BY PETER BOYLE
SYDNEY — Seven radical left organisations — the Democratic Socialist Party, the International Socialist Organisation, the Freedom Socialist Party, the Workers League, the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq (Australian branch), Workers Power and Workers Liberty — agreed to form a Socialist Alliance after a four-hour meeting here on February 17. Another left group, Socialist Democracy, was not able to send representatives but has also agreed to join the alliance.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Progressive Labour Party who took an invitation to join the Socialist Alliance back to their group. The Melbourne branch of the PLP has recommended to the rest of that party that it should join the Socialist Alliance. A member of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran (in Australia) also attended and expressed his personal willingness to join the alliance and take the proposal back to his organisation.
Six of the 22 people at the meeting had traveled from Melbourne. Apologies were received from a number of interested individuals who could not make it to Sydney.
Organisations not represented at the meeting, but which have indicated that they might participate in the alliance, include Socialist Alternative and the Socialist Party (formerly Militant). A delegation was appointed to meet with the Socialist Party to discuss particular concerns it had expressed about the alliance in an email letter.
The meeting was unanimous that the Socialist Alliance should encourage the inclusion of other left organisations. A national liaison committee was set up as interim organising body and national clearing house. It comprises two representatives each from the DSP and ISO and one from each of the other organisations in the alliance, reflecting the relative size and spread of the groups. Ian Rintoul (ISO) and Peter Boyle (DSP) would act as convenors.
Rintoul agreed to draft a document that summarised what was agreed by the participating organisations about the process, structure and politics of the alliance. This will be circulated to each of the parties that have initially formed the alliance as well as to other left organisations.
The meeting was conducted in a cooperative and comradely spirit and was driven by a strong enthusiasm for a united left intervention in the coming federal elections. Meetings will be convened in most major cities within the next few weeks to develop the alliance further. Public launches could take place around the country from April.
[Peter Boyle is a member of the national executive of the DSP. Visit the DSP web site at <http://www.dsp.org.au>.]