Re Australian Socialist Alliance

[Ben Courtice <benj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom O'Lincoln wrote:
"4. Superficially the DSP has done much better out of the alliance. But even
so the benefits will be limited. The ISO is a much diminished force and cannot
counterbalance the DSP. This means the DSP can dominate but, paradoxically,
if it dominates that makes the alliance unattractive to most independents. 
Neither
they nor most of the tiny groups want "unity" which just amounts to joining
the DSP. It's hard to see any favourable outcome to this tangled situation.
I'm not even sure the DSP will end up with organisational gains. The Alliance
project has done quite a bit of damage, when you add it all up."
-------------
Since everyone seems to have read DSP internal documents, some here might have 
read an
article I wrote for our discussion bulletin "hello new party goodbye old 
habits" where I
argued that the time is right to radically change the DSP's organisational 
norms/habits to
accomodate a broader political discussion and wider recruitment. I initially 
saw this as
being a proposal for the DSP to take on, with a reccommendation that we pursue 
our work
more through the Alliance. After I wrote the first draft the DSP leadership 
proposed the
latter course to members anyway which saved me some trouble articulating my 
position. (I
could perhaps post the article, or the relevant bits, if requested).

Basically I think that the DSP needs to un-learn the jargon, the political 
laziness of
closed discussions, the norms of activity and so on that are characteristic of 
a fairly
static body of activists with a pretty unified political viewpoint. Not because 
political
consensus and high levels of activity are bad, but because we have to find ways 
of
convincing a new layer/generation of activists of socialist politics, and the 
old routines
aren't working well enough. I think the Socialist Alliance could be a great 
vehicle for
that. I agree with Tom that "the DSP can dominate but, paradoxically, if it 
dominates that
makes the alliance unattractive to most independents" as Tom says. But it 
depends partly
how the DSP dominates: if we lead by example of hard work and patient 
explanation of
politics, how will that scare people off? But for that to happen there are 
still a few
barriers to come down.

Tom's depressing account of the state of the ISO gives me no joy. Like most DSP 
members
I've had my fair share of conflict and frustration with the ISO over the years 
but
recently I've started to think about matters in a different way. Reading the 
ISO's public
and internal documents I've learned more respect for them. In fact, I often 
can't really
see why there are two (main) different organisations given that our newspapers 
carry
roughly the same line (same articles even), and although our internal 
discussions show
more differences I think we could benefit from having more of the discussion in 
the open.
The ISO represent a real current in struggle that has a lot to contribute, 
potentially, to
the Australian left.

It would indeed be sad if, after the ending of years at each other's throats, 
the ISO
foundered on the rocks of a DSP manoevre -- and one that wasn't even aimed at 
the ISO.

I think the Alliance allows the potential to maximise the impact of the areas 
where we are
in agreement (building the movements against war and neoliberalism, pulling 
them to the
left, recruiting to and educating people in the ABCs of socialist politics). 
Without the
separate, clashing organisational apparatuses (rival meetings/lectures, street 
stalls, etc
etc etc) we could also give the theoretical and tactical differences between us 
a more
considered and detailed appraisal, and in a more concrete context -- i.e. as 
they relate
to, and are made relevant by, the living class struggle. As one DSP member put 
it at a
recent public discussion on these matters: the DSP is seeking unity around what 
to do next
-- the burning question for any revolutionary.

I sincerely hope that the ISO recovers a unified direction -- and continues to 
contribute
to the broad left as well as it can. I also think that with or without the ISO, 
the DSP
needs to continue to look for ways to make Socialist Alliance successful as a 
step forward
for the left.

Ben Courtice

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