'The crisis in working class representation' conference report

This event was called at the last RMT conference to discuss the ‘crisis in working class representation’. This is definitely a real issue and problem, however the main problem was that for most who would be attracted to such an event, ‘working class representation’ means a 'workers party'. Due to this, the event attracted the usual mix of Trotskyists, disgruntled (ex-) Labour lefts and politically homeless left individuals – in fact the motion to RMT conference was passed by a member of Trotsykist micro-grouplet Workers Power. The meeting was certainly for the large part filled with the far left – Of 300 filling the meeting hall, 2/3rds must have belonged to some left wing mini-sect or other. However another 100 were turned away due to the meeting room being over filled, these much more likely to be ‘grassroots’ individuals rather than politicos – who usually turn up early to guarantee good seating, sell papers and plan interventions. However, even with this, the audience was still very much primarily white, male, middle aged lefty hacks.

Of the far left, The Socialist Party (SP) were most in evidence, strongly pushing their campaign for a New Mass Workers Party. Workers Power (WP) and the Socialist Workers party (SWP) were also very much in evidence – Workers Power posing as the oh so revolutionary alternative to the Socialist Party, and the SWP in their RESPECT guise to whine about the lack of RESPECT speaker on the platform – not quite realising that given the inclusion of speakers from the miniscule Socialist Labour Party (SLP) and Forward Wales, that the RMT was perhaps making a point.

It was never clear in the run up how much enthusiasm Bob Crow and the RMT executive (never mind grassroots RMT members, who other than members of lefty sects were in little evidence at the event) had for this event – many believing them to be merely going through the motions to fulfil their conference resolutions. Much pointed to this, from the small size of the room booked, the lack of publicity for the event - which was mostly made of plugs on lefty websites and magazines and a few adverts in the Morning Star – and the fact that the conference was not accepting resolutions and was openly nothing beyond a discussion forum, with no follow up planned – this still being the case in the aftermath. However, the interest shown by Bob Crow in his platform speech, as well as his obvious enthusiasm in the pub afterwards would perhaps suggest that there may be more to this. It must be remembered that while having little time for Trots in general, Bob Crow has a history of jumping on board ‘left’ breaks from Labour, such as the SLP.

Of the speakers, Bob Crow was certainly the best, seemingly being the only one able to grasp the notion that ‘Working Class Representation’ is not something that has to take the form of a political party – his main thrust being that a new national shop stewards movement was a necessary step for any working class regroupment. While not explicitly saying so, he seemed to imply it to be a necessary pre-condition to the formation of any Mass Workers Party, but that it was a good in its own right. One might well be led to believe that pushing this idea was Crow’s primary motivation for now sinking the conference. While hardly syndicalist, and still viewing the situation from a top-down union bureaucrat perspective, he spoke well and with passion, and the idea he voiced certainly has currency, and would be of vast benefit if it were to be adopted. While a shop stewards movement is not going to arise from a top-down diktat, if this idea - coming from the head of perhaps the most militant, and certainly most successful, union in contemporary Britain - is to inspire moves in that direction, then it would be a major victory.

The rest of the speakers were a rather tired and dull mess, mostly rehashing the lines of their particular organisation.. Jean Lambert (Green Party MEP) and John Marek (Welsh Assembly member for Forward Wales) rambled and meandered through their vacuous contributions, with nothing much to say, and little to no mention of class. There was no attempt to hide that they were, at heart nothing more than radical democrats – certainly not what the working class needs in terms of representation. Dave Nellist (Socialist Party councillor in Coventry) rehashed the SP line that we need a new mass workers party, of course raising the upcoming conference in March that they have organised on the issue. He certainly speaks well whatever disagreement one may have with his position, and of all the older Socialist Party members, was the only one not to speak in the old ‘Militant’ house style. Colin Fox, Convenor for the Scottish Socialist Party and MSP gave a stock speech on the role of the SSP, how they formed and what they have done – not much to inspire, and not really much of political weight beyond ‘the left being united is good’. The contributions from floor speakers were topped off with an (admittedly, hilarious) contribution by a member of the Socialist Labour Party whose contribution could quite easily be distilled down to ‘Arthur Scargill is great, and so are the SLP, so why does nobody like us?’.

