Convention of the Left debate 2008

We are from green, left, internationalist, communist, socialist, radical and anarchist backgrounds. We are involved in civil liberties, anti-deportation, trade union, climate change, peace and public service campaigns. What we have in common is that we believe the wealth exists in society to pay for our essential needs – but we do not believe that an unbridled free market is sustainable.

We cannot have socialism if the planet has been destroyed, but we (probably?) can’t save the planet unless we have socialism.

So when New Labour comes to Manchester for its so-called conference (an event generally believed to be without debate or decisions), we have decided that we want to host a ‘Convention of the Left’ – just a stone’s throw (or a balloon’s flight) away from the security-surrounded official event, we will be holding a full day conference, a day of action, and four days of themed debates and discussions (20-25 September 2008).