Respect to explode?

[butchersapron]

So, Galloway has entirely made up his claim of "anathematisation" (aka sidelining) of Yaqoob?

If that's the reaction of the SWP, it is going to be a short meeting on Tuesday between Galloway and the SWP CC, since there is nothing to discuss if Galloway has made-it-all-up!

On the contrary, surely there's plenty to discuss if he's made it up. It seems like the SWP membership doesn't know either way - one member on here says it's happened and tells us exactly why, whilst another one appears to know nothing or have heard nothing about it.

Interesting also that GG says SY was just the first person this has happened to - who else, if he's not making it up, is he referring to - who are the others?

 

[disownedspirit]

the one thing the swp has that galloway doesn't is numbers, if the swp is calling meetings of its membership around the country these can be used by the membership of the swp for a greater say in the direction of respect
i thought that the membership of the swp was higher than that of respect if this changes with more swpers becoming involved actively in respect it would make sense for the swp cc to call for a more open and democratic structure

i think galloway is panicking, after his decision to have a go at (ex swper) jimmy fitzpatrick in the seat next to his current one, his star is on the wane and he is trying to get respect fully mobilised for him and to get as many votes as poss (hence the digs at pride and the union stuff)
i really cant see him winning that although the boundary changes should help, (im writing this from memory not having checked so happy to be shown to be wrong) if the proposed boundary changes had been in place last time rahman could have beaten fitzpatrick
fitzpatrick is no oona king, he seems to be liked by his local party, (last time many TH lab party members would campaign for him but not king)

dont know anything about b'ham though, but it does seem to be a bit rich for the swp to get pissed off cos someone packed a meeting
as i mentioned before if all swp members played a bigger part in respect i doubt anyone could fill a meeting in brum enough to vote down the swp with respect membership at its current low level
its for these tactical reasons that i think the swp will go for a more democratic respect

sorry if it s a bit garbled but it was done in the rain break in the crickrt

 

[butchersapron]

i thought that the membership of the swp was higher than that of respect if this changes with more swpers becoming involved actively in respect it would make sense for the swp cc to call for a more open and democratic structure

Are you saying that you believe that the SWP membership in total is larger than the RESPECT membership in total (it's not) or that the SWP membership still outside of RESPECT is larger than the number of SWP members inside inside (i doubt that one as well myself) or that the SWP membership if they all joined would be larger than the non-swp RESPECT members? Or have i got the the wrong end of the stick in various ways?

 

[disownedspirit]

i thought the swp membership was higher than respects i know it used to be

'SWP membership still outside of RESPECT is larger than the number of SWP members inside' -probably true no?

'SWP membership if they all joined would be larger than the non-swp RESPECT members?'- maybe

anyone got any figures?

 

[Fisher_Gate]

...

i think galloway is panicking, after his decision to have a go at (ex swper) jimmy fitzpatrick in the seat next to his current one, his star is on the wane and he is trying to get respect fully mobilised for him and to get as many votes as poss (hence the digs at pride and the union stuff)
i really cant see him winning that although the boundary changes should help, (im writing this from memory not having checked so happy to be shown to be wrong) if the proposed boundary changes had been in place last time rahman could have beaten fitzpatrick
fitzpatrick is no oona king, he seems to be liked by his local party, (last time many TH lab party members would campaign for him but not king)
...

Fitzpatrick's vote in Poplar & Canning Town actually went down at the General Election by more than King's in Bethnal Green & Bow.

The interesting feature about Poplar & Limehouse is that it is actually a three way marginal, with a strong Tory vote in some of the yuppified docks areas.
In 2006, 9 of the 12 seats Respect won in Tower Hamlets were actually in the new Poplar & Limehouse seats, as is the whole of Shadwell ward that Respect recently won in the by-election. The Canning Town area in Newham that Fitzpatrick used to be MP for is now in the new West Ham seat.

