Let’s build a revolutionary caucus in Your Party

We all know the far right is on the rise and that there is an urgent need for a socialist working-class alternative to Farage and Starmer. Your Party is a chance to build such an alternative, but from the start the Corbyn and Sultana factions have been plagued by indecision and infighting. While there have been raging debates about the structure of the new party, barely anything has been said about its political substance.

Yet, the acrimonious factionalism over money and positions is not merely caused by personalities and egos, but by the absence of political answers to the problems facing the left. Both factions recite the empty mantras of “peace”, “justice” and “solidarity”. While a few years ago these were enough to maintain some kind of coherence among the left, this clearly won’t work in this period of sharp polarisations and crisis. Fundamentally, the only way to solve the paralysis at the top and build a strong party is to have a clear programme that meets the challenges of our time.

To win workers, Your Party must get away from the liberal, middle-class politics which have dominated the left since the Blair era, and which have contributed more than anything to pushing workers towards the right. To win them back, Your Party must reject identity politics and fight for a class-struggle socialist programme.

Of course, this does not mean abandoning the fight for women, Muslims, trans people, immigrants or Palestine in favour of “bread and butter” issues. Rather, what is needed is a programme capable of combining the economic struggle of the working class with the struggle of oppressed groups against their common enemy: the British ruling class.

But such a programme will not magically emerge. It needs to be fought for against the stale notions of “progressive” liberalism which currently dominate Your Party. In other words, to get socialist politics, socialists must fight for them.

This is why a revolutionary caucus is needed. The Spartacist League wants to build such a caucus, but we cannot do this on our own. We want to work with other organisations and individuals to build it. If we want this new party to succeed, socialists must work together and place the interests of the movement above those of their own organisation or clique. First and foremost, we are interested in opening a debate on the policies needed to get Your Party off the ground and win mass support in the working class.

Below we propose a set of principles which we think could serve as a basis to regroup revolutionary elements in Your Party. Get in touch with us to debate these and to work with us in building a revolutionary caucus.

Draft platform

For a planned economy run by workers, for workers!

The City of London has destroyed this country. Deindustrialisation, privatisation, falling living standards, stagnant productivity, the North-South divide; all this and more has been caused by the fact that the economy revolves around this cancer destroying everything that is good for workers. The only road to regenerate Britain is through the expropriation of the City, and the establishment of a plan for re-industrialisation designed by the working class, for the working class.

A working-class position on immigration.

Farage and Tommy Robinson scapegoat immigrants and foster racist divisions. Starmer and the City encourage mass immigration to prop up a rotting economy and drive down wages. Neither of these are any good for the working class. As socialists, we oppose closing the border, but we also oppose the government’s policy of mass immigration. Instead of an immigration policy dictated by the bosses, we need one determined by the needs and interests of the working class.

For the unity of workers, Muslims and trans people!

There can be no place for bigotry in Your Party. But to have any hope of uniting the left we must win the argument, not simply moralise and exclude people who have different views on social questions. One does not need to be a Muslim to oppose the attacks on the Muslim community. And one does not need to agree with gender theory to defend the rights of trans people to live their lives how they wish. We do not need to agree with all the ideas in each other’s heads. To unite we need to agree to fight for each other’s rights against the ongoing reactionary backlash.

No to Zionism!

Zionism is a nationalist project based on the displacement and oppression of the Palestinian people. It is the ideology behind Israel’s genocide and has no place in the labour movement. Peace in the Middle East and the unity of Arabs and Jews can only be achieved through opposition to Zionism, support to the liberation of the Palestinians and respect for the democratic rights of all peoples.

Down with US & British imperialism!

British foreign policy is designed to serve the interests of the City of London, itself a part of the American Empire. Wars and interventions by Britain and the US abroad have brought disaster around the globe, while bringing only misery and crisis at home. Now, the US is pressuring its allies to re-arm for more wars, which will mean further squeezing working people. We say: No more arms to Ukraine and Israel! No to NATO! Down with the war drive!

No alliance with the Greens!

The Green Party embodies everything the working class hates about the left today: self-righteous, middle-class politics that put abstract ideals above real living conditions. The Greens are not for the working class or socialism, nor do they want to be. An alliance with them will only repel workers.

For Irish unity! Self-determination for Scotland and Cymru!

The “United Kingdom” is oppressive to Irish Catholics, Scots and Welsh. British imperialism subjugated Ireland for centuries; it must finally be thrown out of the whole island. As for the Scottish and Welsh nations, their fate should be determined by the democratic will of their people, not by the parasites in Westminster.

Yes to trade unions! No to pro-capitalist union leaders!

The trade unions are the mass organisations for the defence of the working class. At least that’s what they should be! For decades the trade unions have been run into the ground by leaders who stand closer to the bosses than their own members. We cannot let these people take control of Your Party. Whether to rebuild the unions or found a new left party, we need leaders who stand on clear socialist principles and are ready to take the fight to the bosses.

Down with the monarchy! For a workers republic!

Workers finally need a government and state which serves their interests, not those of a handful of capitalists and aristocrats.