The much-awaited Beyond the Fragments' conference took place on the last Saturday in August in Leeds. Over 1400 activists, involved in various local activities, turned up firmly clutching their copies of the now-famous book.
Overcoming the 'fragment' - and charting a way forward - was, however, more difficult than any of them had thought. After a full day's discussion - in workshops and plenary sessions - the only thing they could agree on was to hold another conference in several months time.
SURPRISING This is hardly surprising. The Berond the Fragments current born was out of a rejection of the traditions of the marxist left. The authors of the book - basing themselves on the experience of the 'liberatarian' wing of the women's movement -advanced a different 'method' of politics which, they claimed, the marxist left had overlooked.
Such a method opposed to the idea of a clear programme one based upon actions' and organisational 'diffusness'. The aim of the conference was to see how far this new 'politics' could be carried forward and, perhaps, organised around.
It is difficult to see, however, how any form of unity can be created when politics is seen not as coming set of ideas but purely around 'personal' experience. People don't have the same experience EVIDENCE which were all asked to discover "what we have in common as socialists". The 5-minute reportback revealed, at the plenary session, that it wasn't very much.
Any idea of uniting together around a set of common actions such as fighting the attacks being launched by Thatcher on social services, employment and union rights — was firmly rejected. That smacked too much of being part of the tradition of the far left which, of course, many activists disagreed with.
Moreover, seeking to build an organisasingle-issue campaigns people were active in was also rejected.It would involve, wouldn't it, agreeing on a limited dreaded word 'party' together around a The only point of agreement conference was a common This hostility was directed against the stress placed by organisation, clear programme and need for At a time when such activity is desperately needed - as the mass anti-Corrie campaign showed -the conference marked a reteat away from the of 'personal, life-style' seemed to arise is: why bother to organise a conference to discuss how the idea of are you are not going to do anything. undertaken by the state.
re-employment. The Tories' economic policies will only worsen the situation. At a time when women are seeking to challenge their second-class status, Thatcher's government wants to push us back into the home as 'domestic servants'.
Cutbacks in the social services will not only mean women's jobs will be axed at a faster pace than men's. Cutting nursery provision, Old People's Homes etc. will place on the shoulders of the family - that is, the woman - all the tasks that should be Moreover, the Tories' Employment Bill will worsen the situation further by denying women, who have children, the automatic right to
October
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This was shown most clearly in the afternoon workshops
programme and smacked again too much of that