GREATER Manchester Socialist Alliance agreed a founding charter at its July 13 conference. About 60 people attended-including visitors from Scottish, Coventry and Liverpool alliances and the Walsall Democratic Labour Party.
Militant Labour made up over a quarter of those attending and around a half were independent socialists. A handful were Labour party members. Five SLP members attended, though mainly as independents.
It is reported that Manchester SLP agreed to affiliate, but never implemented the decision and was then broken up into smaller branches amid factional in-fighting.
The two most contentious items on the agenda were on Ireland and electoral strategy. Neither produced a satisfactory outcome. Militant Labour's positions were either carried or incor. porated on both points.
On the question of Ireland, therefore, the alliance is in favour both of troops out and organising a seperate Socialist Party within the British-imposed boundaries of the Northern statelet.
On the elections, the proposal that all local socialist candidates should unite under a Socialist Alliance banner tor the general election was rejected.
It was agreed however to link up with other socialists_which ef. fectively means to support Militant Labour and possibly SLP candidates. In all probability these two organisations will be standing against each other. There is no mention of support. ing the election of a Labour government Fortunately most people agreed that it was not the contents of the charter, but the campaigning activity of the alliance which would determine whether or northa a mure The new steering committee has the major task of ensuring that the bulletin is maintained, distribution improved and that all supporters are actively campaigning for socialism.
Immediate plans include the launch of a Liverpool Dockers' support group and an intervention into the national meeting of socialist alliances in October.
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L 1995 Women of the Waterfront play an ever more important role in maintaining the strike of THiS WAT IN STRUGGLE SHITE THE S00 LIVERPOOL DOCKERS 1996 HE VATERFRON AIVD BY Photo: Chris Jones the recent conference of the International Transport Workers Federation. Union delegates had come from all over the world to celebrate its hundredth anniversary. Unfortunately the organisers had decided not to let a representative from the striking dockers onto the platform. The delegates had other ideas: forcing the organisers to let a striker onto the platform, the conference heard a rousing speech, after which delegate after delegate made pledges of material and political support. The conference unanimously agreed to call for a one-day strike of all affiliates of the federation to be held in late September or early October.