The Idler
9th March 2013, 23:21
ISN National Meeting 23 March London…it’s time to get the party started – all independent socialists welcome
Posted on March 9, 2013 (http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?p=1944) by Will (http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?author=8)
Independent Socialist Network Meeting – Saturday 23 March 12pm to 5pm
All Independent Socialists Welcome
Venue: The Meeting Place, 2 Langley Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8 1GB (see below for details)
Background to ISN National Meeting on 23 March in London – it’s time to get the party started…
The issue of a new party to the left of Labour is now more firmly on the agenda than before the winter break. There is a very live discussion taking place about what to do about the now gaping hole to the left of the Labour Party. The comments by the new RMT President Peter Pinkney that TUSC is too narrow and we need a Syriza-type project, and the attempts of the Left Unity website http://leftunity.org/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebyjavaquujakaueatausyu/click.php) to stimulate debate have now been added to by the launch of Ken Loach’s new film the Spirit of 45 which is being shown nationwide http://www.thespiritof45.com/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebybadaquujalauearausyu/click.php) . Many of you will have seen Ken’s recent appearance on Question Time where he called for a new party to the left of Labour and in Friday’s London Evening Standard (read by millions of people on their way home) there was a two page interview with Ken headlined ‘What UKIP has done for the Right, we need for the Left’.
The new party discussion has been made even sharper both by Labour’s further move to the right after the Eastleigh by-election, essentially pandering to UKIP racism, and the failure of TUSC to make even a small dent on the poll despite the hard work of the good local candidate and RMT executive member Darren Procter. These issues need to be debated. ISN member Nick Wrack responded to the Eastleigh result with this now widely circulated article: http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?p=1938 (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebyhanaquujalauealausyu/click.php)
One other initiative taken has been to call a ‘People’s Assembly Against Austerity’ – this is not a project aimed at a new party but certainly gives independent socialists who want a place in which to press the case with some of the most militant activists in the country. See: http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2013/02/peoples-assembly-against-austerity-launched-in-the-guardian/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebywaxaquujataueazausyu/click.php).
Socialism and Democracy
At the same time as these developments the ongoing crisis in the SWP has (whatever your view is of it) produced a debate that the ISN has been involved in with Socialist Resistance and the Anti-Capitalist Initiative about what kind of socialist party we want – what kind of democratic structures should it have? A sub-theme of these discussions has been to ask the question how crucial the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party are to the launch of a new party.
So the National ISN Meeting on Saturday 23 March will focus on three discussions:
1) How can the ISN best build the growing campaign for a new mass socialist party and what kind of democracy would we expect in a new mass party of the left?
2) How should the ISN engage with those going to watch the Spirit of 45 in our local areas?
3) How should we intervene into the People’s Assembly on June 22?
As ever the ISN meeting is open to all independent socialists so do encourage others to come and join in the debate on March 23.
Get there for 12 noon, it will undoubtedly be a day of lively debate and practical campaign planning.
Yours comradely
Will McMahon
For the ISN
As at previous meetings there will be an income related pooled fare to help spread the cost of travel
Venue details:
The Meeting Place is the ground floor of 2 Langley Lane, Vauxhall, SW8 1GB.It is no more than 5 minutes from Vauxhall mainline and underground stations and the Vauxhall bus station. Vauxhall is 15 minutes from Euston, Kings Cross, Paddington. 5 minutes from Waterloo and 20 minutes from Liverpool Street. You can find it on a map here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=sw8+1gb&gs_upl=1097l3753l0l4386l7l5l0l0l0l0l957l2177l2-3.0.1.0.1l5l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=983&bih=872&wrapid=tlif132403635566210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x487604edf27ffb7f:0xda8741b1defb649b,London +SW8+1GB&gl=uk&ei=ezHrTpaoLOr_4QS8if2JCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA)
Posted on March 9, 2013 (http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?p=1944) by Will (http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?author=8)
Independent Socialist Network Meeting – Saturday 23 March 12pm to 5pm
All Independent Socialists Welcome
Venue: The Meeting Place, 2 Langley Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8 1GB (see below for details)
Background to ISN National Meeting on 23 March in London – it’s time to get the party started…
The issue of a new party to the left of Labour is now more firmly on the agenda than before the winter break. There is a very live discussion taking place about what to do about the now gaping hole to the left of the Labour Party. The comments by the new RMT President Peter Pinkney that TUSC is too narrow and we need a Syriza-type project, and the attempts of the Left Unity website http://leftunity.org/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebyjavaquujakaueatausyu/click.php) to stimulate debate have now been added to by the launch of Ken Loach’s new film the Spirit of 45 which is being shown nationwide http://www.thespiritof45.com/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebybadaquujalauearausyu/click.php) . Many of you will have seen Ken’s recent appearance on Question Time where he called for a new party to the left of Labour and in Friday’s London Evening Standard (read by millions of people on their way home) there was a two page interview with Ken headlined ‘What UKIP has done for the Right, we need for the Left’.
The new party discussion has been made even sharper both by Labour’s further move to the right after the Eastleigh by-election, essentially pandering to UKIP racism, and the failure of TUSC to make even a small dent on the poll despite the hard work of the good local candidate and RMT executive member Darren Procter. These issues need to be debated. ISN member Nick Wrack responded to the Eastleigh result with this now widely circulated article: http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?p=1938 (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebyhanaquujalauealausyu/click.php)
One other initiative taken has been to call a ‘People’s Assembly Against Austerity’ – this is not a project aimed at a new party but certainly gives independent socialists who want a place in which to press the case with some of the most militant activists in the country. See: http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2013/02/peoples-assembly-against-austerity-launched-in-the-guardian/ (http://t.ymlp266.net/ebywaxaquujataueazausyu/click.php).
Socialism and Democracy
At the same time as these developments the ongoing crisis in the SWP has (whatever your view is of it) produced a debate that the ISN has been involved in with Socialist Resistance and the Anti-Capitalist Initiative about what kind of socialist party we want – what kind of democratic structures should it have? A sub-theme of these discussions has been to ask the question how crucial the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party are to the launch of a new party.
So the National ISN Meeting on Saturday 23 March will focus on three discussions:
1) How can the ISN best build the growing campaign for a new mass socialist party and what kind of democracy would we expect in a new mass party of the left?
2) How should the ISN engage with those going to watch the Spirit of 45 in our local areas?
3) How should we intervene into the People’s Assembly on June 22?
As ever the ISN meeting is open to all independent socialists so do encourage others to come and join in the debate on March 23.
Get there for 12 noon, it will undoubtedly be a day of lively debate and practical campaign planning.
Yours comradely
Will McMahon
For the ISN
As at previous meetings there will be an income related pooled fare to help spread the cost of travel
Venue details:
The Meeting Place is the ground floor of 2 Langley Lane, Vauxhall, SW8 1GB.It is no more than 5 minutes from Vauxhall mainline and underground stations and the Vauxhall bus station. Vauxhall is 15 minutes from Euston, Kings Cross, Paddington. 5 minutes from Waterloo and 20 minutes from Liverpool Street. You can find it on a map here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=sw8+1gb&gs_upl=1097l3753l0l4386l7l5l0l0l0l0l957l2177l2-3.0.1.0.1l5l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=983&bih=872&wrapid=tlif132403635566210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x487604edf27ffb7f:0xda8741b1defb649b,London +SW8+1GB&gl=uk&ei=ezHrTpaoLOr_4QS8if2JCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA)