29th at which we will seek agreement to ideas and demands emerging from the Convention.

Signed prior to the Convention by (among others) nationally :Tony Benn, Alice Mahon, Ken Loach, John McDonnell MP (Labour Representation Committee,) Robert Griffiths (Secretary, Communist Party of Britain), John Haylett (Editor, Morning Star), Liz Davies, Derek Wall (Principal Male Speaker, Green Party,) George Galloway MP (Respect), Councillor Salma Yaqoob (Respect), Professor Gregor Gall (Labour movement academic), Chris Bambery (editor, Socialist Worker), Linsdey German (SWP)

and by members of the Convention of the left organising group including:Declan O’Neill, Chris Jones, Margaret Manning, Richard Searle (Respect), Dr Kay Phillips (Respect), Linda Clair, Norma Turner, Chris Hyland (Green Party), Peter Allen (Green Party), Cllr Susan Press (LRC), Denise McDowell, Bill Jefferies (Permanent Revolution), John Nicholson, Roy Wilkes (Socialist Resistance), Ann Papageorgiou (CPB), Clive Searle (Respect)