Socialist Alternative (Australia)
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Socialist Alternative (SA) is a Trotskyist group in Australia formed by a split from the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) in 1995. They are characterised by a near exclusive campus-focused recruiting campaign, and by the high level of activity they achieve from their student members.
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[edit] Activity
The membership of SA is mainly composed of students active in their student unions. However it puts a considerable emphasis on political campaigns on the university campuses and is highly active in a number of student unions. Following this strategy they have been fairly successful, and are now the dominant socialist organisation on a number of campuses
As part of their recruitment and education work, SA have regular meetings to discuss current events and Marxist theory and usually employ an energetic postering campaign to advertise them, particularly on inner-city campuses and in the surrounding suburbs. Their regular discussions focus on the relationship between political ideas (for example consumerism) and every day life (living in a consumerist society). SA hold a national educational conference called "Marxism Today" in April each year.
Socialist Alternative was heavily involved in the protest movement against Israeli attacks in Lebanon in July-August 2006. Over the last three years they have been prominent in the left-wing campaign against the war in Iraq. Previously they were involved in the campaign for refugee rights, the anti-capitalist movement and the campaign against the Jabiluka uranium mine. At their conference in December 2005 they decided to prioritise anti-war work in 2006, including building "Students Against War and Racism" groups on university campuses. These groups organised a national speaking tour for Mamdouh Habib. They also prioritised activity in the campaign against the government's new Industrial Relations laws. Members of SA are distinctive during protests due to the red flags they usually carry in their contingent or "red bloc". This distinguishes them from other Marxist organisations in Australia who normally carry placards.
Socialist Alternative place a considerable emphasis on political education of their members and supporters. They have also published a range of books and pamphlets. Most recently a number of their members produced a major work analysing Australian capitalism, Class and Struggle in Australia, edited by Rick Kuhn. Socialist Alternative publish a monthly magazine called Socialist Alternative, which they sell on stalls held on university campuses and city streets.
They have Socialist Alternative clubs on many capital city university campuses, which also hold regular meetings. They have a strong presence at the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, the University of Sydney, RMIT, Swinburne University, Monash University, the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia. They regularly run for election in various student unions and have held positions in the National Union of Students. In 2005 they fervently campaigned against the Howard government's Voluntary Student Unionism legislation. Within student politics to the left of the ALP based factions, SA compete with Grassroots Left students.
[edit] History
Socialist Alternative began amongst a number of Melbourne ex-members of the ISO, after they were expelled from the latter organisation in 1995, following a lengthy debate about perspectives for building the ISO. This was part of a broader debate in the International Socialist Tendency (IST) about the nature of the political situation and how socialists should respond, which resulted in splits in a number of countries, including New Zealand, Greece, South Africa and France, and the expulsion of the ISO in the United States from the IST.
SA briefly joined the Socialist Alliance, which grouped together the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), the ISO, and some smaller left groups and individuals. However SA dropped out, apparently because Socialist Alliance was not attracting new forces and appeared to be increasingly dominated by the DSP. SA also opposed the strong emphasis the Socialist Alliance put on running in parliamentary elections which they saw as counterposed to building activism on the ground. In 2002 and 2003 Socialist Alternative made a number of approaches to the ISO for unity but the ISO was not interested.
Socialist Alternative was a primarily Melbourne-based group up until around 2003, when it experienced an organisationally significant growth in membership across Australia. In August 2004 Socialist Alternative experienced the loss of a number of members in Sydney and most of their Brisbane branch. In Sydney, Marc Newman, an experienced member from Melbourne who had been transferred to Sydney to grow SA there, led the split. The group of ex-Socialist Alternative members in Sydney joined a small socialist group named Solidarity, which was started by former members of the ISO. Their ex-members in Brisbane formed another separate organisation, calling themselves the Socialist Action Group. SA soon overcame this setback and grew significantly in 2006 and is a noticeable prescence at most left wing protests as well as in the National Union of Students.
[edit] Beliefs and Ideology
Socialist Alternative claim to be committed to avoiding the grand pretensions that they say characterise much of the left. While not a member of the International Socialist Tendency, SA remains committed to the ideas and positions associated with the "International Socialism" tradition of Trotskyism and has links with a number of other groups which were previously part of the International Socialist Tendency.
Socialist Alternative analyses the world in terms of the political and economic ideas of Karl Marx, the 19th century philosopher who argued that history was underpinned by economic systems (the 'base' or 'structure') which drove changes in political ideas and institutions('the superstructure'), which in turn resulted in replacements of one economic system for another. Consequently, members of SA believe that today's capitalist world economy needs to be overthrown by means of a Socialist revolution, in which workers ('the proletariat') will unite to overthrow their employers ('the bougeoisie'), who control the "means of production". SA views the world in terms of 'the ruling class' and 'the workers', the former oppressing the latter almost everywhere. Socialist Alternative's activities are therefore attempts to mobilise workers and students in order to facilitate such a revolution, which they believe will result in an end to worker exploitation, as well as other phenomena such as racism, sexism and homophobia, which are all attributed to capitalism and its need to divide workers and silence masses of people. Critics of SA argue that Marxism is outdated, Socialism has failed and that capitalism cannot be reasonably blamed for sexism racism or homophobia.
Socialist Alternative is also known within Australian student politics for its hostility towards John Howard and his conservative government. Other targets of Socialist Alternative hostility are 'the ruling class' of the United States of America and its President George W. Bush, whilst the Australian Labor Party are rebuked for trying to civilise capitalism. Socialist Alternative also accuses the Australian Government and the United States of waging a racist war against Islam in general.
Some members of SA also hold strong views on Israel. For example: Paul Coats, General Secretary of the Student Association at La Trobe University and an SA cadre, recently caused controversy by calling Israel a racist state no better than apartheid South Africa which should be dismantled, in a National Union of Students email discussion group[1]. Ted Lapkin of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council described Mr Coats' comments as 'despicable and moronic'.
[edit] Controversy
In an article published by The Age on September the 4th, 2006, Members of Socialist Alternative were accused by Deon Kamien, Victorian president of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students of engaging in anti-semetic behavior and of exploiting ethnic tensions in order to increase their numbers. They were accused of assaulting members of groups with contrasting ideas and propagating particular attitudes towards local Jewish communities[2]. SA was likewise accused of being unsympathetic to semetic groups during the highest period of anti-semitism since the 1940s [3][4]. However, SA claim that they are not anti-semitic, and claiming that Israel does not represent Jews, but simply claims to do so. "We take a firm stand against all forms of racism" Vashti Kenway (Students Against War and Racism, SA member).
[edit] External links
- Socialist Alternative (Australia)
- Socialist Alternative and the ISO – Perspectives for Socialists September 2002 SA document discussing the group's history.
- International Socialist Organisation (Australia) ISO Website
