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Socialist Alternative (often abbreviated as SA) is a Trotskyist group in Australia formed by a split from the International Socialist Organisation in 1995. They are characterised by a strong focus on recruitment on campuses and at demonstrations.

Activity

SA is mainly composed of students active in their student unions, with emphasis on university-based political campaigns.

SA have held regular meetings to discuss current events and Marxist theory and usually employ an energetic postering campaign to advertise them, particularly on inner-city campuses and in the surrounding suburbs. Their regular discussions focus on the relationship between political ideas and every day life, such as consumerism and living in a consumerist society. These discussions double as recruitment opportunities for new members. SA hold a national educational conference called Marxism Todayeach year. Marxism Today has now been renamed Marxism 2008 and will be held in Melbourne at Easter next year.

Socialist Alternative was heavily involved in protests against Israeli attacks against Hezbollah, which occurred in Lebanon during July and August 2006. Over the last three years they have been prominent in the left-wing campaign against the Iraq War. They have previously been involved in campaigns for the rights of refugees, in anti-capitalism and anti-globalisation demonstrations and against the operation of the Jabiluka uranium mine. They are currently mobilising in support of the protest in September against the APEC conference which US President George Bush will be attending.

Members of SA are identifiable during protests due to the red flags they usually carry in their contingent or red bloc. This distinguishes them from other Marxist organisations in Australia who normally carry placards.

History

Socialist Alternative began amongst a number of Melbourne ex-members of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO), after they were expelled from the ISO in 1995, following a lengthy debate about perspectives for building its membership. This was part of a broader debate in the International Socialist Tendency (IST) about the nature of the political situation and how socialists should respond, which resulted in splits in a number of countries, including New Zealand, Greece, Germany, Canada, South Africa and France, and the expulsion of the United States ISO from the IST.

SA briefly joined the Socialist Alliance, which grouped together the Democratic Socialist Perspective {DSP), the ISO, and some smaller left groups and individuals. However SA dropped out, apparently because Socialist Alliance was not attracting new forces and appeared to be increasingly dominated by the DSP. SA also opposed the strong emphasis the Socialist Alliance put on running in parliamentary elections which they saw as counterposed to building activism on the ground. In 2002 and 2003 Socialist Alternative made a number of approaches to the ISO for unity but the ISO was not interested.

Socialist Alternative was a primarily Melbourne-based group up until around 2003, when it experienced a considerable growth in membership across Australia. SA is still stronger in Melbourne than any other city but has also grown considerably in Sydney. In August 2004 Socialist Alternative experienced the loss of a number of members in Sydney and most of their Brisbane branch. In Sydney, Marc Newman, an experienced member from Melbourne who had been transferred to Sydney to grow SA there, led the split. The tiny group of ex-Socialist Alternative members in Sydney joined a small socialist group named Solidarity, which was started by former members of the ISO. Marc Newman, however, soon abandoned revolutionary politics to join the Greens.

SA values the political education of their members and supporters by publishing a range of books and pamphlets. Recently a number of members produced a book analysing Australian capitalism, Class and Struggle in Australia, edited by Rick Kuhn and in April 2007, "The Labor Party: A Marxist Analysis" was published by Mick Armstrong and Tom Bramble. In September 2007 SA published a major new book by Mick Armstrong "From Little Things Big Things Grow: Strategies for building revolutionary socialist organisations". Socialist Alternative also publish a monthly magazine called Socialist Alternative, which is sold on stalls at university campuses on city streets and at demonstrations.

At their most recent conference in December 2006 they decided to prioritise defeating the Howard government around the slogan: "Howard Out! Don't rely on Labor! Build a fighting socialist alternative!" They decided to continue to focus on mobilising against the war in Iraq and against the Howard government's Industrial Relations laws. In the upcoming federal elections they will call for a first preference vote for the Greens and a second preference for the ALP and for putting the Liberals last.

Beliefs and Ideology

This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Socialist Alternative claim to be committed to avoiding the grand pretensions that they say characterise much of the left. While not a member of the International Socialist Tendency, SA remains committed to the ideas and positions associated with the "International Socialism" tradition of Trotskyism which saw the Stalinist states of Russia, Eastern Europe, China, Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba as being in no sense socialist but forms of state capitalism, where workers were exploited by a bureaucratic ruling class. Socialist Alternative has links with a number of other groups which were previously part of the International Socialist Tendency, such as the US International Socialist Organization, the International Workers Left in Greece, the International Socialist Organisation in New Zealand and, in France, Socialisme International.

