Liam redux

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Respect forum: video and audio

Having considered the matter without beer and with beer it’s obvious that this is the time when every socialist who wants to be part of creating a class struggle, working class, anti-imperialist mass party in Britain needs to join Respect. More of this later but the photo is a visual clue. Just like the BBC…

Liam
1–2 minutes
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brown213 Having considered the matter without beer and with beer it’s obvious that this is the time when every socialist who wants to be part of creating a class struggle, working class, anti-imperialist mass party in Britain needs to join Respect. More of this later but the photo is a visual clue.
Just like the BBC Socialist Resistance is developing into a multi-platform, user friendly, customer oriented media outlet. Here are the videos of the forum we held earlier this week on events in and around Respect.

You may find it hard to believe but I’ve had requests to start putting up audio files of meetings. Be careful what you ask for. You can download the whole meeting, including contributions, here. This will beat The Archers in the podcast ratings war. Maybe.

13 responses to “Respect forum: video and audio”

  1. Adam J Avatar
    Adam J

    What’s unclear from this is where Socialist Resistance stand on the implied differences between John Rees and George Galloway? And what Alan Thornett and John Lister (who are on the National Council of Respect) would be arguing, I personally would be unhappy to see John Rees removed as National Secretary or see the less socialist elements in Respect strengthened.

    The best way to resolve this would be to set up structures that make Respect Councillors + MP much more accountable to the members who should be able to question and debate them on a regular basis, and along side this to adopt a more explicity anti-capitalist and socialist programme.

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  2. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Surely Thornett’s arguin Resect isfinised, at least in its current guise asan alliance between SWP and GG.

    There’s no point in my opinion trying to keep alive a flawed project

    Of course many working class people are pissed off by the sell-outs of Labour etc, and we should be for standing activist candidates in elections around campaigns e.g. RMT candidates, strikers, working class activists

    But the program and plans for a party should be part of a wide reaching public debate involving hundreds in working class communities up and down the land and not purely focused on electionism but on harnessing the power of class struggle.

    That’s what socialists should argue for.

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  3. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    The SWP’s response is here:
    http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=740

    It reveals that Galloway is demanding that John rees should go.

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  4. SOCIALIST UNITY » RESPECT – THE SWP RESPONDS

    […] to be very hotly contested. It is also worth watching the following clip of Alan Thornett’s view of the current crisis in Respect, from Liam Mac Uaid’s […]

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  5. twp77 Avatar
    twp77

    Your initial paragraph seems to inidicate that you reach some very odd conclusions about the latest problems inside Respect. It appears that you now think everyone should jump on board a sinking ship which is sinking precisely because of its complete and utter failure to adopt democratic structures and to actually function as a viable alternative to New Labour.

    Far from being any sort of great revelation, the latest rumblings look to me like a pissing contest between Rees and Galloway. The SWP’s response bleats on about them being treated unfairly by Galloway – but it is precisely down to the culture that they created. Why on earth are you – and I assume SR partaking in this? It seems to me like utter madness to argue that people should join Respect now.

    The whole point for any leftist is to be at the forefront of where an alternative to Brown is going to come from. The idea that Respect has and iceburg’s chance in hell of being that place is truly absurd.

    You’re sitting in the midst of a massive crisis in the public sector – you have hundreds of thousands of trade unionists rejecting Brown’s pay deals, you have the RMT fighting back with all its might against the attempts by Brown to smash up the trade unions and your wasting your time being involved in the petty squabbles of an organisation which is going nowhere and has no connection to any of the struggles and no relevance whatsoever to the working class of Britain.

    I’m afraid that SR’s wrong-headedness might mean that it also gets sucked down the drain of irrelevance with Respect. It’s time for comrades to wake up!

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  6. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    Well I am very critical of respect, but I am seriously considering joining now.

    What i don’t think TWP is taking into account is that the effectve collapse of the Labour party as an activist party, and the “missing communist party” gives the SWP a disproprtionate influence in campigns such as STW, UAF, Defend Council Housing, etc.

    The trouble is that the organisational paradigm they operate within means they are great at building things in a short spurt, but struggle to keep it going over the long haul.

    Now, there are two things here;

    i) There is clearly a significant minority within the SWP, for the first time in 25 years or more, challenging the judgement of the CC (whatever happens John Rees’s authority is shot to hell)
    ii) Looking objectively at the situation, Respect does still have greater assets than a left of labour party has had for generations. Without the SWP perhaps we can build on them?

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  7. You absolute shower! « Splintered Sunrise

    […] on this from, amongst others, Liam and Andy. Posted in Far Left […]

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  8. left unity Avatar
    left unity

    Don’t believe the SWP hype about calls for John Rees to resign. It is designed to rally the wagons and present the debate as being about driving out the SWP. George Galloway’s position so far has not been to call for Rees to resign. Neither is it Salma Yaqoob’s (she did say to Rees that she thought the honourable thing for him to do was to resign, which is different). Galloway’s proposals are an indictment of Rees’s mode of operation and designed to hem in his destructive influence but they are also a compromise designed to minimise division. Whatever the outcome Rees’s authority will never be the same again, either inside Respect or the SWP.

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  9. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    every socialist who wants to be part of creating a class struggle, working class, anti-imperialist mass party in Britain needs to join Respect.

    But Liam, you’ve left! Have you (a) rejoined or (b) do you not want to be part of creating a class struggle, working clas, anti-imperialist mass party in Britain?

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  10. twp77 Avatar
    twp77

    AN it’s the same old thing from you – “poor Tami just doesn’t understand the British Labour Party”. I am not surprised at your sudden conclusion that joining Respect is a good idea. In my view this shows how out of touch SR, you and others are with the current political situation and the British working class.

    You didn’t say one word about the important attacks on the public sector going on and how joining Respect will do anything whatsoever to get you or others engaged in the struggle against the cuts. You seem to be entirely incapable of seeing the difference between opposing the current leadership of the Labour Party from within that party and supporting Brown.

    The membership of Respect has done very little by way of countering the undemocratic practices of its leadership, openly opposing its leadership and fighting for a better organisation. At least the Labour left is participating centrally in struggles that affect working class people along with analysing, throwing light on and criticising Brown’s policies. Are you interested in participating in working class politics or some irrelevant sect???

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  11. Louisefeminista Avatar
    Louisefeminista

    I think Tami is correct. There’s a big possibility of strikes in the public sector due to the piss-poor pay offers, and Brown inviting every Tory he can think of as an adviser and finally…icing on the cake… Brown attacking LP democracy.

    These are precisely the reasons people should be in the LP as there lies the battle ahead and surely it is better to be in there? Obviously, it is hard work and it is easier to simply take front row seats and watch the laughable spectacle in the boxing ring between Gorgeous G and John Rees about who is the superior alpha-male aka “mines bigger than yours”.

    In the scheme of things such as the class struggle it really means jack shit. Some of us predictable ages that this would kinda happen with its issues with democracy, transparency and democracy. Oh, did I say democracy?

    And any left-wing alternative to Labour has fallen by the wayside. So tell me, why the hell should Respect be any different?

    As rather like the doomed SA, Respect seems like it is gonna go the same way as it is run by two unstable, unpredictable political forces. Ring the death knell now.

    And to reiterate TWP’s point: Wake up before it is too late. SR do yourself a favour and leave.

    Even if you are unsure what political strategy to take, put your feet up, take a holiday, and wash that Respect right out of your hair.

    You know it makes sense….

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  12. Breroolpoz Avatar
    Breroolpoz

    view

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  13. TalayAmelelat Avatar
    TalayAmelelat

    Hello,
    Is everything fine? How are you?

    ——————
    diet

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