"Factional Magical-Leninism The Festive Quiz"

What a fantastic new site and brilliant post.  Check out the Quiz and many thanks for the Great Crimbo pressie "you know who".

Update: I will try and answer the Quiz on this page (responses in red). May take some time. 

"After six months of news, blog rants, screen-play scripts, musicals, leaked  emails, leaked Socialist Worker articles, leaked letters, leaked Party Notes, fairy stories,  angry polemics, thought provoking articles and journeys into trade union history, its time to end 2013 with our Traditional Festive Quiz.
 

Prizes, in the form of gift-links, will be awarded to those who answer correctly in the comments section or the facebook “discussion”. Answers will be revealed on this blog in the New Year. (Some people may not be happy with the answers. I don’t know everything for sure & apparently the internet sometimes contains errors)

1.  Which group had a faction fight at conference over whether all married members should be compelled to divorce, as marriage institutionalises women’s’ oppression?  No idea but possibly LaRouche stupidness?‎
2.   Which group has a member who wrote a book subtitled “Quantulumcunque Concerning Materialist Esthetix” ? And what the hell does that mean?  I think he was SWP? but no idea what was about?
3.  Which group once said that it would ideally call for the banning of alcohol “but the workers wouldn’t understand it”?  It was banned during early Soviet Union and there was some UK Communist Party support for abolition?
4.  Which group once handed out leaflets to Vietnam War Protesters explaining “Why We Are Not Marching”? No idea. Lots of usual suspects from sects wanting to seem "different".
5. A third of the 15 strong leadership of which Leninist Party were formerly students at Sussex University? I thought all Leninist UK based Parties leadership were former Sussex Uni Students?
6. Whose stall did Simon Watney and Edward King of the lesbian & gay rights group Outrage kick over at Gay Pride in 1990? And why? Revolutionary Communist Party because it did not think that AIDS was spread by gay sex.
7.  What was the key point about the end of World War Two according to followers of one faction of the Fourth International? Lots and lots of so called "key points" surely?
   
8. Which Fourth International Leader became a minister in the Algerian government after the revolution in 1961, and who’s funeral in his native Greece was a state event?  Michel Pablo
9.  How many monopolies did Militant want to nationalise in 1965 (400) , 1970 (350), 1980 (250) and 1990 (200)
10.  Which Leninist organisation explained the need for separate women’s organisation within Leninist Parties in order to combat sexism within the revolutionary movement in 1978? Don't know and pity that this was not taken up by the others.
11. Which Socialist Party threatened to take the Socialist Party (formerly Militant) to court, and why? I think the SPGB over SPEW using the "Socialist Party" election label which is registered to them.
12.  Which organisation fought hard in the 1980s to stop women, black, LGBT members of the Labour Party organising autonomously against sexism, racism & homophobia, claiming such organisation divided the workers Movement? I think Militant for sure and all the ultra left LP sects?
13.  Which organisation once wrote “We must call upon beings from other planets when they come to intervene, to collaborate with the inhabitants of the Earth to overcome misery. We must launch a call on them to use their resources to help us.” believing that socialism could arrive from another planet, and that a nuclear war might be an advantage for revolutionary Marxists?   (“Humanity will pass quickly through a nuclear war into a new human society – Socialism.”) Posadists - Revolutionary Workers' Party (Trotskyist)
14.  Which organisation discovered that their leader had become senile and their main theoretician schizophrenic, before they were both removed? Surely it should be which such organisation hasn't had this happen? (and most are still waiting to do something about it)
15. Which group lost a libel action brought by ITN and lost around £1 million, bankrupted their magazine? Living Marxism RCP
16.  Fidel Castro was “First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba” for nearly 40 years. In July 2014 a British Trotskyist leader will, health permitting, break that record as the worlds longest standing Leninist Party General Secretary. What is his name and organisation? I once went to a meeting of a UK Trade Council whose listed Executive officers were mostly dead? Is this something similar?
17. Which group stood against Labour in elections and got results ranging from 111 (0.24%) and 644 (2.1%)? Cricky - a lot of choice here, especially for the 0.24%ers. What about TUSO which was also beaten a number of times by the "Elvis Loves Pets" Party?
18. What was the Marxist Daily Building Fund and what happened to all the money it raised? was this spent by WRP on Trotsky's death mask
19. What is “The Hallas Foundation”? Don't know but it is registered with Company House as "private limited guaranteed without share capital"
20. Why did the International Marxist Group not join the “Anti Internment League”, despite the AIL’s organisation of Britain’s biggest ever Irish Solidarity march in 1972? And what slogan about the war in the six counties were their members supposed to chant on marches in Britain? No idea but no doubt something weird.
21. Which group banned its members from talking to each other across branches and international groups via the internet in the 1990s? The SWP for sure but pretty much all the sects took fright at the internet and still do.
22. Name 57 left wing groups in Britain. (The group does not have to be alive any more. If a name has been used twice, it counts twice) Heniz 57  Workers International League; Revolutionary Communist Party; Revolutionary Communist Party; Revolutionary Socialist League; Labour Party, Respect, Socialist Alliance, Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Party (England & Wales), Socialist Party GB, Communist Party GB, Communist Party Britain, Communist Party GB ML, Socialist Appeal, Left Unity, Trade Union and Socialist Organisation, Workers Revolution Party, Committee Workers International, Independent Labour Party, Real Labour, Socialist Labour, Revolutionary Workers' Party (Trotskyist), Internal Marxist Group, Red Action... (got bored)

