Socialism: what it is and how to get it

Green Left, BY MICHELLE BREAR

Young progressive activists will be converging on Sydney from July 11 to 13, to discuss, debate and listen to international campaigners at the Resistance national conference.

“Thousands of young people took part in their first political action this year, protesting the war on Iraq. We didn't stop that war, the world is still full of injustice and we want to try to change that. We've got a lot to discuss and plan for”, conference organiser Katherine Bradstreet told Green Left Weekly.

Strategies and tactics for different campaigns — such as defending refugees, stopping war and fighting racism, police harassment and sexism — will be discussed, along with what socialism is and how to fight for it, and how we can offer solidarity to oppressed people around the world.

Speakers from the US, Scotland and Venezuela will be attending the conference. They will be sharing their diverse experiences of building movements against the war and fighting for socialism.

From Venezuela, the national coordinator of the Federation of Bolivarian Students, Alvaro Guzman, has agreed to attend. In a feature session titled “Venezuela: the unfolding revolution”, Guzman will detail the rise of the left in Venezuela. He will discuss the class forces involved, the organisational forms and the challenges ahead for the Venezuelan left.

US activist Dani Barley, a former national organiser of the US socialist group Solidarity, will discuss both the US anti-war movement and the struggle for women's liberation.

Keith Tomkinson, national coordinator of the Scottish Socialist Youth, will reflect on the process of developing unity amongst Scottish socialists. The Scottish Socialist Party, which the SSY works in solidarity with, has recently had six members elected to the Scottish parliament. This would have been inconceivable without the formation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance, which went on to form the SSP. The SSY is a relatively new organisation, instigated by the SSP.

A range of Australian activists will also share their experiences. The fight against education minister Brendan Nelson's attacks on higher education will be discussed, along with the campaign in solidarity with the people of Aceh, and the campaign against the occupation of Iraq. A range of workshops, focused on sharing activists skills and on education, will run throughout the conference.

[For more information and a full conference genda, visit www.resistance.org.au.

From Green Left Weekly, June 25, 2003. Visit the Green LeftWeekly home page.