The United Left Platform (“ULP”) began as an initiative of several socialist groups who came together at the Socialism 2025 conference in July to discuss internal protocols for security and mutual defense agreements, joint defense campaigns, and the project of building a united front to organize the working-class resistance to the Trump administration.
The ULP is understood as a defense coalition that requires trust between its participants as we are dealing with security issues and fundraising efforts. Within this framework, wherever possible our efforts will seek to involve unions, community groups, student groups and political organizations who share and agree to the following strategy and guidelines:
1) Political Independence and Emphasis on Social Struggle: A commitment that the ULP and its campaigns and committees will remain independent from the Democratic and Republican Parties. Groups participating in the campaign can choose to endorse candidates etc, but the ULP itself, its campaigns and committees advocate the need to build an independent working class movement to defend our civil liberties and social rights, a movement based on mass action and self-organization. Independent class and social struggles are the strategic priorities even in election season.
2) Orientation Towards Broad Mass Action: Although the ULP is for the moment concerned with organizing propaganda activities and small local actions, it is important that all of the events and materials are designed with an orientation towards mass working class action, that is to say not narrowly aimed at mobilizing other socialists, or already convinced activists, but making the arguments to convince and involve new layers of workers, community and youth in defense efforts.
3) Security and Confidence Building Considerations: As we are organizing under an increasingly authoritarian and repressive government, we must ensure that the way the efforts of the ULP are conducted increases the confidence of working people in their own power, and the possibility of defeating the repression and enforcing our rights.This means all groups should follow basic security protocols for communication within the ULP e.g. only using platforms approved by the ULP. Public-facing work related to the ULP should be undertaken mindful of possible negative consequences to the campaign.
4) Democratic Organizing: within the principles and guidelines that launched the ULP, its campaigns, and committees all the decisions on tactics, events, statements etc will be made democratically at the meetings by its constituent groups, or via the chat for logistical matters when there is some urgency.
5) Against Sectarianism and Opportunism: Groups participating in the ULP should respect united front strategies and tactics. This means operating to advance our collective goals including within the defense campaigns initiated by the ULP and based on protocols and political objectives established by the ULP.