Until
very recently the existence of the Scottish Socialist
Party had been a beacon of hope, for not only
the Scottish working classes, but also for left
wing socialist militants throughout the rest of
the UK. It had led the way in mapping a realistic
path out of the sectarian ghetto that has passed
for party political left wing politics since Militant
were driven from the LP by the servants of Capital,
and the CPGB imploded. When, after much hard work,
the Scottish comrades founded the Scottish Socialist
Party and took its program to the Scottish electorate,
they proved what many had been claiming for decades:
that working class people will respond at the
ballot box to progressive politics if they believe
the party who are offering it up are genuine in
their commitment to the class, and a real player
in the political process, not just a bunch of
mockney revolutionaries or single issue propagandists.
The
SSP were able to build a support base that eventually
materialized into a dynamic political force which
managed to attain six SSP Members of the Scottish
Parliament [MSP]. The presence of these MSP's
allowed the SSP to use the Parliamentary Assembly
as a platform to spread socialist politics throughout
Scotland, and in the process help many of the
victims of neo-liberal economics via MSP's surgeries
etc, which in itself helped to spread the word
of socialism. For the first time in decades the
presence of dynamic SSP socialists like Tommy
Sheridan and others forced the media to take note
of socialist politics.
Then
disaster struck and the SSP imploded. With the
full results of the of May 3rd, 2007 Scottish
Parliamentary elections now in, the fall out from
the events which took place back in 2006 and before
have finally struck home with shocking reality.
Of the six SSP MSP's that were elected in 2003,
not a single one remains. All have been sent packing
by those workers who only four years ago were
prepared to give socialism a chance.
I
am not going to go over old ground and re-analyze
the reasons that led up to the split within the
SSP, out of which two separate socialist organizations
emerged. As far as working class people are concerned
it will serve no purpose. In any case, if there
is a piece of land that has been continuously
ploughed over yet to this day remains fallow,
it is this. It is enough to write that the SSP
and Scottish Solidarity came into being, both
targeting the same section of the electorate and
without a political difference worth any salt
between them. Understandably the Scottish working
class wanted neither of them, not least because
since the implosion, the memberships of both parties
have spent much of their time throwing personal
insults and brickbats at one and another, often
using the harshest of language, which is almost
always based on personality clashes, not political
differences which might resonate with the Scottish
working class.
If
the radical left in Scotland is to regain the
ground it has lost, it must attempt to regain
the confidence of the class. This will not be
easy, but then coming together as the SSP was
never a cakewalk. Comrades, whether members of
Scottish Solidarity or SSP, should cease attacking
their former comrades, after all they do not have
any political differences worth arguing over and
personality clashes are unworthy, especially for
the left who often claim the higher ground. The
working class knows this and reacts accordingly.
The leaders of both organizations should show
some leadership and remind their members of the
negative impact all the sniping has had on the
electorate.
It
is very likely that too much putrid sewage water
has flowed under the bridge for this generation
of left wing leaders to come together in a single
organization once again. But that does not mean
that Scottish socialists should continue to attack
their former comrades as if they, and not the
representatives of Capital, are the main enemies.
It is time to reflect on what has been lost and
to recognize that the SSP originally came into
being by the joint efforts of many comrades and
left organizations and the only viable option
open to the left is to return to the comradeship
and sensible compromises that enabled this to
occur.
The
alternative to this is there for all to see: a
return to the political ghetto, or being eaten
up whole by George Galloway's Respect Party, which
is already eyeing up Solidarity much as Private
Equity asset strippers did to Boots the chemists.
If nothing changes, a majority of the SSP membership
may well decide to bolt for Alex Salmond's SNP.
Mick Hall's blog: Organized
Rage
