Welcome to issue eight of the Transform newsletter.

Since our last newsletter, scenes of rioting in our towns and cities instigated by the far right have shocked the country. We salute the thousands who turned out to stop the fascists from terrorising our streets. So where does the fight against racism go from here?

Help us to organise against the far right

Transform is hosting a Zoom meeting today (Wednesday 14 August) at 7pm, open to anyone interested in organising with us against the far right, to discuss how to move forward, build solidarity and form a long-term resistance to hate. The Zoom link is here.

This follow’s the publication of Transform’s public statement on Organising Against the Far Right. Please read it and share it within your networks.

If you are not on Twitter, you can read the statement here.

As the statement says, “this growth of the far right cannot be stopped purely on the streets. We need to build a progressive left alternative pole of attraction. One that will counter the racist anti-migrant narrative, and that can provide real solutions to the problems faced by working class communities.”

We invite all those who agree with us to join Transform today.

No to Racism, No to Islamophobia!

In the general election, Labour vied with the Tories over who would be the toughest on “illegal” immigration, giving a free pass to those scapegoating immigrants for the cost of living crisis.

The result was that four million people cast their lot instead with the party dedicated to making immigration the number one election issue, Farage’s Reform. Meanwhile the fascist Tommy Robinson had massively increased his reach after having his longstanding Twitter ban removed by Elon Musk. On 27 July he held a rally of 15,000 people in central London; live streams of the event were viewed by half a million people.

It would be wrong to simply dismiss everyone who voted Reform, followed Tommy Robinson online, or attended any of the anti-immigration protests, as being ‘fascist’ or ‘far-right’. Experiences of poverty, poor housing and government indifference to their plight acted as a breeding ground for racist ideas. Some of those who agreed with Tommy Robinson on immigration didn’t identify with the violence of the rioters, and this was one of the reasons why the protests quickly fizzled out.

There was some trepidation on the left as well about taking to the streets, following the violent scenes in places like Rotherham. Some people argued that we should just leave the police to “do their job”. Despite this, counter-protests were organised in towns up and down the country, and most of these were well attended.

We were absolutely right to do this. These actions were in solidarity with and protecting refugees, immigrants and Muslim communities. Very quickly, our confidence grew, and the confidence of the anti-immigration mobs fell away. We showed that there’s an alternative to calling for more police in riot gear – that people power can force the fascists to stand down.

Transform conference

Transform’s annual conference will take place in central London on Saturday 19 October.

More information will follow, but for now please keep that date free in your diaries.

New Executive Committee members elected

Congratulations to the following Transform members who have been elected to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee:

• Principal Speaker: Dawn Sanders (Southwest region)
• Principal Speaker: Nicola Gladwell (Eastern region)
• Elections Officer: John Morgan (East Midlands region)

LGBTQ+ Survey

Transform’s Equality Officer Dawn Sanders writes:

“It has come to my attention recently that there may be the need to set up a caucus for those Transform members identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary or other groups within this diverse minority.

However, I would first like to conduct a survey, as recommended within caucus guidelines, to ascertain the need for a caucus.

If you identify as LGBTQ+, please contact me at fieryred.dawn@gmail.com with answers to the following questions by midnight on Sunday 18 August.

1. Would you like to see a caucus set up for and run by Transform members identifying as LGBTQ+?

2. Briefly highlight which concerns you would like to see addressed within the caucus.

3. Do you feel that an LGBTQ+ caucus could help create and shape policy within the party, as well as educate the wider membership?

Once I have responses, I will consider forming the caucus and holding regular forums for fruitful discussion, establishing roles within the caucus and getting the ball rolling.”

House of the People

We’ve talked previously in this newsletter about the People’s Assemblies that sprang up in various locations in the runup to the General Election. Last Sunday marked a milestone in the new assembly movement: the launch of the grandly named House of the People.

Transform’s Doug Thorpe was there, and his report on the event includes some reflections on its weaknesses as well as its strengths. Transform will be watching with interest to see how it develops.

Campaign focus: Drax power station

Drax is a wood biomass power station located near Selby, in Yorkshire. It is a former coal-power station that converted to biomass, and now entirely burns wood biomass. According to a report by Ember, Drax is the UK’s largest carbon emitter, responsible for 11.5m tonnes of CO2 last year, yet it receives vast amounts of money in “renewable” energy subsidies from the UK government. This article explains why the government argues that biomass energy is renewable, and why this is disputed by many scientists.

For months the direct action network Reclaim the Power had been making plans for a protest camp in the area. Early on 8th August, the day when the camp was due to open, 22 activists were arrested in a mass police operation, and equipment for the camp including tents and toilets was seized. This pre-emptive strike by the police against peaceful protestors took place in a week when police forces were stretched to their limit by having to deal with the riots.

The campaign goes on: Reclaim the Power held a day of digital action on 12th August which involved sending 42,000 emails to Drax. They’ve just launched an appeal to cover the costs of replacing the property taken by the police, and supporting those arrested.

Transform Talksback

If you’re looking forward to our next informal Friday night gathering, the next one’s just a couple of weeks away, on Friday 30 August 2024 at 6.30pm.

Our Transform Talksback sessions are on Zoom and are hosted by someone whose sole role will be to create the opportunity for as many people to speak as possible within the time we have.

Register in advance if you’re planning to attend.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We want to hear from you

Is there anything particular that you’d like us to cover in the newsletter? Do you have any reports or photos from activities that you’ve been involved in?

Please send us your comments and feedback at info@transformpolitics.uk.

In solidarity,

Transform Newsletter Team