At this meeting the main items of discussion will be:
– Left Unity’s electoral strategy, introduced by Yassamine Mather
– This month’s national and EU elections, introduced by Mike Macnair
Saturday May 31st, 12:30pm
Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, London WC1
All CP members and supporters welcome.
The current issue of the Weekly Worker carries two articles concerning Left Unity.
In the first, ComPlat supporter Laurie McCauley reports on worrying developments in the Manchester branch, where a motion of censure has been brought against one comrade, for comments on the internal email list expressing polite disagreement with other members:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1010/left-unity-what-safe-spaces-lead-to/
In other news, the writing of a fairly innocuous press release by the LU leadership on the arrest of Gerry Adams, in a rare display of initiative, has kicked off a huge barney on the article’s comment thread. Paul Demarty attempts to explain that avoiding disagreements is a road to nowhere in this article:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1010/left-unity-keeping-disagreements-hidden/
The Communist Platform has already enjoyed five minutes of fame, with our motion on the right to bear arms predictably being used by Andrew Neil – host of the Daily Politics – as an indication of the ‘mad’ politics of those involved in LU during his interview with principal speaker Salman Shaheen.
It should be needless to say that the motion does not call for Left Unity to immediately begin handing out AK47’s to all and sundry. Rather, it points to the eventual necessity of a ‘popular militia under democratic control’, to replace the standing army and other armed wings of the state in a socialist transformation of society.
But self-described ‘moderate’ Salman distances himself from the motion, and claims that the majority of those in LU do not hold such politics. We’re not so sure- though many might say that one certainly doesn’t talk about such demands publicly, thus putting themselves essentially in agreement with our Salman.
ComPlat supporter Jack Conrad addresses the whole issue in greater depth in the current issue of the Weekly Worker:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1009/left-unity-arms-and-our-moderate-speaker/
The touted ‘Safe Spaces’ policy being pushed by some in Left Unity has been hotly debated in the Sheffield branch. ComPlat supporter Tina Becker reports in the Weekly Worker:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1008/safe-spaces-cotton-wool/
In the same issue, Paul Demarty offers comment on the ‘regroupment’ talks of several organisations also involved in Left Unity:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1008/left-unity-playing-happy-families/
Four members of the Communist Platform are standing in elections for regional seats on the National Committee, the leadership body of Left Unity. Most of these seats went unfilled in the elections prior to conference after not enough candidates stood.
Ballot papers have been distributed via email- if you are a member of LU and have not received yours, email elections@leftunity.org. Voting closes at midnight on Monday 5 May 2014.
Click our candidates’ name to skip to their election statement.
Continue reading
ComPlat supporter Peter Manson reports on the March 29 policy conference of LU held in Manchester in the Weekly Worker (see link below). While displaying the same weaknesses as previous unity initiatives, there are reasons to be cheerful, too, the comrade writes.
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1004/left-unity-moderate-party-takes-shape/
Supporters of the Communist Platform will be distributing this bulletin at tomorrow’s conference of Left Unity. The text puts forward the recommendations of the Platform on the various motions to be voted on.
See you at conference!
Click here to view the bulletin PDF: ComPlat_Bulletin_#2
At this national meeting of the CP, we will be preparing for the upcoming policy conference of Left Unity in Manchester.
Sunday March 23rd, 12:30pm
Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, London WC1
All CP members and supporters welcome
Like the founding conference last November, the upcoming policy conference of Left Unity has an agenda stuffed to the gills with motions. Combine this with a reluctance to make firm political choices, and you have a recipe for ‘Indecision and irrationality’, argues Mike Macnair in the Weekly Worker:
http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1001/indecision-and-irrationality/