Comments on: Can there be a new left party? Ken Loach – and 2,000 people – hope so

By: Bazza

Bazza — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:47:55 +0000

A simple policy which could help us come together – FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT! Why subsidise employers by paying to go to work? Would help transport poor, less stress on bus drivers, create jobs and could have couriers on board to help passengers, attract people out of cars, help the environment by reducing Co2 emmissions, safer roads, encourages more cycling, less noise pollution from traffic, less accidents: win! win! win!
A real Coaltion Of Progressives? But to be honest as a w class socialist whilst my heart is saying yes, my head is still not sure! Going to public meeting on this next week -so will have to put my critical thinking head on! Best wishes.

By: Bazza

Bazza — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:27:39 +0000

1. A new left party needs to be fundamentaly HONEST.
2. Needs to OVERCOME SECTERIANISM – could have REGISTER OF FACTIONS including independent left, labour left? But will the Trotskyist leopards change their spots? They aim to recruit cadres and then their elite central committees will lead us all to the promised land, A TOP DOWN SOCIALISM and to use some big words – (Rosa Luxenmburg) – a bourgeois dictatorship of the proleteriate.
3. Need a grassroots, bottom up, democratic, peaceful, socialism.
4. Needs a simple name which appeals to working people. 5. Needs to appeal to the w clas and progressive m class. 6. Needs to use simple language to communicate.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:09:58 +0000

Reading all of the above, think I’ll go back to bed and forget about it!

By: Tony Greenstein

Tony Greenstein — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 02:25:24 +0000

Much as I respect Peter Tatchell and his opposition to bigotry, racism and war, I cannot agree that the Green Party is the new left party

In Brighton we are seeing a GP in administration, making the very cuts Labour or the Tories would make. Making capitalism a bit nicer. There is no concept of how only fundamental change in society, the overthrow of a system where a tiny minority control the lives of billions and wage wars ‘to keep the peace’ in order to retain that control, in the Green Party.

In fact members of the GP are extremely eclectic. few of them are involved in radical campaigns, their main motivation is become a replacement for the Lib Dems and gaining a place at capitalism’s table.

In short the GP believes you can green capitalism. That is why it is not a party for socialists and the Left Greens have largely vanished.

By: Nick Long

Nick Long — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:24:06 +0000

Ken and Kates call for a new party of the left is gathering momentum and pace each day! More than 50 discussion groups have been, or are being established. Greens would be more than welcome to contriubte to these local on the ground debates. I have been involved in all the abortive and limited steps to try and establish a new left party, and this latest move seems to be the most promising to date. Thousands have supported the call. All the omens are good. Labour backing workfare and jumping on the anti immigrant band wagon reveals the true nature of one nation Labour. The iniative is being built from the bottom up. The principle Lennist sects are busy with other work, and thankfully are not involved. The project is not being built around a great leader figure. A broad inclusive left party, rather than a lash up of sects is on the cards. My local party, Lewisham People Before Profit, who gained 24% in a by-election on Thursday and came second to Labour demonstrates a space is open on the left of Labour. The Greens by the way could not even get their act together to get their nomination papers in and have no support in working class communities.

By: laurence

laurence — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:35:36 +0000

I’m another Green Party member. Jerry Spring’s marxist critique of social democratic parties is understandable but not of interest to most of us. Loach’s choice of the 1945 Labour government as subject is precisely of appeal because capitalism was actually mitigated, as opposed to a bunch of theorists sitting in a pub creating an ideal, imaginary utopia to believe in. Most hardcore old-school marxists are still in denial about climate change. But time is not on our side, and waiting for the division of society between expropriators and expropriated to reach such an extreme point that revolution will become inevitable is a gamble based on neo-Hegalian (i.e. quasi-religious) mysticism. The only real progress for working people came through the reforms of liberals like Lloyd George, Keynes or Beveridge, or from social democrats like the Labour governments in the 40s – 70s. We need to reign in capitalism as a matter of urgency. Working people and the middle classes can related to the Greens in a way that 99% can’t relate to the hard left. Joining, working for and voting Green is a way to re-energise politics, to start a progressive process, to start chipping away at neo-liberalism.

By: Jerry Spring

Jerry Spring — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:09:14 +0000

William Bowles was spot on in asserting that “the ‘left’ still can’t call the Labour Party a party of imperialism!”, so much so that the three comments which followed his effectively confirmed that to be the case.

Rupert Ferguson pays a loving tribute to Ken Loach’s understanding of social deprivation of the working class, but where is Loach’s understanding of Attlee’s betrayal lurking behind the ‘Spirit of ‘45‘ ?

Peter Tatchell, in the fond belief that he is not in the “left-wing wilderness – isolated, powerless and ineffectual.”, imagines that a Green “radical party of the left” would not be absorbed into the governmental structures of the imperialist United Kingdom.

Bill Raymond typically avoids mentioning imperialism, by simply referring to it as advanced capitalism. He asserts that both “the social democratic and Leninist models failed”, apparently without understanding that they are both social democratic – the former being evolutionary and the latter being revolutionary. More to the point, the battle between them is still going on. So for him, the Greens will make a better job of mitigating capitalism and managing it better.

By: Bill Raymond

Bill Raymond — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:22:35 +0000

Yes, I’m moving in the direction that Peter Tatchell indicates too. The Greens are the best alternative around, abeit far from perfect. Both the social democratic and Leninist models have failed. The latter just wanted to mitigate capitalism and manage it better and the latter was never viable in an advanced capitalist context. Socialists need a new model, and this has to be a broad based eco-socialism, not a marginal force that concentrates on ‘workers’ as if the ravages of capitalist renewal hadn’t changed the the class structure forever. Eco-socialists need to focus on building an alliance between those excluded from work, those lumpen-proletarianised by neoliberalism, those who work for their living, pensioners (many of them part owners of capital through pension funds), and indeed ‘Middleband’s squeezed middle’. It won’t be easy and will requre peeling of sections of the Labout party – or developing a meta-party acrosss the existing divisions, which could field a list of left-green candidates from various stables: probably the only viable appraoch in the strange electoral system of the London partliament.

By: Peter Tatchell

Peter Tatchell — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:01:27 +0000

There is already a radical party of the left. It’s called the Green Party – and it’s more successful than any UK left party has ever been before.

Most left critics of the Greens have never bothered to read actual Green Party policy, which is more radical on social and global justice than most traditional left groupings.

Although I greatly admire Ken Loach, Kate Hudson et al there is no reason to believe that the left is capable of creating a viable new left party. Just look at the fate of the Socialist Alliance, Scottish Socialist Party, Respect etc. Sad but true.

Of course the Greens aren’t perfect. But they are better than being in the left-wing wilderness – isolated, powerless and ineffectual.

My honest opinion is that it is best for left-wingers to join and strengthen the existing radical left alternative: the Greens.

We welcome you.

By: Rupert Ferguson

Rupert Ferguson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:41:47 +0000

The reason why Ken Loach is so right about so many things is that he understands a great deal about socially deprived Working Class people who have effectively been left behind by the political and economic mainstream. Anyone who has seen and understands the sub-text of, and the motivation behind, such great screen classics as ‘The Angels Share’ will be aware of the point that I am trying to make before I even make it! Putting young Scottish working class kidults with a history of young offending who would never have had a hope of making anything of and/or doing anything with their lives in a real movie in front of real audiences at major international film festivals, such as Cannes, has done more for youngsters aspirations at street level in Glasgow than thirteen years of Neo Lib New Lab Government ever did! Right on Ken! We love ya!