AT A day conference on 29-30 September the International Socialist Alliance decided to dissolve itself. Two caucuses were formed to continue the discussions in progress with Big Flame and the International Marxist Group, and plans for the production of an independent journal are being actively pursued.
The conference was small but enthusiastic. It was recognised that the re-groupment on the left which the ISA was set up to promote was no longer immediately on the agenda. While the objective need for it was as great as ever, there was no longer a tide running in its favour.
The Socialist Workers Party remains sectarian and BF no longer sees a unity with the IMG as feasible in the short term. The IMG's open invitation to others on the left is appreciated as a valuable gesture, but one which clearly would not now have any short term results.
It was also clear that ISA members felt there was an identifiable political tradition which they were associated with, not expressed by any other grouping on the left.
Doubts as to the possibility of developing it within any other existing grouping were universally expressed, so no grouping of ISA supporters, whatever their personal inclinations, was ready to push for joining BF or the IMG at the present moment (let alone going into the SWP).
Equally we recognised that the impasse we found ourselves in was one shared by many others on the left, including a large number of ex-International Socialists members we were still in touch with on a formal or informal level. The network nature of the ISA was valued, but it wasn't felt it could be maintained in its present form.
What was felt possible was, first, to pursue the notion of an independent revolutionary journal. Previous initiatives had got bogged down in discussions between three organisations trying to reach a greater measure of agreement than was perhaps necessary merely for the production of a discussion journal.
Secondly, it was resolved to continue discussions with Big Flame and the IMG with more informal caucuses than had hitherto existed. Individuals may have already decided that the best solution for them personally was to join one or another of these organisations, but it was accepted that these would just be individual acts.
Everyone was agreed on the desirability of seeking more collective solutions and the representatives from BF and the IMG at the conference were extremely encouraging in this regard.