Venn Tracey, actor in the 'Navigators', Ken Loach and Ken Ferguson
Convention of the Left success
by Ken Ferguson, editor Scottish Socialist Voice
The Convention of the Left took place in a sunny Manchester last week
destroying the metropolitan myth that it always rains in the northern
city.
Involving Greens, Marxists, reformists, revolutionaries, young and old it also
debunked the idea that the Left cannot either discuss issues or agree on anything.
From the SSP’ s point of view the event provided a key shop window for both the
party’s ideas and an important opportunity to update comrades on the latest developments
in Scottish politics.
Packed sessions debated the end of the UK state, the future of council housing,
the implications of the world financial crisis, free public transport, peace
and a range of other issues.
The SSP were earlier supporters of the event and members participated fully in
discussions and, in a number, introduced the discussions.
Frances Curran made a key intervention in the session on the break up of the
UK underlining to participants the reality that an independence referendum will
happen and they would indeed need to take view on it.
Rafi de Santos delivered a magisterial, sweeping contribution to the debate on the financial crisis which explored responses from experts and activists informed by ideas of both Marx and Keynes.
Organisers heaped praise on Colin Fox’s contribution to the closing question
time session which involved a swathe of left luminaries.
Around 50 attended the session of Free Public Transport in which I debated with
the Green Party’s Peter Crainie.
Again the idea gathered wide support but the rather faltering piecemeal response
from the Greens to the idea belied the gathering urgency of the climate and economic
crisis we face.
As part of the session Ken Loach introduced his film Navigators which examines
the privatisation and subsequent casualisation of railway maintenance.
It is bitter sweet combination of the lost working class gains inflicted by Thatcherism
and bolstered by New Labour on one hand and the sheer resilience of working people
in dealing with it on the other.
This was an inspirational event taking place a few hundred metres from the degutted,
highly managed New Labour loyalty rally.
It showed once again that the Left has real, principled practical answers to
the multiple crises we confront.
The dedicated group of comrades who organised the Convention deserve congratulations
and thanks from us all.