Is it possible to salvage anything from the Corbyn Project or is the socialist left destined to talk to itself?
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Tonight we had the launch meeting of the new Socialist Labour Network (LAW/LIEN) and 150 people attended. Ian Hodson, President of the Bakers Union was the guest speaker.
The process of forming a new organisation began at the end of November when All Members Meetings of Labour-in-Exile-Network and Labour Against the Witchhunt voted to merge into a single organisation. Both LAW and LIEN had been proscribed by Labour’s National Executive Committee last July 20th.
Orgreave when the Police were used as Thatcher's cavalry to destroy the strike
The decision of the 2 organisations to merge was taken in the teeth of opposition from Labour Party Marxism which is the Communist Party of Great Britain in the Labour Party. 5 of the 6 members of LAW’s Steering Committee were also opposed to the merger and 4 of them explained their reasons in a statement Why we resigned.
This was accompanied by an article both in Weekly Worker and on the LPM website Something serious is needed: confronting Tony Greenstein and Merging into a cul-de-sac. I replied with Not a liquidation? and Self-declared heretic replies.
The fact that the CPGB and its leading theoretician Jack Conrad felt the need to personalise a political disagreement suggests that the CPGB is finding it difficult to mount a sustainable argument.
LPM insisted, contrary to all the evidence, that what was being proposed was not a merger but a liquidation and notwithstanding the evidence they have continued to insist that this is the case.
My article, for which I had provided a heading ‘Why the merger of LAW and LIEN is not a liquidation’ was retitled Not a liquidation? It was also accompanied by a subheadline ‘Abandoning any pretence of class politics, Tony Greenstein defends what he calls the ‘merger’ of LAW and LIEN and advocates yet another ‘transitional’ halfway-house broad front’
Despite Conrad admitting that ‘LAW has done very little, has been paralysed even’ my argument that LAW had not been liquidated was described as ‘clearly a pedantic attempt to pull wool over eyes.’ Conrad continues to argue that
‘while the words ‘liquidation’ and ‘closing down’ did not appear in motion 1, only someone who wants to cover up, to obfuscate, to hoodwink, would object to such an assessment.’
Such an unnecessary expenditure of verbs! To allege that your political opponents are, effectively, lying is not the way to conduct a comradely debate. And the evidence for such an assertion? Zilch.
Black Lives Matter demonstration in Brighton
As far as the CPGB and other far-left groups are concerned the key task is to form a revolutionary socialist or communist party with which capitalism can be brought to an end. And suffice to say they have the key to the holy grail.
Many of us saw the Corbyn movement as a quite momentous political event. Hundreds of thousands of people joined the Labour Party. It made a profound effect politically and at the 2017 General Election, millions of people voted for a radical, not revolutionary, manifesto. But for the sabotage of Labour’s right-wing, Corbyn could have won. As it is he obtained the largest swing since 1945 for Labour. One thing is for certain. It put the frighteners on the British establishment. It also showed the potential for radicalism in Britain. Ctd....Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
A real positive is the realisation among many more folks that state and corporate media are tools of
In another Tony Greenstein blog dealing with the success of Palestine Action in closing down the Elbit factory in Oldham which manufactures drones for Israel, he says the following:
Only this week we learnt that Palestine Action had chalked up its first victory, the closure of Elbit’s factory in Oldham. I have a personal investment in this campaign as I’m presently out on bail for taking part in an action. It demonstrates that direct action can work. It is no accident that Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is controlled by the former Trotskyist Socialist Action denounced Palestine Action in the strongest terms.
Can anyone explain to me the truth or significance of the passage I've emphasised? I find the statement that PSC is against Palestine Action in regard to the closing down of Elbit very disturbing."The US is one of the leading terrorist states in the world" -- Noam Chomsky The BBC is in the business of propaganda
The Failure of PSC to Oppose Zionism and the Jewish Supremacist Nature of the Israeli State Renders
To Most Vaunted Emperator (whatever that is) -- thanks for link to Tony Greenstein's earlier blog, which explains a lot. Tony himself has responded personally and says that PSC refuses to be anti-Zionist and condemns Pal Action for their militant activity, even though they've achieved far more than PSC has. They've ignored, he says, PA's leading role in causing Elbit to shut down in Oldham.
Opened my eyes about PSC without question."The US is one of the leading terrorist states in the world" -- Noam Chomsky The BBC is in the business of propaganda
on January 15, 2022, 7:16 pm