Shiraz Socialist questions the wisdom of this Saturday's Beyond The Market Economy conference in London. On the basis, and forgive the over-simplification, that no matter how good Labour Left policies may be, we have no chance of implementing them. I must confess this is an argument which I find exceptionally tiresome.
Last Saturday, I did what I swore I would never do again, and got into a huge row with an ex Labour Party member who I have to hand it to because he left in 1987. His line was "how can you support war criminals" to which of course, one says, I don't. I support the 140 MPs who voted agaunst war in Iraq, Blah, blah.We've all had those arguments in the pub on a Saturday night.This weekend's event, to which I will be going, will have a rather higher level of debate.
It is a serious attempt to bring people on the Left together, discuss capitalism and how it's failed us and advance progressive, socialist solutions to the problems which we face.
I will be there just to shut up and listen because , whatever other strengths I may have, I stake no claim to being an economist and I also admit a lot of my politics is tribal. But this is not, as comrade Shiraz suggests, just another talking shop.
Along with the experts from LEAP - the Left Economics Advisory Panel - there will hopefully be trade unionists, students and grassrots campaigners of all ages . Have we given up on the Labour Party? No. Are we working also with those outside it? Yes. We are also getting out there and campaigning. What we are not doing is sitting at home moaning and not doing anything so I urge as many who can get there as possible to do so. And I'm sorry, Ron, for shouting at you.But please don't write us all off yet.....
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