Tomás Ó Flatharta

ULA: What kind of party do we need? 3

Head, heart, hand and footwear.

A guest post

It would be a pity if people were less than enthusiastic about political discussion, education and development inside the ULA. Am I picking up such lukewarmth, fired with a little impatience for activity and against talk, from some of the party-members at ULA meetings? That would be an irony from comrades who organise public meetings on ‘Marx and the crisis’ and weekends on topics as diverse as Ancient Slavery and William Morris. But no more ironic than restless recruiters talking down formal membership or newspaper publishers opposing outright a publication for the ULA. Read the rest of this entry »

ULA: What kind of party do we need?

A guest post

Thoughts, notes, extracts and a bibliographical background to the discussion on 25^th June

Introduction

The title of the second ‘plenary’ session at the ULA Forum on Saturday 25^th June is ‘ULA: What kind of party do we need?. In itself this willingness to discuss such an essential yet sensitive subject is a measure of some flexibility on the far left. This series of pieces, chopped for daily doses, is meant to be a personal contribution to the discussion. Beginning with some extracts and a bibliography. Then, on following days, some general discussion of particular aspects of the new party we need. The bibliography will focus on debate within the marxist left. The reviews to follow, of various elements of organisation actually facing us – all those coming into the ULA – now, will, hopefully apply to anyone giving thought to the nature and structures of what we setting out to build. Some of this material will apply also to the related discussion scheduled for the afternoon workshop, ‘New Workers’ Parties – Lessons from Europe’.

There is already a large body of literature carrying the international debate on the marxist left around the related questions of left unity, left regroupment and refoundation, a New Left, left alliances and organisation (in particular ‘broad parties’ v. ‘revolutionary organisations’). This debate goes back to the emergence of the anti-capitalist movement and is related to the discussion of strategy in the new conditions. The new movement, the anti-war mobilisations, the collapse of stalinism and the accommodation of social democracy to neo-liberalism have opened up new opportunities for the radical and revolutionary left. The economic and financial tsunami of 2008 added a quickening urgency to opportunity and, in our own case, stepped on the gas which led to the formation of the ULA. Read the rest of this entry »