Left Unity Glasgow Plan of Action, July- November 2013

This is an attempt to set out a plan of action for Left Unity Glasgow for the next five months or so. I hope other members will find this useful, if only as a starting point for a discussion. Ive set out some of the background to the Left Unity project to give this some context, and a very broad statement of what were are trying to achieve. The Plan of Action for Left Unity Glasgow follows. I have tried to put together ideas and suggestions from other members too. Apologies for the length

1. What is the message of Left Unity?

Left Unity (LU) is an attempt to build a new Left Party. Its immediate aim is to defend the welfare state, resist cuts to services and benefits, and expose the fallacies of current governments economic and social policies. In the longer term it aims to put forward a left wing alternative to the policies of the mainstream political parties. Though the principles of this party are still to be formally agreed on, it is clear that most of those who are participating in the Left Unity project do not want another social-democratic party. Instead, Left Unity will be a party that is democratic and socialist. That means it must, in the first place, be built from and within the communities that are suffering directly from the Coalitions austerity measures. In the long term, we have to put forward an alternative to capitalism that speaks to and comes from the experiences and ideas of those same people. I think the basic message of LU is quite clear. The mainstream parties do not serve the interests of the vast majority of people in the UK. The Conservative-Liberal government has launched a systematic attack on the most vulnerable people in society, and will continue these attacks over the next two years. The Labour Party has followed the Tories to the right: they have promised to stick by Coalition cuts if they win the next election, offering only a feeble jobs creation programme that will do nothing to challenge the power of the finance industry and of the market. All the major parties including the SNP accept the idea that the interests of society are, in the end, identical to those of big business and millionaire investors, and only differ in the concessions they are willing to make to the idea of social welfare. All the major parties accept that massive inequalities of wealth and power are unavoidable. Right now, large parts of our society also accept this idea, since it is supported by most of the national media and is put forward as gospel by almost every public commentator. The Left Unity appeal, written by Ken Loach, Kate Hudson and Gilbert Achcar in early 2013, is also informed by the experiences of the left in the UK over the last twenty years. It rejects charismatic leaders and left sectarianism. Left Unity has already put huge efforts into making its decisions democratic and its local groups equal and accessible. It rejects the patterns of leftist in-fighting and personality politics. We have seen the Labour Party taken over by careerists and professional politicians at the expense of its rank-and-file members; it is particularly frustrating to see the same kinds of things happening on a smaller scale in left groups. People arent idiots. They know when theyre being corralled. So LU has to make the effort to

reject these old ways of doing things, which have failed to make the left popular, repelled many seasoned activists and campaigners, and ultimately damaged the causes for which the left stands.

2. What is LU Glasgow already doing?

We should be putting the basic message forward as widely, clearly and succinctly as possible in the next few months, and trying as far as possible to show that we are different from other left groups (in the sense mentioned above). LU G has already been organising and has had some success over the last two months. We now have twenty people really committed to the idea of Left Unity. A few more people regularly attend meetings and contribute to the debate; there are perhaps another 100 to 150 who are following the LU in Glasgow and nearby. Several of our members have done very well to create an online profile for LU G and LU Scotland, and have got in touch with hundreds of people. So we need to build on this. As I understand it, we are already doing three things: 1. Fishing: We are still looking for established activists and others who might be willing to commit some of their time and skills to the LU project. There are some established left groups that are very sympathetic to the LU idea and might be willing to get more heavily involved over the summer. There are rank and file trade union members who are disenchanted and frustrated with their own organisations as well as the Labour Party. There are rank-and-file and ex- Labour and Green Party members who are giving up on these parties. There are also lots of very pissed-off people, mostly outside the established left, whove got sick of shouting at the TV and are eager to do something. So we have to keep fishing. This is necessarily a messy and slightly haphazard process, especially given our limited resources. We can expect many to pass through or hang around the edges without committing, and a few to throw themselves into it whole-heartedly. We can add people to the latter group by making our activities as welcoming, sociable and unstuffy as possible, and by making sure that people have things to do which are achievable. 2. Networking: We have started to make some connections between the current LU G members and people from other groups. We are at the early stages with this. We need to think very carefully about what our aims will be as we begin to get more involved - as LU - in existing campaigns and groups. I think our basic principles in this regard should be that: we dont want to take over campaigns, and nor do we want to use them just to hand out leaflets. If we want to get involved in other campaigns individually, then we should do it on the terms set by the organisers. If we want to hand out leaflets at other peoples meetings then we should ask them first. If we want to speak for the LU then we should, if possible, arrange it beforehand rather than intervening ad hoc (a la the SWP). 3. Building presence: From the point-of-view of a person who does not regularly check leftist websites or get involved with campaigns, Left Unity has almost no national presence. It is unlikely to be given much (or any) space in the big papers or on TV until at least November, when its founding conference

