The Socialist Unity Network was a small network of the
far-left
Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
which was not affiliated with any single
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
. It grew out of the
Socialist Alliance (SA) in England, and was initiated by several non-aligned members of the SA executive in March 2004.
Members of the network were supporters of
Respect – The Unity Coalition and other left electoral initiatives including the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
. The main aspect of the network was its now defunct website, which had regularly updated articles from a wide range of socialist perspectives on issues including the possibilities of creating socialist unity.
History
The network was formed in March 2004 by several non-aligned members of the Socialist Alliance in England, and grew to include left-wing activists from a range of political parties and campaigning organisations, and those with no party affiliation. It was centrally involved in the debates around the winding down of the Socialist Alliance and the formation of Respect. It produced its own leaflets on occasions and in the
2005 General Election some members of the network stood as "Socialist Unity" candidates, providing a banner under which independent socialists could choose to stand, as part of the
Socialist Green Unity Coalition
The Socialist Green Unity Coalition was an electoral alliance formed by leftist parties and political organisations in Great Britain prior to 2005 parliamentary election , a coalition with the Socialist Party.
Socialist Unity candidates stood again in the 2006 council elections, gaining over 5% of the vote in
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
, and over 10% in
Hackney. The network also produced a 2005 election guide with ''
Red Pepper'' magazine.
Leading members included Jim Jepps (later a Green Party activist), Declan O'Neill, Andy Newman (later a Labour Party member),
Andy Newman | The Guardian
Matthew Caygill, John Nicholson, Martin Wicks (of Swindon Trades Council), Pete Green, Nick Bird, Salman Shaheen (journalist, and co-editor of Third Estate blog), Reuben Rosenberg (journalist, and co-editor of Third Estate blog) and Tawfiq Chahboune.
Core beliefs
The "who we are" section on the socialist unity network webpage stated:
The Socialist Unity Network originated in the Socialist Alliance. It is not a political group conceived to add to the competition between the many socialist organisations which already exist. It is a network of activists which campaigns for the widest practical collaboration of left groups and movements resisting the attacks of the Blair government.
In England the left has failed to make the break with the sectarian legacy that has dogged the "far left" for so long. Such divisions undermine our ability to build a fightback against the Blair government.
The Socialist Unity Network therefore believes that, in the interests of building resistance and striving to create the conditions in which a socialist alternative to New Labour can emerge, it is necessary to strive to develop collaborative method
Collaborative methods are processes, behaviors, and conversations that relate to the collaboration between individuals.Spence, Muneera U. ''"Graphic Design: Collaborative Processes = Understanding Self and Others."'' (lecture) Art 325: Collaborativ ...
s of working as widely as possible. This is similar to the process that led to the formation of the SSP in Scotland, which was the result of a number of years of common work and discussion which enabled previously competing and sometimes hostile organisations to overcome old antagonisms and to develop greater political agreement.
References
External links
Socialist Unity blog (link dead; archived)
Old blog archive, 2006-7
edited by Reuben Rosenberg and Salman Shaheen
Salman Shaheen on the re-launch of the Network
''Weekly Worker'' January 2005
''Frontline'' no.17, 2005
Andy Newman's Guardian profile
The Third Estate
web project of former Socialist Unity Network activists Reuben Rosenberg and Salman Shaheen
{{UK far left
Academic works about politics
Politics of the United Kingdom
Defunct socialist parties in the United Kingdom