07.03.2002
Hypocritical rat
Danny Thompson of the RDG and Bedfordshire Socialist Alliance takes issue with Marcus Ström
The Bedfordshire Socialist Alliance officers drafted a new constitution to take full account of the national constitution. The Weekly Worker should publish it, so that SA members nationally can actually see in total what is there, rather than selective quotes. Much of the draft is uncontroversial. The contentious parts are about how majorities and minorities relate to each other and to the political organisations and what democratic rights BSA members actually have. The point is that the draft constitution was defeated by the Socialist Workers Party and their supporters (26 votes), as against 22 who voted for it. In the present situation, the contents of the draft constitution are a dead duck. It is a non-issue. The central issue is whether we are allowed to have a local constitution and whether that is considered good practice, to be recommended by the SA executive. This is the real issue on which the BSA is divided. A large minority are saying that they do not trust the SWP, even more so when they turned up with their 27 new members. Consequently they want a set of local rules or a constitution that we can all sign up for. You forget that there are many people who have been victims of the SWP methods. The SWP is for Marcus Ström nice Rob Hoveman to chat with (Letters, March 28). But many people don't view it that way through bitter experience. If you want to be cynical, you can call it a turf war or perhaps the SWP's past catching up with them. Certainly the SWP don't need a local constitution because they want to ride roughshod over everybody. They want to get rid of all independents, who don't support them. One of their members has just let this cat out of the bag - "we don't care if the indies leave". But if you call it a turf war, why accuse the RDG rather than the SWP of this. This simply shows Marcus's own bias. When it comes to turf wars, don't try to pretend the CPGB has some moral high ground. I thought the current CPGB was the product of a turf war with Nina Temple and you ended up with the turf! Once the executive decides that local constitutions are a good, democratic idea then and only then can a real dialogue begin with a sensible discussion about what clauses are necessary. But for Marcus to make the content of the BSA draft constitution the central issue is nonsense. Politically it means that Marcus is lining up with the SWP and throwing a few red herrings around. Let me repeat: the BSA draft constitution is a dead duck. It is already pushing up daisies. Of course I realise that even dead ducks can come back to haunt you later. Especially when they are supported by 46% of the BSA members. If anybody wants to relate to the 46% politically instead of bureaucratically trying to crush them and drive them out, then the political issues must be discussed. In that sense I welcome Marcus's contribution to debate. The problem is Marcus's fantasy SA revolutionary party with a fantasy SA constitution. Clause B1 of the national constitution says you must " broadly agree with the aims of the SA", etc. So there is space for some differences. It is a matter of political judgement and democratic decision whether any such differences by individuals, local alliances or political groups are beyond the SA pale. Unfortunately the SA is not a party and the BSA is not a branch of a party. That is a fact. Neither are the CPGB or SWP "factions" of a party. They are independent organisations with their own independent programmes, finances, discipline and publications. There is no reason why local alliances cannot have policies that differ from People before profit, if a majority of their members vote for it. Neither is it ruled out that local alliances cannot make sensible arrangements for the inclusion of political groups if a majority of members decide. Otherwise we are in a situation where local alliances must do what they are told and political groups can do what they like. It wouldn't be long before people smell a hypocritical rat. * Recognise members' rights: Statement from 'former' Bedfordshire Socialist Alliance officers to SA executive
Worker