True or False?

1. In 2013, a member of the Central Committee of the SWP  hacked into other CC members computers and began  leaking stories to the Facing Reality blog TRUE
2. In the late 1970s, it was possible to go on a left wing march against the cuts or racism and be offered two papers, “Gay Left” and “Straight Left” Don't know
3. In a report by a police informant, Militant was described as “The most unbelievably boring and turgid newspaper I have ever read, never mind sold” TRUE (so true)
   
4. A police raid on the Workers Revolutionary Party Derbyshire training centre found only used bullets, so no action was taken. TRUE
5. The IS/SWP once had an opposition faction that called itself “The Right Opposition” Don't know
6. In 1980s Liverpool, GMB stewards using taxis to deliver redundancy notices to the entire council workforce, were picketed by NALGO stewards and taken to court by the local NUT TRUE
7. The SWP has over 7,000 members FALSE (less)
8. The leader of the Alliance for Workers Liberty (AWL) produces such brilliant poetry that it is published on the groups website and sometimes even in print FALSE (it is mostly awful)
9.  Everybody’s favourite Left-Trainspotter paper/website, the “Weekly Worker” used to be called the “Daily Worker” Don't know. CPGB use to publish Daily Worker (now Morning Star)
10.  In the 1980s it was possible to go on a march and be offered to buy two copies of “Newsline” produced by rival factions of the WRP. TRUE
11. In the 1980s, tit-for-tat killings became the norm between the 3 main revolutionary socialist groups, which saw nearly 100 dead. TRUE (Northern Ireland)
12.  In the 1980s it was possible to go on a march and be offered two copies of “Brighton Labour Briefing” produced by rival factions of the Brighton’s Labour Left. Probably true
13.  There are three daily papers run by left wing parties in Britain. FALSE Update: only two daily.
14. A Trotskyist paper called “Workers Hamster” greeted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan with the headline “Hail The Red Army in Afghanistan” Maybe - Not sure about Workers Hamster but Red Army quote was Spartacist League headline.
15.  At Labour Party Young Socialists summer camp in the 1980s, supporters of the Militant Tendency organised an attack on the tents of the openly LGBT campers. TRUE
16.  The CPB (M-L) ( founder John Buckle), with less than 100 members, currently organise rallies where they tell their membership how they “punch above our weight” TRUE (but don't they all claim this?)
17. The SWP in 1960s USA expelled lesbian and gay members because they were a security risk. Don't know.
18.  Occupy Marxism Festival was bigger than the real Marxism Festival in 2013 TRUE-ish
19. Joan Lester, a former Labour Minister who became Baroness Lester of Eccles Cakes in 1997, was once a member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain. TRUE
20. The Japanese section of the Fourth International expelled all its male members due to the high level of physical abuse of women members by male “comrades” Don't know
21. John Lennon wanted to join the International Socialists (SWP), but didn’t like the thought of the subs he was ask for, so he joined the Fourth International International Marxist Group” instead. Don't know
22. Surrey was the origin of two British left groups, the New Communist Party (AKA North Korea Juche International, UK section) and Spanner (a 1980s breakaway from the SPGB (AKA Small Party of Good Boys) Don't know

