THE SMALLEST yet Annual General Meeting of Labour Party Socialists met in Sheffield on 5 December.
Founded as the Labour Party wing of the Socialist Movement, LPS successfully drew together a section of the Labour left for united action around party conferences.
But the launch this summer of a Network for supporters of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs has posed questions for the future of LPS.
Its gatherings are now mainly composed of supporters of Socialist Outlook, Labour Briefing and Socialist Organiser.
Question
The Network however drew over 500 to its founding conference, posing the question of why LPS should continue to exist.
Socialist Outlook supporters at the LPS AGM argued for the LPS to prioritise building the Network; only as its groups develop will it be possible for LPs to wither away.
The AGM also took debates on Europe and the pits crisis which were marked by the numerical majority of Socialist organiser supporters at the AGM.
A motion calling for a United Socialist Europe was defeated, and one stating that LPS is not opposed to a united capitalist Europe was passed.
A resolution calling for a one-day general strike to support the miners to prepare a general strike to kick out the Tories was also defeated.