What the Connections convention revealed about the dispersed layer, the Greens question, and the double mechanism wearing down the socialist left in England
Duncan, interesting piece as usual. However, it misses the multiple elephants in the room. You concentrate on the often dreadful plenary and the utter clown show of the voting, fair enough. But you do not comment on the actual networking that took place. For example, I facilitated the best attended workshop, that of Democratic Bloc. When I get home tomorrow (I am still up in the civilised North) I will email you a PDF of our presentation, which you may of course disagree with, but engagement would be welcome.
Hi Larry, obviously, there are lots of discussions at any conference, and no one can be everywhere at once. Did your workshop change anything materially about the Connections project?
We were/are outlining a view on the different strategies on offer. The motion passed (dishonestly framed as merely indicative) would sink that project. Happily, now The Many have at last started to set up real branches, the power dynamics within YP may (not necessarily will) shift and their regime face serious internal challenge in the best interests of advancing socialism. Radical Greens an essential part of that, but not the whole.
The amendments offered on the day seemed to give a good outline of the strategic space that the most active participants are considering. The idea that the YP regime will face a serious internal challenge did not seem to be widely held at the event, or anywhere else.
Duncan, interesting piece as usual. However, it misses the multiple elephants in the room. You concentrate on the often dreadful plenary and the utter clown show of the voting, fair enough. But you do not comment on the actual networking that took place. For example, I facilitated the best attended workshop, that of Democratic Bloc. When I get home tomorrow (I am still up in the civilised North) I will email you a PDF of our presentation, which you may of course disagree with, but engagement would be welcome.
Hi Larry, obviously, there are lots of discussions at any conference, and no one can be everywhere at once. Did your workshop change anything materially about the Connections project?
We were/are outlining a view on the different strategies on offer. The motion passed (dishonestly framed as merely indicative) would sink that project. Happily, now The Many have at last started to set up real branches, the power dynamics within YP may (not necessarily will) shift and their regime face serious internal challenge in the best interests of advancing socialism. Radical Greens an essential part of that, but not the whole.
The amendments offered on the day seemed to give a good outline of the strategic space that the most active participants are considering. The idea that the YP regime will face a serious internal challenge did not seem to be widely held at the event, or anywhere else.
Most active participants? ie 0.1%.
The amendments were passed easily. So we are talking about dozens of the hundred or so people there at the end.
The discussion and process was a joke: the 0.1% referred to % of YP members as I am sure you know.