18.06.1998

Youth section stillborn

Simon Harvey of the SLP

In June 6, the Socialist Labour youth section was set up. If young people come together inside our party to try to develop their own strength that is to be welcomed. Many of New Labour’s attacks affect young people in particular: the introduction of tuition fees, the de facto abolition of student grants or the exemption of young people from the already pathetically inadequate proposed minimum wage of £3.60.

Of course, this was not the first attempt to establish a youth section. Immediately after the formation of the SLP in 1996 a number of comrades began working towards a founding conference for the section under the leadership of Tony Savvas. Comrade Savvas, former treasurer of East London SWP, resigned from the SLP within months. Disgusted at the anti-communist witch hunt initiated by the leadership and feverishly pursued by Brian Heron’s Fourth International Supporters Caucus, instead of fighting within the party, comrade Savvas preferred to rejoin the slightly less bureaucratic SWP.

At that time, a committee of 10 was set up under the eagle-eyed stewardship of comrade Heron. At its initial meetings he stated that the youth section would be “organisationally independent from the SLP” with its own constitution. But when the comrades actually turned up with a draft constitution in preparation for the founding conference, it was not at all to the leadership’s liking. They were especially opposed to the proposal permitting the affiliation of other socialist youth organisations.

The draft constitution also proposed that any person under 30 years should be able to join. The relatively dynamic youth section was effectively dismantled when comrade Heron reported that Arthur Scargill said it would not be a good idea to have 12 year-old schoolchildren and 29 year-old adults together in one organisation, “given the current anti-paedophile atmosphere”.

Using this ridiculous argument, the leadership decided that the age range should be 16-25 years. The real reason for effectively beheading this committee (only three were under 25) was that it contained a majority of revolutionaries. The plans for a founding conference at the end of 1996 were cancelled.  

Almost two years later, it has now taken place. Comrades who attended the June 6 meeting at Conway Hall inform me that only nine young people were present. However, our leadership was very much overrepre-sented: Brian Heron, Pat Sikorski, Imran Khan and Bob Crow were there. Along with ex-Vauxhall SLP witch hunter and Tony Goss ally Guy Smallman (who attended in his capacity as London youth officer). They not only observed the meeting. They actively ‘corrected’ the ‘children’ whenever they felt discussion was moving in the wrong direction. In the end it was they who dominated the whole meeting. 

A draft youth resolution was discussed which called for action to be taken over a number of issues: to set up regional SLP youth organisations and college and school groups; to establish a regular newsletter; to organise actions against Welfare to Work; and form links with other socialist youth organisations, human rights groups, anti-racist campaigns and environmentalists.

There was some controversy over the last point concerning environmental campaigns. The originally proposed resolution stated that the SLP should form links with them “with a view to identify the SLP Youth Section as an integral part of the environment movement”. Some comrades argued that we should not subordinate our party to these organisations, and one member said that they very often represent semi-fascist views and are not seeking to overthrow capitalism at all.

Brian Heron made sure things were put back onto the correct path. He made clear his own red-green views and successfully intimidated the majority. The resolution, as amended, now reads: “To form links with environmentalists and environment campaigns with a view to developing a leading role in the environment movement.”  

One comrade, Tina, from Hackney SLP, argued that there are also other allies for the SLP. Socialists are coming together in the Socialist Alliances. Her amendment to include a call for links with the Socialist Alliances evoked panic amongst the four watchdogs. Especially when Daniel, newly elected secretary of the section, stated that in his opinion Socialist Alliances were included in “other socialist groups”. Therefore they should be approached.  

We have not had any official SLP comment on the Socialist Alliances. So I think it is worthwhile reporting the arguments - even though they were expressed at a meeting designed for party members who are under 25. Comrade Heron, who supposedly also functioned as the minutes-taker, pitched in. He insisted that Socialist Alliances are not included in the ‘other socialist groups’ category. 

Pat Sikorski liked “the radicalism” of many single-issue environmental campaigns, presumably in his own mind an argument against the Socialist Alliances. Comrade Guy Smallman (at 26 years only allowed to ‘observe’) was more explicit about his hostility towards the Socialist Alliances. He ridiculed them as “talking shops”. Apparently they spend all their time discussing if Lenin or Trotsky was right on this or that. He said the Alliances were full of organisations who had tried to destroy the SLP. Amazingly, he claimed they were “sectarians” who refused to talk to other organisations - so let us not talk to them!

Afterwards Bob Crow gave the young comrades a pep talk. As a wise trade union functionary, he said the widest possible debate was always desirable. But now people must subordinate their views to unity in action. Of course, there has been no wide or free debate. The secretary and the chair of the section were directly appointed by our party’s youth network six months ago, which itself was directly appointed by the SLP leadership last year. The meeting loyally ‘re-elected’ them. So we now have a Scargillite-Stalinite committee of six. Harpal Brar’s son, Ranjeet, is student officer and has two otherRed Youth/Lalkar supporters to rely on.

Comrade Heron, a Trotskyite, praised the conference as “an historic moment”, second in importance to the foundation of the SLP itself. The reality is that our youth section was stillborn. It is completely and utterly controlled by a greying Brian Heron - no ‘radicalism’ will be allowed nor is likely to show. An autonomous youth section would almost inevitably be a dynamic force, but also a nuisance for the leadership. It would however provide a cauldron for the training of future leaders.

This will surely not happen. Brian Heron announced that he is going to attend every meeting.