Scottish Socialist Party National Trade Union Organiser Richie Venton spoke to The National earlier this week about the proposed new formation around Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
We have published Richie’s comments in full below:
“I welcome the decision of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana to break from a right-wing Labour party that is rotten to the core, rotten in its active participation in the genocide against Gaza, its cuts to benefits, its continuation of Tory austerity, and its increasingly authoritarian bans on the right to peaceful protest.
“Speaking as a founding organiser of the SSP in 1998, we drew the conclusion that Labour could no longer be regarded as a vehicle for the interests of the working class 27 years ago, so my only surprise is that it’s taken Jeremy and Zarah so long to draw the same conclusion. I would also say that we as a party have always sought to build maximum unity for socialism.
“But the fact that some tiny handful of people in Scotland are declaring this new party as if it’s an established fact is not only premature, but secondly is problematic when they’ve been saying this without even having first spoken to the SSP, which is by far the biggest socialist force in Scotland – with an unrivalled track record in building solidarity with workers in struggle, in opposing the genocidal war on the Palestinians, with a recognised brand name, and having stood in elections over the last 27 years, with full-blooded socialist alternatives.
“For me, socialist politics is not about personalities, however big and however honourable they are, but about policies and programme. So we will engage with Jeremy and Zarah and those around them to pose some key questions on policy. For starters, what is their position on Scottish independence?
“Statements from a few individuals from Collective Scotland that they will defend the right to a second referendum is a good starting point, but it’s far from sufficient, it’s absolutely inadequate. We need to link the struggle for socialism with the struggle for independence. We need to clearly advocate independence if we’re going to further the cause of socialism in Scotland. And likewise, we need to advocate a socialist Scotland if we are going to help achieve independence. The two are inseparable, they cannot be dissevered.
“That’s why we need a socialist party rooted in Scotland that advocates an independent socialist Scotland, as the SSP has already consistently campaigned for over the past 27 years.
“Any new formation which – to quote your sources in Collective Scotland – is an ‘arm’ or ‘branch’ of a London-based party won’t match the needs of the Scottish working class. We need a socialist party in Scotland, rooted in communities and trade unions, which advocates an independent socialist Scotland, and that already exists in the form of the SSP.
“We want to work with others looking to promote socialism, so we will engage with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana and ask whether as a maximum they are prepared to endorse the SSP as their Scottish equivalent. Or as a minimum, if they will endorse some of the key policies which the SSP has persistently fought for, including public ownership with workers’ control of energy, transport, construction, banks and land; free public transport for all; and for socialist MPs and MSPs who will live on the average worker’s wage – which alongside our call for an independent socialist Scotland, is a principle we would not compromise on.
“So yes, we want to explore how we can cooperate, because to quote the late Tony Benn, we don’t want a repeat in Scotland where there are too many socialist parties and not enough socialists! The simple bottom line also is that I for one would not be prepared to join a party without knowing what its policies are, and right now there’s no clarity on this from the proposed new formation”.