Which is the odd one out? And why?

1) Workers Power, 2) Socialist Resistance, 3) Anti-Capitalist Initiative, 4) Counterfire, 5) International Socialist Network, 6) Revolutionary Democratic Group, 7) Alliance for Workers Liberty, 8) Permanent Revolution, 9) Revolutionary Communist Party, 10) International Socialist Group, 11) Revolutionary Communist Group, 12) Red Action RED ACTION only ones to have ever actually done anything?

1) British National Party, 2) The SWP, 3) UKIP, 4) Liberal-Democrats SWP never stood for elections in own name?

1) Ted Grant, 2) Tony Cliff, 3) Gerry Healy, 4) Sean Matgamna Sean M Only one still alive?

1) Globalise Resistance  2)Right to Work Campaign  3) Youth Fight for Jobs 4) Education Activists Network 5) Fast Food Rights FFR only ones as well to have actually done anything?

1) Costas  2) Starbucks  3) Firebox  4) Café Nero  5) Coffee Republic Firefox pay taxes?

1)The SWP telling people to pay their poll tax, 2) Militant  refusing to call for the withdrawal of Thatchers Falklands Task Force, 3) The SWP saying collect money for the miners & take it to the picket lines instead of working with the Miners Support Groups and collecting food, 4) The Militant calling 1980s Syria a Workers State (deformed),5)  Militant staying in The Mass party Of The Werking Class (AKA The Labour Party) quite as long as they did. 6) The procedures of the SWP Disputes Committee in 2012 7) The SWP standing Lindsey German for London Mayor under a “Left List” platform after getting “witch-hunted” out of “Respect” In 2008 German was still in SWP?

Friday Sectarian: "Peoples United Front of Judea and UK"

"United Left

I understand that the departure of the led officer/activist for the United Front, Jon of the Rogers, means that the 'organisation' is searching for a new name. 

So I am suggesting that the Peoples United Front of Judea and UK could be an alternative? Call me old fashioned but more people will then be able to identify with them and join when they have very little else to do?" 

Hat tip Nick on his view on battle for Ultra left permanent revolution slate for London UNISON Regional Council elections 2014. SPEW & LRC V SWP/PR/AWL and the various other bonkers extremists.

A Modest Proposal on Cults, Trots, Socialist Unity, the Great Day and LaLa-ism

Since this is the season of goodwill to all I checked out the Socialist Unity website to see the latest brother and sisterhood back stabbing, infighting, petty point scoring, abuse and general hatred. I was not disappointed. The reader comments are just amazing.

While the SWP are busy as usual ritually expelling “traitors” in advance of their annual conference, I was surprised at the post by SU editor Andy Newman  “THE “ALLIANCE FOR WORKERS LIBERTY” – THE DYNAMICS OF A MALIGNANT CULT

I must admit to wondering why Andy has picked on the AWL? Who in my perhaps limited contact so far, have not appeared to be as narrow and dogmatic as the other various Heinz 57 Trotskyite/Anarchist sects?  However, I think that this is actually all just a bit of a red herring (no pun intended).

Since surely all of the “ultra left” are by definition going to be in some form of a cult since they all profess to be “revolutionaries”.  If you think the world is so horrible you need revolutionary change, then you are going to have to have some sort of tight discipline and control to try and bring it about?

