SWP AND MUSLIMS CREATE 'NEW PARTY'
Spirit of '21 | 28.05.2003 08:45
Get the skinny on the latest SWP venture: to form a 'New Party' with Muslims! Coming to Birmingham soon..(great news for women & gays...)
Got this off the URBAN 75 site:
Workers Power and Socialist Alliance
The following is kicking around the Uk_Left_Network at the moment. Can any of the Workers Power people clear this up? Or the Sheffield SA people (that non-aligned ex-SWP member of Sheffield SA seems awful familiar...)? Can any of the SWP people tell us if there is any truth in the "Peace and Justice Party" thing?
There is a political party that seems to be restricted to certain inner parts of Birmingham call the Kashmiri People's Justice Party and has councillors but as far as I am aware it has no links to any far left groups. I have heard stories that the far left hate this party and a Labour councillor has criticised it for being so heavily aligned with one ethnic group nameley the Kashmiri population that it is almost the BNP in reverse.
It was a party that made much progress in the Small Heath and Sparkbrook part of Birmingham during 2000ish but appears to be losing its grip and has lost a council seat to the Lib-Dems.
>At the committee mtg tonight the Workers Power rep sent notice that
>she has resigned - due to the direction of the SA. They have not
>pulled out of the alliance but will not have anyone on the committee
>or do any SA activity, so as good as. She did not come to the
>meeting to put this point of view or argue her views. Has this
>happened nationally?
>Information that also came from her via a non aligned ex SWPer was
>that the SWP are planning to launch a 'Peace and Justice ' party.
>Apparently the basis for this is negotiations that have taken place
>with anti war activists in birmingham and a Britsh Muslim
>association (not sure which one, but people seemed to think not
>MAB). I'm not sure how reliable this all is but thought you night
>know more..?
A likelihood exists in that an Islamic party will soon form to represent the interests of Muslims and could be of a hardline and militant variety. Muslims are abandoning Labour in droves and although many of them supported the Lib-Dems this May they do not see that party as the long term future and certainly not capable of challenging the BNP.
Peace and Justice Party
It's not the same as the existing Kashmiri PJP.
As I understand it, this new Peace and Justice Party has arisen from the chumminess between leadning figures in Bham STWC (particularly Salma Yacoob, the chair) and SWP figures such as Ger "Sacked" Francis, their ex-full timer.
Salma Yacoob will probably be the candidate in the euro-elections. What the political basis will be I've no idea, though it will probably be very funny to see the SWP trying to reconcile this popular front's politics with their own.
As I understand it, John Rees of the SWP has been in talks with the Kashmiri Peoples Justice Party about standing a joint candidate in the euro elections as part of the KPJP becoming the basis of a working class Muslim party, It looks as though this would be initially at least, a local initiative. ..
SWP/Muslim Party
Here's a few tidbits on Ger Francis..who got sacked from the SWP:
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=46500
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=49192
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=49195
Given the Islamic view on women, w/c people, gays etc surely its now only a matter of time before the SWP/MAB entity fuse with the BNP too...
Workers Power and Socialist Alliance
The following is kicking around the Uk_Left_Network at the moment. Can any of the Workers Power people clear this up? Or the Sheffield SA people (that non-aligned ex-SWP member of Sheffield SA seems awful familiar...)? Can any of the SWP people tell us if there is any truth in the "Peace and Justice Party" thing?
There is a political party that seems to be restricted to certain inner parts of Birmingham call the Kashmiri People's Justice Party and has councillors but as far as I am aware it has no links to any far left groups. I have heard stories that the far left hate this party and a Labour councillor has criticised it for being so heavily aligned with one ethnic group nameley the Kashmiri population that it is almost the BNP in reverse.
It was a party that made much progress in the Small Heath and Sparkbrook part of Birmingham during 2000ish but appears to be losing its grip and has lost a council seat to the Lib-Dems.
>At the committee mtg tonight the Workers Power rep sent notice that
>she has resigned - due to the direction of the SA. They have not
>pulled out of the alliance but will not have anyone on the committee
>or do any SA activity, so as good as. She did not come to the
>meeting to put this point of view or argue her views. Has this
>happened nationally?
>Information that also came from her via a non aligned ex SWPer was
>that the SWP are planning to launch a 'Peace and Justice ' party.
>Apparently the basis for this is negotiations that have taken place
>with anti war activists in birmingham and a Britsh Muslim
>association (not sure which one, but people seemed to think not
>MAB). I'm not sure how reliable this all is but thought you night
>know more..?
A likelihood exists in that an Islamic party will soon form to represent the interests of Muslims and could be of a hardline and militant variety. Muslims are abandoning Labour in droves and although many of them supported the Lib-Dems this May they do not see that party as the long term future and certainly not capable of challenging the BNP.
Peace and Justice Party
It's not the same as the existing Kashmiri PJP.
As I understand it, this new Peace and Justice Party has arisen from the chumminess between leadning figures in Bham STWC (particularly Salma Yacoob, the chair) and SWP figures such as Ger "Sacked" Francis, their ex-full timer.
Salma Yacoob will probably be the candidate in the euro-elections. What the political basis will be I've no idea, though it will probably be very funny to see the SWP trying to reconcile this popular front's politics with their own.
As I understand it, John Rees of the SWP has been in talks with the Kashmiri Peoples Justice Party about standing a joint candidate in the euro elections as part of the KPJP becoming the basis of a working class Muslim party, It looks as though this would be initially at least, a local initiative. ..
SWP/Muslim Party
Here's a few tidbits on Ger Francis..who got sacked from the SWP:
http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=46500 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=49192 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=49195 Given the Islamic view on women, w/c people, gays etc surely its now only a matter of time before the SWP/MAB entity fuse with the BNP too...
Spirit of '21
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