resistence would have been allowed to get ine call tor ine demonstration Labour MPs For it to be really as in ke saac oeutcher. leaders sinister molves. means that a heavy Hansen, Trotsky's death, 'accomplice of the GPU'.
Set-backs closer home, c/o political line. Bob Swart Hansen in a hard-hitting thinking for themselves.
arguement, no doubt hopes, The Workers' Revolutionary Party (WAF) Is naraly known tor its savours polemics with other left tendencies.
in most respects. even less savoury than previous ones. in a recent series or articies, 'Security and the Fourth International', ine healyles open an investigation inte the death of Leon Trotsky.
Such an investigation is not inspired.
the case of an honest biographer ovareal desire to discover the facts but by far more Its aim is to 'indict' former Trotskyist secretary, Joseph 'criminal negligence' It not ot being an seem strange that the Healvites should devote more space in their fastailing 'daily! to witch-hunting a leading how, Trotskyist militant than to covering key issues such as the national struggle ir Ireland. The answer is not so strange, however, as it may at first appear.
Since its split with the OCl, its sister after organisation in France a few years ago, the WRP has suffered some severe setbacks. It recently lost several leading members of the Workers' League, sympatnising section in the usA, and, launched a witch-hunt against over 200 trade union members in its own ranks who had the audacity ¡• oppose ine leadersnio's sectarian ne cause or inese set-packs - wricr have left the WRP more isolated than ever Detore - was analysed •v voseon article in Intercontinental Press (Vol 13 No 12). In particular, Hansen singled out the politically sectarian course followed by the WRP and its well-known organisational 'thuggism' which denies its own members elementary rights - like Alan unabe o rev dollcay lo such an the Healyites have reverted to the level of politics where they feel most at home: personal slander. Healy by concocting frameups in the Stalinist tradition against his critics, to cloud the issue and divert the members of the WRP from probing the real reasons for these set-backs & ine lack or rignts iney possess in nis The slanders directed against Joseph Hansen, a leading member of the world Trotskyist movement for over 30 years, need not be refuted. They are based on rumours culled trom seit-contessed ort A clear, factual reply to them can be found in the pages Intercontinental Press (Vol 13 No 42).
What is worth refuting is the methoc used by Healy in dealing with political tendencies he has differences with. It can serve as an object lesson for young radicals as to the ultimate logic of Gerry Healy: uses Stalinist meinods.
Hansen himself, in his reply, notes for the Healyites, 'All other political tendencies.. are recaraed as agencies of the bourgeoisie to be dea!: with accordingly! This attitude on :-s part of the WRP is, of course, mere! a substitute for taking up and arquir: against the political ideas advanced =: Tival tenancies. There is no poin:. ical opponents if they are 'agencies o? all, discussing with ones' pol the bourgeoisie'. On the contrary, ire task is to 'expose' them, even if this means juggling with the facts.
Such a premise leads, quite inevitab!: to ine wildest slanders and trame-ups (in the Stalinist tradition) to prove the "case ne accusations aeansi Joses Hansen are not new, in this respec:, but merely ine spiciest alsn yet to de seen from the Healyite kitchen.
The April 23rd issue of Workers Press tried to 'smear! Bala Tampoe fleading roiskyist and nead or ine Ceylon Mercantile Union) as : 'associa:Tim Wohitorth, las year expelled from the Workers League was accused of 'harbouring and cover. ing for a CIA agent' and, most recent!:
Thornett, who was expelled fron the WRP for exercising the right to think for himself, was described by the General Secretary as a 'police agen:'.
'Big lie' The fact that Healy should be reduced to labelling every political opponent -inside and outside the WRP - as some form of police agent is not just a simple question of It is an attemp to 'shield! the dwindling membership of the WRP from the political argumen!s of rival tendencies by the use of wha: can only be called Stalinist methods ls an attemoi to divert attentior away from the fact that the leaders o Ine war nave turned a once-promis -g group into a barren sect unable to reldie to ine redi issues tacing work.s people and unable to tolerate any rea criticism of this course.
We can assure the WRP however the: the time when it could pass such falss coin as 'Trotskyism' is long past Tre WRP broke with Trotskyism, and in its organisational practice long The technique of the 'big lie' w: not hide this fact.