Socialist Resistance is convinced that Respect is the
best opportunity that the British left has had in
decades to create a new party to the left of Labour
with mass working class support. Unfortunately its
second conference has left the organisation in very
rickety shape. An event that should have been devoted
to celebrating the successes of the previous year,
planning for the council elections and consolidating
local and national structures instead became the
vehicle for introducing a new internal regime. The
leadership used the conference as an opportunity to
de-legitimise political discussion and to try to cow
anyone who wanted to offer an additional political
perspective. In a weekend with many low points the
nadir was probably Lindsay German speaking to support
a Socialist Resistance resolution ensuring that a
commitment to LGBT rights would not be omitted from
future manifestos while at the same time implying that
the resolution’s movers were on the same side as
liberal Islamophobes.

Kiss of death

The main problem with a leadership debating style that
relies on misrepresenting the other side’s positions,
virtually denying their right to express their views,
insinuating that they have ulterior motives and using
the Conference Arrangements Committee to rig the
debate is that it is the kiss of death for an
organisation like Respect. If the conference had
contained a significant number of independent trade
union militants, peace activists, environmentalists or
anti-capitalists such methods would not have been
possible. It is a measure or Respect’s need to reach
out to these forces that a lot of delegates were
impressed by such demagoguery. The fact numbers of
delegates voted to support resolutions in their
branches that they opposed at conference also is not a
characteristic of a critically-minded was also an
alarming straw in the wind.

Hectoring

Despite the hectoring that passed for debate a number
of resolutions were approved that will firm up the
organisation if they are implemented. These include
the establishment of policy consultation groups and a
greater flow of information between the National
Council and the branches. Supporters of Socialist
Resistance will be working to implement these
conference decisions and will continue to work to
build Respect. We think that helping Respect develop
into a pluralistic mass party in which the free and
comradely exchange of views is standard is the
priority for socialists in Britain in 2006.

For Socialist Resistance January 2006