{"id":3246,"date":"2012-04-06T18:24:56","date_gmt":"2012-04-06T18:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=3246"},"modified":"2021-03-05T20:10:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T20:10:00","slug":"the-silent-retreat-of-the-united-left-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/06\/the-silent-retreat-of-the-united-left-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Silent Retreat Of The United Left Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article was first posted on the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) website.<\/p>\n

At its\u00a0formation the United\u00a0Left\u00a0Alliance\u00a0(ULA) appeared to represent a new\u00a0resurgence of the Socialist Movement in\u00a0Ireland. It\u00a0brought\u00a0together\u00a0a\u00a0number\u00a0of\u00a0different socialist\u00a0groups,\u00a0obtained a significant number of votes and representation in the Dail, and put forward an uncompromising revolutionary position with the call to repudiate the\u00a0debt\u00a0\u2013 that Irish workers would not\u00a0pay\u00a0to\u00a0save\u00a0capitalism\u00a0to\u00a0save\u00a0bankers\u00a0and\u00a0speculators.<\/p>\n

Politically\u00a0and\u00a0organisationally\u00a0it\u00a0has\u00a0retreated from\u00a0that\u00a0early\u00a0promise.\u00a0The\u00a0first\u00a0convention\u00a0in\u00a0June was\u00a0large\u00a0but\u00a0politically\u00a0confused\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0main\u00a0economic discussion centred on a return to\u00a0the\u00a0punt\u00a0rather\u00a0than\u00a0repudiation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0debt.\u00a0Its\u00a0energy\u00a0was\u00a0dissipated\u00a0in\u00a0workshops\u00a0while\u00a0the\u00a0real\u00a0decisions were\u00a0made\u00a0elsewhere. Attempts\u00a0to\u00a0build a mass\u00a0demonstration\u00a0against the\u00a0budget\u00a0in\u00a0September\u00a0led\u00a0to a\u00a0relatively small demonstration\u00a0subordinate to the trade union\u00a0bureaucracy.<\/p>\n

Early\u00a0attempts\u00a0to\u00a0build\u00a0a\u00a0rank\u00a0and file\u00a0movement\u00a0were\u00a0replaced\u00a0with\u00a0much more\u00a0moderate\u00a0and a political\u00a0calls\u00a0to reclaim\u00a0the unions. Attempts\u00a0to increase ULA representation\u00a0by campaigning for\u00a0Ruth\u00a0Coppanger in\u00a0the\u00a0Dublin\u00a0West\u00a0by\u00adelection\u00a0were\u00a0stymied.\u00a0The\u00a0major\u00a0attempt\u00a0to\u00a0build\u00a0a\u00a0mass\u00a0campaign around the household charge was not organised by the ULA\u00a0\u2013\u00a0indeed a section of that campaign insisted that it was non\u00ad-political and\u00a0demanded that the\u00a0ULA\u00a0be\u00a0invisible.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0a statement by the Socialist\u00a0Party (SP) ruling out\u00a0the\u00a0possibility\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0ULA being the vehicle for a new party set a\u00a0sharp\u00a0brake\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0project.\u00a0The mid\u00ad-January statement\u00a0said:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMoving\u00a0to\u00a0establish\u00a0a\u00a0party\u00a0without\u00a0the\u00a0actual\u00a0involvement\u00a0of\u00a0significant\u00a0numbers\u00a0of\u00a0ordinary\u00a0working\u00a0class\u00a0people,\u00a0would\u00a0lead to\u00a0it\u00a0becoming\u00a0an\u00a0irrelevant\u00a0political sect.\u00a0The\u00a0ULA\u00a0is\u00a0not the\u00a0new party,\u00a0nor\u00a0is it\u00a0likely\u00a0to just become\u00a0the\u00a0new\u00a0party\u00a0at\u00a0some\u00a0future\u00a0date.\u00a0The ULA\u00a0is an\u00a0alliance that\u00a0fights on\u00a0issues,\u00a0outlines\u00a0a\u00a0left and\u00a0socialist alternative\u00a0and crucially\u00a0popularises\u00a0the idea\u00a0of a new\u00a0party. A\u00a0new party\u00a0will\u00a0most\u00a0likely\u00a0come from\u00a0the\u00a0likes of the ULA\u00a0combining with\u00a0community\u00a0and workers\u2019\u00a0campaigns\u00a0and\u00a0struggles.\u00a0The\u00a0Household\u00a0Tax\u00a0campaign\u00a0can\u00a0involve\u00a0thousands\u00a0of\u00a0people\u00a0in\u00a0political\u00a0activity\u00a0up\u00a0and\u00a0down\u00a0the\u00a0country,\u00a0creating\u00a0the\u00a0potential\u00a0basis for a\u00a0new party. ULA members should get fully involved\u00a0in\u00a0this struggle\u201d.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The\u00a0statement\u00a0ended\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0call for activists to\u00a0join\u00a0the\u00a0Socialist\u00a0Party.<\/p>\n

Yet, in truth,\u00a0the\u00a0ULA\u00a0was not\u00a0operating\u00a0as an alliance.\u00a0The level\u00a0of\u00a0co\u00adoperation\u00a0between the constituent groups\u00a0is\u00a0at a\u00a0much lower\u00a0level\u00a0than\u00a0that, with\u00a0each\u00a0group running their\u00a0own\u00a0campaigns: the SP\u00a0and a\u00a0referendum\u00a0campaign\u00a0and a partitionist trade\u00a0union\u00a0front\u00a0in\u00a0the North, the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and their\u00a0\u201cEnough\u201d\u00a0campaign. The\u00a0groups\u00a0compete\u00a0for\u00a0recruits,\u00a0convinced\u00a0that they themselves\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0new\u00a0party\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0working\u00a0class. The alliance\u00a0has\u00a0in\u00a0fact\u00a0established\u00a0itself as a brand\u00a0name or franchise. \u00a0It\u00a0has\u00a0established\u00a0an effective\u00a0website that\u00a0carries a\u00a0flood\u00a0of statements\u00a0from\u00a0TDs, without\u00a0any\u00a0coherent\u00a0connection\u00a0between\u00a0them. Its\u00a0operation\u00a0is through\u00a0an\u00a0ad \u00adhoc\u00a0\u201csteering committee\u201d which raises questions\u00a0over the\u00a0democratic\u00a0credentials of\u00a0the\u00a0group.<\/p>\n

Many\u00a0of\u00a0these weaknesses\u00a0are\u00a0recognised\u00a0and\u00a0acknowledged by\u00a0activists\u00a0inside\u00a0and outside\u00a0the\u00a0ULA.\u00a0What\u00a0is\u00a0not so\u00a0clearly seen is\u00a0that there has been\u00a0a\u00a0political retreat\u00a0by the socialist movement\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0basis\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0workers\u00a0resistance.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0problem is that\u00a0the\u00a0ULA,\u00a0in a December\u00a0budget\u00a0statement, had retreated from a wholesale call to repudiate the debt to\u00a0the\u00a0much more limited call for a\u00a0halt to\u00a0all payments related to paying\u00a0for the\u00a0private debt of\u00a0the banks. The\u00a0major thrust\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0statement,\u00a0not\u00a0open to general discussion by the membership\u00a0in\u00a0advance\u00a0of\u00a0its publication, was\u00a0a\u00a0thoroughly\u00a0reformist\u00a0call\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0capitalist government\u00a0to\u00a0invest\u00a0for\u00a0growth \u2013\u00a0something totally impossible\u00a0for a\u00a0government committed\u00a0to austerity,\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0bailout\u00a0and under the control of the\u00a0troika.\u00a0The\u00a0effect\u00a0is\u00a0to\u00a0put\u00a0the\u00a0ULA\u00a0alongside the\u00a0trade\u00a0union\u00a0leadership who claim\u00a0that\u00a0there\u00a0is\u00a0a better fairer\u00a0way for capitalism to\u00a0operate,\u00a0while in\u00a0practice actively\u00a0implementing\u00a0the\u00a0austerity.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0ULA\u00a0steering\u00a0committee\u00a0has\u00a0now\u00a0agreed a\u00a0conference\u00a0at the\u00a0end of\u00a0April.\u00a0It appears\u00a0that\u00a0diplomatic\u00a0agreement\u00a0has been reached to include\u00a0individual\u00a0branches\u00a0in\u00a0the steering\u00a0committee\u00a0and to some\u00a0extent\u00a0increase\u00a0the level of\u00a0democracy\u00a0inside\u00a0the\u00a0alliance.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the\u00a0view of\u00a0Socialist\u00a0Democracy this\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0sufficient.\u00a0The\u00a0ULA\u00a0cannot\u00a0balance\u00a0between an organisation with individual members and branches on the one hand and an alliance\u00a0of\u00a0existing groups\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0other. Much more\u00a0important\u00a0is the\u00a0need for a\u00a0working\u00a0class programme. It is\u00a0time to stop\u00a0pretending\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0coalition and the troika will adopt an investment for growth programme and stop pretending that\u00a0the union\u00a0bureaucracy\u2019s\u00a0\u201cbetter\u00a0fairer\u00a0way\u201d has any meaning. We\u00a0must\u00a0stop ignoring the\u00a0fact\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0country\u00a0has\u00a0been\u00a0occupied\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0ECB\u00a0and\u00a0IMF.<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0focus\u00a0must\u00a0be\u00a0the\u00a0working\u00a0class. We\u00a0must\u00a0call on the workers to repudiate the\u00a0debt, to wage unremitting war against\u00a0cuts and closures,\u00a0to\u00a0set up\u00a0new organisations\u00a0independent of\u00a0other\u00a0class\u00a0forces, to seize control of\u00a0resources\u00a0and capital abandoned\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0capitalists.<\/p>\n

