I wrote about this subject in the Sunday Herald today, but here is a fuller version:
By Paul Hutcheon
TALKS are underway about creating a new
left-wing party in the wake of the independence referendum.
Figures in the Radical Independence Campaign
(RIC) and the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) have discussed uniting left-wing
groups divided by nearly a decade of turmoil.
Until 2004, the SSP had successfully brought
together disparate elements of the Left under a pro-independence and
anti-capitalist banner.
The party’s high point was the 2003 Holyrood
election, in which it got six MSPs returned and polled 15.2% of the List vote
in Glasgow.
However, following ex SSP leader Tommy
Sheridan’s decision to sue a tabloid newspaper over allegations relating to his
private life, the party split and faded away electorally.
It won 0.42% of the vote at the last
Scottish Parliament election, while Sheridan’s Solidarity party polled 0.14%.
Neither party contested the recent European
election.
Despite the lack of electoral success north
of the border recently, the referendum campaign has given the broader Left a
shot in the arm.
The wider Yes campaign is dominated by
left-wing groups and individuals, including RIC, the Jimmy Reid Foundation, the
SSP and the Greens.
Other than the Greens, which has two MSPs,
no electoral vehicle exists to bring all the groups together.
The informal talks - involving key players
in a variety of organisations - have centred around creating a new Left party
or umbrella group.
The discussions are at the exploratory stage
and are likely to be stepped up after September 18th.
A red line for many of those involved is
that Sheridan, who is seen as a divisive figure, plays no part in any
new group.
Another obstacle is that the RIC contains
individuals previously involved with the Socialist Workers Party, an outfit
mistrusted by the SSP.
Gregor Gall, a professor of industrial
relations at Bradford University and an expert on the Scottish Left, said the
idea was good in principle:
“For the future of the radical left in
Scotland, there is no doubt that a new, fresh and broader party is essential if
this radical left is not only to get back to its former zenith of 2003 but also
go beyond this.
“Although parliamentary politics and
representation are not the be all and end all to the radical left, it will
never get anywhere fast unless it can construct a new vehicle that is capable
of getting MSPs.”
Cat Boyd, an activist with the RIC, said:
“The referendum campaign has opened up a space for left wing and socialist
ideas to come to the fore in Scottish politics again. We are seeing a rebirth
of progressive left wing ideals as people look for an alternative to the
austerity agenda. The RIC has shown the left works best when we stand together
and I hope that lesson will allow us to move past old divisions and open up the
path for a new electable left with new leadership.’
Colin Fox, the SSP co-convener, confirmed
“informal” discussions had taken place but restated his commitment to the SSP.
He added that any umbrella group would have
to have a clear ideological underpinning, with a focus on the working class.
Robin McAlpine, the director of the Jimmy
Reid Foundation, said the creation of a new vehicle would depend on whether the
SNP and Labour left open the space for such a new entity.
He
said: “Lots of people on the Left are talking about post-referendum
configurations. Conversations are happening everywhere. If the SNP’s social
democracy is shallow, there will be competition.”
