The Scottish Socialist Party’s Colin Fox responds to the statement in SLR 145 calling for a working-class Left alliance before the 2026 Holyrood elections.
In the last issue, a statement appeared proposing the formation of some kind of Left Alliance ahead of next year’s Holyrood elections and asking the Scottish Socialist Party to sign it. We have not, and for good reason. In fact, the only party to have signed, as I understand it, is the Socialist Workers Party. Not surprisingly perhaps, since they helped initiate it. The statement contains the kind of general political positions everyone on the Left would agree on. That’s the easy bit. The relevant part however is the proposal for a ‘Left Alliance’. Without that it is fairly pointless.
On behalf of the SSP, I attended the handful of ad hoc meetings in Glasgow this spring from which this initiative emerged. Their focus was primarily on examining what opportunities existed for joint working ahead of two upcoming Council by-elections in the city. I made it clear that proposing such an ‘alliance’ as is now suggested was premature at this stage at best, and reckless at worst. Premature because such initiatives should only be considered when sufficient trust and co-operation have been established. And reckless, because without that the initiative was bound to fail. But its SWP advocates decided to disregard my advice and plough ahead regardless. And so here we are.
The SSP did not sign up to this ‘electoral alliance’ for reasons well known to its authors. As I explained to them then, our plans for the next election are already well advanced. We intend to contest the regional lists and have a long, proud and consistent record of standing in elections. It is a record which understands the ground rules and draws on thirty years’ experience we have under our belts including standing in Holyrood elections since 1999, the last general election, local council elections in Glasgow this year, and the Hamilton by-election last week. It is something we are understandably intent on building upon in 2026.
The SSP believes that to maximise impact in elections you need a properly constituted party; one based on promoting working class struggle and a clear socialist programme. Building such a party takes years and years of dedication and commitment. You do not succeed by turning up at the last minute, ill-prepared, and pleading for people’s support. Forming a new coalition of the Left should only ever be considered after all the important pre-questions are answered and after all open, honest preparations have been made. That is to say nothing of the necessary programmatic groundwork.
Scottish Left Review readers should be aware that the SSP is itself the ‘daughter’, so to speak, of the Scottish Socialist Alliance. The SSA was established in 1996 after years of preparatory work in the anti-poll tax unions, Liverpool Dockers Support groups, The Connolly Society and elsewhere. It was directed principally, but not solely, by Scottish Militant Labour and its electoral resources. To launch any kind of new electoral formation demands a similar amount of preparatory work. Way before sending out ‘cold calling’ letters to SLR it should have answered all the obvious questions people have: How would its preparatory work be conducted? How would an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect and transparency be guaranteed? How would policy be formulated? What would its programme be? How do you deal with disagreements? The list is endless.
This particular initiative is also built, it seems to me, on two basic misconceptions. First, that an ‘Alliance’ can be stitched together by little fragments of the Left coming together without the power and immediacy of the class struggle behind it. And second, that the case has already been made among the wider working class for such a formation. I therefore fear that this is another plea for ‘Left unity’ destined to fall on deaf ears for those reasons. Surely no-one will welcome that.
Colin Fox is joint national spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party.