People\u00a0can unite or\u00a0not\u00a0unite\u00a0as they\u00a0choose.\u00a0They\u00a0can build\u00a0any\u00a0sort\u00a0of organisation. What they\u00a0must\u00a0do\u00a0is try\u00a0to\u00a0represent\u00a0the\u00a0interests\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0working\u00a0class.\u00a0This\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0burning\u00a0issue.
\n(see\u00a0Socialist Democracy Bulletin – March\/April 2012<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n

Appeal from Socialist Democracy (Ireland) to the United Left Alliance members for a new working class party, May 2012<\/p>\n

The crisis of capital and the all-out offensive on the working class continues to unfold. The failure of traditional leaderships means that the workers must develop new structures, new forms of struggle if they are to resist being crushed. The most important structure to unite struggles is a new working class party.<\/p>\n

Socialists in the United Left Alliance should fight for such a party. They should fight for the most democratic structure possible, allowing the fullest discussion and analysis closely linked to common action and exploring all the possibilities of resistance open to the working class.<\/p>\n

The central elements of the resistance should be:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Opposing utterly the austerity policy pursued by successive Irish governments and supervised by the Troika.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. We oppose the immediate aim of the austerity – that the workers pay the debts of the bondholders or any part thereof.<\/li>\n
  3. We oppose the goal of restructuring, aimed at driving wages, services and conditions down in an indefinite race to the bottom.<\/li>\n
  4. We assert that there are no “better, fairer ways” to pay the bondholders. A worker’s economic programme to provide jobs and services would require immediately the tearing up all promissory notes and the expulsion of the troika.<\/li>\n
  5. The ULA should oppose the trade union leadership’s collaboration in the imposition of austerity. We call for the scrapping of the Croke Park agreement and urge the building of a rank and file trade union network that will unite workers across union structures and allow them to organize against collaboration both inside and outside the unions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The following article was first posted on the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) website. At its\u00a0formation the United\u00a0Left\u00a0Alliance\u00a0(ULA) appeared to represent a new\u00a0resurgence of the Socialist Movement in\u00a0Ireland. It\u00a0brought\u00a0together\u00a0a\u00a0number\u00a0of\u00a0different socialist\u00a0groups,\u00a0obtained a significant number of votes and representation in the Dail, and put forward an uncompromising revolutionary position with the call to repudiate the\u00a0debt\u00a0\u2013 that Irish workers would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1855,1858,1856,1854,910,1860],"tags":[6528],"class_list":["post-3246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exploitation-and-emancipation","category-oppression-liberation","category-economic-struggles","category-the-left-crisis","category-trade-unionism","category-other-social-struggles","tag-author-socialist-democracy-ireland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"views":3602,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3246"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18241,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions\/18241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}