29.02.1996

Debating the SLP

Last Saturday’s day school on the Socialist Labour Party, organised by the CPGB, was a lively as well as thought provoking event.

Representatives from the Revolutionary Democratic Group, the Republican Worker Tendency, the International Bolshevik Tendency, Open Polemic and the Workers International League joined the debate, as well as ex-supporters of Workers Power, Class War, the Socialist Workers Party and Socialist Outlook. Members of Socialist Labour Party branches from around the country were also present. Their main concern was that revolutionaries such as ourselves and members from the other groups represented join the SLP as quickly as possible. This would ensure that discussions, already under way, were not dominated by social democracy or bureaucratic manoeuvring.

The groups and individuals represented discussed the tactics of communists and revolutionaries in relation to real political movements of sections of the class. The morning session looked at the formation of the Labour Party, the Independent Labour Party and the hopeless, sectarian attitude of the Social Democratic Federation, and particularly its leader, Henry Hyndman.

The meeting was agreed that we did not want to repeat the mistakes of the past and seal ourselves off from such a movement again. Comrades from Open Polemic were however keen to stress that our first task is to unite around theory - separating this task as a stage which must precede the fusing of theory with the class.

Bringing the debate up to date, some scepticism was expressed as to the potential of the SLP. But those who have been involved already are clear that its development is still very much open and fluid - neither Scargill’s bureaucratic constitution nor a programme has been passed yet. Workers from all sorts of backgrounds are joining with the hope of shaping their own independent working class political organisation.

Whatever the outcome, if revolutionaries failed to take the fight for revolutionary programme into these discussions and into the practice of the SLP, it would be a dereliction of our duty.

Lee-Anne Bates