Another new Labour Left organisation

[robbo203]

https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2019-11-27/labour-transformed-launches?fbclid=IwAR0yT9wDW7H1-AQERTvVzkS_nLMmGmjeRwvM4xW26LcJRwmPqGBqPCwgxTg

[Bijou Drains]

Pity that the Trots in Workers’ Liberty who state “We are yet to see whether Labour Transformed will successfully develop the internal democracy, strategy, and routine of holding leaders to account” can’t work out that if you can’t hold leaders to account (if you are a follower, you follow) and the only way to ensure democracy in an organisation is not to have leaders!

[alanjjohnstone]

From the horse’s mouth

https://labourtransformed.org/post/inaugural-meeting-notes/

https://labourtransformed.org/post/inaugural-meeting-presentations/

https://labourtransformed.org/post/inaugural-meeting-organisation-section/

[Bijou Drains]

Well, I suppose the stance against “democratic” centralism is a positive step.

[alanjjohnstone]

“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them…well, I have others.” – Marx (Groucho)

[Bijou Drains]

I have sent them the following email, which I hope they find useful:

 

Hi 

Read on your website about your plans to set up a genuinely Socialist and Democratic movement and your plans to create a structure to avoid the pitfalls of “democratic” centralism and the “tyranny of structurelessness”, both laudable aims. I thought these two links might help:

https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/our-object-and-declaration-principles/

https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/party-rules/

Yours in hope

Tim Kilgallon

[alanjjohnstone]

Another Labour Party group emerges taking on the persona of anarchist

https://blackroselabour.uk/

https://blackroselabour.uk/about/

Why are libertarian socialists organising in the Labour Party?
Despite our recognition that there is no parliamentary or statist route to emancipatory socialism, some libertarian socialists choose to participate in the parliamentary system in order to mitigate the damage caused by capitalism and the state. It is a recognition of the fact that extra-parliamentary socialist organising is made substantially easier when you aren’t worried about the roof over your head or about your healthcare being taken away; i.e. under a progressive Labour government.
However it is important to not allow parliamentary and electoral work to take up the majority of our time and energy, but rather devote our efforts towards organising fellow workers in and supporting trade unions, organising tenants in tenants’ unions, engaging in anti-fascism, and being involved with community and mutual aid projects. This is the vision of leftist organising we wish to promote amongst the Labour Party’s 500,000 strong membership, because we believe in their capacity to truly make a difference in our communities

https://blackroselabour.uk/faq/

Their recommended reading list includes Kropotkin, Bookchin, Chomsky, of course, and Emma Goldman

They say they draw inspiration from the Libertarian Socialist Caucus in the Democratic Socialists of America. In fact I go as far as to say it is a clone of it.

https://dsa-lsc.org/

[ALB]

That’s a perfectly logical position for anarchists who believe in agitation for immediate day-to-day issues to take up.

After all, if you sincerely believe in scrapping universal credit, saving the nhs, banning fracking, land justice, etc, etc (and are not campaigning for something  as a Machiavellian “transitional demand”), then you have more chance of achieving your goal if, as well as pressuring policy deciders and implementers from outside by direct action, you also try to get people favourable to your aim into positions where they can make decisions.

Through elections. For that you’ve got a choice between the Labour Party and the Green Party but, if a national decision is required, then the Greens are no good.

It’s not them that are being incoherent but their fellow “agitationalist” anarchists.

[Author]

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