Lo Siento.
Second As Farce
I "liked" on Facebook to have a look. No one come forward for my neck of the woods, which I believe historically had the strongest SWP branch in London...
14th November Movement for Left Unity
- Thread starter chilango
- Start date
The thing is if enough people join it, new people not just trots lost in the wilderness, then it's a whole different matter. The people involved in setting it up, Rees and Burgin and co, they're irrelevant if 20 or 30 thousand people end up getting involved - it can be taken off them no problem if thats how many people join - like bone says here "burgin cant believe it – he’s giving the franchise to wqhoever turns up.". It might just develop a momentum of it's own, because of the timing, the decline of the SWP, a small peak in class consciousness as the cuts start to bite, etc. It's encouraging I suppose that it's actually got such a positive reaction on facebook, certainly shows there's some interest in a regroupment of some kind, but I can't quite suspend my inherent cynicism just yet based on facebook likes.
The People's Assembly is neither here nor there because it's something that will end up in the Labour sphere of influence, a bit of a vanity project and busywork for a load of left-wing worthies and celebs and their fanclubs.
The People's Assembly is neither here nor there because it's something that will end up in the Labour sphere of influence, a bit of a vanity project and busywork for a load of left-wing worthies and celebs and their fanclubs.
Read Ian Bone's blog, apparently Burgin was doing the usual, trying to structure, control, etc, saw the incredible enthusiasm and passion from hundreds who were besieging him with emails , phone calls and said fuck it, let a thousand flowers bloom, or words to that effect, I think he means it this time...
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
I don't think that the Rees mob are significantly involved in this thing, although they may possibly have signed up. Their energies are going on the People's Assembly, which they hope will effectively install them as the national leadership of the anti-cuts movement with the permission of various trade union bureaucrats. In so far as I've seen any of them even mention the LU thing, it's been to counterpose the PA's to it.
Casually Red
tomorrow belongs to me
I think that the big problem is when some people on the left have both awful social skills and a complete lack of self-awareness, which is how you get people moralising and patronising people who couldn't care less over and over while people roll their eyes
I'm far from convinced that that is a real feature of the left any more than it is a feature of human beings in general now I think about it
and theres the issue of how its their little club so to speak . The only place were they actually are someone . Good dose of the cheka wouldnt go amiss
Yep the steering committee of the Peoples Assembly is essentially controlled by Counterfire and Unite
One of the guys in Norwich LU has Ho Chi Minh and Tito on his FB page!
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/...240?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
btw Morning Star has a go at LU
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/...240?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
btw Morning Star has a go at LU
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The article does make a reasonable point in that a) there seems to be a new'left unity' project for every election b) building these things takes time
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
But then the Tankies stood on the side of the state during the protests/turmoil of 1968.
I'm hardly surprised. They can't be the vanguard and they're pissed off.
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
Why? Do you think the figures have been doctored? Why shouldn't 7,000 socialists sign up to LU? What are you trying to say, tl?
Maybe your hometown is full of numpties.
Maybe your hometown is full of numpties.
Lo Siento.
Second As Farce
Doesn't seem that remarkable to me. I mean the Labour Party has lost 200,000+ members since 1997...
brogdale
Coming to terms with late onset Anarchism
Are you getting this off the website/FB?
http://www.facebook.com/The14thNovemberMovementLeftPartyUk?ref=ts&fref=ts
Its the FB page, used to avoid it like the plague, but the lack of cynicism, righteous anger and action on many of the new sites is heartening and addictive...
btw, just read on there that LP abstained on the vote to remove Union rights, how can the Unions still back them?
Time for John Mcdonnell and others to leave?
Its the FB page, used to avoid it like the plague, but the lack of cynicism, righteous anger and action on many of the new sites is heartening and addictive...
btw, just read on there that LP abstained on the vote to remove Union rights, how can the Unions still back them?
Time for John Mcdonnell and others to leave?
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Ideal opportunity for this group to test the water in the South Shields by election.
There is an urgent need for a new mass movement for people on the left
April 9, 2013
Dr Iain Maclennan is the new Left Unity contact for Portsmouth. He stood in the recent Eastleigh by-election for the NHA party – here he explains his decision to join with Left Unity
I was born and grew up in Portsmouth and have a home in Gosport, although my wife and I currently stay most of the time in Bursledon caring for a disabled family member. I worked as a doctor in the NHS and the Royal Navy for over 30 years, but retired from active medical practice in January 2013 to become more involved in political activism.
I was an active member of the Green Party from 2005 until 2013 and represented the Greens in Portsmouth North in the 2010 General Election. I was obliged to leave the Green Party in 2013 in order to contest the Eastleigh by-election for the National Health Action Party. For the last few years I have been heavily engaged in resisting the imposition of the Coalition Government’s Health and Social Care Act. My interests include enjoying the diversity of nature and people, promoting healthy and sustainable living, and campaigning for social justice.
http://leftunity.org/there-is-an-urgent-need-for-a-new-mass-movement-for-people-on-the-left/
Ex National Health Party candidate joins LU, former RN doctor, this is really taking off now, but i'm not sure it was how they envisaged it, it seem quite bourgeois and moderate, many of the contacts are middle class(though many from W/C backgrounds/L/P familes), but they seem great people with strong convictions, there are a significant amount who are disabled, I will stick my neck out, I think it will be a significant threat to the LP.
They need people like Brenda Nixon, Sheila Coleman, etc to get involved, stand as candidates
dennisr
the acceptable face
yet to be convinced myself - but, yep, you some good points/sentiment in that post
ska invita
back on the other side
wheres that quote from tl?Wow, did I say moderate!
Random
Ethnic nalgocrat
It's the 1910s in slow motion!Its from the retired ex RN doctor mentioned above in my post!
Its reminding me a lot of the ILP, who had major involvement in the National Unemployed Workers Movement.
http://leftunity.org/?doing_wp_cron=1365598412.2771248817443847656250
Oh dear, I suspect the political manouvering by the committed Marxists to capture the emergent movement/party is beginning: the front page now has a dry economic article on marxist economics and a critical review of the 45 reforms, Nick Wrack bringing out the old "reform vs revolution" argument in all the btl spaces, etc. IMO; most of the new membership come across as left libertarians, or even the old ILP, however the old school marxists have the staying power to ramble on and on, people just don't want this: I can't know for certain but I suspect most people joined to defend/work alongside the most vulnerable, and challenge austerity, not have long winded debates which the population would be baffled by..
Oh dear, I suspect the political manouvering by the committed Marxists to capture the emergent movement/party is beginning: the front page now has a dry economic article on marxist economics and a critical review of the 45 reforms, Nick Wrack bringing out the old "reform vs revolution" argument in all the btl spaces, etc. IMO; most of the new membership come across as left libertarians, or even the old ILP, however the old school marxists have the staying power to ramble on and on, people just don't want this: I can't know for certain but I suspect most people joined to defend/work alongside the most vulnerable, and challenge austerity, not have long winded debates which the population would be baffled by..
Unusually I'm going to say I totally agree with you here - this is the strangling of any potential it might have had.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
I just had a quick check back on the FB page.
The same old Lefty stuff.
Really not for me, or for anyone I know.
But for all the those ex Labour Lefts, ex Trots, etc. left adrift and alone with the collapse of the Left in the UK it might well prove to be a comfortable new home.
The same old Lefty stuff.
Really not for me, or for anyone I know.
But for all the those ex Labour Lefts, ex Trots, etc. left adrift and alone with the collapse of the Left in the UK it might well prove to be a comfortable new home.
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