How I Met Ken Loach and Saved the Left..
Liz Gray
Liz Gray from Leicester Left Unity on yesterday’s national meeting
The morning began with introductions and what you might broadly call statements of attitude and belief: it was interesting to hear where people were coming from and what they wanted from the group, where they thought it should go and what they might bring to it. If I had been in charge of this session I think I might have given half an hour to small-group discussion and then feedback as some people began grandstanding and making speeches. What was crystal-clear, however, was a widespread determination to avoid the mistakes of the past and crucially, to prevent socialist groups from hijacking the party (if it becomes a party). Speaker after speaker said the same thing: that we must not allow Socialist Workers or Militant or any other special-interest group to take us over. I found that encouraging, if a little startling that so many people seemed to have had bad experiences in this regard – but forewarned is forearmed and I think our strength will lie in quite simply the numbers of ordinary, unafilliated people and our determination to avoid takeover. The debate did get rather bogged down at one point and I left the room for a few deep breaths as people started to bang on about what we could and couldn’t decide on, since we hadn’t been properly and democratically constituted. It’s this kind of debate, seething with Points of Order, which tends to make me lose the will to live and I did leave the room at one point in order to breathe and recite a few mantras. However, we soon got back on track and were all heartened by the appearance in our midst of Ken Loach (for it was he!) Yes, God bless him, the man himself had come among us and after lunch he gave a short and very inspiring speech which I think focussed us all on why we were there.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516360/
I was struck by the differences in style of many of the people there and how, whilst some, like me, are simply frustrated former Labour voters, others clearly come from more political backgrounds where they are used to doing things in a certain way and wanted to keep doing them in that way. One of the bones of contention was whether groups should be allowed to affiliate to Left Unity, which might (as I understand them) give those groups – such as Trades Unions etc – more sway in the form of a block vote. There was widespread opposition to this and it was eventually voted down as we decided overwhelmingly to adopt OMOV ie One Member One Vote.
The meeting ended with a sense that we had got back on track and made some worthwhile decisions, including to hold a conference in November where ideas can be ratified and a committee established. In the meantime I have put my name forward for an interim organising group and I am waiting as we speak for the results of the vote. There were some great people there: apart from Ken (with whom I had a brief chat – he’s a really ordinary bloke; quite shy really) there was Kate Hudson, Chair of CND and some other really interesting and personable people.
I have a number of comments to make on inclusive language and the utterly abhorrent fake glottal stop, but I shall save those for tomorrow.
And thanks to Sheila for getting the train tickets.
Kirk out
Personal views on inclusive and ordinary language.
11 comments
11 responses to “How I Met Ken Loach and Saved the Left..”
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I’m afraid, after reading various comments, that Left Unity is going to be anything but. In fact, it sounds like yet another dreary sect that defines itself by not being like others. Proclamations, declarations at al are all very well..but where is the nitty gritty? The SWP and Militant may well be unattractive to some but they get their hands dirty. UAF, Unite the Resistance in Leicester are good examples of this., Left Unity were invited but no where to be seen. Don’t forget, Ken Loach is an obscure Trot who belongs to a weird sect …..and he’s a brilliant film maker. Not attracted.
El Che – We are at the beginning of a journey, not the end and we will certainly see and feel Left Unity’s presence as time progresses; of that I am certain.
I have no doubt that the ‘nitty gritty’ as you describe will be placed before us all in the near future, which will enable the debate to continue.
Whatever Ken Loach may or may not be, is not really the debate, he provided a call out, over 8,000 of us have answered and from that the journey begins…
Che: don’t give up and don’t give in to pessimism, no matter how justified you may be. I am in the U.S. and I can only wish for something close to LU here. We all have baggage; what we’ve known to be “correct” and what we feel we have come to expect from others. LU is truly your/our chance to differently. Do not be afraid just to be a “worker bee”;for among this kind of coalescence, we all have leadership skills and much experience. The skills we lack–the ability to avoid idolatry of charismatic leaders, the willingness to accept that no matter how correct we may be, our comrades’ democratic agreement is nothing but the decision to test those agreements and change as we realize we were mistaken–we can grow those together; truly the only way out of the morass of our Left traditions. It’s time to ante up, we can learn to “straighten up and fly right” as we fight together.
bit of a trolling post that…
I’m an exmember of the Labour party, Millitant and the SWP. Left Unity is a breath of fresh air. People who want to live in the past and don’t want to move forward don’t have to join us.
If you want things to be different, things have to be done differently.
Jonno, that is a bit patronising is it not? How is it trolling when you offer no evidence to the contrary to the statement made by El Che. Actually El Che is correct when s/he says that the Militant/Socialist Party are the ones who “get their hands dirty”, because they are the ones who are part of the “cult of activism” within the socialist movement. In the case of follow- up potential members, membership and campaign stalls in the high street and in council estates, public meetings and leafleting in the street. That is something individual members of Left Unity is going to have to do or it will die on the vine of rhetorical hyperbole. And this is not a troll message but from an experienced trade unionist and socialist with over 3 decades of activist experience.
I’m glad you enjoyed the day’s discussion. I have read many positive messages from those who were there, but I’m astonished at the amount of vitriol that is coming from other left groups and left individuals (I assume El Che is on the left, although to use language like ‘another dreary sect’ and ‘Ken Loach is an obscure Trot who belongs to a weird sect’ gives me cause for grave doubts). Neil Cafferky posted a message on TUSC’s Facebook page that said ‘So it appears that TUSC chair Dave Nellist was barred from entering the Left Unity meeting by Andrew Bergin. Not a very good start for “Left Unity”. For all the big talk about a new beginning from some people seems like the same old people are producing the same old politics of exclusion. It’s a shame TUSC Steering committee member Nick Wrack who is also playing a leading role in Left Unity didn’t feel able to intervene to correct this mistake.’
Not one single positive sentence, how sad is that, and the pot surely calling the kettle black when he writes that Left Unity is ‘producing the same old politics of exclusion’ Ooh, that made I larf! Now that Dave Nellist has now said he was NOT barred, so an apology would help get us back onto the path I’d say… and can we cut the bitching people?
Great piece, thanks Liz! I wish I had thought of the deep breathing and the mantra! We may need some more of that kind of thing as comments from the far left roll in…
I wish I’d thought of the deep breathing too – I was the co-chair on that second session and it was terrifyingly good fun! Excellent report Liz, I reckon we made a damn good start – it was my first ever political meeting, and can only say I was proud to be there!
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but (excluding some of the above) reports of the ‘goings on’ have been very positive and, dare I say, hopeful.
To all…just a sigh, really with some pointers towards dangers. Having lived and worked and been active in various countries I’m just offering a moment of (gloomy) observation. I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong. Jonno, not trolling. Someone else quoted the hands dirty bit, I agree….this needs to be done toute suite and not on facebook/websites etc. Join the anti Bedroom tax groups, anti austerity groups. These are establishing and we on the ‘Old’ left are forming with previously non-political people who are angry. Your democaracy will be better formed in relation to this than with abstract ideals.