conference.
SC: The appeal for your conference talks about people who still identify to some extent with the ideas and experiences of 15'. Who exacily are you hoping will come M5: There are a lot of people who are no longer in the SWP because they Icel the best traditions of IS have been lost in that organisation. There are quite a few ways of delining sions on the left has been the involvement of ex-members of the International Socialists and the Socialist Workers Party, Apart from the Workers League, a group of about 100 formed when the Is Opposition were expelled from IS in 1975, many individuals and small groups are still active as revolutionary socialists in the trade unions, in the women's and gay movements. among black workers, and recently in the Socialist Unity and Socialist Challenge groups in the localities.
Now a national one-day conference of International Socialists on Revolutionary Unity has been called by a number of these activists [at the Africa Centre, King St., London WC2, on Saturday 11 February from 10 to 5.30]. The ad hoe organising Secretary of the conference is Martin Shaw, who was himself forced out of the SWP last year and is now active in Socialist Unity. Socialist Challenge interviewed him about the what those traditions are, but I guess thai the things people would agree were important are the emphases on working-class (particularly through genuine rank and file movements), and workers democracy (including full internal democracy in addition, most people would big, crucial area which IS never Weare hoping that everyon who lines, and in addition sees the tion with other groups like ING and big rame as important ar the present time, LOTTIE specially keen to see people who Obviously are still active on the ground coming to the conference, but there are a lot of neogie top who might come hack activity if something viable was hap pening, and we're boping they'll come too. there's been a good response so Far, over S0 people have already paid up, with a fortaight to go. and I expectthere'll be over 100 there on the day.
SC: Quite a few of the appeal most signatories League members, others not. What s the WIN roley self-activity MS: Workers League genercoming as individuals and ! don't expect they'll make up more Conference. Actually there are quite a few people interested will be into they thought were workers most of the people аге усту coming from local but they are Than a hid d li walty? only for anyself. who were never even in 15, and I groups and members are interested, too.
weD vou see lie conference us making a definite CONTINUE LO TETaULOR Hammond Is second from right.
MS: As this is the first meetine or is kud t's very difficult to say how definite its in sapport of moves toward revolutonary unus in eeneral terma, but there may be disagreement about the way to move towards it, and how fast. Those of us who've called the conference don't have a collective view, so 1 can speak Personally, I Duck the firs thing for this conferenoe to do is to sort out the political questions → what we think the situation is today. what Le priorities are, bow far the "1S tradition' belps us (and there's the same time, you have to have IT BARSELDELINEBOIS. don't think there's any futune COTCEELSULIUES roday, and 1 think members of Workers League bave come to that conchsion from cbeir experience too, TaCy I think we're close enough le both IMG and Big Flame, and can learn a lot from then, and the perspective should be to work for a new revolutionary organisation involving them Darlington joumalists lobbying NUJ executive members during the strike. Jonathan too, would like to see Socialist Unity as the framework for this, since this can be a means for a political intervention which can win new people Lowards us Noodless to say there would need to be a lot more commitment to Socialist Lnity on the ground, as well a discussion between so-called revolutionary before this would be possible SC: You mentloned the SWP. How do you see your relationship to them now?
MS: Well, I hope that whal we're doing will have sons impact on their attitudes. Alter all, it was 15 which made a big unity appeal in 1968 and that was the policy for some time after that. So revolutionar unites very much in tbe IS tradition', and it's not 1o0 lace for them to change their mods. 1 think the key thing for me and probably a lor of the people coming to our conference polio be the interna demo question, but that's so related politics generally that there would need to be a lot of re-examination in the SWP, just as we are doing il, before we could get closer to them again. arior to the demonstration,