20.03.1997

Spotlight on Socialist Labour Action

SLP: news and comment

Comrades may be aware that the second issue of Socialist Labour Action is being distributed around the party. It is worth a read in that it takes up many of the pertinent issues facing the SLP around the issues of democracy, the witch hunt, the general election, the Labour Party and Europe (to name a few). If any comrades would like a copy, please ring or write to the Weekly Worker and we will send you one (70p inc p&p).

One issue I wish to take up with SLA No2 is what I see as a worrying tendency toward localism. In general, the bulletin takes an excellent, militant position regarding democracy in the party. It defends branches and CSLPs over which the party’s NEC is riding roughshod. It quite rightly criticises the leadership for adopting election policies without a thorough and open debate throughout the whole party.

However, we cannot approach this question in a one-sided manner. It is quite right that without democracy, a full and united response is fragmented, diminished and weakened to the point where it can collapse. At the same time, we must fight for the most unified response in the elections as possible. A party leadership must have the authority to ensure a united intervention in the elections. It is not merely enough to have CSLPs doing whatever they want - this is not a party, but a collection of groups.

But such leadership has its responsibilities. It can only have full authority if it has the confidence of the entire membership and this can only come about through open debate and democracy. Centralism that is bureaucratic is a travesty of workers’ democracy. However, the demand for democracy without a struggle for centralism is liquidationism and a subordination to localism.

Workers’ tribunal

The letter from south London SLP member Steve Freeman in last week’s Weekly Worker makes it clear that there is a lot of misunderstanding of the events concerning the violent activity outside the SLP London members’ aggregate held on February 25. I understand that the NEC meeting held on Saturday March 15 had correspondence before it concerning the violent activity of Tony Goss. If the NEC is not prepared to act on this, we must organise a committee of inquiry from the workers’ movement to consider the evidence, hear from witnesses and decide on appropriate action against any individuals involved in violence within the movement. It is a principle that violence in the movement is unacceptable.

Such a committee of inquiry should be set up as soon as possible. It should comprise people both from within and without the SLP who have respect in the movement. Please begin preparing your statements for such an inquiry. We cannot rely on gossip, rumour and innuendo to get to the bottom of this. The truth must out. Those with nothing to hide will surely participate.

I was most disturbed with another aspect of the Freeman letter. While the comrade is no doubt attempting to be even handed, as I pointed out in my column last week, when it comes to undemocratic voidings and expulsions, there is only one place to lay the blame.

Comrade Freeman states: “Neither are there any facts or evidence to show that Barry Biddulph or John Pearson are guilty of any misconduct. I am convinced that they are not and have become innocent victims of this ‘hunt the CPGB’ paranoia” (emphasis added).

The whole logic of witch hunts is that everyone is tainted with original sin: everyone is guilty unless they prove their loyalty. Once charged, you only regain innocence by pleading guilty. It is such corrupt morality that makes witch hunts so unpleasant. The whole point about witch hunts is that the hunters do not need evidence in order to exorcise the opponent: they are merely branded a witch or, in the case of the SLP, a communist. To this charge no defence is allowed.

In order to defeat the witch hunt, we must defend all ‘voided members’, not just the ones you are convinced are ‘innocent’.

Union activity attacked

As democracy is increasingly perverted in the SLP, the path bureaucracy takes becomes ever more twisted. At present, West London branch member Chris Ford is under attack both as an SLP member and as a union activist.

Comrade Ford is a well-known CPSA Socialist Caucus activist in West London. It has been reported to me that a member of the Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! Revolutionary Communist Group sent a letter to Arthur Scargill, informing our general secretary that Chris, as a member of the caucus, is involved in the CPSA Left Unity alliance which calls for a Labour vote. Left Unity comprises most of those in the CPSA who consider themselves left - Socialist Party members, CPBers, etc.

Comrade Scargill has written to Chris Ford asking him to explain himself. Scargill declares that no SLP member should be part of an organisation which supports New Labour.

Whatever we may think of such blocs as CPSA Left Unity (many of whose policies I oppose), we must pause to consider Scargill’s own position as president of a union which is affiliated to the Labour Party. Should we ask him to explain himself?

Chris Ford is not only under pressure from his own party. The general secretary of the CPSA has attacked him and West London CPSA in the local press for supporting Acton SLP candidate Jack Gilbert.

It is alleged that such political support might fall foul of the Tory anti-trade union laws and is against union rules. It is exactly such political activity against these reactionary laws which must be undertaken and supported if we are to carry through the SLP’s aim of smashing them.

SLP candidates

In a welcome move, Coventry SLP has decided “in principle” to contest two seats (Coventry North East and Coventry North West). The branch is calling on members and supporters in Coventry South to vote for Socialist Party candidate Dave Nellist.

The branch calls for vigorous campaigning, as it does not expect much positive coverage from the capitalist press. In this context an article by John Hayball on the back page of Socialist News correctly points to the media blackout.

One amusing anecdote relating to this comes from comrade Imran Khan’s election campaign in East Ham. The comrades there have been having difficulty getting the presence of the party and our prospective parliamentary candidate into the pages of the local press, the Newham Recorder. At the London aggregate of the party, Imran pointed to a very likely reason for the lack of coverage.

The comrade, who was in the parliament buildings on matters relating to the Stephen Lawrence campaign, actually saw the Labour candidate, Steven Timms, having a boozy lunch with the editor of the Recorder.

Of course, the point is that Labour (and it goes without saying the Tories) have had such cosy relationships with the capitalist press for donkey’s years, at all levels - whether it be with Murdoch or the grubby end of local government.

Given such a media blackout, the Weekly Worker has played an invaluable role in taking the struggles, successes and defeats of our new party to the class. This paper is open to all SLP members to argue, debate or disagree.

Simon Harvey