Socialist Green Unity Coalition

The Socialist Green Unity Coalition was an electoral alliance formed by leftist parties and political organisations in Great Britain prior to 2005 parliamentary election[1] after the Respect Unity Coalition (which the SGUC constituent organisations regarded as little more than a vehicle for the Socialist Workers Party) rejected requests to discuss an electoral arrangement to avoid clashes in 2005. It was established in September 2004,[2] named in November 2004[3] and publicly launched in February 2005.[4] After the 2005 election the coalition continued to operate as a liaison and co-ordinating body but has not extended its remit much beyond electoral co-ordination.

Participating organisations included the Socialist Party and the Alliance for Green Socialism (standing under their own name), Alliance for Workers Liberty, Socialist Unity Network (both standing as Socialist Unity) and the Democratic Socialist Alliance, whose candidates in 2005 were also members of the United Socialist Party.[5] Many of these organisations were in the previous Socialist Alliance before they voted to support the established of the Respect Unity Coalition and dissolve the Socialist Alliance.

All the SGUC member organisations campaigned on a common platform including calls for an end to privatisation, for defence of the welfare state, an end to poverty and for full employment.[1] The SGUC also gave greater priority than most of its individual members to the question of the environment and building a sustainable economic system - largely due to the influence of the Alliance for Green Socialism.

  1. ^ a b Socialist / Green general election challenge launched, Socialist Party, 23 February 2004
  2. ^ "Left unity for general election?". Workersliberty.org. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  3. ^ "A new socialist coalition for 2005". Workers' Liberty. 6 December 2004. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Socialist Green Unity Coalition". Socialistparty.org.uk. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  5. ^ Tina Becker, "The leftovers Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine", Weekly Worker, 28 April 2005