The more Fitzpatrick plays the 'I am really quite left wing, and even used to be a trot' card, the more risky he is putting the seat to the Tories, allowing the possibility of Galloway slipping through the middle and gain the seat on as low as a 30% vote. Galloway hasn't decided to go for this seat without a great deal of thought - this is the guy who defeated Roy Jenkins in Glasgow and has never lost an election, remember.

 

[nightbreed]

Are there any SWP members out there prepared to reveal the content of their 'party notes' internal document abourt the GG letter?

 

[JHE]

We haven't liked her since she packed a selection meeting in Birmingham to make sure Comrade Salmon was not duly elected as a candidate for the council elections.

To be honest I'm surprised you missed it.

Ah, ta.

I remember the fuss in Social Worker about that selection, but did not pick up on any suggestion that Salma Yaqoob was blamed for the Social Workers' disappointment.

The line taken by Social Worker was characteristically disingenuous. The pretence was that the disappointment was because all the Brum candidates were men and that Salmon, being a woman, should have been selected in the name of diversity or some such 'PC' arsery. To anyone who knew that the flame-haired shouty student was a prominent Social Worker hackette, it was obvious that the disappointment was because none of the selected candidates were Social Workers.

You were fools to be surprised. Your love for Islam is unrequited. You can and will promote Islam, but don't expect Muslims to start promoting Bolshevism in response.

 

[laptop]

Are there any SWP members out there prepared to reveal the content of their 'party notes' internal document abourt the GG letter?

There's the extract linked in the OP: http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=725

 

[butchersapron]

i thought the swp membership was higher than respects i know it used to be

'SWP membership still outside of RESPECT is larger than the number of SWP members inside' -probably true no?

'SWP membership if they all joined would be larger than the non-swp RESPECT members?'- maybe

anyone got any figures?

RESPECT's last statement of accounts had them with 5,739 members - since then there's been lots of complaints about them not having the organisational structure in place to retain these members, so i expect it's below that by now (in fact, there was a thread about it earlier this year). The SWP figure was released at their last conference, let me try and dig it up.

 

[JHE]

The interesting feature about Poplar & Limehouse is that it is actually a three way marginal...

The more Fitzpatrick plays the 'I am really quite left wing, and even used to be a trot' card, the more risky he is putting the seat to the Tories, allowing the possibility of Galloway slipping through the middle and gain the seat on as low as a 30% vote. Galloway hasn't decided to go for this seat without a great deal of thought - this is the guy who defeated Roy Jenkins in Glasgow and has never lost an election, remember.

Mmmm, that's one way of putting it. Equally, the Labourites will say, with justification, that if al-Respeq takes votes mainly from Labour, that could easily let the Tory in.

 

[urbanrevolt]

Karen Reissmann is an excellent trade unionist; the Manchester Mental Health branch of Unison has had a long and largely successful campaign, including strike action, against cuts, defending jobs and services

every one- Respect or not- should support this strike

True and if you are in a position to support the strike financially through your union branch donations can be sent to Unison Manchester community mental health branch.[/QUOTE]

Sure through union branches it's likely to get bigger donations. Esepcially important if your union branch happens to meet this week. But why not also download petitions, do workplace collections, send individual donations and messages of support- NOW. Time is of the essence

Details here http://supportkarenreissmann.googlepages.com/

 

[Groucho]

Are there any SWP members out there prepared to reveal the content of their 'party notes' internal document abourt the GG letter?

No.

 

[Fisher_Gate]

Mmmm, that's one way of putting it. Equally, the Labourites will say, with justification, that if al-Respeq takes votes mainly from Labour, that could easily let the Tory in.

No. The Tory will only get in if Labour voters switch to the Tories. If Labour voters switch to Respect, Respect will get in.

 

[mk12]

the swp is calling meetings of its membership around the country these can be used by the membership of the swp for a greater say in the direction of respect

In my experience, these meetings are for the CC to go and tell members what the line is. Rather than the other way round.

 

[urbanrevolt]

yeah may be but then again perhaps the members can and should tell the CC where to get off if they disagree.

