ISN backs Ken Loach’s call for a new party of the left
The following resolution was proposed by Nick Wrack at the meeting of the Independent Socialist Network held yesterday. The resolution was passed unanimously.
The ISN notes the Left Unity initiative and the call by Ken Loach for people to join in a discussion about the need for a new party of the left.
The ISN resolves to support this initiative and encourages its members to participate in the discussion to argue that a new party should be set up and that it should adopt a clear programme for socialist change.
The ISN will continue to work as part of TUSC while keeping developments under review.
8 comments
8 responses to “ISN backs Ken Loach’s call for a new party of the left”
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We had a socialist party till it became NEW LABOUR.
A new party of the left would just be another splinter, we should be working to get OLD Labour back (which is why I’ve joined the labour party)
The only way to get old labour back is to back a new party of the left. The fact that they have ousted labour councillors who refused to back austerity measures in Southampton, alongside the ousting of rebel MP Ian Mearns, who refused to toe the party line of abstaining from voting against the slavery supporting workfare legislation bill (Yes, you heard that right. The chance to really get their teeth in to stop brutal ‘reform’ against the unemployed and labour’s response was to do nothing.) shows that there is no room for maneuver to reform the party from within. With respect, haven’t we all had enough of put up and shut up? Add that to their total failure to nationalise the banks during the financial collapse and it is clear the working man is not at the top of their agenda anymore.
I agree with Jenny, Labour’s shift to the right was underpinned and is maintained by the belief that working class people and the left will vote Labour because they have no alternative. Let’s give them an alternative and show the Labour right that they can’t take our votes for granted.
New Labour is beyond saving. It is an unworkable mix of ex-Oxbridge middle class and traditional working classes from the North, Wales and Scotland (NW&S). The voices of those in the NW&S have long since been silenced to allow the Oxbridgers to attract voters in the south. This has resulted in those in the rest of the UK being, effectively, unrepresented in the UK parliament. A new approach is absolutely vital now. The left cannot hope to gain power without the left wing vote in NW&S.
Scotland is about to vote (September 2014) on leaving the UK and those voters need a real and credible left wing alternative to vote on. Salmond will try to frame the debate such that the choice is “Independence or more policies like the bedroom tax”. Without a viable left wing choice, Scotland may well vote for independence leaving the rest of the UK with no electable alternative to the Tories.
we have had right and right of centre politics constantly since 1979, its about time we changed and had a party that supports all not the few.
Pierre Laurent and Jean-LucMélenchoncome to Britain and show our left parties how to build a Left Front like your Front de Gauche.
also Gabi Zimmer of Die Linke and Alexis Tsipras of Syriza, we need your support and help in getting the British left parties to abandoning left-communism, sectarianism and chauvinistic nationalism.
The left need to draw a line on the Thatcherite-Blairite years and bring about the end of neo-liberal economics and neo-conservative state in Britain. This means communists, socialists and social-democrats fighting our common enemy, the Tory-Liberal coalition and the diktats of global finance capital.