Letters

Communist candidates

Jim McFarlane’s letter (Weekly Worker May 29) misses the point in his criticism of Jack Conrad’s article. Rather than gloating over which socialist candidate got most votes in which constituency in the general election, Conrad merely states that those candidates who openly declared themselves as communists were not punished for doing so. For example in Dundee West, Mary Ward’s Scottish Socialist Alliance election address explicitly stated she was a communist, and for doing that she did no worse than most other SSA candidates.

Perhaps those SML members of a more sensitive persuasion would have preferred the description of Dundee to have read: “The CPGB’s Mary Ward, fighting Dundee West for the SSA, got no fewer votes than the SML comrade in next-door Dundee East”.

As to Jim’s analysis of socialist voting patterns in Dundee, there may be some truth in his conclusion that “there is more of a tradition for voting for socialist candidates in Dundee West, at least in local elections, than Dundee East”. However his evidence seems to be quite selective as he fails to point out that Harvey Duke (SSA candidate in Dundee East) stood for SML in a local by- election in 1993 in Whitfield (Dundee East) and got 21% of the vote (The rise of Militant, Peter Taaffe). Also it should not be forgotten that in the past couple of years there have been several candidates from SML and CPGB standing both in local and European elections that have covered the east of Dundee.

Another factor is that Harvey’s Labour and SNP opponents were seen as being on the left of their respective parties, whereas in Dundee West, a safer Labour seat, the candidates from those parties were on the right. To give a complete and rounded analysis of voting patterns these, and other various local and national variables, must all be considered.

Nick Clarke
Dundee

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Historical Materialism

More on Class War

There have been rumours circulating about Class War now for some time. That we were going soft, disbanding, changing names - you name it, we were supposed to be doing it. This rubbish is being spread by our ‘ex-leadership’. London Class War is pleased to announce we have split. Just as the Labour Party had to get rid of its Militant Tendency, we have got rid of our non-militant tendency.

London, Ipswich, Kent, Redhill, Coventry and Doncaster Class War (and maybe more) are to continue fighting and organising, and are proud to continue using the name Class War. It seems the rest of Class War wishes to call a ceasefire and enter into negotiations - from a position of abject weakness - with the ‘left’ (where they can find it, that is).

Class warfare is not something that you can dip in and out of, like sunbathers paddling in changeable weather. The politicians, industrialists and police are waging their war against us every day - we in Class War intend to fight back every day.

‘Official’ Class War are stopping using the name Class War and creating a new organisation. Good. They are not worthy of the name.

Class War has been in a review process for some time, but we don’t feel the need to review things because one or two of our members have got older or tired - we feel the need to face up to the challenge of New Labour. Labour has always been a cancer within the working class, but New Labour does not even offer social democratic compromise. All they promise is a re-run of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Our job is to organise resistance not only like the 1981 or ‘85 riots, but resistance that goes further and deeper.

Leftwing dinosaurs like the Socialist Workers Party say they are ‘suspicious’ of Blair and will no doubt waste the next five years of their lives complaining about ‘sell-outs’ or calling on the TUC to get off their knees. New Labour and the TUC cannot sell us out because they have nothing to offer us. They are our class enemies and contemptible scum.

New Class War

At odds

I am a voided member of Brent SLP.

Not long ago I resigned from New Labour after being a member for about two years. This action was taken by me because I found myself at odds with the right wing leadership of Blair and co, whom, it is said, are more right wing than the US Democrats.

New Labour is now a blinkered party of capitalism, which was proved last night when I attended the local ward meeting with the intention of delivering a speech. The previous afternoon I had a brief phone conversation with the ward chair, who was extremely volatile about the New Labour victory. I requested permission to be a guest speaker and non-participant of the actual meeting after I had spoken. Permission to speak was granted, but soon after my arrival at the meeting at Brent Town Hall I was told by the chairman I could speak providing I became a member again. I refused to renew my membership and told all present that I could not support a right wing capitalist orientated party and was told by the chairman that I was not allowed to speak, and to leave the meeting. I was informed by the chairman as I was leaving that my views as a communist were unacceptable to New Labour, especially on support for the working class. What a party New Labour is now!

I hope to be doing work in respect of hospital closures and trade union rights. There is much to be done in trying to raise class consciousness and workers’ militancy. We could do with more industrial action.

Geoff Mansfield
Middlesex

Qualified support

Whilst I do not agree with your advocacy of reforms to the capitalist system, no matter how ‘revolutionary’ you believe them to be, your paper and organisation have performed an extremely valuable role in creating a space where a debate on genuine socialist politics can take place. Your energy, commitment and promotion of true communist standards of behaviour are an example to many of us. I enclose a donation towards your current Offensive.

Andrew Northall
Northamptonshire