Socialist Outlook and Labour BRIEF'G Briefing - a statement FEATURES now, porters have been a major part of the support for Labour Briefing. At the monthly to a fortnightly at the Pall Tax campaigns, etc. 05 well as the internal struggles a recognition hoth of the sup- Briefing AGM on Novem- Since the change from a beginning of 1987, Briefing has attempted to address in the Lahour Party. This was of the need for socialists lo wider struggles in the unions, decline of the Labour left and ber I1, the two parted. For several years Socialist Outlook
provide answers to militants ment of the Socialist Move- WC have also seen the devolop- During this period beyond this milieu.
our for the vote Labour position. This has other than to continue the discussion, though the Socialist Movement Officers have come not stopped some Briefing supporter claim ing that the Socialist Movement has decided not to call for a Labour vote. This is not only untrue, hut also sees a debate as concluded which Socialist Owlook is committed to seeing through, not least through Labour Party Socialists input into the debate. Yet to Listen to some Briefing supporters, you would not realise that LPS is an integral part of the Different proposals at the Briefing: AGM showed the difference in approach. Socialist who had been on the tion to confimi the decision taken in July to argue for a campaigning Socialist Movement paper and assess the viability of continuing supporters voted against this and supported a resolution to launch a "new monthly" Briefing including the mover of a successful resolution. Wayne Edginglon Socialist Movement, or that they are con Briefing Editorial Board put forward a resolu- The discussion at the AGM showed not just a difference over the possile continued production (and frequency) of Briefing, bot also of political perspective. Several speakers, made it clear that they had never been con- vinced of the correctnces of the change to a Fortnightly Briefing which attempted to relate SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 29, December/January 1990/91 Briefing when it appeared. Other Briefing Oulook supporters nected in any way. from the new ycar. Socialists, would be competing with Briefing This developing divergence produced a gning to produce a new monthly Briefing from the new year come what may, and that crisis over the summer when some of those in- volved in Briefing declared that they were they bad already decided in advance that the Socialist Movement Paper would not fulfil their criteria and bad given up the fight for This attitude was shown in a resolution tahied by some Briefing supporters at the recent Lahour Party Socialists AGM. Rather than taking the positive approach of arguing for a Socialist Movement paper of a particular in an only oblique reference to the paper, they argued that "this objective [of securing the liamentary constituency] will be reflected in all public initiatives undertaken, sponsored or supported by Labour Party Socialists". Thir negative approach did not even pretend to stem from a view of what LPS should be representing the position in the Socialist Movement. So far, the Socialist Movement nary discussion of what line' it should take in the General Election, with no decision reached highest possible vote for labour in every par- in the course of there dehates, some Brief- ing supporters have not heen averse to mis- Organising Committee has had only a prelimi- kind, including a clear call to "vote Labour" Corbyn speaks at Briefing fringe meeting - LP Conference 1988 at a time when its sales were already falling. them. Labour Party Socialists and the Red-Green Network. Both Briefing comed and heen involved in huilding these For the past year, the Socialist Movement Socialist Ourlook supporters have argued that built on, and have argued for such a paper to be campaigning, democratically run, with a and Socialist Outlook supporters have wel has been discussing whether it should produce a newspaper to further these developments. such a puper is necessary if the potential al- ready shown by LPS and the STUC is to be cluding a call to 'vote Lahour" in the coming Others involved in Briefing initially agreed with us that such a development would be position to new realism across the labour movement. Indeed, at a Briefing Readers; Writers and Sellers meeting in July, it was common ground that this should be fought for. porters argued that a successful nutcome lo such a development would pose the question of whether continuing to produce Briefing would be a viable option, it became clear that other Briefing supporters wanted to maintain Briefing regardless. They refused to recognise. clear orientation to the labour movement, in However, while Socialist Outlook sup- that a Socialist Movement paper which aimed, amongst other things, to build Labour Party positive in furthering the building of an op Women for Socialism, the ment and, associated with it. Socialist Movenient Trade Union Committee, important initiatives: General Election. Page 22
ferent period for the Lahour left to the one we reportage of trade union and anti-Poll Tax porters could not participate on the basis of Rather than a 'new Briefing, the comrades wish to retreat to what they see as the heyday are in now. It will revert to being the "in-house journal' of the Labour left, even if it has some struggles, They have made it clear that to be involved you have to make a long term com- building Briefing until we make an assessment of the Socialist Movement paper. Furthermore it has been made explicit that those associated with other joumals are not wanted For all these reasons, Socialist Outlook will not be that the Briefing current should have a major input into the Socialist Movement puper. In this context, the Socialist Outlook Editorial Board had begun to examine the posibilities of changing the formal and frequency of our gued that we wanted to close Briefing to make room for developing our own publication, rather than developing it to fit in to the Socialist Movement rhythm. This is not true - we could have developed Socialist Outlook to Socialist Outlook takes no pleasure from the break with Briefing and with comrades with whom we have worked closely for with them in Labour Party Socialists and the Labour Party, both nationally and locally, as well as in other areas of work where we are of Briefing in the carly 1980g - a very dif- mitment to this format. Socialist Outlook sup magazine. Some Briefing supporters have ar- several years. We hope to continue to work fit into the Briefing rhythm at any time. Socialist Outlook supporters had supporting the "relanched" Briefing. Convention for Democracy both active. 