20.06.1996

No witch hunt ... yet

In past issues of the Weekly Worker we have reported the exclusion of some Socialist Labour Party members from its May 4 conference. The first national executive committee meeting of the SLP spoke specifically of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Revolutionary Democratic Group as a result of articles in this paper calling on all partisans of the class to join the SLP. Following the NEC meeting this concern to ban and proscribe organisations and to witch hunt members was reported to the branches. However most branches would have no truck with such actions: members should only be expelled if they damaged party actions - a principled position. General secretary Pat Sikorski assured members there would be no “witch hunt ... yet”.

Below we print a letter circulated to branches on June 11. Despite the feedback from the branches Pat Sikorski is determined to pursue his campaign of excluding undesirables. This seems to include anybody who criticises any aspect of the SLP. This letter indicates that excluded members will not have right of appeal. It draws the attention of members to the constitution which many members, although agreeing to accept it, do not agree with and have not been able to vote on. Debate needs to be open, not closed, if something better is to be drafted in 1997.

A witch hunt atmosphere would kill the SLP dead for revolution. If Brian Heron is able to express his views in Capital and Class and in Red Pepper and Arthur Scargill in the Morning Star and The Guardian, why is it that for other members expressing views is a crime? Revolutionaries must fight vigorously for an open and democratic SLP.

Linda Addison

Membership and conditions of membership

To all branch, constituency and regional secretaries, all NEC members, June 11 1996

These matters were discussed at the meeting of the National Executive Committee held on Saturday May 18 1996.

It was decided to write to all bodies of the Party concerned with admissions to membership to remind them of the Constitution of the Party on these matters and especially Clauses II and III regarding membership and conditions of membership.

Special attention is drawn to the following clauses:

Clause II Membership

Paras 4 and 5:

4. Individuals and organisations other than bona fide trade unions which have their own programme, principles and policies, distinctive and separate propaganda, or which are engaged in the promotion of policies in opposition to those of the Party shall be ineligible for affiliation to the Party.

5. A member of the Party who becomes a member of and/or supports a political organisation other than the Party shall automatically be ineligible to become or remain a Party member.

Clause III Conditions of membership Paras 2, 3 and 4:

2. Constituency and local parties must:

a) accept the Constitution and Rules of the Party;
b) accept the programme, principles and policies of the Party.

3. Individual members must:

a) accept the Constitution and Rules of the Party;
b) accept the programme, principles and policies of the party.

4. Any member elected to any office in local, regional, parliamentary or European government will at all times adhere to the Constitution and policies of the Party.

The need to emphasise these clauses has arisen because of the publicly stated intentions of certain groups/organisations to send members/supporters into Socialist Labour.

Any person who is a member or supporter of such a group or organisation is ineligible and cannot be admitted to membership of the SLP and any such ‘membership’ is void and invalid.

Any member or supporter of a political organisation other than the SLP who has been treated as a member of the SLP, is entitled to the return of any subscriptions paid by them because their ineligibility for SLP membership means that they have never been an SLP member.

The NEC in upholding the Constitution draws the attention of all branches, constituencies and regions of the Party to the fact that failure to abide by any part of the Constitution, by any member, automatically renders invalid the membership of the individual concerned.

All sections of the Party must uphold the Party Constitution at all times.

Pat Sikorski
General Secretary