21.03.2002

Welcome to Planet Taaffe

The Socialist Alliance stalwarts and unity junkies of Peter Taaffe's Socialist Party in England and Wales gave us some, no doubt well-intentioned, advice in last week's The Socialist (March 15). The unnecessary clash between the postal workers' anti-privatisation demo and the SA-sponsored meeting on the political fund last Saturday spurred our Taaffeite comrades to intervene: "The SA should postpone their conference "¦ and mobilise all its resources behind the CWU national demo," they advised. Presumably, then, the Socialist Party is in rather poor shape. I was on the CWU demo. There were around 800 in attendance - mainly postal workers, of course. Somewhat fewer than the numbers at the SA union conference, I hear. However, the smattering of SA members on the march at least equalled the mobilised ranks of our SPEW comrades. Or maybe SPEW members have learnt to ignore their leadership's advice? But, lest we think SPEW was alone in calling for a postponement, The Socialist informs us that similar requests were made by "trade union members, including Trade Unionists Against Privatisation". And who are Trade Unionists Against Privatisation, I hear you ask? Lord knows. Presumably it is another SPEW front organisation/campaign - to stand alongside Free the Funds, International Socialist Resistance, Youth Against Racism in Europe and their various trade union Broad Lefts. Must Taaffe answer every new SWP front with one of his own? It appears so. Damning the SA as not much more than an SWP front rings a little hollow when you view the number of satellites orbiting Planet Taaffe. Surely his only real gripe is - while the SA is denied an independent existence - our alliance is in the wrong orbit. Frank Lore