25.04.2001

Forum for debate

A dozen or so comrades from the Socialist Party, the CPGB, the Rebel youth group and the Teesside Socialist Alliance turned up to the CPGB forum on April 20. The meeting heard a vigorous debate between John Malcolm of the SP and Mark Fischer of the CPGB over the issues relating to the various programmes on offer in the Socialist Alliance.

Comrade Malcolm highlighted the SP commitment to the SA and hoped the election campaigns throughout the country would be successful. The comrade was, however, slightly wary of the prospect of a party coming out of the alliance, especially given the presence and domination of the Socialist Workers Party. He criticised the SWP-backed programme from a leftwing angle and felt the alliance faced a future similar to that of the Anti-Nazi League in the early 80s. It could play a positive part in the development of a new mass workers' party. Likewise, though, it could become a barrier, especially if a route similar to that of the Socialist Labour Party was taken. John called for openness and full democracy in the SA as necessary for its future development.

Comrade Fischer described the type of programme we should aim for. It must be a fighting document, outlining the view of the party as a whole - which should be based on acceptance rather than agreement (the historical practice in most revolutionary organisations) as a condition of membership. There was also criticism of the lack of programme on the part of the SWP, the limitation of the SP version and an assault on the so-called 'transitional' method which end up saddling revolutionary organisations with reformist politics of the lowest sort.

Comrade Fischer's views on the 'transitional' method was by no means universally supported, even by all his own Party comrades. However, there was general agreement that the treating of Trotsky's Transitional programme as a dogma frozen in time had unhealthy consequences.

Much of the debate centred around the kind of programme a workers' party needed and covered what were viewed by some as the relative merits of economic, as opposed to democratic, questions.

The establishment of the CPGB forum, bringing together comrades from different traditions and none, is a positive development, despite its small beginnings. We look forward to the next debate in May.

Bill Jeannes