Convention of the Left
Encyclopedia
The Convention of the Left (CL) is an annual conference of British left
, socialist, progressive and green parties and organisations, first held in Manchester
in September 2008. The format of the conference was that it 'shadowed' the Labour Party
's 2008 Annual Conference, also being held in the city. A 'recall' event was held in the city in January 2009.
and the Socialist Workers' Party
(at that point engaged in a protracted dispute over the demerger of the Respect - The Unity Coalition), the Communist Party of Great Britain (PCC) dismissed the event as a "talking shop" http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/737/convention.html (it supporting the Campaign for a Marxist Party
against "broad fronts" and for deeper discussion on differences on the Left), however the CPGB (PCC) and its autonomous student group Communist Students
signed up as supporters of the convention. The Socialist Party of England and Wales did not sponsor the event as it has its own Campaign for a New Workers' Party
and invited the organisers to join their campaign.
The full list of supporting party organisations is as follows:
It was also supported by The Morning Star
, Red Pepper
, Labour Briefing and Socialist Worker
.
British left
The biggest organisation on the British left is the Labour Party with over 100,000 members.The Communist Party of Great Britain had a peak membership of 56,000 in 1945...
, socialist, progressive and green parties and organisations, first held in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in September 2008. The format of the conference was that it 'shadowed' the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's 2008 Annual Conference, also being held in the city. A 'recall' event was held in the city in January 2009.
Aims and values
The 'Statement of Intent' for the Convention was that it aimed to "explicitly challenge Labour’s programme of warmongering, neoliberal privatisation and failure to tackle environmental destruction." The statement was signedhttp://www.conventionoftheleft.org/intent.htm by:- Tony BennTony BennAnthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
- Alice MahonAlice MahonAlice Mahon is a British former Labour Party politician and trade unionist.She was Member of Parliament for Halifax from 1987 until 2005. She is a left-winger who was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and is a Eurosceptic...
- Ken LoachKen LoachKenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
- John McDonnellJohn McDonnell (politician)John Martin McDonnell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997; he serves as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Labour Representation Committee, and the "Public Services Not Private Profit Group"...
MP (Labour Representation Committee) - Robert GriffithsRobert Griffiths (politician)Robert Griffiths is the general-secretary of the Communist Party of Britain . He was elected by the CPB's Executive Committee in January 1998, in place of Mike Hicks, who, along with others, subsequently left the party he had a major role in founding....
(General Secretary, Communist Party of BritainCommunist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
) - John Haylett (Editor, The Morning StarThe Morning StarThe Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
) - Liz DaviesLiz DaviesLiz Davies is a British barrister and political activist. She is the daughter of retired Oxford academic and historian of Tudor England, C. S. L. Davies....
- Derek WallDerek WallDerek Wall is an English politician and member of the Green Party of England and Wales. Formerly the party's Principal Speaker, he is known as a prominent ecosocialist, campaigning both for environmentalism and socialism. Alongside his political role, Wall is an academic and a writer, having...
(former Principal Male Speaker, Green Party of England and WalesGreen Party of England and WalesThe Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
) - George GallowayGeorge GallowayGeorge Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
MP (Respect – The Unity Coalition) - Cllr Salma YaqoobSalma YaqoobSalma Yaqoob is the leader, and former vice-chair, of the Respect Party and a former Birmingham City Councillor. She is also the head of the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition and a spokesperson for Birmingham Central Mosque....
(Respect – The Unity Coalition) - Prof. Gregor GallGregor GallGregor Gall is a British left-wing academic and writer. He is research professor of industrial relations at the University of Hertfordshire, but lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was previously professor of industrial relations at the University of Stirling...
(Labour movement academic) - Chris BamberyChris BamberyChris Bambery was a member of the Central Committee of the British Socialist Workers Party until April 2011 when he resigned from the party. He is a leading member of the newly formed International Socialist Group ....
(editor, Socialist WorkerSocialist WorkerSocialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
) - Lindsey GermanLindsey GermanLindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a former member of the central committee of the Socialist Workers Party. She was editor of Socialist Review for twenty years until 2004...
