SWP and the Respect Unity Coalition

international | politics / elections | opinion/analysis Thursday May 13, 2004 18:42 by Stephen Daedalus

SWP's coalition with Muslim Groups and George Galloway

One would think that the Respect Coalition in England and Wales is a bizarre coalition. It is a reflection of a dissolutionist and opportunistic trend in the Socialist Workers' Party in Britain. This coalition has seen the SWP vote against women's rights and endorse religious parties like the PJP.

Lyndsey German (SWP) is the Respect candidate for London Mayor. On the SWP website (www.swp.org.uk) there is an account of a day's campaigning for Lyndsey German. German toured a number of mosques on Friday. There are boasts of thousands of leaflets being given out at Friday prayers. There is also an account of a day's campaigning in a shopping centre with a Respect candidate that is a Church of England pastor.

The Respect coaltion is a collection of the SWP, a number of Muslim organisations, and George Galloway. Galloway is described as the Respect MP and is running for the European Parliament. The Muslim Association of Britain is part of Respect. The People's Justice Party in Birmingham is endorsed by Respect. The PJP have been campaigning against teaching children about Gay relationships in school. As part of this orientation towards muslims the SWP voted against having Women's rights mentioned on the Respect election litrature.

This all indicates a dissolutionist trend in the SWP. They are not raising fundemental demands of socialists so that they can be acceptable to the muslim leaders. It can be understood if the SWP tailored the way they put forward demands to attract muslim anti-establishment youth. However they are not, rather they are orientating towards muslim leaders. They are going to mosques where the anti-establishment muslim youth do not go! I'm sure young people of muslim origin are in favour of women's rights and gay rights, yet they don't include this so that they don't offend the MAB leaders. We also see a pro-privatisation Labour Councillor being accepted to the Respect banner after falling out with the other Blairite councillors.

Is there disquiet in the SWP over this turn? In Ireland there is talk of two trends in the SWP. One trend that wishes to have an all embracing alliance with non-progressive forces. Bin Tax activists are were aghast when the SWP argued for Labour to take part in the Bin Tax public meetings during non-collection. Anti-War activists will also be aware of some SWP members orientating to religious conservative muslims rather than the non religious muslim youth. On the other side are SWP members opposed to this turn towards elections and broad groupings.

Will there be splits in the British SWP on this issue? This cannot be ruled out as genuine socialists in the SWP will be dissatisfied with this alliance with non-progressive forces. The Respect Coalition has people that are in no way progressive such as Galloway and Conservative Muslim leaders. The SWP are not criticising these people and exposing them, rather they are supporting them. This will lead to people drawing the conclusion that the SWP are no good. Genuine Socialists in the SWP will be instinctively be opposed to the SWP voting down a Workers' Wage policy for Respect to suit Galloway and the removal of women's rights to suit conservative muslim leaders.