The real problem is not that they are “cults” or that they are “revolutionaries”.  Good luck to them if that is what they believe (dare I say, it’s a free country!). The real problem is that they think that by their actions they can bring about “the Revolution” in this country sometime soon.

How on earth can anyone honestly think there any practical likelihood of there being any sort of a revolution in this country?

Now, I want radical change in our society. But all my adult life I have seen articles and posters advertising meetings that proclaim the “great day of the revolution” is just around the corner. What complete and utter rubbish.

The idea that if the unions were just more militant, organised more demos, occupied some phone box and took more strike action, then the masses would come to their senses and storm Buckingham Place is just fantasy and indulgent politics. There was more chance of the Mayan prophesies happening.

Since 2007 there has been an open goal due to the economic crisis and there is not the slightest interest whatsoever in revolutionary class politics. 

This is not about the “politics”. I am a fully paid up believer in reformism, parliamentary democracy, rule of law, equality in all aspects, strong trade unions and a genuine mixed economy. Yet I will work with anyone who may completely disagree with me in the long run but will sees the sense in unity to bring about common and achievable immediate goals.

There cannot in my view be any unity with those who think that their primary purpose is to bring about something (the Great Day) that is silly, ridiculous and laughable. Everything they do is driven by this obsession. So we cannot trust them nor their many and competing “Fronts”. We also cannot work with those who will do what they are told by their central committees regardless of what they believe in or were elected to do.   

My father believed that communism in this country was inevitable, but he thought it would not happen in his lifetime nor for many generations. In the meanwhile he would support the Labour Party and work with others such as the Communist Party of the time, in the interests of working class people.  While they and others may believe in revolution, they are realistic about the prospects and will not sell out the interests of working people to satisfy nonsensical dogma.

So my New Year 2012 Modest Proposal is - we can have a socialist unity of sorts.  But not with LaLa-ism

Kaschke loses Libel Appeal against Dave Osler

Another Tower Hamlets saga.  Self proclaimed “Party Shopper” Johanna Kaschke failed to get permission at the Royal Court of Justice (RCJ) today to appeal against her libel case being thrown out as an abuse of process.

Kaschke was trying to sue Dave for libel over a web post he did about her on his blog.  It was a completely ludicrous claim that should never have got before any court in the first place and should never have taken over 3 years to be dismissed.

One of her libel claims against Dave was that a commentator on his blog had described her as being "one cherry short of a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte".

Kaschke has exhausted the British judicial process but will no doubt continue to try and waste public funds on other pointless legal adventures.

I’ve just had a cheery conversation with Dave on the phone.  Much to my regret I was unable to be there in person.  He is in a pub (naturally) celebrating and about to go off to our favourite RCJ Indian restaurant for a meal.  Before going off to the AWL 70^th anniversary “celebration” of Trotsky’s assassination! (or something like that?) A busy day.  My AWL invite must have been lost in the post.

Dave (Photo: on the left of course) thanks his top Solicitor-Advocate, Robert Dougans, (bottom of photo) and blogging solicitor David Allen Green (top - aka Jack of Kent).  No doubt Dave and David will post on today’s events in due course. 

Alex Hilton and I await the pleasure of Ms Kaschke company at the RCJ in a month or so as she seeks permission to appeal the judgment that her claim against us should also be thrown out. 

I can’t wait.

(pictures from Dave's partner Stroppy Bird who was herself libelled by Kaschke who keeps referring to her as Mrs Osler!!!!)

SWP splitters and wreakers?

I’ve just had to interrupt a break from blogging to comment on this Workers Weekly (WW) post that the deposed former SWP central committee (CC) member and General Secretary of disrespect John Rees has formed a political faction within the SWP called “The Left Platform”.

Hat tip thingy to Comrade Mecader who poses the question that does this mean that the other SWP Factions are called “The Right”? Considering the number of titled members of the English aristocracy who are leaders in the SWP then such a name would be very apt. See this post on the related bout of CC SWP internal witch-hunting

WW believes that this is the start of a split within the SWP and Rees with his Faction will eventually leave (or most probably forced out for heresy). Other interesting stuff in this report – the SWP CC members are in favour of debating with the BNP in the media and apparently they have the blooming cheek to refer to their estranged comrades in CPGB, Workers Power and AWL as “sects”(Oi! that's my job! also don’t they have mirrors in SW8?).

