Letters

Third way

The two documents published in the Weekly Worker (March 23) are of great interest to those of us following the current debacle within the Committee for a Workers International.

The contradictory nature of the internal oppositions have tended towards liquidationism. However, the Pakistan Labour Party, Merseyside Socialists, Socialist Democracy Group and Scottish CWIers have all grappled with a culture of relatively free, healthy and open debate within their ranks - in the case of Pakistan and Scotland, making real headway developing workers' parties, comparable to anywhere else on the planet.

Amongst the Merseyside Socialists, SDG and the now sadly defunct group of London oppositionalists (who met to discuss the situation in the CWI a year or so ago) there existed a variety of positions, not least a substantial minority of comrades defending the idea of a revolutionary party with 'democratic' democratic centralism. Those probably most serious about their political work (in London anyway) seem to have kept their heads down and returned to the SP fold and, while holding views not 100 miles away from comrade Harry Paterson, failed to argue for their position. Others - cowardly like myself - avoided developing a tumour and left.

Maybe a third way! The need for a revolutionary organisation that is genuinely democratic and multi-tendency could pull some of these comrades in a healthy direction. The discussions between the AWL and the CPGB should not be seen as unimportant in this regard. The desire for a fresh approach to revolutionary politics, the need to reappraise past mistakes and defeats, whilst still striving for maximum effectiveness and unity, is tangible.

Third way
Third way

Funny serious

Mark Fischer is wrong to lump Peter Taaffe's knowledge of democratic centralism in with Les Dawson's piano playing (Weekly Worker March 23). Eric Morecambe maybe, but not Les. The point of Les's 'bad' piano playing was that he could play so well. Other performers from his variety days say that in his spare time you could not get Les off the joanna in the pit.

Crucially, and crazily, Les spent time in Paris during his youth. He called it his surrealist period. A time when he absorbed the chance procedures/mistakes being used in jazz, painting and literature. Inspired, he returned to do his own thing around northern clubs. Reacting critically to glum 50s Britain, Les parodied prescriptive truth and official banality, the more to show our absurd wishes underneath ...

No, two very different men: one funny and serious; the other not.

Funny serious
Funny serious

Citizens all

I agree with the analysis of Mary Godwin regarding immigration controls (Weekly Worker March 23).

We do need to engage with the issues being discussed around immigration to provide a clear alternative to the state. One such issue is citizenship. Mary demands that all people residing in the UK for six months should have full citizenship. In addition to her demand I believe citizenship should be decided as soon as a man, woman or child asks for it - whatever their ethnic group, religion or economic status. This could be before six months or later. The request for citizenship would be automatically granted, with refusal being the very rare, extreme exception.

If the worker moves to another country they should then be able to ask for automatic citizenship there or continue with UK citizenship. I would exclude from this automatic citizenship, but with the right of appeal before a democratically selected citizens' jury, the real undesirables - racists, fascists, mafiosi, ex-dictators who effectively obtain citizenship in many countries through wealth, contacts and expensive lawyers.

Let's make the argument for automatic citizenship now - 'citizenship for all', to coin a phrase, before the state gets its act together and throws large numbers out before six months (as they do on many occasions now). It will force people to say why they oppose such a democratic, humane proposal and move the argument up a gear.

Citizens all
Citizens all

No purpose

I read the Weekly Worker from time to time just to see what the 'left' is up to.

Why though is your paper only about other groups? Where is the CPGB news? Also the paper is full of negatives. For example the CWI splits. You report this, but you don't report the fact that the CWI are leading struggles in Nigeria, in which their comrades have even been killed.

What is the purpose of the Weekly Worker? Just to show up the splits and make them worse? It's an entertaining paper, and worth reading every so often, but how will the CPGB ever develop itself? A tiny group involved in no struggles that prints a paper aimed at those already on the left will not win workers and youth over to the ideas of Marx.

No purpose
No purpose

Eco-Marxism

Much as I enjoy the openness of debate in your paper, you seem to have a problem theorising ecological politics. Typically in the past you have attacked J18 activists, yet surely you should recognise that anti-capitalism is gaining ground within radical environmentalism and engage in a more measured critique.

Equally you seem to put forward wildly productivist views. Capitalist growth does wreck the planet and we need to consider ecological limits and meet real needs. While you might disagree with the details, the main theoretical organs of radical environmentalism such as Do or Die do pursue a Marxist critique, albeit from a rather subjectivist, autonomist angle.

Finally why don't you publish prisoner lists? There are plenty of green radicals, not to mention others in need of practical support.

Eco-Marxism
Eco-Marxism

LPP raided

Police and army have raided the houses and offices of Labour Party Pakistan leaders.

The raids were carried out after the LPP organised a demonstration in front of the American consulate on the afternoon of March 22 against the visit of president Clinton. No arrest was made at the time, although there were hundreds of policemen present. The main reason could be the large presence of national and international media. LPP leaders announced the very successful demonstration beforehand in the national media despite a ban on political activities.

After a few hours, the police started the raids, attempting to arrest Farooq Tariq, Shoaib Bhatti and Zafar Awan, the three main leaders of LPP. They were fortunate enough to avoid arrest and have since gone underground.