Socialists should be for Respect to be totally democratic and to reach to working class communities and solidarity with working class struggles such as the metronet strike, the health workers' strike in Manchester and so on

 

[mk12]

When you say "socialists", do you mean the SWP or any "socialists", like yourselves? Do you want to see Respect succeed?

 

[urbanrevolt]

I suppose I mean the SWP or indeed Socialist Resistance members who are in Respect.

I don't want to see Respect succeed as it is now- however I think complete democracy, the ending of bureacratic manouvrings and behind closed doors agreements plus a turn to the working class could make it into something else entirely and then I'd consider it on its onw merits.

 

[mk12]

That's a sensible attitude.

turn to the working class

What do you mean by this?

 

[urbanrevolt]

Was a bit vague I suppose- I mean getting involved, or at least, aspire to be involved, be open to being involved, seek links with, working class campaigns, whether anti-privatisation, anti-cuts, antiwar, whatever, and across all working class communities.

Of course the SWP and Respect are involved in some campaigns but there's a very unhealthy attitude of using campaigns to gain political influence/ dominance/ control and that should be challenged.

Of course GG challenging the SW bureacracy's organisational control of Respect is perhaps ironic and I don't for a moment say activists should trust him- but rather use his call for a genuine democratisation.

Of course I may be being naive in assuming that the SW rank and file are interested in any of this but I tend to believe many are- despite being miseducated in bad habits.

It may also be naive to think anything I say will have any effect on them or other well intentioned activists in Respect but you never know.

 

[Lo Siento.]

So? Are you suggesting that we don't support a good trade unionist and a branch fighting cuts and privatisation because we don't support the party or political group that trade unionist is in?

Not for a second. You seemed sceptical of Respect's capacity to build support for that strike - I just thought that I should point out that it's one of them who is leading it.

 

[treelover]

Anti-war campaigns are not in themselves, pro working class,

Was a bit vague I suppose- I mean getting involved, or at least, aspire to be involved, be open to being involved, seek links with, working class campaigns, whether anti-privatisation, anti-cuts, antiwar, whatever, and across all working class communities.

 

[emanymton]

Considering that it is the working class who are overwhelmingly the victims of war and that the money spent on war could otherwise be spent on public services I would say they most certainly are.

 

[selamlar]

Look what I get for trying to open the liam macuaid link:

Bu siteye erişim mahkeme kararıyla engellenmiştir.

T.C. Fatih 2.Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi 2007/195 Nolu Kararı gereği bu siteye erişim engellenmiştir.

Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/195 of T.C. Fatih 2.Civil Court of First Instance.

Exciting, eh? Anyone care to c+p the important bits?

 

[urbanrevolt]

Not for a second. You seemed sceptical of Respect's capacity to build support for that strike - I just thought that I should point out that it's one of them who is leading it.

OK. There are many good activists in Respect and despite my differences with some of the Respect program and my scepticism about the extent of its democracy if Respect as an organisation can mobilise massive support for the strikers I'd welcome it.

It is a bit of a test for the organisation, though, isn't it? I see they've got the strike on their home page so that's good.

It will be an interesting test of the organisation's health how many people it can pull to the demo on Sunday.

I hope there's thousands from any part of the labour movment or whichever progressive political organisation, members of the public, trade unions etc.

 

[urbanrevolt]

Look what I get for trying to open the liam macuaid link:



Exciting, eh? Anyone care to c+p the important bits?

It works for me- http://liammacuaid.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/george-galloways-letter-to-respects-national-council/


But just in case compatibility problems or whatever here it is with Laim's intro:
"
Socialist Resistance was established to help build a credible anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist party to the left of Labour and we are still committed to that project. The Socialist Alliance and Respect were part of this process. Respect has increasingly become unattractive to many socialist and working class militants.
The text below was sent by George Galloway to Respect’s National Council members. It has already been widely circulated and discussed inside the SWP. The SWP are planning to meet George Galloway on Tuesday and then meet the whole of their London membership to discuss it. As this document is of tremendous significance to all us who are committed to building a class struggle alternative to Labour it belongs in the public domain.
Many of the points it makes are reminiscent of arguments that supporters of Socialist Resistance have been making for some time inside Respect and in our press.