takes place. So we have to go out and tell as many people as possible about it. Online activities are one way of doing this; leafleting and running stalls are others. We should also be putting on events that get the idea across to larger numbers of people. Film screenings and workshops have been used elsewhere with some success. We might think about other possible draws that are relatively cheap and easy to organise, if volunteers can be found (music? skill-swops? teach-ins?). We shouldnt expect to get loads of members out of this sort of activity, and if possible we should avoid pushing membership forms in peoples faces also. If we look like the usual party hacks then people will be (rightly) suspicious: better for now that LU G people are around, or can make themselves available to talk about a new Left party and what the LU appeal is all about.

3. How should we develop these activities?

So heres a plan of action for the next five months or so. This is very sketchy and perhaps widely ambitious, but I think in principle these are the right ideas (or some of them are). We might choose to concentrate on one thing or another. There is also no reason that we need a very strict division of labour here, as long as we are well organised about what people are doing (and when) LU Glasgow meetings Over the last two months we have been trying to organise Glasgow-wide meetings and to bring interested people from miles across and even from outside the city. It is very hard to get people to come to political meetings in the best circumstances; added to that is the gamble of simply setting times and dates and hoping people will be free. We should continue, I think, to have regular LU G meetings, but this shouldnt be the main focus of our activities. We could use these meetings mainly for people who are more or less committed and have roles in LU G. We could give reports on what we have been doing and also plan on the Glasgow (and beyond) level at these meetings. We could also use Glasgow-wide meetings for invited speakers1 and draw in a bigger audience, perhaps limiting the organising part of the meetings to an hour or less before or after the public part. And there is always the pub if it is likely to be smallish group meeting (10-15). This might save us some money if we plan ahead.

In any case, we have to think very carefully about times and locations, as it is already clear that people are finding it difficult to make the Thursday timeslot, and some will never make it at that time despite being very committed to LU G. Some have already suggested that our online pages could be used to find a suitable time; it has also been
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Who we invite is a different question I have some ideas for people to talk on the NHS, Europe/ EU and racism; Joe B and I have been in contact with a local economist, and there are other left economists who look promising; there are numerous campaigners who Im sure would be willing to speak at one of our meetings. Any suggestions are welcome, of course.

suggested that we could use Skype or some other technological wonder to make sure people can at least participate even if they cant be there in person.

Local Meetings in (and around) Glasgow We should find volunteers to organise in local areas. This might be hard, but it will be worth it. It might be best to divide Glasgow four-ways across, or otherwise see who is willing to volunteer as a local organiser and see what area they are in. We should also try to help set up local groups outside of Glasgow where there are already people engaged with LU G and LU S. Given our limited resources, we would have to do this on a cycle rather than simultaneously. We might aim to do three local areas over the next five months. So whats the point? Our aims should be, firstly, to find five or so people who will get involved, as members, in each area and form a more or less stable local group (fishing), and secondly, to get some recognition for the LU by putting on an event of one kind or another and advertising it locally (building presence). We could do this off our own bat, or organise an event with other campaigns/ campaigners. Possible events could be: a. Show a film: other LU groups have of course shown Loachs Spirit of 45 and got a good response, but there are probably many other suitable films that are easy to het hold of and relevant (any film buffs out there? We could do nifty things like showing the film once on a weekday morning an saying kids are welcome (like the mum and baby showings at big cinemas) and of an evening as well. b. Put on a gig: All we need is some lefties with guitars But we could also think about doing a benefit jointly with another campaign. We could probably get some pretty big bands if it is a well-known campaign (e.g. bedroom tax). c. Good speakers: LU UK can be contacted to send speakers up here. We might be able to get one of the better-known people from LU. And given Ken Loachs long-running Glasgow connection? Obviously we will need to think about costs here and plan accordingly. A film should be relatively cheap, especially if the community hall or venue has a film licence and the gear. A benefit should be almost costless if it is planned well, and it would generate some money for campaigns as well. (This would have to be a joint venture though). The responsibility of the local volunteer would have to be decided by that person: if they are comfortable with it, they could organise a meeting, a venue, contacts, and perhaps follow ups to people who are interested in that area, bringing in the rest of LU G to help leaflet, advertise, put on the event etc. If they are less confident, then the local volunteer could just identify a venue and the streets or places to leaflet, do the follow-ups (emails, phone calls) if and when they materialise, and generally know shit about the place they are in.

