17/7 Exeter branch meeting

At the recent Exeter branch meeting, the ongoing postal strikes were discussed, as well as the situation in Northern Ireland and the growth in membership of the Socialist Party in Devon, the south west and nationally.

Introducing the discussion was SB, who outlined the changed situation in Northern Ireland over the past few years, and since the accession to power of bitter foes Ian Paisley (pictured left, of the Unionist DUP) and Martin McGuinness (pictured right, of the nationalist-republican party Sinn Fein). He said that it was noticably quieter, and the police now walked the streets, albeit still carrying arms. Beneath this sheen though still lies the reality that the sectarian divide still remains and the national question remains unresolved.

The DUP-Sinn Fein government, despite being in office for some months now, has little to say on the contentious issues of health, housing and education. Both parties are committed to neo-liberal anti-working class policies, and sectarian politics. A new party needs to be formed in Northern Ireland based on a socialist programme uniting workers from both communities. Sectarian schooling and housing, which entrenches the conscious policy of the British ruling class of divide and rule, need to be ended.

The national question, in Ireland as well as Cyprus, Palestine/Israel, Kashmir, Sri Lanka and elsewhere cannot be solved under a capitalist system which promotes divisions between workers in order to exploit them. SB recommended books by the secretary of the Socialist Party of Northern Ireland (affiliated to the same international organisation as us, the CWI) Peter Hadden, particularly 'Beyond the Troubles' and 'Divide and Rule'. Both books are available online, if you click on the titles.

Regarding the postal strike, those present at the branch meeting talked about their experiences on the picket line, and in a discussion we discussed the propects for the action, the postal service and how we would work to help the postal workers in any way we could.

19/6/07 Exeter branch meeting report + solidarity appeal

After discussing organisational issues including how we will work to support the postal workers and firefighters in their coming struggles, SB led the discussion on why internationalism is so important for a socialist organisation.

Because of the international, globalised nature of capitalism and the need for global unity of workers and poor peasants to replace this system with a system of democratic socialism, socialism and internationalism need to be two sides of the same coin.

In the Socialist Party, this means being part of an international organisation (the Committee for a Workers' International, the CWI) which has organisations and parties affiliated to it in around 40 countries, from Chile to Russia, South Africa to Sweden, New Zealand to Israel. Being a part of an international organisation allows cooperation and coordination of action as well as sharing information - unclouded by the capitalist media - about what is going on in these countries.

Solidarity work also forms a key part of the internationalism of the party, for instance, supporting a CWI member recently arrested in Bolivia.

An internationalist approach, focussing on the power to change the world for the better only the united, organised working class have, serves as a counterpoint to the dead-end of nationalism (swapping one set of oppressors for another) and Stalinist ideas of 'socialism in one country'

The discussion that followed included contributions from all those present, ranging from discussion of how the Socialist Party's position - a consistent focus on the importance of class - differs from other left groups, the heroic and often dangerous work some of our comrades undertake in places like Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka, and how internationalism influences our approach to analysing world affairs and wars (such as in the middle-east).

In summing up SB accepted the points raised in the discussion and added that three books that had helped him in preparing for the meeting, would be useful and instructive to anyone wanting to find out more about internationalism.

These books, from different eras of struggle, are 'Socialism Made Easy' by the Irish revolutionary James Connolly, 'What We [Militant, the forerunner to the Socialist Party] Believe', by Peter Taaffe, and 'Marxism in Today's World', also by Peter Taaffe. All are available from Socialist Books, or for loan if you email Devon Socialist Party at socialistpartydevon@googlemail.com.

--- As this report was being written, details of another solidarity appeal have come through:

KAZAKHSTAN SOCIALIST JAILED AGAIN

Ainur Kurmanov, leader of Socialist resistance (CWI) in Kazakhstan has once again been jailed for five days after participating in a protest in support of residents in the Bakai region of Almata, who for over a year have been resisting forced evictions to allow building speculators to use the land for more profitable projects.

Please protest immediately to the Kazakhstan Embassy: london@kazakhstan-embassy.org.uk

Please also send messages of support to Kazakhstan social protesters and CWI members at:
bolshevik1917@list.ru
with copies to
pabgem@online.ru