It was the best of times, it was the worst of times


The Shadwell by-election victory has stunned the New Labour establishment, turned the tide in Tower Hamlets and opened up the real possibility of winning two parliamentary seats in East London which, together with the potential gain in Birmingham, would make us the most successful left-wing party in British history.
New Labour’s decision to try to rehabilitate Michael Keith – the former leader of Tower Hamlets council who we first defeated last year – raised the stakes in this election enormously. A victory for him in a ward where we had all three councillors would have thrown us into a grave crisis. Instead, it is Labour that is suffering shattering demoralisation and we are enjoying a post-Shadwell bounce.
Ealing Southall, on the other hand, just a few weeks before, marked the lowest point in Respect’s three-year history. The failure to harvest even the vote we had secured in just one ward of the constituency in the local elections 12 months earlier was a sharp reminder that what goes up can come down and should shatter any complacency about the London elections next May.
It is clear to everyone, if we are honest, that Respect is not punching its weight in British politics and has not fulfilled its potential either in terms of votes consistently gained, members recruited or fighting funds raised.
The primary reasons for this are not objective circumstances, but internal problems of our own making.
The conditions for Respect to grow strongly obtain in just the same way as they did when we first launched the organisation and had our historic breakthrough in 2005.
Anyone who was at the 1000-strong street celebration after the victory in Shadwell will attest that the idea of Respect remains very much alive and, as Jim Fitzpatrick MP said in Tribune, it’s clear that ‘the Iraq war hasn’t gone away’.
Michael Lavalette’s advancing position in Preston shows what can be done with imaginative and dedicated work. In Bristol, around Jerry Hicks, and in Sheffield around Maxine Bowler, we have placed ourselves in pole position to enter the council chamber. But to achieve that we must recognise our serious internal weaknesses which are becoming more apparent and which threaten to derail the whole project.

Membership
Despite being a rather well known political brand our membership has not grown. And in some areas it has gone into a steep decline. Whole areas of the country are effectively moribund as far as Respect activity is concerned. In some weeks there is not a single Respect activity anywhere in the country advertised in our media. No systematic effort has been able to be mounted - in fact, a major effort had to be launched to get back to the levels of membership we had, despite electoral successes, widespread publicity and the continuing absence of any serious rival on the left. This has left a small core of activists to shoulder burden after burden without much in the way of support from the centre, leading to exhaustion and enervation.

 

[urbanrevolt]

In three parts- no one said it was succint!
"Fundraising
This is all but non-existent. We have stumbled from one financial crisis to another. And with the prospect of an early general election we are simply unable to challenge the major parties in our key constituencies. None of the Respect staff appears to have been tasked with either membership or fundraising responsibilities. Or if they have it isn’t working. There is a deep-seated culture of amateurism and irresponsibility on the question of money. Activities are not properly budgeted and even where budgets are set they are not adhered to. Take, for example, the Fighting Unions Conference which was full to the rafters but still managed to lose £5000. The intervention at Pride, where we gave away merchandise rather than sold it, lost £2000.
It is a moot point whether the turn to building Fighting Unions which occupied the National Office for four months was the correct prioritisation of slender resources, following our breakthroughs at the local elections last year. What is not moot is that mismanagement turned an event which ought to have been a money-spinner into a money-loser.
Equally the Pride intervention, which occupied a great deal of the organisation’s time (I personally was telephoned three times to be asked if I would make it, and others report similar pressure) can be compared to the total lack of a presence at the Barking Mela last weekend - the biggest in Europe - or the minimal campaigning presence at the recent London Latin American festival. Again, while it is arguable that Pride was the priority, what is not arguable is that fundraising at it should have been included in the plan.
Further, what ought to have been the unalloyed success of the Pride intervention was seriously marred. Instead of a simple encouragement for members to attend – with a logical emphasis on LGBT members and young people – several members in elected office were subjected to a high-handed “instruction” from the national office to take part. It appeared to them to be some kind of misplaced test of their commitment to the equality programme of the organisation. This is frankly absurd. There are LGBT people who don’t feel comfortable being on a float on a parade. It would be a serious mistake to read off someone’s commitment to equality from their willingness to be dancing on the back of a truck on the Pride parade.
Having done that and spent £2,000 there was no effort to publicise our intervention externally by ensuring that all the relevant media and organisations were made aware that we were the only political party to have a float on the parade.

