Revolutionary Platform of Respect

Website: www.revolutionaryplatformofrespect.org

Discussion forum: groups.yahoo.com/group/revolutionaryplatformofrespect

Initiated by Steve Wallis (www.socialiststeve.me.uk, 07739 904924)

socialiststevewallis@yahoo.co.uk If important: revolutionarysocialiststeve@yahoo.co.uk

I (Steve Wallis) started distributing the following leaflet in the run-up to the Respect conference on the weekend of the 19^th and 20^th of November 2005, and am taking additional copies of the leaflet to distribute at the conference itself (to advertise the fringe meeting in particular).

Galloway shook the world by revealing live on TV that Rumsfeld sold arms to Saddam Hussein

George Galloway’s victory for Respect in the May general election wasn’t a huge shock, bearing in mind the facts that the constituency he stood in (Bethnal Green & Bow) has the second highest number of Muslims in the UK (estimated at 45,000) and that he received a large amount of media coverage during the election campaign. Indeed, the bookies predicted he would win as soon as he announced his candidacy.

However, Galloway’s performance in the US Senate when defending himself against accusations that he profited from the oil-for-food programme (which was part of the sanctions regime imposed by the West that killed over 500,000 babies and children) did shake the world. It was when he revealed that US “Defense” Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had met Saddam Hussein the same number of times as himself, but that Rumsfeld met him to sell him arms and maps the better target those arms (presumably supplied by the CIA), that there were gasps from the audience. Media censorship had prevented all but a tiny proportion of Americans from finding out about US complicity in the arming of Saddam, but TV channels in the US and UK dutifully broadcast Galloway’s comments live.

So why did the big business-controlled media help Galloway get elected and then broadcast his Senate performance live? Obviously they thought that he was on their side! After all, he had shaken hands with Saddam and said “Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability”. He had also urged Tommy Sheridan to join Respect and stand against the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) at the next Scottish parliamentary elections splitting the left, which has united north of the border, after Sheridan’s resignation as SSP Convenor. Galloway was either pretending to be an agent of big business at those times in the past, so that the media would expect him to destroy the anti-war movement, or he really was but recently switched sides to that of the working class.

Revolutionary socialists in Respect should unite

George Galloway’s Senate performance has ensured that Respect is now by far the most important organisation to the left of the main parties in England. However, there is a tendency for Galloway and the Socialist Workers Party to put forward lowest common denominator politics and not even mention socialism never mind the need for a world socialist revolution to take control of the planet’s resources out of the hands of big business.

A fringe meeting at Respect’s annual conference (see the boxes below) will discuss launching some sort of left opposition to the Respect leadership. This opposition should be an organisation whose only requirement is that members are revolutionaries who want Respect and its spokespersons to put forward more explicitly revolutionary socialist politics.

Respect Annual Conference Saturday 19^th – Sunday 20^th November Camden Centre, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, London WC1H (nearest tube: Kings Cross) – register in advance For more info, go to: www.respectcoalition.org

Form a Respect left opposition Conference fringe meeting Saturday 19^th November, 6pm Lucas Arms, 245a Grays Inn Road, London WC1

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