Socialist Alternative (Australia)
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Socialist Alternative
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| Founded | 1995 |
| Split from | International Socialist Organisation |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Newspaper |
Red Flag Marxist Left Review |
| Ideology |
Trotskyism, International Socialism |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | Fourth International (permanent observer status) |
| Website | |
| www.redflag.org.au | |
Socialist Alternative is a revolutionary socialist organisation in Australia, identifying with the Marxist tradition of "socialism from below". Formed after its founding members were expelled from the former International Socialist Organisation (ISO) in 1995, today it claims to have the largest active membership on the Australian far-left – as acknowledged by some on the far-left. With branches across Australia, their membership operates within the trade union and student union movements and grass roots campaigns.
Though one of Socialist Alternative's stated aims is to contribute towards building a revolutionary party that can intervene in – and lead – mass working-class struggles, they do not consider themselves a political party at their current size and influence. Originating in the political tradition of the International Socialist Tendency, Socialist Alternative defend the position that a socialist revolution can only come about through "workers taking control of their workplaces, dismantling existing state institutions (parliaments, courts, the armed forces and police) and replacing them with an entirely new state based on genuinely democratic control by the working class".
In March 2013, Socialist Alternative merged with the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) on the basis of agreement around a common revolutionary perspective outlined in an updated Statement of Principles which makes no reference to the theory of "State Capitalism" or other historical and theoretical differences that had previously prevented the two tendencies from uniting around their common revolutionary perspective.
Socialist Alternative host an annual far-left political conference in Melbourne each year called Marxism, which has grown to attract over 1000 attendees – which has featured international guest speakers such as John Pilger and Malalai Joya – becoming the largest conference of its kind in Australia. Socialist Alternative also host regular political meetings and events and produce political commentary and analysis through their own various publications and through other publishers in which the organisation puts forward their positions on Australian and international issues. In 2013, Socialist Alternative started distribution of a fortnightly newspaper and website titled Red Flag.
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