SWP expulsions and squabbles
- Thread starter Nigel Irritable
- Start date
bolshiebhoy
socialism leinster drink
There are but arguably they really were primarily enraged at the dc cases and not keen on the political direction of Seymour and other Platformists.
Scribbling S
Active Member
1981-1997
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Some of them yes, but there are others still in who have "Platform" type views more generally. Some of whom were in the Platform (eg Davidson), some of whom weren't but were close to them on the IDOOP spectrum (and it was a spectrum).
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
All you have to do is find a semi-mass left eurocommunist party hiding under some rock first and you can have your dream.
bolshiebhoy
socialism leinster drink
It was a spectrum but those left in will have to make a call now. Between their distaste for the regime and their certain knowledge that the ISN will be another centrist swamp outfit. Personalities and egos aside the ISN is just Counterfire II. Fair enough if some of them think the SWP has degenerated to the point where it's become an obstacle but they ned to think long and hard about what they will be jumping to...
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
Did you read any of this thread? He had left in the 1990s around Blair, it would be interesting to hear why and how exactly he left, though.
I disagree with Scribbling on the SWP doing great work by maintaining UAF, I posted this in response to a different new poster, but his analysis of the SWP as a party has been solid.
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
1. Why do people capitalise his name like that?
2. It could have been Hari sending one of his mates as "David Rose", after having written in him as a master stroke sockpuppet.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
I think you underestimate their ability to stay in and stay disgruntled. Next pre-conference period is six months away and there will be more rows before then. Eventually they'll all be gone, but there's a long way to go yet.
Before Theory
Active Member
They just need to get the f*** out of the SWP, stop being tainted by association with it, and work out the rest of it later.
No more apologies, no more defending the indefensible.
There is political life outside the SWP, despite what the leadership keep telling you.
J Ed
Follow Back Pro Expropriation
That and far,far higher trade union membership, a decades long tradition of people's war against a military junta, much worse conditions...
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
I like how you've set the only two possible options for them. There is literally nothing else they can do except stay as SWP (drones while the CC lie and rig the elections) or join the ISN.
SpackleFrog
Smash showy bell-bottom pants and sporty haircuts
You're a shit branch sec, we do ours every 6 months! And Every branch I've been in has been ruthless too-6 months of no subs and no activity and you're off the lists.
Worth remembering that the SP has separate Scottish and NI sections too, while the SWP has British and Irish sections, so a straight comparison is slightly more complicated. Our membership in Scotland is low, but in England and Wales we're definitely over 2000 now.
Scribbling S
Active Member
(Me, I just got older, had kids, drifted a bit . Nothing very political. Helped out a bit with Socialist Alliance, sort of politically active elsewhere. After STWC was ready to rejoin, but put off by Respect) .
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Oh no we don't!
SpackleFrog
Smash showy bell-bottom pants and sporty haircuts
They will definitely have had some involvement, or tried too. But WHO is this in Sheffield? Spill!
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
SpackleFrog
Smash showy bell-bottom pants and sporty haircuts
Eh? There's a Northern Ireland and a Rep of Ireland section right? If not why do the buggers always try to sell me two papers?
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Two papers, one section.
SpackleFrog
Smash showy bell-bottom pants and sporty haircuts
I stand corrected.
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
I'm no expert but I believe the SWPers who stayed after Rees and German left, held Rees and German primarily responsible for pushing and expanding the initial moves to "resist" Galloway's expulsion, extend the Lavalette example and form RESPECT. Hence in the catastrophe as RESPECT collapsed and the Left List formed and then was rescinded, then a kind of headless chicken feeling because they had no proper United Front. All this they blamed on the CC figures who 'got us involved with the Gallowayites in the first place'.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
There's an underlying hostility to the style of leadership that Rees and German personify for them. Also, remember that the first big opportunity for people concerned with democracy in the SWP came in the form of the Rees/German factional row. Those proto-oppositionists and the leadership majority united around putting the boot into them.
SpineyNorman
Inappropriate content removed
My approach is generally do as little as possible and hope for the best. It's served me well in all other areas of my life so I'm fucked if I'm breaking a habit of a lifetime just for politics.
SpineyNorman
Inappropriate content removed
Your mum.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
a stew made of exPLUSEsions. A soup made of regret and seasoned with biterness. All rounded off with a soupcon of wafer thin regret as the rest of us watch the whole org slow-mo cacrash. We here and that may never have been fans of their politics, their methods and their dubious results but I dunno, I just can't really take any joy out of watching an avowedly leftwing org come undone and under such grim circumstances. Its just depressing.
There is no need to fear or hope, but only to look for new weapons.
barney_pig
Po-cha-na-quar-hip
Brighton swss resignation statement on is blog.
The new Network seems to be implicitly encouraging some supporters or sympathisers to stay in the SWP presumably to report back and try to influence softer oppositionists in their (the Network's) direction.
Which makes sense.
Nigel Irritable is spot on about the principal reasons this lot won't join Counterfire because they sided with the CC against Rees & German in the previous split for reasons that are in at least part consistant with their current position.
Which makes sense.
Nigel Irritable is spot on about the principal reasons this lot won't join Counterfire because they sided with the CC against Rees & German in the previous split for reasons that are in at least part consistant with their current position.
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