01.05.1997

On a road to slavery

Brent SLP members stand by their manifesto in defence of revolutionary politics

Dear comrade Driver,

We read your letter in the Weekly Worker (April 24) and the Vauxhall SLP Branch resolution that the Vauxhall and Brent East election campaigns are not linked. However, Vauxhall and Brent branches have been linked by Arthur Scargill, in the sense that both have been ‘voided’ or derecognised - yours by letter and ours by non-communication. We have had to accept that a letter from the general secretary may never come.

The Vauxhall decision to base your general election campaign on the SLP’s reformist national manifesto - most of which has not been adopted by party congress - seems to stem not so much from agreeing with it as from a misguided desire to comply with a bureaucratically imposed constitution which has been widely used to abuse member’s rights. In our view this is the road to slavery.

Revolutionaries have a duty to rebel openly against bureaucratic centralism. The fight for a revolutionary programme must be conducted constantly in front of the workers, not behind closed doors. This open battle of ideas must not be subordinated to the spurious discipline of a bureaucratic structure; it should not be postponed until after (if ever) the SLP has been won to a revolutionary programme. And what better opportunity than a general election to present revolutionary politics to tens of thousands of workers?

In Brent East we chose to stand on the communist manifesto we believe in. You and the other Vauxhall comrades should not oppose it on the grounds that it differs from SLP national policy, but only if you think it is wrong. Our manifesto is not sectarian, for the interests of the CPGB, as you suggest; we put it forward because we believe it shows the way for the working class to liberate itself and end all oppression. To reject it on the grounds that it is not SLP policy would be sectarian.

You offer critical support, if you lived in Brent East - but what exactly are your criticisms of our manifesto?

Yours for socialism,

Stan Keable, Branch secretary Brent SLP, and parliamentary candidate for Brent East
Phil Arthur, President Brent SLP
Chris Caroll, Vice-president Brent SLP
Julian Hirst, Brent SLP
Geoff Mansfield, Brent SLP
Angus MacLeod, Brent SLP
Jacqueline Selby, Brent SLP