19.09.2001

SW Platform break unity agreement

Extract from the internal bulletin of the Scottish Socialist Party written by national secretary Allan Green

The last national council passed by 37-two a report critical of the SW Platform for failing to discuss through party channels before independently launching ANL activity. This report was distributed at the NC and via the NC e-group. Get in touch with the national secretary should you need a copy.

The party has just been informed by the SW Platform that the SW Platform has made a decision to publicly sell the Socialist Worker paper No1,766. They acknowledge that this is in breach of the unity agreement. The SW Platform said they were deeply concerned with the front page of the Scottish Socialist Voice wrap-around on the New York bombings. They said that selling Socialist Worker was necessary to ensure an adequate socialist response.

Comment: Obviously there are growing strains between the SSP majority and the Socialist Worker Platform. This not only concerns relaunching the ANL without prior agreement or consultation. More important are differences over the response to September 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington. The SWP refuses as a matter of principle to employ the term ?condemn?. This is not a matter of semantics. It believes that Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, Islamic Jihad, etc somehow represent the interests of the oppressed. Ergo their violence, including the September 11 assault, is the violence of the oppressed. The SWP considers it right to advise them against ?wrong tactics?. In fact muslim fundamentalism is counterrevolutionary and anti-working class.

No united front can be countenanced. That was the position of the Comintern leadership of Lenin. It is right to condemn the September 11 attacks as it is the Talibans systematic oppression of women and the Iranian regime?s slaughter of communists and leftists in the 1980s.