Two major power groups have emerged
- A faction around Tommy Sheridan supported by the Socialist Worker Platform (SWP) and the Committee for a Workers International (CWI) who call themselves the SSP-Majority.
- The United Left Network (ULN) – this group seems more heterogeneous than SSP-Majority and its members currently control much of the party apparatus.
Although most political analysis has been focussed on these two groups there is a third force within the SSP. For want of a better name often referred to as the "non-aligned", who could also be considered the rank and file of the party.
This third group though disorganised is bigger numerically than the SSP-Majority and the ULN combined.
Early indications are that the majority of the non-aligned/rank and file are hostile to the politics of Tommy Sheridan and the SSP-Majority, undoubtedly a major factor in the softening of the rhetoric coming from that camp.
Its one thing to politically organise against competing platforms and factions quite another to be opposed by the rank and file, the SSP-Majority are clear they can capture the party apparatus at the forthcoming National Conference, they are less optimistic about carrying the broader party with them.
This is the reason the SSP-Majority are now talking openly about creating a new socialist party in Scotland. While short term gains within the SSP seem achievable the long term prospects are less favourable.
While bureaucratic manoeuvrings at the top can yield short term gains any leadership must be able to carry the rank and file with them if they hope to have a genuine radical party capable of sustaining grassroots activism within the community and the workplace.
Generals without foot soldiers are little more than table top strategists.
Presumably one of the first political tasks of the SSP-Majority on forming their new party will be to recruit a new rank and file more disposed towards their political views and tactics.
If you can't count on the electorate to vote for you then change the electorate.
Let us explore what the non aligned have in common and see if we can further build our influence within the party – no bad thing, at least for those who believe in rank and file democracy.
I have my own ideas. Through discussion with others I am aware there are a number of concerns the rank and file have with the SSP as currently constituted and many ideas on how to improve matters.
The central tasks I believe are to develop an analysis of Scottish left politics and where it is going along with specific policy recommendations.
Do we have a common set of demands that we wish to see implemented within the SSP and can we tease out those demands through further debate and discussion?
