Photo: Andrew Whard blow.
Although by no means certain, PR could be part of this process. The disad. vantage for the ruling class is that in the hort ferm PR would ties for, the Tories, their tried and trusted team. But this might be a price worth atal blows.
Democratic or not, clearly PR does form part of agenda of sec lions of ruling class opinion which wish to "modernise' the political system, pushing the Liberal Democrats into second position anc marginalising Labou in the short term.
But socialists cannot respond to that challenge by defending indefensible. the arrival of PR would be an enormous challenge to the labour movement. Building a majority under PR would require methods of mass mobilisation around popular metnods that are quite lien to Kinnockism and new realism Whatever the result of the clection, enormous strains will be put on the Kinnockite project. Kinnockism is a quite 6,000 SACKED INTERNATIONAL DISPUTE brittle creation, devoid of ideas, and built for one purpose only - to win an election.
Failure to do that will put Labour in an absolute spin, opening up a new debate about the direction of the party While there could easily be a left of defeat. Such would Much more likely party of government. plied in government, as happened under the 1974-9 Labour government.
And it would take place in a situation where the possibility remobilisation at the base of the labour movement could occur, as the heavy weight of the Tories was lifted. HUJ cording to New Times. The Any devalog off the agenda. Icadership challenge as a result, probably headed up of dissent within the Party. would amount to a new political divide in a period circumstances be very un- ther debates favourable for the left.
would South Ensts might lake place. right in the party, and a growing crisis of con idence in Labour as i So a call for a now socialist:
A Labour victory would certainly see a hardening of labour movement op position to KinnockismapFor Miltant. of a substantial democracy. Skinner, Scargil, after the elections abour (poll tax and all in stil the tons.
By Will McMahon WILL IT be possible or desirable to launch a new socialist party alter the elections? Ap parently the Socialist Society think so, ad candidatures of Terry Fields and Dave panaces. Nelist, the possible transformation of Labour into it euro-cocklist party, the disintegration of the Nation of the British Soft and the prospect of PR all raise this queston And on the alection result. A Tory victory would further demoblion the House. struggles of the oppresced and the working class and all cecussions about a new party would be A Labour victory or Labour-Ind coolition would open up wider possibilibes. The Labour leader. ship would move very culody. uning the authority of an election victory, to close down any channels It is likely that Kinnock will provide on a national scale what has been delivered in local government - social, economic and political attacks on the apprecoed and the trade union movement.
Alongside defensive struggles, some lett growth and regroupment might be possible. Furaround the creation of a new 1) and cap socialst party would be inevitable. in the event of and by-elections, one, two, throe of marry Coventry Smaller many ashlete who want to ohl the Labour sovemment, which wil eppear indistinguishable from the Tones. How many could be brought would be smalor than the SW Such a smal and pollicaly incoborent organisation would be no solution to building a real alternalve to the crisis and decay of Brish social For any new party to succeed three conciton: wouls be crucial. Fist, that a subetantal section labour movement will have dead in the water, Second, that the new party wil have shown Itself to be an alternative lo Majority party Thied, that the economic and sockel struggles will have been deep enough o class 1 braak the hoid of the Labour Party on milions of Such workers. it is worth noting that even in Scotir ad This is crucial it wil not be enough for a fee housand activists, from different left fragmen wing formation. o want lo fight the Labour leadership at ele It will take millons of workers to have reacher he same conclusion. This wil only be possibl off the baok of mass struggles against the labour possible.
No. 17 bureaucracy in government.
The reason is that any mass struggles against a Laborir government will inevitably involve tens of thousande of Labour Party anci trade union members. It wil also include other loft activists not yet convinced that a socialist party is a More importantly, thoeeworkers who vode Labour will not give up on their ok organisations entity. Their first port of call to demand action wil not be the headquarters of the now cocialist party in formation but lo Walworth Road and Congress Their priority wit be to win their struggle and lo win wide support. Thay will not yet be inter 800 o/ a euro to Labour - Duti puting demands on the Labour governmont.
Splitting
The strategy of apliting the labour movoment when they will require maximum solidarity will not • very appoaling. Thie in why launching a pr mplive loft party would be a mistake. There wi enough organications out there alaining to be the socinket party already.
Inslead, whal is needed is a political formation that will support and organise mass struggle Labour bureaucracy (and aim to spit capital. This could be done series of united front campaigns that would precent no obstacles to unity in action United froet campalans could tring together many activists disillusioned with Kinnockism, the remnants of the Berks Left, those socialists oulside of the Labour Party and tens of thousande of working class and oppressed they integrated a twin-track atrategy (inside an outside the Labour Party and moved towards a bon of forming a nabional left wing movement (no anak jy infended) with socialists irom all curAlternative A mats, democrate movement would be the 'al ingredient of left recompoition. If it proved 1 soful to the oppressed it would begin to chai enge labour movement leaders from within and lo pose the question of an altemative to Labour - even to many Labour Party members.
Whie a new party was being debated, thi movement would not cut itself off from those who were prepared to fight: against a Labour Govumment, but unready to break from their tracitional It would also help to clarity in coon who on the left was perious aboat unity and alrgy, combined with a united front embryo in the Sochist Movament. The Socialet Movement should take a pollical lend in coordinating the kind of united bontes moe as that coul most it national t The Conference of the Left in October of this yoar should concentrate on this. The next step is not to bring a new socialist party inio being but to create the conditions in which that step might be Feb. 29, 1992
The last issue of Socialist Outlook carried a review of Channel 4's Amazon Features
conced that the Labor Party be no longer Aner, Sagil, Corty and others worked b