Lastly, we might think about untying our organising from the big event and doing more stuff in pairs or, if its appropriate, individually. There are many obvious places where we could be leafleting with the aim of getting the message out. We could also try and find places about the city where LU G members could sit and talk to people and also up its posters and announcements; they might arrange to do this fortnightly, perhaps in pairs, and advertise the fact. (There are obviously some questions about keeping people safe with this oneTell me what you think!). Online activities We already have an excellent team of four working on our online pages and or email list. We have got a lot of people interested in the Facebook pages in particular, and the mailing list is also being worked on very ably by our team. There are many suggestions for how our web stuff can be used effectively. A possibility is that we can use the web to create a virtual LU covering a larger number of people than can meet in any particular area. There is no reason that meetings should be the main aim of our activities: many things can be done online. We all need to think about what this might entail. One major problem so far is the sheer amount of work involved. One member suggests that some of the messaging should be handed over to other members to do (this is hard labour but may produce good results). This could be arranged as ten contacts per volunteer. The aims of this messaging would be to gauge interest, to find out the persons specific location, and to find more people who would be willing to get active. If this was combined with the local organising it could be very effective. Another problem is how we get our message out using the web. Another member has pointed out that, so far, most of the content on our pages is coming from other places/ sites, and that it is likely those who are friends of the pages have already seen a lot of this stuff. Essentially that means we need our own stuff to publish, and we need quite a lot of it. If there is local organising then that will go on the pages; but we should also think about writing a newsletter or, at least, something substantial... Leaflets and Literature We have a volunteer working on leaflet and poster design as well as text for flyers, etc. It would be useful if our leaflets could be tailored to particular areas and address pertinent problems and issues of that area; obviously we will also need event-specific flyers and leaflets. For leafleting in pairs or individually a generic appeal flyer will probably suffice. We should think about a newsletter and/ or blog. We have many very knowledgeable and articulate people in LU G already, and it might be possible for us to write a little bit each on a monthly basis on any number of subjects. There are also loads of left bloggers as well as campaigners who might want to get their message out using a newsletter that we produce. Again, if this is (in the first instance) primarily online, then it would cost very little. We would only need people to commit the time, knowledge and talent. We would need an editor or an editorial group to handle this, and it would be best that this is separate from the online group up to the point where we put it online (or print it!).

Provisional Membership It makes sense for us to have a provisional membership scheme, even if we dont push it relentlessly. There are many already willing to join up, and many others who ask if it is possible to be a member. Membership will bring in some money for hiring rooms, printing leaflets/ posters (and perhaps other things see below), and also allow us to subsidise members travel costs to meetings in Glasgow. It will also be a useful signal to those on the edges of LU G that the project is moving forward, and will give people something to identify with. Lastly, it will help us organise at the local level and get people active in the LU G group(s). LU UK is panning to set up a founding membership for the July November period. The idea is that anyone who joins now (or anyone who already has a standing order) will automatically become a member of the new Left party in November. I think we should organise our scheme separately for now (we are unlikely to see any central funds or a while yet!), but fold it into the UK scheme later, if members agree and depending on circumstances. We could pass on some money to LU UK (again, if members decide this is a good idea). (I have asked a member to give a brief report on possible options and suggested dues at the next meeting. Any dues would have to be very modest, with the option of giving more.)

4. Just one more thing

At the NCG in June (please suppress the yawns) it was decided that: 1. LU will have a UK-wide meeting in September and a conference in November; 2. Local groups should discuss the principles of the new Left party between now and September, and submit resolutions to these meetings; 3. that there will be a working group to discuss and set out a plan for the LU in Scotland and Wales. Obviously this means thinking about devolution, independence, etc, but also the form our organisation will take in Scotland, and its relationship to LU UK. So - we need people to be delegates to these LU UK meetings (and we can have one per group of five, as long as they have had one minuted meeting Manchester already has four groups); we also need a group of people to be in the working group on LU Scotland. Any volunteers?

Wishing you all the very best.

JM