(Socialist Workers' PartySocialist Workers Party (Britain)The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
)
Membership
While the CL had managed to attract the support of both Respect RenewalRespect Renewal
Respect Renewal was a faction that existed during the 2007-8 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition a UK political party.Respect Renewal was led by Linda Smith, the National Chair, Leader and Nominating Officer of Respect, and was formed in November 2007...
and the Socialist Workers' Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
(at that point engaged in a protracted dispute over the demerger of the Respect - The Unity Coalition), the Communist Party of Great Britain (PCC) dismissed the event as a "talking shop" http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/737/convention.html (it supporting the Campaign for a Marxist Party
Campaign for a Marxist Party
The Campaign for a Marxist Party was a campaign of several organisations on the British left for a political party with explicitly Marxist goals as part of a rebuilt workers' international .-Principles:...
against "broad fronts" and for deeper discussion on differences on the Left), however the CPGB (PCC) and its autonomous student group Communist Students
Communist Students
Communist Students may refer to two existing organisations:* Communist Students * Communist Students...
signed up as supporters of the convention. The Socialist Party of England and Wales did not sponsor the event as it has its own Campaign for a New Workers' Party
Campaign for a New Workers' Party
The Campaign For A New Workers' Party is an initiative of the Socialist Party of England and Wales that argues for the establishment of a new mass workers' party, involving trade union activists, socialists, anti-capitalists, and community, anti-war and environmental activists. It was launched at...
and invited the organisers to join their campaign.
The full list of supporting party organisations is as follows:
- Alliance for Green SocialismAlliance for Green SocialismThe Alliance for Green Socialism is a socialist and environmentalist political grouping operating across Britain...
- Alliance for Workers' LibertyAlliance for Workers' LibertyThe Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
- A World to Win
- Campaign for a New Workers' PartyCampaign for a New Workers' PartyThe Campaign For A New Workers' Party is an initiative of the Socialist Party of England and Wales that argues for the establishment of a new mass workers' party, involving trade union activists, socialists, anti-capitalists, and community, anti-war and environmental activists. It was launched at...
- Communist StudentsCommunist StudentsCommunist Students may refer to two existing organisations:* Communist Students * Communist Students...
- Communist Party of BritainCommunist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
- Communist Party of Great BritainCommunist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
- European Left Party Network
- Green LeftGreen leftThe term Green left is used primarily to refer to a combination of environmentalism, feminism, socialism, and pacifism in countries where the term is used...
- Labour Representation Committee
- Left Alternative
- Permanent Revolution
- Respect - The Unity Coalition
- Scottish Socialist PartyScottish Socialist PartyThe Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
- Socialist AllianceSocialist AllianceSocialist Alliance may refer to:*Alternative Socialist Alliance - Independents *Democratic Socialist Alliance *London Socialist Alliance*Scottish Socialist Alliance*Socialist Alliance *Socialist Alliance...
- Socialist ResistanceSocialist ResistanceSocialist Resistance is a Trotskyist and ecosocialist organisation in Britain which publishes a Marxist periodical of the same name. In July 2009 the International Socialist Group merged into it, making SR the British Section of the Fourth International.-Origins:It was launched on 8 September...
- Socialist Workers' PartySocialist Workers Party (Britain)The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
- SolidaritySolidarity (Scotland)Solidarity is a political party in Scotland, launched on September 3, 2006 as a breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party in the aftermath of Tommy Sheridan's libel action...
- Workers PowerWorkers PowerWorkers' Power is a Trotskyist group which is the British section of the League for the Fifth International. The group publishes the magazine Workers Power and distributed the English language journal Fifth International.-Origin:...
It was also supported by The Morning Star
The Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
, Red Pepper
Red Pepper (magazine)
Red Pepper is an independent ‘red, green and radical’ magazine based in the UK. For most of its history it appeared monthly, but relaunched as a bi-monthly during 2007.- Origins :...
, Labour Briefing and Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
.