14th November Movement for Left Unity

[treelover]

The other co-founder of LU: Andrew Burgin, again content to be just part of the team and the audience, hopefully, a good sign...

 

[JHE]

The few pictures I've seen of it and the 20 mins or so I watched live yesterday suggest that the founding conference was not exactly overburdened with young people. Does this new party have any prospect of being much more than the re-heating some middle-aged lefty-overs?

 

[J Ed]

The few pictures I've seen of it and the 20 mins or so I watched live yesterday suggest that the founding conference was not exactly overburdened with young people. Does this new party have any prospect of being much more than the re-heating some middle-aged lefty-overs?

They probably can't afford to get to London, the ones in London are probably writing about how some pop star or another needs to check her privilege or something

 

[Awesome Wells]

The few pictures I've seen of it and the 20 mins or so I watched live yesterday suggest that the founding conference was not exactly overburdened with young people. Does this new party have any prospect of being much more than the re-heating some middle-aged lefty-overs?

It better have something. I don't know how much more of these capitalist toff wankers I can take!

 

[belboid]

the most positive report I've seen comes from....Ian Bone!

http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/left-unity-a-positive-start/

 

[Idris2002]

Who's Ian Bone?

 

[belboid]

Class War

 

[mk12]

For the first time an organisation to the left of Labour has been set up WITHOUT the involvement of the SWP and the SP

Long may it continue (the SWP anyway). If Left Unity takes off they'll definitely get involved, though with their ever-decreasing numbers perhaps they won't be able to dominate it...

Out of interest, why aren't the SP involved in this?

 

[belboid]

TUSC (and they dont think it has a hope, I guess)

 

[butchersapron]

It's got the swp reserve team involved hasn't it?

 

[mk12]

TUSC (and they dont think it has a hope, I guess)

Ah yes. Forgot about that.

butchersapron Yeah the ISN or whatever they're called are in Left Unity.

 

[imposs1904]

Is counterfire involved? Apart from offering to do the catering?

 

[treelover]

The individuals prominent in setting LU took on a self effacing role, not sitting up front but in the audience and not stitching – or seeking to – every vote in advance. The common sense prevailed and the platforms of the micro-sects were all defeated decisively. The predominant and genuine cry was ‘we want to look forward not back’.

from the bone blog

yes, it does seem that way, Salman Shaheen seems to be prominent, but only as a PR position, and he is very good.

 

[treelover]

Bone Blog

OT, but does anyone know what this woman is doing now?

 

[articul8]

Out of interest, why aren't the SP involved in this?

I would have thought because it gives every impression of being a lot of ex-sectarians looking to build a home in which they feel comfortable, and where they can all get along famously, rather than immediately engaging wider forces.

I'd have criticisms of TUSC, but feel closer to that than to "left unity".

 

[butchersapron]

I would have thought because it gives every impression of being a lot of ex-sectarians looking to build a home in which they feel comfortable, and where they can all get along famously, rather than immediately engaging wider forces.

I'd have criticisms of TUSC, but feel closer to that than to "left unity".

This is not the Syriza you were looking for.

That you think TUSC might be is just bizarre though.

 

[articul8]

I'm not expecting anything much from TUSC. But *if* any left alternative is to get of the ground, it's going to need to spend more time engaging with the interests and views of people who live outside the small leftist subculture than the flotsam and jetsam already inside it.

 

[butchersapron]

I'm not expecting anything much from TUSC. But *if* any left alternative is to get of the ground, it's going to need to spend more time engaging with the interests and views of people who live outside the small leftist subculture than the flotsam and jetsam already inside it.

Why trot out that banality though? To not be shit things must not be shit. Great.

And why assume one initiative that seems less populated by the usual suspects it more likely to achieve it than one totally dominated by the usual suspects? (You may need to be open about what bureaucratic RMT connections you have at this point).