The only surprise from amongst the platform speakers was Labour MP John McDonnell (prominent in the Campaign Group). Surprisingly, he offered little argument that Labour should be reclaimed, or that it was a party of the workers, and spoke of the need to do whatever it took to achieve socialism, whether being inside or outside of the Labour Party, or even out of parliament. Certainly one of the better speakers – he spoke quite humorously, with helpings of Trot baiting - his lack of a defence for Labour under Blair seemed quite telling even of those ‘on the left’ who are firmly entrenched within New Labour.

So, then came the floor speakers. For the most part split between Socialist Party speakers talking of the need for a New Mass Party, and how Labour was no longer a party of the working class (this point seemed almost unanimous – not one person spoke against it from the floor or platform), SWP members and fellow travellers telling us why ‘The train had left the station’, and that RESPECT was the new vehicle for working class representation and various other sects. The Socialist Party speakers seemed to fall with a similar mould, all saying roughly similar things and none saying anything out of the ordinary – none spoke amazingly, and no one made any glorious fuck ups. The various sects all pushed their particular line – a few examples being the International Socialist Group (ISG – a pathetic array of SWP cheerleaders whose sole reason to exist is to provide right cover for their antics) that RESPECT could be part of a New Mass Workers Party and Workers Power doing their ever so tired pose of being the more radical and revolutionary alternative to everyone else. Parroting the SP, but adding faux-‘revolutionary’ posturing, their speaker attracted mirth and derision with his promise to email Bob Crow his suggestions after he overran his allotted three minutes – and no comrade, we don’t believe you were making a joke.

Most of the derision however, was reserved for the RESPECT speakers. Ranging between a member of the Indian Workers Association (who had the entire conference built up and excited about his contribution as it was announced as a ‘comrade from Gate Gourmet’) who approached the situation calmly and rationally to the patented near-hysteria of an SWP full-timer, their was one common theme, that of George Galloway. While they tried to shield themselves from the inevitable backlash with soft criticism of his Big Brother appearance, they never really had a chance. The mere mention of the words ‘George’, ‘Galloway’, ‘Big’ or ‘Brother’ had the entire audience (the non-aligned minority even more than the obviously thrilled Socialist Party) exploding into laughter and cat calls. It became clear incredibly quickly just what a mistake he had made – even amongst the left, where it would be expected he'd find his support, he has become an utter joke – matched only by the loathing his appearance seems to have inspired in most of the population. It seems doubtful that he will be able to appear with any semblance of credibility for years to come – although given how vile the man is, it is sad it took something as silly as an appearance on Big Brother to do this – as much as anarchists and the like may have hated him, up until now he was far less hated in general than they would have liked to think. Not any more. This leaves the SWP, to put in mildly, totally fucked. Having thrown their entire weight behind RESPECT, a project amounts to next to nothing without Galloway (not to say it is that significant at present), and Galloway utterly humiliated they must have serious worries about their future, although it would be far from out of character for the leadership to throw an about turn in direction if it suits them and the Party’s survival.

Beyond this, there were a few other speakers from small groupings (since most of the non-aligned types didn’t have a planned intervention, they didn’t speak), none of which saying anything of interest, and a few people rambling about how vital it is we get proportional representation. But really, this was the disappointment – while easily predictable, the whole event really was nothing but a left wing jamboree. There was little support from grassroots trade unionists outside the organised (in the political party sense) left, and it seemed little more than a left wing meet up – a sort of Socialist Alliance, with RMT backing. Whatever the merits of any of the speakers, this was always going to be its main problem, and not being anything wider, it was never going to offer any real solutions to the problems caused by lack of effective representation for the working class under capital. The follow up Socialist Party meeting was more of the same, but even more made up of the far-left – although this time a lunatic from Socialist Appeal giving us his reasons why we must instead reclaim the Labour Party. There was also the amusing sight of Workers Power getting their speakers mixed up, and having a young inexperienced comrade stutter a few incoherent words, and lose them their chance to denounce the Socialist Party as foul reformists – losing the slot that the Socialist Party had (graciously, given that Workers Power had cancelled their own meeting in order to come and have a pop at the Socialist Party) assigned for them. But overall, this meeting was just a smaller, more left wing mirror of the one it preceded, with more of an emphasis on the upcoming conference for a New Mass Workers Party.

And so, overall, the conference was as disappointing as expected. While there was some good that could come out of it (notably, the idea of a new shop stewards network) and the chance for a bigger, wider and better advertised follow up, it really was just a meet-up of the left, and left one feeling as empty as most such gatherings. As usual, the Trotskyist left and Trade Union bureaucracy are offering little for the working class, and everything for themselves.