But given a lot of the fallout that has accompanied the Socialist Alliance of late --with the smaller socialist affiliates pulling out of the project -- the Freedom Socialist Party 's local branch has published a very good review of the present political situation in Australia , especially in regard to the ALP. The FSP isn't having a bar of deferring to Rudd at a cost to workers rights or any issue.
There is increasing pressure here on the left to lay down for Labor despites its "lite" version of John Howard's draconian Work Choices IR laws and already one left trade union official, Dean Mighell, has been shown the door for being too rudely aligned to his class.
So as the word gets put around and avenues for dissent are closed off the run up to the election is going to be a rough ride.
As for the FSP, they've adopted a recommended ticket that --while it cannot utter the name of the Alliance since the SA is supposed to be officially certified as a moribund project by a section of the far left who have exited it -- nonetheless urges:
In the coming election, the Freedom Socialist Party advocates voting first for socialist candidates* on the ballot, then for the Greens, and then for the ALP above Howard.It remains to be seen whether a similar approach is going to be adopted elsewhere on the far left.
*Aside from the SA --which will be the only national campaign by a socialist formation -- the CWI's Socialist Party may stand in Victoria and the ex Gerry Healy formation, the SEP, may stand in a few other seats. The possibility exists that there may be some independent socialist campaigns run in a few areas but the Alliance (if everything goes well enough with its electoral re-registration process) will be the only formation of 'socialist candidates' listed as socialist on the electoral ballot paper and on all election returns for all states.
