19.06.1997

Message to members from the National Executive Council

Constituency Socialist Labour Parties and individual members have been receiving correspondence from organisations such as the ‘Revolutionary Platform’, ‘Socialist Labour Information’ and ‘Campaign for a Democratic SLP’, together with ‘open letters’ from individuals.

Many members and branches have been bombarded with correspondence from individuals - including John Pearson and Stan Keable - as well as correspondence sent from groupings claiming to be “campaign committees” acting on behalf of people whose membership application form has been unanimously declared null and void and one person who has never been a member of the party!

Conferences and meetings have been convened with the clear aim of coordinating campaigns to challenge the party’s constitution. A central demand of these campaigns is that Socialist Labour should become a “federal” party, thus allowing other political organisations and groupings to join - a concept which is in conflict with the central principle of our party’s constitution.

Any member who attends a “faction”, or a meeting convened by any such grouping/organisation or any individual(s) will be acting in contravention of the SLP’s constitution. Members of the SLP who become involved in any of these activities with any of these groupings and individuals, or who attend meetings/conferences by them, are acting in violation of the party’s constitution (Clause II, (4) and (5), Clause III, (2)(a), (2)(b) and (3)(a), (3)(b)).

Such meetings will not be tolerated by the party. Any member who attends such meetings or becomes involved with those coordinating these meetings/campaigns against the Socialist Labour Party must understand they are acting in violation of the party’s constitution and will be dealt with accordingly.

Arthur Scargill
general secretary