RESPECT split formalised - two opposing conferences

1. RESPECT Renewal Conference

We are inviting you to attend the Respect Renewal conference. It will take place on Saturday 17 November, at the Bishopsgate Institute in London, from 11am to 5pm. Speakers include George Galloway MP, Linda Smith, Cllr Salma Yaqoob, Ken Loach. There will be plenty of time for debate. It will be an opportunity for all Respect members and others who want to continue the process of building a vibrant, radical, left alternative to New Labour to come together and discuss how to do this following the recent debilitating divisions that have split Respect. It will be an opportunity to reflect on the mistaken methods and lack of political vision that have led to the split in Respect and to learn lessons on how to work together and with others in the future. We remain committed to the radical policies which have been the cornerstone of Respect since its inception. Our organisational model is based on plurality, democracy and transparency. For us, the acronym RESPECT – Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environment, Community and Trade Unions – remains as valid today as it did at our launch in 2004. We want to build Respect but we also want to work together with all others who share a vision of a better, more equitable society, to create a broader, united party to represent the interests of all working-class people. We want to reach out to all those in the anti-war movement who still need a voice for peace and against imperialism. We want to reach out to all those concerned about climate change and the destruction of the environment. We want to reach out to all those in the trade unions who feel betrayed by New Labour under Brown as under Blair. We want to reach out to all those in the black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities who suffer racism and Islamophobia. We want to reach out to all those who want to fight against discrimination, whether or the grounds of religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We want to reach out to the dispossessed, the asylum seeker, the migrant worker and to all who defend them. If you want to reach out with us, come along and join in our discussion. The Respect Renewal conference is called by the following Respect National Council members: Linda Smith National Chair, Salma Yaqoob National Vice-Chair, Mobeen Azhar, Ayesha Bajwa, Victoria Brittain, Rita Carter, Ger Francis, George Galloway MP, Jerry Hicks, John Lister, Ken Loach, Abdul Khalik, Abdurahman Jafar, Abjol Miah, Bernie Parkes, Yvonne Ridley, Clive Searle, Alan Thornett, Nick Wrack. If you would like to attend to our conference, or would like to know more about us, please get in touch.

2. SWP-backed "Official" RESPECT conference

George Galloway splits from Respect 03/11/2007 George Galloway and his supporters have split from Respect. After a week in which he has tried to pretend that the SWP and other socialists were leaving Respect he has announced a rival conference on the same day as the Respect national conference. The split conference, under the name Respect Renewal, does not have the support of the majority of Respect members nor has it been authorised or endorsed by any of the elected bodies of Respect. George Galloway has chosen to ignore the resolutions from Respect branches around the country demanding that the Respect conference go ahead. The attempt by Linda Smith and Salma Yaqoob earlier this week to call off the long planned Respect annual conference failed because most rank and file members demanded that it go ahead. George Galloway's response has been to try and split the organisation by calling a separate conference. He has failed to win votes at the national officers meetings or to put his call to a national council. He fears he will not have the support of a majority at the Respect conference. Every Respect member should support the original and properly delegated conference. No other conference will be a delegate body with the authority to speak for Respect members. We remain committed to the radical, democratic principles of Respect as it was first founded.