20.08.1998

Open letter not published

Dave Craig of the Revolutionary Democratic Group looks into the different positions within the Scottish Socialist Alliance

The Campaign for a Federal Republic has recently written to the Socialist Party executive committee expressing its concerns about the decision of Scottish Militant Labour to launch a Scottish Socialist Party.

The Campaign, along with the Red Republicans and SML, are currently the three main affiliated component organisations of the Scottish Socialist Alliance. The Campaign asked that its open letter of July 14 be printed in The Socialist (paper of the Socialist Party) and asked that a fuller article on the Campaign’s view of the national question also be considered for publication. One possible implication of the open letter is that there are divisions amongst the affiliated organisations within the SSA about the wisdom of setting up a Scottish Socialist Party. This could mean the beginning of a split within the SSA.

It is therefore important that the Socialist Party prints the open letter so that its own members in England and Wales can get a clearer picture of what is happening in Scotland. As far as we can tell, the Socialist Party has discussed the situation inside the SSA without ever referring specifically to the affiliates. Perhaps in a sectarian view of the SSA, there is only SML and ‘the rest’. The latter are presented, not as definite tendencies with particular policies, but a grey, amorphous blob.

The apparent refusal of the Socialist Party to print the letter is therefore to be condemned. The whole issue of the proposed Scottish Socialist Party needs to be opened up before the widest possible audience. We have to ask ourselves whether the Socialist Party’s refusal to publish the letter is a result of old-style Militant Tendency news management or because a possible split in the SSA might threaten its cosy, behind-the-scenes deal with SML. The Socialist Party seems quite prepared to tolerate Scottish nationalism if only it can cling onto SML.

Whilst the Weekly Worker has not obtained a copy of the open letter the Socialist Party is refusing to print, we have obtained a copy of a letter from the Campaign asking the Socialist Party leadership to reconsider the original decision not to publish. We will try to obtain the original letter and publish it ourselves.

Great urgency

To: Mike Waddington and Socialist Party Executive

July 26 1998

Dear Comrades,

This is to confirm your phone conversation on Thursday July 23 1998 with our representative. You explained that the Socialist Party executive had considered our letter and had decided to do nothing about it at the present time.

We feel that this is regrettable, because the question of a Scottish Socialist Party is a matter of great importance and urgency for our movement. We are left with no choice but to seek other means of making our case public.

Before taking that step we would urge you to reconsider, because we feel that it is in the interests of the Socialist Party and the working class movement that you publish our case, to open up a wider debate. We would ask again that you to print our letter of July 14 1998 in The Socialist.

We intend in any case to submit to The Socialist an article explaining our view of the national question and critical of the position taken by Scottish Militant Labour. We hope that you will seriously consider printing this article.

In comradeship,
Campaign for a Federal Republic