12-13 January 1991 Lambeth Town Hall in the Party, but by showing activists that it is struggle in the Labour Party, some Briefing supporters have taken to denying reality. To recognise that the Left in the Labour Party is at hut to reach a realistic assessment of the tasks political and organisational tasks ahead, it also Labour left, such as from 1974, show how its present very weak, as Socialist Oulook does, we face and to undertake them without over- In addibion to building Labour Party Socialists as the nucleus of a new left opposi- tion in the Party which can stand up to the involves a recognition that such a left will not be rebuilt by a simple emphasis on the struggle Previous examples of the growth of the resurgence is likely to lag behind, rather than procede militant struggles. To concentrate overwhelmingly on the internal struggle in the Party, using as a promise a denial of the weak- ness of the Left, is to rofuse to face the fact that this can only lead to a further ghettoisa- left, merely leading to the demoralisation of those who are exhorted to engage in continuing trench warfare with the right. A serious approach to rebuilding the Labour left has to recognise the importance of Their attitude to the Socialist Movement paper is also, at root, a conservative one. Socialists worthy of the name are always look- ing to widen the field of those they can engage in dialogue and attempt to convince of their porters is to deride the political "broadness' of the Socialist Movement, rather than see this as is not to provide an excuse for 'opting out", ideas. Yet the attitude of many Briefing sup- blown claims to a strength we do not have. FEATURES part of a wider strategy. other struggles in this. an opportunity. tion of the This is untrue, We continue to see the struggle in the Labour Party as an essential element of women's groups of whatever, but whether tunity to revert to a monthly, appropriate to the rhythm of Labour Party meetings. They also made it clear that, for them, the "twin-track' strategy consists primarily of telling those in struggle that they need in come into the • socialist strategy, and are as committed as fight However, unlike those who intend to of which the struggle in the Labour Party is This is not a matter of whether individuals. to wider struggles, and welcomed the oppor- It has been claimed by some Briefing sup and to bringing in new militants to join that launch the 'new" Briefing, Socialist Oulook: are active in their unions, anti-Poll Tax groups, To bolster this onc-sided emphasis on the porters that Socialist Outlook is encouraging people to desert the fight in the Labour Party. Briefing supporters to building LPS as the fighting opposition to new realism in the LP helieves socialiste have a duty to provide an overall perspective and strategy for militants, they (and the newspaper they support) argue a political and organisational way forward for This cannot be simply reduced to an orien- porters argue. It also involves providing tacti- cal answers in struggles, and strategic answers, such as the type of opposition which needs to be built in the unions - and beginning the task porters is at best only half a strategy, and a one-sided one at that, not to be excused by tation to the Lahour Party as the Briefing sup- of building it The strategy of the Briefing sup- claims to be 'hending the stick'. only a part - if an essential one. MOVEMENT SOCIALIST these struggles. Labour Party.
The wet do tony which three and be seen hicked We need guarane personal and political liberies. They fourish in thre We are told that liberty and democracy are simply individual rights: consumer choice, property rights, equality before the law, the right to vote under the power of the market vital personal, collective and politcal rights are ineitably denied The experience of millions of people is that: racial and scxual discrimination persist without property we have no rights The words "freedom" every years.
Page 23 trans-national companies and collasion by govemments suffocate out struggles for self determination, a clean, safe environment and freedom of The Convention for Democracy will enable socialists to meet together to analyse these abuses and to explore the strategies and tactics needed the ways state structures work politically, economically and ideologically to deny us our rights. Implications for the local state and EEC will be Convenien workshops on different struggles for socialist democratic rights will explore ways we can build links and wark together after the For further information contact: Convention for Democracy, 3 King Henry's Yard, Barratts Grove, London N16 SAP forms of oppression of individuals and collectives, operating outside state structures. SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 29. December/January 1990/91 to develop the struggle for socialist democratic rights. what socialists mean by democratic rights. Plenary/workshop sessions will focus on: movement. included:
sovereignty as a result of tually split it Because it who 1970's, and it couldn't tax the tax rates were one of the al- tractions of investment in the South: the Fianna Fail goverment found itself with n growing debt problem. Part of the reason for the debt was the suhsidy to multi-national joining the EEC which even- were doing well from the post-EEC boom up to the late multinationals - after all, low Ireland & 1992: