DSP supports new regroupment initiative in Socialist Alliance

May 7, 2003
Issue 

BY PETER BOYLE

On April 25-26, the national committee of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) decided to support the initiative by the Non-Aligned Caucus in the Socialist Alliance to move forward the process of left regroupment. The open letter issued by non-affiliated Socialist Alliance members is available on the Socialist Alliance web site at http://www.socialist-alliance.org/debate_vandervelden.shtml.

This call for a united, multi-tendency socialist party has been supported by more than 100 members of the alliance, including: Craig Johnston, former Victorian secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU); Humphrey McQueen, Marxist historian; Sam Watson, prominent Indigenous movement leader and film-maker; Bernie Neville, leader of the famous SEQEB strike in Queensland; and Chris Cain, an influential militant in the WA Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

The call has breathed new life into the alliance and focused attention on the May 10-11 national conference that will decide the alliance's future direction.

The Socialist Alliance's opportunity to claim a significant space in Australian politics has grown since the invasion and occupation of Iraq. This imperialist aggression provoked unprecedented global protests. While the protests may have ebbed for the time being, they indicate accelerating dissent against neoliberal globalisation and the wars it has unleashed.

The DSP national committee reaffirmed that the party, which is the largest alliance affiliate, remains prepared to cease building itself as a public organisation and to instead devote its resources to building the alliance. While the DSP urges other affiliate organisations to do the same, we do not insist on this as a pre-condition to the DSP taking this step.

The International Socialist Organisation (ISO), the second largest affiliate group in the alliance, held its national committee on the same weekend. It decided to stay in the Socialist Alliance. This is good development and builds confidence that alliance affiliates can, and should, continue to work together despite some different perspectives.

The Socialist Alliance has attracted hundreds of members during the last two years, a clear majority of whom do not belong to any of the eight organisations which originally set up the alliance.

However, most of these "non-aligned" alliance members believe the greater unity of existing socialist groups significantly underpins the viability of the project. The non-aligned members may have criticisms about the detailed politics and practice of the various affiliate groups, but they recognise that there is something valuable to preserve from these groups' years of socialist organising.

The DSP agrees with the Non-Aligned Caucus that a new multi-tendency socialist party should be as broad as possible. A draft statement by the Non-Aligned Caucus says:

"All who consider themselves socialist, of whatever stripe, should be welcome in our ranks. But it has to be a distinctly socialist party. We are not simply an anti-capitalist opposition party. We are for the replacement of capitalism with socialism. This gives our Alliance an intrinsic transformational dynamic. It clearly separates us from other parties, particularly the Greens. It also provides us with the solid foundation to build united fronts and coalitions within the working class and anti-capitalist movement, and win new layers to our side."

The political program of such a project is in development, and this development can attract and win more people to socialism. Further, this process is necessary to rescue socialism from the heritage of dogmatism and sectarianism that has plagued the revolutionary left for many years. This is the flip-side of a much bigger problem for the socialist movement: the betrayals by social democracy and various failed bureaucratic socialist regimes.

The ALP's capitulation to neoliberal globalisation has led it to abandon even the most token commitment to socialism. To re-win working-class support for socialism, the Socialist Alliance needs to popularise our socialist message and vision, without sacrificing principle. This challenge can also be taken up in the process of programmatic development.

Over the last two years, the alliance has been able to take principled stands on the key issues of the day, including imperialist war, refugees and the federal budget. This has been done through democratic and inclusive discussion and decision-making. This means that we can be confident that we continue to collectively develop the socialist program of the Socialist Alliance.

[Peter Boyle is a member of the national executive of the DSP and belongs to the Marrickville branch of the Socialist Alliance. For more information about the Socialist Alliance visit <http://www.socialist-alliance.org>.]

From Green Left Weekly, May 7, 2003.
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