12.05.2004

Fringe speeches

Disaffiliation loomed large in a Respect fringe meeting on the Tuesday night, which was attended by 50 or so people, even though most delegates were already on their way home. Introductions by George Galloway, John Rees (Socialist Workers Party and national secretary of Respect), Tommy Sheridan (Scottish Socialist Party convenor) and Linda Smith (London FBU regional treasurer and Respect candidate) were followed by a lively question and answer session from the floor.

Tommy Sheridan:

Regardless of what you would have decided in this conference, regardless of which resolution you would have voted through - it would have been a move to the left. In reality, this decision will probably be made for you: I think it is inconceivable that an executive would stand by and watch how the employers and the government is determined to go after the blood of the union and the working conditions of its members. It seems inconceivable to me that the executive would actually attempt to remain affiliated to the Labour Party.

This is the way forward for the union and I hope that in Scotland it will lead to a more formalised relationship between the SSP and your union. Until now we had tremendously strong, but informal relations. I hope the union will open up the debate about which political party best represents the aims and objectives of your organisation - and not stay stuck in a time warp, which was determined when the constitutions of the unions were formed and there was only one party of the working class. That party of the working class is no longer. It has changed beyond all recognition.

I hope the battle ahead of you will be fought on the basis of no longer being affiliated to a party that is kicking you in the teeth.

George Galloway:

I am sure there was a perfectly good reason to postpone the FBU conference until June 11, which just happens to be the day after the European, GLA and mayoral elections. I would of course not dream of questioning the motives of the union's leadership …

Under the current rules, you may not give money to Tommy Sheridan, who fights for everything the FBU believes in, but you must give money to Dr Richard Simpson MP, who called you "fascist bastards". That is simply wrong.

However, it is not true that there are no decent people left in the Labour Party. There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of good Labour Party members who fought against the war. We just have not persuaded them yet that the hope of reclaiming the Labour Party is almost certainly a forlorn one. But we must approach those people with the tools of solidarity. We need to win people like the leadership of the FBU. Branch after branch of the RMT are supporting Respect. I had hoped that we could have looked forward to a similar situation in the FBU after this conference.

There is a risk, however, of being left without a political fund at all, with no political structure at all if you follow the strategy of straight disaffiliation from the Labour Party. That is why I prefer the democratisation of the political fund.