04.07.2001

Scottish Socialist Party

SW shows its strength

The Socialist Worker platform of the Scottish Socialist Party held its first meeting in Glasgow on June 27. With 100 or so in attendance (around half in their early 20s, or younger still), this event confirmed the strength these comrades possess in the west of Scotland - relative to the rest of the SSP.

For what purpose do they intend to deploy their activist base? They are sending out decidedly mixed signals.

Defiantly, they chose for their first meeting a discussion on 'Leninism in the 21st century'. In the course of his lead-off, Socialist Workers Party central committee member Alex Callinicos recommended two key Leninist texts: State and revolution and Leftwing communism. All the elements were present in abundance for a lively - not to say explosive, even acrimonious - debate. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the flattest meetings I can remember. With very few exceptions, the meeting seems to have been boycotted by non-SW supporters in our party. Perhaps it was out of diplomacy that SW comrades declined to point out the fact that the parliamentary road is identified with Tommy Sheridan and Alan McCombes, a tradition they have yet to repudiate.

In Leftwing communism, Lenin called on British revolutionaries to propose a common electoral slate alongside reformists. But the price for doing so could not be too high. Leninists were not (and are not) entitled to peddle the myth that the capitalist class will allow itself to be legislated out of existence. If SW supporters think that Leninism is the basis upon which the SSP is being built, they are sadly mistaken.

It is incumbent on SW comrades to challenge the illusions in a peaceful road to socialism, while displaying a willingness to work constructively with those as yet unconvinced. It is essential to draw the International Socialist Movement (former Scottish Militant Labour majority) and non-aligned comrades into a reasoned dialogue. Having displayed an unwillingness to come along to SW meetings, other forums must be sought. Such as?

For Lenin, the paper is the scaffolding around which Marxists construct our revolutionary party. Scottish Socialist Voice is not such a paper, and the editorial board have no intention of transforming it into one. No problem. When Lenin lost control of the RSDLP paper, Iskra, he set up the New Iskra, a paper around which he organised the revolutionary wing of the party, the Bolsheviks. How to explain SW's surrender of its precious scaffolding? Don't they realise Alan McCombes will never find sufficient space in SSV to make the case for Leninism?

Across Scotland, SW organises much less than half of SSP activists. Lacking any public voice, the substantial layer of passive members (more than 90%) will, today, be more prone to act as voting fodder for the ISM. Such circumstances fully justify SW organising themselves by means of caucusing. However, the deal they signed was sold to the SSP in terms of their promising not to caucus! How are they going to get out of this mess?

Attempts by Alan McCombes to ban caucusing will prove no more successful than when Kinnock or Scargill tried this in their respective organisations. Our party needs to be mature enough to accept the legitimacy of this tactic. Otherwise comrades will simply lie to each other about what happens at ad hoc 'social gatherings'. Proscribed or not, revolutionaries in the SSP will caucus. But we must be sparing in its use.

If the party is going to function, members must turn up to meetings with open minds. We need to be able to listen to one another. Members of tendencies need to recognise in a broad SSP meeting that, from time to time, decisions reached in a caucus were premature, based on inadequate information, failed to address important points or were just plain inadequate. Any sectarian refusal to be flexible, to respect the views of non-SW members, and to appreciate the constructive contribution they can make, will draw everyone into a coalition against them.

Tom Delargy
SSP Workers Unity
personal capacity