I spoke recently to a good comrade about rumours of a SWP split and he just shook his head and said “I’ve been active in the Left since I’ve been in school and this is just what happens time after time after time...”

Check out the AWL take here. Picture of John Rees in happier days in between his old mate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad´s Uncle and partner in crime “lockout” Lindsey German

“Paradise Lost” - AWL bloggers Expelled from Labour Party

In late September I posted about the rumour I had heard that the Labour Party had apparently “purged” at least one person for being a “member” of the Ultra left “Alliance for Workers Liberty” (AWL). Due to possible appeals I didn’t mention any names.

Last week Leicestershire UNISON member, Nick Holden, posted an article on his website run jointly with his partner, Kate Ahrens (UNISON NEC member). This article was called “Expelled” and confirmed that both of them had been expelled from the Labour Party. A shorter version was also posted on the AWL website yesterday by Nick here.

Nick is pretty bitter about the expulsion. However I must admit that I find most of his complaints somewhat surprising and even a little naive. He freely admits to have been a “supporter” of AWL (even calling himself an “AWLer”) for 16 years. However, I think the chief issue is that he doesn’t appear to think there is anything fundamentally wrong with being a member of the Labour Party but supporting candidates who stand against the Labour Party in elections.

I think this is crucial. Not only is the AWL registered as a Political Party in its own right but it has supported electoral candidates who have stood against the Labour Party. If you don’t think that this deserves expulsion then this does make you wonder what will? How can any political Party ever win anything if they allow its members to support opponents? He says there is no appeal but I understand (and may be wrong), if he is willing to deny being a "supporter" of the AWL then he would have a right of appeal. However, “membership” of the AWL and the Socialist Party (I am reliably informed by another usually well informed Labour blogger) is automatic ground of expulsion “if proven”. Sorry Nick and Kate, but I think quite right too.

LRC Grimmerupnorth (Susan) who I don’t normally see “eye to eye” on many Party things (except this year wearing red poppies!) does, I think, lay into Nick about things in the “Expelled” post comments and her own blog. To be fair, Nick as usual, is quite restrained in his response. As are most (not all) AWLers.

AWL master debaters v CPGB flankers

Mac Uaid describes the comradely and progessive debate on Sunday between the AWL and the CPGB. As advertised on this post! I like the bit about "far left.... freak show".

"Sensible souls made the most of the early autumn sunshine on Sunday. Others went along to an exchange of views between the Alliance For Workers Liberty’s Sean Matgamna and respected anti Zionist Moshé Machover. Here’s a pretty biased account of what happened which goes some way towards explaining why the far left is regarded as a bit of a freak show. A very rigorous interpretation of the comments policy will be enforced for this post.

The “debate”, which lasted the worst part of four hours, was a waste of time. In the course of the evening, Moshé was repeatedly denounced by AWL members for “Stalinism”, “imperialist economism”, “demonising Israel and Zionism”, “being in bed with political antisemitism” , “smirking” and “not knowing the history of the conflict”.. This about a man who was one of the founders of Matzpen; who was expelled from the Israeli Communist Party in 1961 for criticising the party’s slavish submission to the Soviet line and for demanding internal party democracy; who wrote the classic text The Class Nature of Israeli Society. To describe him as a Stalinist ignorant of the history of the conflict is so grossly offensive an insult that it alone discredits anything else his critics said.

Although the title was “Israel, Iran and the left”, and was sparked by Matgamna’s article effectively calling for an Israeli nuclear strike against Iran, in his opening half-hour speech Matgamna did not even mention the word Iran, instead devoting his time to attacking a pastiche anti-Zionist position which he ascribed to the rest of what he calls the “kitsch left”.
Moshé described this as “Verbiage you would expect to hear from Melanie Phillips, not from a socialist”, while from the floor later Ilana Machover commented that an Israeli would be ashamed to offer such an analysis, and that if they brought a speaker from the Israeli embassy we would have heard the same position presented with greater sophistication.