During the raid on comrade Farooq Tariq's house, hundreds of military and police encircled the whole area. They entered the house forcefully despite protests from his partner. Several houses of LPP comrades were raided, but with no success. Hamanyon Rashid was arrested for a few hours, but was released at 2am after several national newspapers made inquires. Labour Party headquarters and the office of the weekly Mazdoor Jeddojuhd have been raided several times and are now under police surveillance.

The raids have once again exposed the real nature of the regime.

LPP raided

Republic

"What does Jack think?" asks Geoff Collier (Weekly Worker March 23). In posing his question, we discover that Geoff has decided that the dual power republic strategy is "ludicrous".

As an RDG supporter, I have to say that the logic of the concept of a dual power republic is that our "strategy" is twofold: we campaign for a republic and for building workers' councils.

The realisation of this strategy by the working class movement would produce, in effect, a dual power situation. The present UK system of government - the constitutional monarchy - would be superseded by a republican system. To ensure the maximum unity of the working class, we advocate that the constituent parts of the UK state - ie, England, Scotland and Wales (we are for a united Ireland) - should be organised on a federal basis. An absolutely essential part of this strategy is that we simultaneously campaign for the fullest expression of democracy through workers' councils organised on a local (workplace), area and regional basis.

The ruling class would not be gone overnight - they would still be alive and kicking in the new republic. However, through our democratic organisations - ie, workers' councils - we would be fighting to complete a democratic revolution. Thus the two classes are represented in the republican government and the workers' councils. The struggle for hegemony continues. Two power bases striving for dominance - a dual power situation.

The question I now ask is, which do you find "ludicrous", Geoff? The fight for a republic or the building of workers' councils? Either one or both? Pity you did not enter the debate sooner, although preferably with a bit more substance than the contents of last week's letter. It is not enough to dismiss an argument with a snide "long-term Menshevik" swipe. Put your arguments, Geoff, and have a proper debate that we can all benefit from. So, to your original question, "What does Jack [and the CPGB?] think?" I add, "and Geoff, too"!

Republic
Republic

Ayr

The Tories are currently talking of a revival in Scotland after winning the Ayr by-election. Considering that prior to 1997 Ayr had been a Tory seat for over a century and also that their vote has only improved by one percent since last year's Scottish parliament elections, it seems that they don't have much to boast about. It appears that their traditional support who were disillusioned at the last election have not gone back.

While the Tories can hardly call the Ayr by-election a victory, Labour certainly suffered a defeat. I doubt anyone was surprised that Labour did not win, but I think a lot of Labour supporters will be taken aback at how badly they lost. While Donald Dewar writes off the result as mid-term blues, others are suggesting that some of Labour's traditional support has gone to the SSP.

The Keep the Clause Campaign, funded by millionaire Brian Souter, claims that Labour lost the by-election over the issue of section 28. To deny that section 28 has had any effect on the vote is equivalent to denying that the bourgeois press have any influence over working class ideology. For months the Scottish media, especially the tabloid press, have been going to town on the issue, spouting homophobic bigotry and portraying Donald Dewar and the executive as weak and impotent.

The party which benefited most from the dwindling of both Labour and Tory support was the SNP, scoring roughly 10% more than in the last election. I doubt that this reflects a growing trend towards nationalism: it is more probable that the SNP increased it vote significantly because it was perceived as being the only party that could stop the Tories from winning.

Leaving aside the main bourgeois parties, the SSP gained a respectable 4.22% of the vote, given the traditionally conservative nature of the constituency. It is impressive that the SSP candidate, James Stewart, took fourth place with 1,346 votes, knocking the Liberal Democrats into fifth place with 800 votes, especially considering that there has only been an SSP branch in Ayr for a matter of months.

Whether this vote reflects a growing mood towards genuine socialism or whether the people of Ayr are seeking a replacement for the old-style Labour Party is debatable. However, SSP comrades in Ayr deserve credit for the intense work they have put into the campaign.

Ayr
Ayr

Anti-Russian

Last week I wrote of the shenanigans around the planning for the Stop Russia-Expo! demo on April 19 - and the attempts of SWP national committee member Robert Ferguson to impose his particular 'state-capitalist'-derived politics on a very broad demonstration - which to any workers in Russia would look like an anti-Russian demo (Letters, March 23).

There was to be no mention of the leading role of top western capitalists at all - who are the sponsors of the two-day exposition and who will be at the Expo in their hundreds, to meet the elite of Russian business and politicians - to conspire to finish off the privatisation process in Russia that has now stalled.

The SWP have now been forced into a compromise that unites and transforms the demo into one of solidarity with Russian workers - and also takes on board opposition to the Chechen war and to racism and anti-semitism in Russia too.

This is a fantastic concession. But it only happened because International Solidarity with Workers in Russia and the SWP approached an almost identical set of speakers for the demo. Liz Davies (Labour NEC) who is to chair/speak at the event, on hearing of the differences, declared a refusal to speak unless there was compromise and a unified demo. That was excellent ...

Tony Benn went much further and made the following statement to the meeting: "RE - Russia Expo - Dear Steve, Following our talks on the phone, my advice would be to make the theme of the demo - an attack on western imperialism and Nato encirclement ...

I think we should be seen as supporting the Russian people against aggression from abroad and repression and corruption at home . I think if you would be able to agree on a theme like this, it would have a resonance across the world."

Anti-Russian
Anti-Russian