‘Urgent need for a new left alternative in Scotland’ after Your Party mass resignations

The Your Party Scotland conference backed organisational independence from the national organisation and to allow dual membership

Your Party is over in Scotland–but there is still potential to build a left alternative. 

The entire Scottish interim executive committee of Your Party resigned en masse last week. It marked the end of the prospects of building Your Party as a mass, democratic and radical socialist alternative in Scotland. 

Niall Christie, the sole representative of Scotland on Your Party’s central executive committee (CEC) also resigned from the role last week. He announced that he would be leaving the party altogether. 

Niall told Socialist Worker that the leadership of Your Party has shown a “lack of respect for autonomy and democracy”. 

He explained that he had put forward proposals on the CEC that reflected the priorities of Scottish members at their founding conference in Dundee in February. But these proposals were dismissed by the national leadership. 

At the Dundee conference, members voted to stand candidates in the Holyrood elections in May. They also backed organisational independence from the national organisation and to allow dual membership with other socialist groups. 

Niall said that it is a “disgrace” that the opportunity to build a mass radical party has been squandered. 

The national leadership decided to re-run a vote in Scotland on whether to run in the election. But by this point, there were just days left until the close of nominations and a majority voted against. 

Niall explained, “Only at the moment when it became absolutely untenable to stand candidates did they run a second vote. There had been seven weeks of inaction. That’s why people didn’t want to run.”

In their resignation statement, the Scottish Your Party leadership said, “No serious attempt to unite the left can be done through purges of socialists or by disregarding whole nations and their representatives. It is clear that these are fatal blows to the Your Party project from which it cannot recover.”

“Despite this generational fumble of the left in Britain, the need for a new party on the left in Scotland couldn’t be more urgent and it is our clear intention to continue working towards this.”

Niall said, “There are two things that need to happen. First a retrospective on what has happened. Also, most people in Scotland who have been involved in Your Party think there is a need for a new party. 

“I do believe there are still enough people involved, but it will take time. We need someone to do it and take that initiative.”

In England, the dominant left of Labour force is Zack Polanski’s Green Party. But the Scottish Greens were tested in office and failed, which saw several join Your Party.

Ellie Gomersall was a Scottish Greens candidate until she defected to Your Party last year.

Gomersall was previously selected as the second candidate on the Greens’ Glasgow regional list for the upcoming Holyrood elections. She told Socialist Worker that, despite the failings at the top of Your Party, she does not regret her decision to leave the Greens to fight for a socialist alternative at the ballot box. 

“There were ups and downs throughout my time in Your Party,” she said. “When I joined, I wasn’t naive to the challenges south of the border. 

“But the grassroots movement emerging in Scotland, particularly in Glasgow, meant that I could also see the potential of Your Party.”

Ellie explained that it became clear following the conference in Dundee that the Your Party leadership did not see Scotland as a priority. 

“Our conference was really successful, properly democratic, with the agenda voted on and set by the membership,” she said. 

“The conference voted in support of Scottish independence and to stand candidates in Holyrood.

“We also voted to begin the process of breaking away from the English party. We voted to adopt a ‘sister party’ model, recognising that the party in Scotland could in no way shape or form be run from London.” 

“After the conference, we were completely ignored by those south of the border.

“This has been a bit of a shitshow, but I still feel optimistic and hopeful. 

“I have no regret leaving the Greens and a seat in Holyrood for this. I left the Greens to help build a movement here in Scotland that could stand up to the austerity and I think that that movement that Your Party brought together is still very much alive and kicking.”

She said “What we need now is a party that builds around the movement, not a movement that builds around a party.”