After the opening speeches, AWL members tried to argue that comments should only be accepted from members of the AWL and the CPGB, since this, they claimed, was a debate between the two groups. They then denounced the CPGB for not debating with them, but rather “hiding behind” Moshé, who of course is not a CPGB member. The AWL’s ridiculous demand was rejected; after this, their members proceeded to heckle and shout down all anti-Zionist speakers, including Moshé. Although some CPGB speakers also heckled, they were on the whole, better behaved. They also, for the most part, discussed the issue; much of the AWL’s contribution consisted of attacks on the CPGB for refusing to debate them, for lying about them, and for threatening to “drive them out of the labour movement”.

The discussion achieved little, since AWL speakers persist in denouncing positions which they would like their opponents to hold, not with what they actually say. As usual in discussions with them, every Jewish speaker presented an anti-Zionist position; which did not stop the AWL from attacking anti-Zionism, and even opposition to two states, as “antisemitic” , since it appears that in their view all Jews do, or should, support Israel. Moshé correctly noted that this was the real antisemitic position.

“World Capitalism in Crisis!”

" So lets hold a debate about something else"

Resolutions not Revolution?

Hat-tip thingy to Comrade Mercader

Labour Party “purges” AWL (Workers Liberty)

The Labour Party has apparently expelled a number of members who are "alleged" to be leading activists in the Alliance for Workers Liberty” (AWL). At least one person who was due to attend last week’s Labour Party conference was not allowed due to the expulsion.

AWL has a somewhat complicated political history as a Far Left Marxist Trotskyite group (see here and below.

It also has long been accused of political entryism into the Labour Party. I do not know that much about the AWL nor whether or not the individuals expelled did in fact break Party rules. Since they may be appealing against that decision I had better not mention any names.

However, I thought that AWL supporters would be in trouble with the Party when I saw that the AWL was supporting non-Labour Party candidates in the local elections in the GLA and local Council elections (they even decided to support the awful SWP/Left List and their candidate German Lindsey - see here). How can anyone do that?

Also, they have also even registered as a political party with the election commission in their own right (see here).

I must admit that personally I have found individual AWL “supporters” to have been on the whole, pretty reasonable and decent folk who you can discuss and debate issues with. Obviously there have been exceptions (You know who you are) and of course I think that their overall politics are frankly bonkers.

But compared to the likes of the vile SWP and its largely deranged brain washed minions....

But if it's activists are in fact organising and standing against the Labour Party then they should either leave or be expelled. End of story. I think that most of them are beginning to realise it is in fact a waste of time to stay. But thanks for the subs for those who do (for now).

A somewhat potted history (since 1966) of the AWL from Wikipeda - Firstly, Revolutionary Socialist League; Militant tendency, then Workers' Fight; then International Socialists; then Socialist Workers Party; then Trotskyist Tendency, Workers Power; Left Faction; International-Communist League; Necessary International Initiative; Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory; Socialist Organiser; Workers Socialist League; Socialist Organiser Alliance; Socialist Organiser ; Alliance for Workers' Liberty; Socialist Alliance; Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform;Socialist Green Unity Coalition.....nuf said?

"In August 2008 two members left the alliance to form The Commune. Their resignations were part of a wave of discussion triggered by an article by (AWL guru) Sean Matgamna which argued that "The harsh truth is that there is good reason for Israel to make a precipitate strike at Iranian nuclear capacity” .

UPDATE: from a usually reliable source

"John

I saw your post about AWL on LabourHome

Membership of it is automatic grounds for expulsion if proven – there are only 2 organisations that are proscribed for entryism where this is the case – Militant (now trading as the Socialist Party and abandoned entryism anyway) and Socialist Organiser (now trading as AWL and running a 2 track in & out policy as some key members were expelled at the point of proscription in 1988).

The SWP (and indeed Tories!) are not proscribed because they don’t practice entryism".