https://iclfi.org/pubs/wh/2025-three-principles
The founding of a new left party opens the possibility of building a radical left-wing alternative to the status quo. But to succeed, socialists and communists must not remain passive cheerleaders. Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party ended in failure because he was unable to stand up to the liberal establishment when it mattered most. The same mistakes cannot be repeated.
We must organise now to shape the politics of this new party. The left is divided on many things, but all genuine socialists should agree to collaborate and fight side by side for the following three principles:
1) No to NATO
Increased militarism and austerity go hand in hand. There can be no talk of a fairer Britain if it remains a member of NATO and a partner in US crimes around the world.
2) No alliance with the Greens
The Greens do not stand for socialism but for middle-class liberalism. Socialists cannot be associated with anti-working-class policies such as ULEZ, which seek to fight the climate crisis on the backs of workers. A coalition or non-aggression pact with the Greens would only push the working class away.
3) No to Zionism
The Zionist project is based on the displacement and genocide of the Palestinians. Socialists must oppose Zionism and be clear that the current state of Israel is incompatible with the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Revolutionaries will be a minority in the new party; we will not control the rules or the structure. It is all the more important that we win the battle of ideas. The three principles above are not inherently communist. Yet they draw a basic political line against the liberal middle-class politics which dominate the British left. A victory on these three points would not only establish the new party as a genuine alternative to the status quo, it would also open a real political space for Marxist ideas.
