Do we need a new anticapitalist left? How can we link ideas to action – what can of tactics and strategy do we need to move beyond capitalism? Around 40 students at Sussex University came together on Wednesday 1 February to discuss these questions and to launch a new project.
The meeting was called as part of a national initiative of different socialists, anticapitalists and trade unionists, looking to set up forums to discuss whether we need a new, anticapitalist organisation.
Many of us don’t think the left as it exists is meeting the challenges posed by the current crisis. The new ‘culture of resistance’, has drawn a new generation of activists into radical politics, rediscovering tactics like the occupation, the walkouts, strikes and demonstrations. But, while this resistance is often inspirational, it poses the major question of how we move from fighting back to a wider project for radical social change? This won’t be solved easily. But we need to establish new forums that are grappling with questions like this and working out how we need to organise to win.
People came to the meeting at Sussex with different perspectives. Discussion focused on whether we needed to be anticapitalist, how we link a new forum to our aims and goals, how we reach out to wider layers of working people who aren’t involved in left politics, but are experiencing harsh austerity, how we can draw upon the strengths of the ‘old’ as well as look to the ‘new’ left, and, more practically, what we could do as a local group in the next few weeks.
After some discussion over what to call ourselves, we set up the New Left Initiative (Sussex/Brighton) and we agreed to meet again in two weeks time.
It’s still early days, but there was a positive mood pervading the meeting and a sense of optimism that we could bring far wider layers of people around this new project.
If you are interested in getting involved in the New Left Initiative at Sussex or want to organise a project like this on your campus, or in your town or city, then contact [email protected].
