EDITORIAL THEIR DISASTERS, OUR LIVES "he new year brings threats of Treeson went roasterity and unemployment for ordinary people. Combined with hikes in energy prices, rises in the cost of food and petrol, the poor and vulnerable will be the first to pay for the so-called 'bumpy ride' predicted for the world economy in 2008. Along with these short-term warnings on the economy, there is an increasing scientific consensus on the disastrous effects of global warming if not enough is done to cut CO2 emissions. With these problems looming ahead you might expect the government to be initiating a debate about our future. But you would be wrong: instead Brown seems to be complacently continuing New Labour's neo-liberal policies on both these issues as on many others. Of course it's difficult for such a politician, wedded as he is to big business and international capital, to be too critical of the failed business plan of .orthern Rock whose spectacular collapse • as the harbinger here of the economic : owdown. You might expect some small -ate of disapproval of the £380,000 de. erance pay (half his annual salary) for : = ailed bank's chief executive, when a cayers are bailing it out to the tune of + billion and counting. But no, neither nor his Chancellor Darling made :.c- comments. •a same way, despite righteous : -=: =; Environment spokesperson S=--. there is little evidence of ::::se government response to the ..: cealing with the effects of - sie anange. True an energy bill is in ime offing, but as Greenpeace points out, the second mock 'consultation' in a year on future energy needs will still propose a return to nuclear power, when only 4% of CO2 emissions would be mitigated by its use. As for renewables, despite their real potential - 'possibly the largest per capita in the world..' they are almost invisible in the 'consultation' document. Not that the other major parties have anything much else to offer: both will no doubt call on the working class to 'pull their belts in' when the economic crisis really hits. The Lib Dems might have been opposed to the failed war in iraq, but once it started they refused to call for withdrawal. The Tories, some of whose policies also appear to be to the left of New Labour, supported the war too and offer only individual solutions to the effects of global warming - a wind turbine here, a solar panel there, lots of carbon offsetting and let's all hope it goes away. Where are the policies for the insulation of the old housing stock? Where are the plans to deal with the madness that is car travel when some rail fares have gone up by 10% at the start of this year? Where are the plans to develop an alternative to air travel, to introduce rationing so that everyone has an equal right to a limited number of flights? Instead we have the likely go-ahead for a fourth runway at Heathrow, the expansion of Stanstead. Respect Although Scotland elected an SNP government, at the heart of British politics south of the border is a consensual centre which leaves many without a political party they feel represents their views. In this sense Respect, though small and fragile, did represent an alternative. Powerfully opposed to the Iraq War, against privatisations of the public services, seeking equality and justice, opposed to racism and discrimination against the oppressed, fighting for a real alternative to self-seeking policies that only help the rich, Respect stood as the beginnings of a real alternative. But it failed to thrive and when George Galloway, Respect's only MP, suggested ways to change the situation, the main component of the 'coalition', the Socialist Workers Party, 'went nuclear'. The events that followed have been well documented elsewhere and do not need repeating, and while a split is always a negative thing, there are signs that Respect Renewal with the majority of independents from the old Respect, may be able to build itself in a way that was impossible before, especially by linking up with other forces on the left. Such an alternative will be desperately needed in the years to come. One of the debates arising from the split is how revolutionaries should organise and act in a broad party such as Respect. The practices of the SWP, with their over-centralised and undemocratic caricature of Leninism, have rightly come in for criticism - but this does not mean 1 that we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Broad Left parties in the main usually contain within their ranks both left reformists, global justice and anti-war activists and revolutionaries, in a politically unstable mix. They are as liable to be under pressure from reformism as from the class struggle. If revolutionary Marxists are not organised, with a clear view of what kind of broad party needs to be built and how to do it, such a party is likely to founder, with a shift to the right the most likely outcome. But this does not mean they should dominate the party by packing meetings or operating like an undemocratic bloc. Rather it means winning debates by the power Socialist Outlook These above are some of the debates taken up in this issue of Socialist Outlook. There is a major article on the state of the economy in Britain where Andy Kilmister argues that, 'UK capital appears uniquely vulnerable to global economic shocks'. This is followed by an article that looks at the role of Marxists in building broad parties in which Dave Packer steps back a little from the specifics of the split in Respect, looking at some of the theoretical questions it raises. Two articles on climate change and the issue of population control follow. This is an important debate amongst greens and environmentalists. The first by Phil Ward is a follow on from his article in the last Socialist Outlook: here he looks at socialist solutions to the question of population. The second, by Daniel Tanuro, is a critique of the argument posed by Jared Diamond. Tanuro argues that Diamond's thesis is not only scientifically wrong but also dangerous. It diverts attention from the real threats and instead contributes to, 'a deep anxiety...which if it were true, would be of such a magnitude that the only solution would be a drastic reduction of the population'. There are also articles on Zimbabwe, the impact of the Good Friday Agreement on republicanism in Ireland, the history of the operations of FBI against the American left, reviews and letters. We hope you enjoy this issue of Socialist Outlook.