25.04.2001

And

Rebel yell

Of course it is a great development that socialists leave the Labour Party in order to join the Socialist Alliance. But am I the only one who thinks that Liz Davies wasn't all that clever to just walk out? She wasn't even pushed: she just jumped.

Imagine the impact she could have made on behalf of the SA if she had campaigned for us as a prominent former member of the National Executive Committee of New Labour. Even better if Tony had thrown her out. She could have raised the profile of the SA in a far better and effective way than she has done.

SWP minority rebels

Apparently there is "a large minority" inside the Socialist Workers Party who are less than keen on joining the Scottish Socialist Party on May 1.

At the SWP 'merger conference' in Manchester on April 21 a lot of people expressed unease about joining. As the SWP won't openly report this conference and tell us what the comrades' concern was all about, we have no option but to guess.

Are they afraid that their 272 paid up comrades in Scotland will be swamped by the 2,000 people who are - at least on paper - members of the SSP? Do the comrades fear they will look rather pale and uninteresting next to the likes of sunbed socialist Tommy Sheridan?

Or is there really a principled minority who is opposed to the outright nationalism of the SSP? We really would like to know ...

Bradford fringe

I was astounded to read in Socialist Worker this week that the SWP's youth have resorted to street theatre in order to portray their message.

Instead of relying on the good old-fashioned tactics of shouting and booing, the management at McDonalds in Bradford last week were treated to some mind-bending fringe entertainment, in which a young SWPer dressed as Ronald McDonald used a cardboard chainsaw to cut down cardboard trees.

Whether this had some profound allegorical meaning, or was designed to make McDonalds management's minds explode, I could not determine, but this somewhat artistic representation of the McDonalds mascot was no doubt appreciated by those eating the 'unhealthy' food within. I think it should be obligatory that every McDonalds has an SWP contingent outside in order to entertain the customers.

Judging by SW reporter Paul Afshar's comment that this was the 'highlight of the day', it seems SWP youth still don't have anything political to do with their time. Never mind.

I-spy

Leading members of Peter Taaffe's Socialist Party in England and Wales were seen buying lottery tickets recently.

Given comrade Taaffe's penchant for crystal ball gazing, maybe the comrades were on a racing cert for the big one.

Or maybe, given the self-destructive sectarianism of SPEW, they thought risking all on a 14 million-to-one chance was really quite a good bet.