SWP expulsions and squabbles

[articul8]

This thread is like the crowd of gawpers you get round the scene of an accident.

 

[Random]

This thread is like the crowd of gawpers you get round the scene of an accident.

Then you're someone who made a joke about one of the number plates

 

[butchersapron]

This thread is like the crowd of gawpers you get round the scene of an accident.

And here's the 16 year old PCSO.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Seymour, Davidson, Mieville and a group of 70 or so are joining the faction as a distinct platform.

 

[The39thStep]

Bunny came into her unpleasant element again when she ran up against Stoke SP comrades. She went from sweetness and light at the founding meeting of North Staffs NSSN to an aggressive bully at the anti-fascist rally held a few days later. When we turned up at the rally with our banner she *commanded*(!) we take it down because “it was agreed” no party banners or placards were allowed (we refused). Needless to say her concern for this spurious agreement (if indeed it ever existed) evaporated when her fellow SWP’ers disembarked their coaches and broke out their SWP-branded ‘Smash the BNP’ plaques. Then at last week’s debate, she harassed our paper sellers and leafleters by telling them where and when they could/couldn’t sell/leaflet, led the charge in shouting down – with some Labour people – one of our comrades who pointed out the rise of the BNP in Stoke might have something to do with the identikit policies of the mainstream parties, snapped at the coffee attendant to make sure one of our comrades paid for his drink, and curled her lip at the activist on the NorSCARF stall – for the crime of daring to carry Searchlight material. It beggars belief someone obviously unsuited to this kind of work, let alone a full time position in a socialist organisation, has been so appointed. What does this say about the SWP?

 

[butchersapron]

Now we're going to more serious figures.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

So there's a starting point of roughly 135. That will go up, although by how much I don't know

 

[belboid]

Seymour, Davidson, Mieville and a group of 70 or so are joining the faction as a distinct platform.

a faction within the faction??!!

 

[The39thStep]

Seymour, Davidson, Mieville and a group of 70 or so are joining the faction as a distinct platform.

a platform within a faction within a party ?

 

[butchersapron]

a faction within the faction??!!

Let a thousand blogs bloom.

 

[butchersapron]

I think PD need declare our hand as an external faction. The iron is hot.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

a faction within the faction??!!

The two oppositions need to cooperate, but both sides have reason to preserve their independence from each other.

 

[Louis MacNeice]

The faction declared (pdf)

Note the CPGB URL

/assets/files/swpinternalbulletins/In_Defence_of_Our_Party.pdf

So given who has signed up, the 'they're not really one of us' defence isn't available. How does the much criticised CC deal with dissent on this scale and from these quarters; can it expel the problem with out causing terminal damage and if they don't expel can they carry on with their authority so questioned?

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[articul8]

Then you're someone who made a joke about one of the number plates

nowt wrong with a bit of gallows humour

 

[butchersapron]

A fraction within the faction - perfectly normal.

 

[butchersapron]

So given who has signed up, the 'they're not really one of us' defence isn't available. How does the much criticised CC deal with dissent on this scale and from these quarters; can it expel the problem with out causing terminal damage and if they don't expel can they carry on with their authority so questioned?

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

That first point is excellent - bolshiebhoy and those card players have been trumped by this one.

 

[ayatollah]

It's not a unified opposition statement at all. It's a revamped "soft" opposition. Still of note though given who the initial signatories are: Pat S, Ian B, Colin B, mike G etc.

Is that "Colin B" , ancient Manchester SWP longtimer, Colin Barker ? Gawd, if it is, I'm amazed. I'd have thought he would have rather sawn his own leg off with a blunt spoon than be even moderately "factional". If it is indeed Colin Barker, I recall during the mid 1981 run up to the purging of us "Squadists" in Manchester, I was at an SWP social and drifting about with a beerglass in my hand and by chance found myself next to Colin. He did a theatrical doubletake, and literally SCUTTLED to the far side of the room - as far away as possible from someone he had been a friendly comrade with for nearly ten years, but was now UNCLEAN !

Are these high profile "oppositionists" a bit like the tame bogus "resistance cells" set up in Occupied France by German counter intelligence to attract genuine people in , nullify their activities , and then "dispose" of em ? In other words a "respectable" old guard "faction" emerges with a few" procedural quibbles", is soon satisfied with whatever fudge the leadership concocts to "solve the problem", and then declares the issue "resolved" -- a round of applause for the soundness of SWP democratic centralism. On to business as usual ?

 

[butchersapron]

I don't think so no.

 

[The39thStep]

Is that "Colin B" , ancient Manchester SWP longtimer, Colin Barker ? Gawd, if it is, I'm amazed. I'd have thought he would have rather sawn his own leg off with a blunt spoon than be even moderately "factional". If it is indeed Colin Barker, I recall during the mid 1981 run up to the purging of us "Squadists" in Manchester, I was at an SWP social and drifting about with a beerglass in my hand and by chance found myself next to Colin. He did a theatrical doubletake, and literally SCUTTLED to the far side of the room - as far away as possible from someone he had been a friendly comrade with for nearly ten years, but was now UNCLEAN !

Are these high profile "oppositionists" a bit like the tame bogus "resistance cells" set up in Occupied France by German counter intelligence to attract genuine people in , nullify their activities , and then "dispose" of em ? In other words a "respectable" old guard "faction" emerges with a few" procedural quibbles", is soon satisfied with whatever fudge the leadership concocts to "solve the problem", and then declares the issue "resolved" -- a round of applause for the soundness of SWP democratic centralism. On to business as usual ?

Colin Barker (Manchester)one and the same

Essentially a lot of these are the 'reasonable face of the party' ( although i have just seen a couple of names who are top class nut jobs, not sure they would have the stomach for anything more than an internal campaign and then go home.

 

[butchersapron]

No matter what the split- no enduring party (even in the realms of micro-sects) will come out of this.

 

[mk12]

a platform within a faction within a party ?

...within a movement.

 

[frogwoman]

 

[butchersapron]

SEYMOUR! and his platform speak.

(First names only, the state closes in)

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

So given who has signed up, the 'they're not really one of us' defence isn't available. How does the much criticised CC deal with dissent on this scale and from these quarters; can it expel the problem with out causing terminal damage and if they don't expel can they carry on with their authority so questioned?

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

I agree, this is much better than the Seymourites declaring a faction - the CC can't afford in my view to expel this lot then go after the Seymour-Mievillists - these are the people they need on board.

 

[frogwoman]

The curse of autonomo-seymourism strikes again

 

[The39thStep]

SEYMOUR and his platform speak.

(First names only, the state closes in)

feminist as a term of abuse? Time and place for everything

Some very 90s born sounding names there

 

[butchersapron]

Why would the faction accept them anyway?

 

[kavenism]

Am I missing something? Where are Seymour and Mieville’s names? Are they going it alone or were they expelled without me noticing?

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Am I missing something? Where are Seymour and Mieville’s names? Are they going it alone or were they expelled without me noticing?

On the list

 

[frogwoman]

cyber-utopianism