07.11.1996
SLP branch reports
Durham
Durham branch of the Socialist Labour Party has been having regular meetings and discussions. Its members have been active in campaigns, as well as in discussing the politics of the new party.
Unfortunately the SLP witch hunters have been spreading their net, with one of their Fiscite leaders sitting on the regional committee for the area. She drew the committee’s attention to Pat Sikorski’s circular of a few months ago, bringing to the notice of all branches the constitution clauses which ban from the SLP members or supporters of other political organisations. She wanted to make sure that all branches take up this witch hunt.
And so did Brian Gibson, branch secretary of Durham, CPGB member in the 1970s and later a Labour Party member, well trained in bans and proscriptions.
Like most other branches, Durham contains many comrades who have been in various organisations of the left before joining the SLP. Yet on this occasion an ‘official communist’ Labourite, turned Fiscite decided to turn on the comrade who had recruited him to the CPGB in 1970 and had worked closely with him throughout those years: Ted Rowlands.
Despite his uninterrupted record of dedicated service to the working class movement since the 1930s, Ted is apparently viewed as dangerous. He was presumably an easy target for Brian, who knows him and his politics well. Though Ted has been ill for some time, he has been active in the political discussions of the branch, and is now well to the left of his ex-comrade.
Comrade Gibson took the chair of the recent branch meeting since the elected chair had not arrived. He immediately asked comrade Rowlands whether he was still a member of the CPGB. He did not question any other members on their affiliation. Comrade Rowlands, having been ill, did not realise the extent of the bans in the constitution of his party. He told the meeting he was not a member, but was nevertheless a supporter. It did not cross his mind that there would be any problem with this.
Comrade Gibson immediately announced that comrade Rowlands could not therefore be a member of the SLP, citing the Pat Sikorski circular.
The other members of the branch were wholly in support of comrade Rowlands. However comrade Gibson ruled all discussion of the constitution out of order. Members therefore suggested ways that Ted Rowlands could remain a member of the branch. He could drop association with the CPGB or withdraw as a supporter. At the meeting Ted was not happy with these suggestions, wanting rather to discuss the constitution. He had joined before the May conference, unaware that such a constitution had been endorsed.
Comrade Rowlands has now to consider what to do, but was requested by the members to stay in this branch meeting. He had prepared a reply to a paper on Ireland submitted by comrade Robinson. The paper by Robinson contradicted the SLP policy document on Ireland and the branch were pleased that Ted had submitted the document and considered it an important area of discussion. Ted’s reply was received positively by the branch.
The meeting also endorsed Brian Gibson’s nomination as candidate to contest Sedgefield in the general election. Brian has a lot of work to do since he told the meeting that he did not know what any of the SLP’s policies were. He has obviously been too busy witch hunting.
The question of the SLP constitution has come to the fore in Durham - the membership of the branch, having seen one of their respected comrades hounded, will be keen to continue the discussion and importantly have the bans and proscriptions removed.
Birmingham
This is a small but committed branch which has been active in discussing SLP policy. Of primary concern to many of the members has been the question of immigration controls. Many were furious with the policy passed at the May conference which voted against an amendment to replace the policy document’s aim of “establishing a humane and non-racist immigration system” with the “abolition of all immigration controls”. There has been much heated debate in the branch since.
Again this branch includes members who have been in a variety of different leftwing organisations including the Labour Party, the International Workers of the World, Workers Power and the Workers International League.
The branch narrowly passed a draft resolution that the SLP policy should be against all immigration controls, which has been passed on to the NEC. The branch has now widened the debate by organising a public meeting on this question.
Incredibly, but true to form, Pat Sikorski wrote to the branch suggesting that a public meeting was not a good idea since it would enable the rest of the left to criticise SLP policy. Fortunately SLP branch members seem to have more working class foresight than Pat. They are keen to involve the whole of the left in discussions on how the working class takes power and liberates the whole of society, in whatever country they may live. Pat has offered to send an NEC member to explain the policy to the branch. A renewed discussion on this area is certainly to be welcomed, but the working class can surely do without explanations like those made at the SLP conference last May by Fiscites Brian Heron and Trevor Wongsam.
South West London
Following the break-up of South London SLP into two branches - East and West, the South West London branch held its first meeting at the end of October. It is now organising an AGM in November. The branch will meet fortnightly with open political discussions in the first hour. The first meeting will discuss branch perspectives. Members of the branch are also helping to organise a South London political forum meeting, the first one to discuss elections.
The branch is also to discuss resolutions on party democracy, against the witch hunt and for an appeals process; on no support for Labour Party candidates in the elections; and to give support to trade unionists being persecuted in Brazil. These resolutions had been presented to the South London branch but were never discussed.
New recruits
According to Patrick Sikorski, quoted in Sunday business, the SLP has been endorsed by the band, Manic Street Preachers, by some members of Beautiful South and by Robson Green of Robson and Jerome. There is an SLP benefit at Hackney Empire in London planned for early next year with SLP member and stand-up comedian Lee Hurst. It is also hoped that the Manic Street Preachers and Stiff Little Fingers will be playing.