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

I'm not expecting anything much from TUSC. But *if* any left alternative is to get of the ground, it's going to need to spend more time engaging with the interests and views of people who live outside the small leftist subculture than the flotsam and jetsam already inside it.

TUSC doesn't seem to have succeeded in even engaging with RMT members at this point

 

[Nigel Irritable]

TUSC (and they dont think it has a hope, I guess)

More the latter than the former, I'd guess. I have no idea what discussions the SP over there has had about Left Unity, so this is just an opinion from afar and shouldn't be taken as representing their views, but from where I'm sitting this looks like an elephants graveyard.

(I'm a bit curious about a definition of "usual suspects" that doesn't include Loach, Burgin, Felicity Dowling, Tom Walker, Kate Hudson, Alan Thornett, Liam McUaid , Nick Wrack and just about everyone else prominently involved. Also a little baffled at the surprise over leading figures sitting with the plebs. Do people here think that John Rees used to preside over SWP conference from a throne of skulls?)

 

[Plumdaff]

Is counterfire involved? Apart from offering to do the catering?

No.

 

[butchersapron]

More the latter than the former, I'd guess. I have no idea what discussions the SP over there has had about Left Unity, so this is just an opinion from afar and shouldn't be taken as representing their views, but from where I'm sitting this looks like an elephants graveyard.

(I'm also curious as to a definition of "usual suspects" that doesn't include Loach, Burgin, Felicity Dowling, Tom Walker, Kate whatshername, Alan Thornett, Liam McUaid , Nick Wrack and just about everyone else prominently involved)

I said less populated not 'didn't include' - and these people are on the whole not tied to any organisations - or ones incapable of the normal trot attempts at domination.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

I said less populated not 'didn't include' - and these people are on the whole not tied to any organisations - or ones incapable of the normal tory attempts at domination.

I'd say that it's about as populated by the "usual suspects" as anything can reasonably be, with a membership at the top, an oppositional current and a rank and file all made up of people who've been around the left for donkeys years. The main difference is that they are mostly grey haired ex members of this or that or current members of particularly ineffectual sects, clustered together for shelter.

 

[butchersapron]

I'd say that it's about as populated by the "usual suspects" as anything can reasonably be, with a membership at the top, an oppositional current and a rank and file all made up of people who've been around the left for donkeys years. The main difference is that they are mostly grey haired ex members of this or that or current members of particularly ineffectual sects, clustered together for shelter.

Saying that's it's less populated by the usual suspects means just that - less of them. And my point was that it's not the organisational usual suspects, those who an and do dominate that are here - it's mostly individuals (without their usual suspect organisational back ups, the ones they are used to fronting for - key point) here who are usual suspects.

 

[chilango]

I'd say that it's about as populated by the "usual suspects" as anything can reasonably be, with a membership at the top, an oppositional current and a rank and file all made up of people who've been around the left for donkeys years. The main difference is that they are mostly grey haired ex members of this or that or current members of particularly ineffectual sects, clustered together for shelter.

That's certainly what the cynic in me sees...

...time will tell. And fairly quickly I would've thought.

 

[articul8]

The problem is not (per se) that LU contains the types above, but that it's priorities and methods are determined by what kind of an organisation *they* want to create for themselves, not what kind of an organisation the people they are trying to reach might want.

 

[chilango]

The problem is not (per se) that LU contains the types above, but that it's priorities and methods are determined by what kind of an organisation *they* want to create for themselves, not what kind of an organisation the people they are trying to reach might want.

That they, or you, think in terms of "reaching people" really illustrates the fundamental problem with much of the British Left.

It's a very, very, telling turn of phrase.

 

[butchersapron]

Reach 'em teach', we might as well preach 'em as we're here.

 

[articul8]

It signifies there is a measure of distance between the left and the class in whose name it pertains to speak. This is not a claim as much as a measurable fact.

 

[butchersapron]

It signifies there is a measure of distance between the left and the class in whose name it pertains to speak. This is not a claim as much as a measurable fact.

I thought 9 million people voted for your left last time?