Staffing

This is a mystery to me and others. People pop up as staff members in jobs which have not been advertised, for which there have been no interviews and whose job descriptions are unclear and certainly unpublished. One staff member was appointed at a meeting at which that same staff member was present, making it obviously embarrassing for anyone to query whether they were the right person for the job, whether they could be afforded or why the job should go to them rather than someone else. This unnecessarily poor management leads to tensions, even animosity and the suspicion that staff are recruited for their political opinions on internal matters rather than on a proper basis. Sometimes the conduct of some staff buttresses this suspicion. For example, at the selection meeting for our Shadwell candidate two members of staff were openly proselytising for one candidate and against another - including heckling - and even after the decision had been taken. This undoubtedly contributed to the exceedingly poor involvement of the wider membership in the subsequent election. No paid member of staff attended the Shadwell victory celebrations and when I asked one of them if they would be attending I was told ‘no, I will be watching the football’. This was noticed widely by the activists who were present at the celebration and commented upon. It is again bad management to allow such culture and practices to proliferate.

Internal relations

There is a custom of anathematisation in the organisation which is deeply unhealthy and has been the ruin of many a left-wing group before us. This began with Salma Yaqoob, once one of our star turns, promoted on virtually every platform, and who is responsible for some of the greatest election victories (and near misses) during our era.
Now she has been airbrushed from our history at just the time when she is becoming a regular feature on the national media and her impact on the politics of Britain’s second city has never been higher.
There appears to be no plan to rescue her from this perdition, indeed every sign that her internal exile is a fixture. This is intolerable and must end now. Whatever personal differences may exist between leading members the rest of us cannot allow Respect to be hobbled in this way. We are not over-endowed with national figures.

Decision making and implementation


There is a marked tendency for decisions made at the national council or avenues signposted for exploration to be left to wither on the vine if they are not deemed to meet priorities (which themselves are not agreed). For example, there was a very useful discussion at the last national council on what initiatives we should explore following Brown’s succession and the then anticipated failure of the McDonnell campaign to get out of the starting gate. Among the varied suggestions were seeking to cohere wider progressive opinion around a minimal five point programme; approaching McDonnell to organise an open meeting in Parliament; seeking a joint conference with the RMT, CPB, Labour left and others; and organising a people’s march to London as an agitational vehicle for rallying forces and struggles against the Brown government. None of these have been seriously followed up. The overall emphasis – that the departure of Blair and the failure of the Labour left’s strategy opened up possibilities for us both to build Respect directly and to place it at the centre of a progressive realignment – was allowed to run into the ground.

Building the organisation


We must be much more systematic in building Respect’s profile in the wider arenas our members are active in. There is no question that struggles such as Stop the War, Defend Council Housing, anti-racist campaigns, activity around trade union disputes and so on are the lifeblood of a progressive political force such as ourselves. But the great lesson of the Stop the War movement in 2003 was that these movements do not automatically give rise to a force that can punch through on the political scene. That requires – as it did when we founded Respect – patient, detailed work and single-mindedness about ensuring that Respect grows out of the wider radical milieu.
Two of our outstanding members are at the helm of Defend Council Housing; many of our members are active in it in their localities. Yet as an organisation we have done far too little to raise the Respect banner inside the campaign and, to put it bluntly, cash in on the work our activists have put in and the turmoil the campaign has caused among disaffected Labour councillors and Labour-supporting tenants and trade unionists.
At the successful Stop the War demonstration outside the Labour Party conference in Manchester in September last year the nationally produced propaganda was for the Fighting Unions conference. It was thanks only to the Manchester comrades that we had a tabloid promoting Respect as a political formation. It was again thanks to the Manchester comrades that we had such a publication for the protest outside Brown’s coronation.
In every area of activity we need to encourage in our members a focus on recruitment, fundraising, establishing the profile of our candidates and unashamedly promoting Respect as the critical force in the wider reconstitution of the progressive and socialist movement.

