25.04.2001

UK Left Network - one year on

Phil Hamilton, convenor of the UKLN internet list, looks back at its growth and forward to expanded debate linked to action

April 26 sees the first anniversary of the UK Left Network internet discussion forum. Therefore it seems an appropriate time to reflect on its origins, assess what it has achieved during the last 12 months, and consider the role it can play in the ongoing rapprochement of the revolutionary left.

To begin a discussion of the UKLN's origins, we must situate it within the international left presence on the internet. Now, while it is true that the majority of left groups and workers' organisations have had websites and 'sponsored' discussion forums for some years, this (especially in the case of lists) has tended to reflect the USA's demographic domination of internet access. For example, lists set up to have an international scope commonly end up focussing on domestic US issues, relegating developments in other countries toward the margins. If you like, one could say there was a 'gap in the market'.

Having identified such a niche, this was only but one factor that propelled me in the direction of founding a Britain-centred forum. At this time last year I was still a moderator of the 'Commielove' forum (http://www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/commielove). Like other 'international' discussion sites, US issues predominated. Unlike other discussion groups, there was a series of elaborate rules that were unnecessarily restrictive. For example, the Socialist Appeal comrade I shared moderatorship with for over a year unilaterally declared a ban on comrades from the 'official communist' tradition - in the midst of a debate on Maoism! Unsurprisingly antics such as this lumbered CL with an authoritarian reputation - against the best efforts of some comrades, who fought to keep debate open. Nevertheless, the whole experience impressed upon me the need for socialist discussion to be open.

Taking these lessons on board, the UKLN was founded in the closing days of the Greater London Assembly elections and unsurprisingly early discussions focussed on the results that the left had achieved. Very quickly the debates steered into the attitude the left should have vis-à -vis standing against Labour, before going off on a Stalin v Trotsky tangent. From here argument radiated out to encompass Scottish nationalism, anti-fascist strategies, and anti-imperialism; debates that have been returned to time after time since they first surfaced. Given that these issues have and continue to generate a huge amount of posts, it is beyond the scope of this article to summarise their contents.

There is one particular episode in the history of the UKLN that I would like to draw attention to. For me as moderator it was important in determining what is and what is not acceptable in the course of communist polemic. Mark Fischer recently noted the appearance on the list of a certain 'Harry Steele' (so named after Harry Pollitt and JV 'Man of Steel' Stalin - a pseudonym lifted from the old Straight Left writer of the same name - Weekly Worker February 1). Like many others, 'Harry' contributed to ongoing debates, putting forward the pro-Stalin, pro-Labour politics that characterised SL.

However, in February this year, the mask slipped. During a debate on the Scottish Socialist Party, 'Harry' launched into an attack upon a number of CPGB comrades where he saw fit to publicise what he believed to be their real names, thus jeopardising their security (hypocritically hiding behind an alias himself), as well as implying that the CPGB was 'state-inspired'. Quite clearly a breach of the list's rules - not to mention elementary communist morality.

This episode aside, and despite the occasional bout of vitriol, personalism, and flame wars, I believe that the UKLN can have an overall positive influence. At the time of writing, the list is just short of 350 subscribers. This membership contains comrades from practically every left group in Britain and Ireland - the SSP, the Socialist Alliance, Labour left, Socialist Labour Party, Communist Party of Britain, New Communist Party, and much else besides. Not even post-SA conference gatherings in the pub can boast such coverage! This feature makes the UKLN unique in itself.

Second, the forum has provided a medium for horizontal communication between comrades who are to varying extents still walled off by sectarian barriers. For example, the emergence of an occasional 'dress down Saturday' has seen a temporary setting aside of politics in favour of commentary on 'cultural issues' and other esoterica (science fiction, football, and lefty pop stars immediately spring to mind).

As an email list, there are a number of shortcomings that come with the medium. For instance, it is quite easy to remove arguments from context, be evasive, and indulge in all manner of behaviour that would not be acceptable in a 'real life' political debate. If the UKLN can concentrate on politics and information exchange at the expense of personalism and sectarian axe grinding, it can feed into the ongoing rapprochement of the left. Our class requires critical and self-activating revolutionaries, not red robots. To struggle for the former requires us to talk to one another in order to thrash out differences and map out effective strategies.

In its year of existence, the UKLN has modestly contributed to this crucial dialogue and points toward the impact the telecommunications revolution can have for the success of working class struggles in the century ahead.

To subscribe to the UKLN, visit http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/uk_left_network/