20.03.1997

Supporting two parties

Unfortunately news comes to us that East Kent branch of the Socialist Labour Party has all but collapsed - it is no longer meeting. It seems that the 10 members of the branch became disillusioned with the SLP over a number of the policies which it had not had a chance to discuss at the May congress. Many now devote their activities to the Kent Socialist Alliance, which is supporting the SLP candidate in Maidstone and the Socialist Party candidate in Folkestone.

The branch in West Kent, which includes Maidstone, is still functioning.

There are a few SLP members left in East Kent and they are now looking at the possibility of standing an SLP candidate in the area, given the drive to stand as many candidates as possible.

Most branches have many differences with the policy documents as they stand at the moment, but the very formation of the SLP has brought together working class militants from many different backgrounds, enabling them to discuss the shape and programme a working class party should take in their branches. The Weekly Worker has been central in bringing the debates into the public domain so that they can be generalised, and would welcome contributions from East Kent on the SLP policy documents and the formation of a party of the class.

Meanwhile, having informed the NEC of events in East Kent, the branch received this letter from Arthur Scargill:

February 20 1997
Dear Chris Weller

Thank you for your slip informing me that the East Kent Socialist Labour Constituency branch agree that that part of a member’s contribution normally returned to a constituency party shall be retained by the national party in order to fight the general election in 1997.

I am rather surprised to read that the East Kent Socialist Labour Party Constituency branch is no longer functioning, but even more surprised to read that you are going to be canvassing for the Militant candidate in Folkestone - I didn’t realise there was a Militant Labour Party still in existence - it may be that you have not yet heard that they have changed their name in response to our outstanding success and decided to call themselves ‘The Socialist Party’, even though there is already a party of that name which has been functioning for nearly 100 years.

I would urge you to rethink your position and recognise that you cannot support two political parties, one which believes in an elite, federated structure compared with Socialist Labour who want to see a mass political party based on the trade union movement capable of winning political power in both an extra-parliamentary as well as an electoral sense.

A Scargill
General Secretary