Socialist Party Wales

The Socialist Party Wales or Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru is the Welsh regional organisation of the Socialist Party of England and Wales, a section of the CWI. The SPW is a Marxist organisation that previously organised under the name Militant Tendency.

History

Welsh Militant supporters rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s when they put forward Marxist ideas in the Labour Party. The Militant gained significant influence in Constituency Labour Party's in Cardiff and Swansea especially in the Young Socialists. They played a significant role in the Miners Strike of 1984-85 and numerous branches of Militant supporters were set up across the coalfield. The role of the Militant in the strike is detailed in the recent book A Civil War Without Guns by Ken Smith. Many supporters of Militant in Wales were expelled from the Labour Party under the Kinnock leadership. The supporters of Militant formed the Socialist Party in the mid 1990s due to the turn to big business and neo liberal politics by the Labour Party.

Due to the downturn in class struggle in the 1990s the SP/Militant in Wales shrank considerably. Despite this the Socialist Party was able to be the driving force behind the creation of the Welsh Socialist Alliance in the late 1990s. The Alliance was successful in drawing in independent layers in a difficult period, however it soon became an area of conflict with the Socialist Workers Party undermining its democratic principles. The Socialist Party left the WSA in 2002 deciding to run its own candidates under the name of Socialist Alternative. [See letter from SPW to WSA http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/CampaignsSocialistAlliances.htm] In the following Welsh Assembly Elections Socialist Party candidate Rob Williams gained the highest left vote in Wales in the Aberavon constituency. The party has continued this strategy standing in Cardiff and Swansea in local, General and Assembly elections. It has been heavily involved in local NHS campaigns such as CRISIS in Cardiff which led it to contest the 2007 Assembly Elections under the banner 'Socialist Alternative - Defend Our Health Service'. [Socialist party NHS Crisis Claim - BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6560133.stm]

The party in this decade has experienced significant recovery. It has recruited a layer of youth from the anti war movement that are leading the work of Socialist Students in Welsh Universities and ISR amongst young workers. It has also gained influence in the trade unions through consistent work. It will play a significant role in promoting the Campaign for a New Workers Party amongst youth and the working class in Wales. As well as being the area where the highest amount of The Socialist newspapers are sold the party used to produce a quaterley bilingual supplement called Socialist Wales, which is now only published occasionally (the last being for the 2007 Welsh Assembly Ellections).

There are currently 6 Socialist Party Wales branches: Bangor, Cardiff East, Cardiff West, Bridgend, Swansea and Caerphilly.

Policies

The SP is a Marxist organisation that follows the tradition of Trotskyism. Its politics are based on the Transitional Program, it fights for immediate demands for the working class while raising a revolutionary program.

Here are the policies the Socialist stands for:

* The Trade Unions to take immediate action to implement their current minimum wage demands as a step towards a legal minimum of £8 per an hour. With no exceptions. For an annual increase in the minimum wage, linked to average earnings. For a minimum income of £320 per week.

* Reject 'Welfare to Work'. For the right to decent benefits, training or a job for all without compulsion.

* Policies for full employment including: a 35 hour week without loss of pay; a massive public spending increase for health, housing, education, childcare, leisure and community facilities.

* Employment protection rights for all, from day one of employment.

* Scrapping all anti-union laws. Trade unions to be democratically controlled by members. Full-time Union officials should be regularly elected and should receive the average wage.

* No to the fat cats. Renationalisation of the utilities under democratic workers control.

Education

* Free high quality education for all from nursery to university with a living grant. Abolish fees now!

* The right of all pupils to be able to opt for Welsh or English medium education at an accessible school.

* No closure of English medium schools to create Welsh medium schools. Build new schools!

Welfare

* For a living pension for all pensioners - with annual increases linked to average earnings.

* Rebuild the NHS, free at the point of use and under democratic control.

* Defend abortion rights. For women's right to choose whether and when to have children.

* Decent housing with affordable rents. End the housing crisis.

* Major investment in a cheap, accessible, integrated and environmentally friendly publicly owned transport system.

Rights

* For the right to asylum. Scrapping of the Asylum Act and of all racist laws.

* An end to police harassment. For the abolition of the Criminal Justice Act and the so-called 'anti-terrorism bill'. No curtailment of jury trials.

* An end to discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality or disability.

* The Welsh and English languages to have equal legal rights. All major companies which provide services to the public to provide choice of use of Welsh language.

Towards a Socialist Wales

* Campaigning to form a new mass party of the working class

* Building unity of socialist, community and environmental groups in Wales.

* The Welsh Assembly to be given full legislative and financial powers, including powers to take over firms threatening redundancy.

* Take into public ownership the top companies that control the Welsh economy, under democratic workers control and management. Compensation only on the basis of proven need.

* For a socialist Wales as part of a socialist alliance of Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland.

* For solidarity of the European working class. No to Maastricht and the bosses' European Union.

* For a Socialist Europe.

ee also

* Socialist Party (England and Wales)

References

External links

* http://socialistpartywales.org.uk
* http://www.swanseasocialistparty.org.uk/