Internal selections


Then there is the practice of the creation of false dichotomies between candidates for internal elections. Neither Oliur Rahman nor Abjul Miah nor Haroon Miah is Karl Liebknecht. And Sultana Begum is not Rosa Luxemburg. Yet in internal election contests these four contested in Tower Hamlets the divisions between them were deliberately and artificially exaggerated and members mobilised about “principles” which never were. This has led to deep and lasting divisions which show no signs of healing in the current atmosphere. So we must make a new atmosphere. If we are to rally to win the prize of a seat on the GLA, and three members of parliament, we must start right now.
Relations between leading figures in Respect are at an all-time low and this must be addressed. I have proposals to make which are not aimed at a change of political line, still less an attack on any organisation or section within Respect. They are aimed at placing us on an election war-footing, closing the chasm which has been caused to develop between leading members, together with an emergency fundraising and membership drive to facilitate our forthcoming electoral challenges. Business as usual will not do and everyone in their heart knows this.
The crossroads at which we now stand can take us either down the Shadwell route or the road to Southall.
Instead of three MPs and a presence on the GLA we could have no MPs and no one on the GLA by this time next year. A few honest moments thoughts should suffice to calibrate where that would leave us. Oblivion.
I cannot imagine that any member of the National Council wants to see us arrive at the destination where now lies the wreck of left-wing politics in Scotland and so I hope that these proposals will be considered with the best interests of the Respect project uppermost in our minds.

"

 

[urbanrevolt]

continuing quote from Galloway
"A way forward


It is abundantly clear for a variety of reasons that the leadership team must be strengthened and all talents mustered. I therefore propose the creation of a new high-powered elections committee whose task would be to rapidly evaluate our election strengths and weaknesses, proposed target seats, supervise the selection of candidates - national and local - and to spearhead a national membership and fundraising drive. This committee must comprise the leading members of Respect, including Salma, Linda Smith, Yvonne Ridley, Abjol Miah (as the leader of our 11 councillors in the central election battleground of Tower Hamlets), me, Lindsey German, Alan Thornett, Nick Wrack as well as the National Secretary.
I also propose a crucial new post of National Organiser, preferably full-time, whose task would be the aforementioned re-organisation and re-energising of the key clusters of Respect support and the encouragement of members everywhere. This position would sit alongside the position of National Secretary. It must be advertised and subject to competitive interview overseen by the elections committee.
While this document may seem stark in black and white it reflects a widespread feeling which has surfaced in various ways - including at the National Council - and it is clear that the status quo, or minor tinkering, are not options. Time is short, renovation is urgently required and we must start the process now.
George Galloway MP




23 August 2007"

 

[poster342002]

I suppose I mean the SWP or indeed Socialist Resistance members who are in Respect.

I don't want to see Respect succeed as it is now- however I think complete democracy, the ending of bureacratic manouvrings and behind closed doors agreements plus a turn to the working class could make it into something else entirely and then I'd consider it on its onw merits.

it would need a new name as well: who on earth is going to support a party with such a daft, cringe-inducingly naff attempt-to-be-hip name as "respect"?

 

[disownedspirit]

RESPECT's last statement of accounts had them with 5,739 members - since then there's been lots of complaints about them not having the organisational structure in place to retain these members, so i expect it's below that by now (in fact, there was a thread about it earlier this year). The SWP figure was released at their last conference, let me try and dig it up.

did you find anything
just want to know if im talking rubbish or not

 

[Fisher_Gate]

did you find anything
just want to know if im talking rubbish or not

The membership figures for Respect were not accurately reported to the last Conference, but the National Council prior to the conference was told it was 2,160, down from the 3,040 reported to the 2005 conference.

http://www.isg-fi.org.uk/spip.php?article235
http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1162