Socialist Alternative analyses the world in terms of the political and economic ideas of Karl Marx, the 19th century philosopher and socialist activist who argued that history was underpinned by economic systems (the base or structure) which drove changes in political ideas and institutions (the superstructure), which in turn resulted in replacements of one economic system for another. SA views the world in terms of the ruling class and the workers, the former oppressing the latter almost everywhere. Consequently, members of SA believe that today's capitalist world economy needs to be overthrown by means of a socialist revolution, in which the workers or proletariat will unite to overthrow their employers, the bourgeoisie, who control the means of production. Socialist Alternative's activities are therefore attempts to mobilise workers and students in order to facilitate such a revolution, which they believe will result in an end to worker exploitation, as well as other phenomena such as racism, sexism and homophobia. Critics of SA argue that capitalism cannot be reasonably blamed for sexism, racism or homophobia.

Socialist Alternative supports the right to self-determination of Australia's Aboriginal people and opposes the recent intervention by the Howard government in the Northern Territory. Another distinctive position of Socialist Alternative which separates them from much of the rest of the Australian left is their opposition to the Australian invasion of East Timor and the continuing presence of Australian troops there.

Socialist Alternative is also known within Australian student politics for its hostility towards John Howard and his conservative government. Other targets of Socialist Alternative hostility are the "ruling class" of the United States and its President George W. Bush, and the Australian Labor Party for its unwillingness to vehemently oppose businesses. In particular SA are highly critical of the Labor party's new industrial relations policy which they see as simply WorkChoices-lite. Socialist Alternative also accuses the government of Australia and the United States of waging a racist war against Islam in general.

Controversy

Confrontations with Zionists

In 2006, Socialist Alternative supporters at Melbourne University were involved in a number of confrontations with supports of Israel. In an article published by The Age on September the 4th, 2006, members of Socialist Alternative were stated to have disrupted a visit by the Israeli ambassador . A member of SA there wrote a controversial email referring to some students who had tried to violently close down an SA stall as "Zionists (who) felt the need to assert their racism and fetish for genocide and mass slaughter of Arab people" . There have been several incidents on Melbourne campuses, some reportedly involving SA . However, SA leaders at Melbourne Uni insist that it is not anti-semitic, maintaining that Israel does not represent Jews, simply claiming to do so. Moreover SA points out they have many Jewish members, including the prominent Canberra academic Dr Rick Kuhn. "We take a firm stand against all forms of racism" Vashti Kenway (Students Against War and Racism, SA member) once claimed. According to Australian Jewish News, a writer in the Socialist Alternative has claimed that “Zionism . . . agrees with Nazism that Jews have to be walled-off from Non-Jews” and Israel’s existence is racism. .

Campaign tactics

They have become renowned in many universities for their tactics. Those tactics have been known to include yelling with megaphones, handing out leaflets in lectures. They have also been known for their confrontation of those with opposing viewpoints in political forums at universities, including with loud repetitive chanting of slogans. They argue that this is a valid political tactic, as the viewpoints they attack already get heard excessively through the media

References

1. What's left of the left soldiers on The Age, May 1 2002. Accessed June 10, 2007
2. An unholy alliance By Barney Zwartz and Adam Morton, The Age September 4, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2007
3. Jews in fear of hardline uni groups by Barney Zwartz and Adam Morton, The Age September 4, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2007
4. Hack Notes: Shouting Down Abbott audio report on 2JJJ February 16. 2006. Accessed June 10, 2007

External links

• Socialist Alternative (Australia)
• Socialist Alternative and the ISO – Perspectives for Socialists September 2002 SA document discussing the group's history.
• International Socialist Organisation (Australia) ISO Website
• A member of SA, stating that Zionists have a "fetish for genocide and mass slaughter of Arab people"
• Socialist Alternative (1995 -) Reason in Revolt: Source Documents in Australian Radicalism. Accessed June 10, 2007.

• Trotskyist organisations of Australia