Respect could use its upcoming conference to get ready  for next year’s elections.

The first priority of the Respect conference — which is to be held on November 14^th in Birmingham — must be the launch of its election campaign. The most likely date for both the general election and local elections, in which most of Respect’s council seats come up, is May 6^th 2010.

The conference should of course discuss the possibility of a common framework for the left in the general election given the disastrous situation in which the left found itself in the elections for the European Parliament and the debates around the No2eu campaign.

The European elections were a wakeup call for the left in terms of disunity and lost opportunity. Socialist Resistance is very much in favour of such a common framework if this is possible and will argue for this at the Respect conference, providing it is on a democratic and inclusive basis.

Such a development of unity, however, given recent history, is likely to be slow and the outcome uncertain. Even if it is successful what is likely to emerge at this stage will not be a new party but a far more general framework across the left under which the various left organisations, including Respect, could stand with their own name of the ballot paper.

For Respect, therefore, as the only party on the socialist left with a chance of a Westminster seat, the immediate priority has to be its own election results. It has to mount the most effective campaign possible. It has to fight for its key Westminster seats in East London and South Birmingham, as well as defending and, if possible, extending its foothold in local government. There is little to benefit by Respect going into any new formation if, in the process, it loses the electoral gains which make it unique.

The lesson from the Norwich North by-election for the left was clear. Whilst New Labour’s vote collapsed none of the main parties did particularly well and votes continued to go to the small parties in significant numbers. The Greens polled just under 10% (against Labour’s 18%) and Craig Murray polled 2.77% as an anti-war independent.

The general election, however, is going to be much tougher to crack than by-elections. Faced with the prospect of a Tory government on the rampage some Labour voters will go back to Labour and there will be a pressure all round to keep the Tories out.

If Respect, therefore, is to hold its own in these elections it has to up its game dramatically — particularly on the issue of the economic crisis and the defence of jobs. Respect’s profile on the crisis has been completely inadequate as the basis for a successful election campaign. Whilst a debate has raged around the crisis Respect has had little to say.

Recovery? Don’t believe the hype

This has to change rapidly. Respect has to point out that all talk about green shoots of recovery have been a cruel deception. That we are in the grip of a double economic and environment crisis which is going to go on for a long time and the working class is going to be made to pay.

It has to warn that while Labour’s policy of attempting to spend its way out of the crisis and to nationalise a number of banks (with all the problems involved) is better than the Tory approach of let market forces rip it has not gone far enough and they have no answer to the massive dept which has been created by this other than make the working class pay.

In any case Brown’s approach was based on the illusion that the economy would start to return to growth at the end of this year and it would be well on the way to recovery by the time of the general election.

This is not going to happen. Whoever wins the election, therefore, there is going to launch a massive attack on the working class at all levels. Public spending and public services are going to be slashed. Unemployment will continue to rise and there will be further downward pressure on wages – including in the public sector.

Respect should propose an alternative way of servicing and paying off the debt – and is not very difficult even given the massive sums involved. The principle should be to tax the rich and corporate business and to swivel public spending towards human needs and the defence of the environment.

Respect should call for:

• A huge rise in the top rate of income tax.
• A major rise in corporation tax, with an additional tax on the super-profits of the oil companies.
• End Britain’s costly involvement in the Afghan war. Massively cut military spending. Disband Britain’s nuclear weapons including Trident. Transfer resources from military to useful production.
• Tax currency speculation and the turnover of multi-nationals doing business in Britain.
• Increase stamp duty on stacks and shares and crack down on tax evasion by big companies and end tax havens.

Meanwhile Respect has to defend to the working class against the attacks which are taking place and which are coming up the line. This would require:

*Halting all further privatisations by either government or local authorities.

*Halting the attack on wages, working conditions and pension rights.

*Halting all giveback negotiations. Uphold and defend trade union agreements.

*Halting all house re-possessions and transferring houses to local authority stock in order to rent them back at affordable rent.

For a green new deal!

Respect needs to propose an alternative approach to the crisis itself and the key to a socialist approach is nationalisation. Respect should call for a massive, trade union backed, campaign for public ownership including the nationalisation of all banks and financial institutions oil companies and bankrupt industries under workers control.

Respect should call for a major programme of public works and investment to transform the energy base of the country.

Global warming is expanding the deserts, melting the icecaps, drying up rivers, and destroying water reserves. It is reducing agricultural productivity and crop yields. Alongside this there is the approach of peak oil. The effects of this on any process of ‘recovery’ are already clear. As soon as governments start to talk up so-called ‘green shoots’ the price of oil starts to rise.

This would require:

a) A crash programme to construct a sustainable, publicly owned, energy infrastructure based on wind, wave, and solar power which could create a million new jobs in manufacture, construction and engineering.

b) A crash programme to build new sustainable publically owned transport systems which could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

c) The renovation and insulation of housing to conserve energy — which could also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

d) A major programme of job conversion to socially useful production for industries such as car manufacture.

This is the kind of radical approach to the crisis which in my view Respect will need if it is going to out of the elections next year with a good result which could provide the basis for its next stage of development – either as an organisation in its own right or as a part of a wider regroupment.

Alan Thornett