Freedom Socialist • Vol. 24, No. 2 • July-September 2003

Electoral alliance hijacked by Democratic Socialist Party

by Alison Thorne

Australia's Socialist Alliance has changed direction just as it was establishing itself as a viable united front that runs boldly socialist candidates and engages in non-electoral campaigns, including antiwar work and defence of militant unions.
For two years, eight left organisations and numerous individual members successfully worked together in SA while maintaining separate activities outside it. However, at its second national conference held May 10-11 in Melbourne, the alliance adopted a resolution that calls on all affiliated groups to dissolve and fuse into a single, multi-tendency party of both reformist and revolutionary socialists.
The push for a multi-tendency party was opportunistically initiated by SA's largest affiliate, the formerly Trotskyist Democratic Socialist Party, whose leadership will inevitably dominate the revamped alliance.
The Freedom Socialist Party (FSP) strongly opposed changing the character of SA, for two reasons.
First, although DSP touted its proposal as an advance for "genuine left unity," it pooh-poohed the need to first establish how much agreement exists on essential political questions. Without this foundation, "unity" is a sham, and will destabilize the alliance, not strengthen it.
Second, a politically heterogenous coalition cannot topple capitalism. For that, a serious, focused revolutionary party is needed, the kind of party against which SA is now slamming the door.

Significant dissent. Only one other organisation in SA backed DSP's proposal. Shortly before the conference, however, the plan picked up support from some nonaffiliated SA members who organized themselves into a "nonaligned caucus." DSPers plus members of the nonaligned caucus had the bulk of votes on any issue.
Nevertheless, nearly a quarter of the delegates rejected the resolution for fusion put forward by the nonaligned caucus — voting instead for a resolution from FSP and the International Socialist Organisation aimed at enhancing SA's effectiveness as a broad united front.
With its sister organisation, Radical Women, FSP also circulated a leaflet called "Don't Risk Blowing Up the Alliance by Forcing Affiliates to Integrate or Leave." The flyer stirred enough thought among nonaligned members that they withdrew a proposal that would have required affiliates to dissolve within a year.

Program is key. Delegates spent hours debating organisational matters like the multi-tendency proposal, the SA constitution, and publications. Yet only 90 minutes were scheduled to discuss SA's platform.
FSP had prioritized this all-important area and presented an 18-section platform proposal that integrated the demands of the most oppressed sectors of the working class. However, backroom machinations led by DSP resulted in a "discussion" process where a single delegate's objection could sink a platform section with no debate and no vote.
Despite this, seven sections were adopted, fulfilling demands by SA candidates for more developed policy on workers' rights, education, health, transport, housing, welfare, and fighting corporate globalisation.
Henry Noble, National Secretary of the U.S. section of the FSP, delivered greetings to the conference, telling delegates about impressive antiwar organising by U.S. unionists.
Noble also commented on the debate over the nature of SA: "Just yesterday it was said here that 'a step forward in the real movement is worth ten programs.' But how can you know which way is forward without a plan for where you are going? My union experience tells me if you don't see an agreed-upon plan, then look for a clandestine one. Because there's always a plan."
Indeed. In practice, SA members have had to fill policy voids with something, and it has been most likely to be the program of the biggest affiliate, the DSP. For example, when Brigitte Ellery, an SA candidate and Radical Women representative, asked for details of the SA position on refugee rights, she was referred to the DSP newspaper, Green Left Weekly.

United fronts needed, and a vanguard party too! FSP helped to found SA because of the urgent need to return socialism to the political map.
Social democracy – i.e., liberal reformism like that of the Australian Labor Party — is in crisis. Some workingclass voters, disgusted by ALP's support for corporate globalisation, attacks on unions, scapegoating of refugees, and refusal to outright condemn the war on Iraq, have turned to rightwing populism. Others have turned to the Green Party, which has shaken off its single-issue image. Still, the Greens believe that real social change can be won via parliament, a dangerous illusion that ignores history and the bankruptcy of global capitalism.
SA must survive to be a strong pole of attraction for working people looking for lasting answers to their needs. Australia needs a Socialist Alliance that is broad, democratic, outward-looking and daring.
The fact that many nonaffiliated members are stepping forward to take on leadership roles is inspiring, and FSP looks forward to collaborating with them. FSP will work to retain and expand the features of SA that attracted us to it while resisting any calls to dissolve our organisation.
We will continue to build the Freedom Socialist Party and promote our Marxist feminist program. The working class needs united fronts like SA to educate and agitate for socialism, but it also needs a revolutionary party to lead the final conflict that will achieve it.

Alison Thorne attended the Socialist Alliance conference as a delegate. She is the FSP representative on the SA national executive committee and a past SA candidate.

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