about revolutionary strategy and tactics for Britain today, the International Marxist Group will be meeting in national conference next weekend. Socialist Challenge has already given space in two Battle of Ideas supplements because we feel that the issues under debate are of concern to militants well beyond those in the ranks of the IMG.
On 2 February, 1978, Socialist Challenge printed a supplement which contained the line of advance put forward by the majority of the outgoing leadership. The second supplement -in the 9 March issue of the reflected the IM's debate on women's liberation.
With this issue of the paper, we publish a number of views of some comrades outside the IMG who have been invited to attend pre-conference discussions.
IMG members contribute as individuals to both the written and oral debate in the organisation through the pre-conference discussion bulletins and in branch and area meetings. In addition, IMG members have the rightto formtendencies and factionsso that individuals can meet together across branches to develop their political positions, advance their most powerful speakersat thearea and branch meetings, and gencrally to takesteps to maximise their ability to win support for their positions.
The travel expenses of tendency and faction speakers toarea meetings are met by the organisation, and equal time to that of the outgoing leadership is given to these groupings to present their views at such meetings.
Members of the IMG will participate in the debate at
BATTLE OF IDEAS Supploment 13 April 1978 page 2 ..unless the revolutionary provide answers to the situation and evolve apable of linking it to the masses, it owa crisis will continue apace." (Final sentence of centre-page article by JOHN ROSS, Socialist Chailenge, 12th January 1978)
La stratey for struggles of workers and oppressed masses towards overthrow of capitalist class rule, the dictatorship of the proictariat, and the socialist transformation of human Our programme is a body of ideas, policies and practice resting on the struggles and experience of all the workers and oppressed masses of the world. It expresses the historic tasks of class working champions the interests oppressed and exploited. If exists, is maintained and developed, through the systematic, activity of revolutionary marxists.
Party That is why Trotskyists insist on the necesatv of bulidine mass revolutionary parties in all countries as part of a world-wide Leninist party. Only such a party can organise revolutionary action to advance the struggle for socialism. Only such a party is able to defend and develop the theory of the working revolutionary marxism — in order to carry forward the light to resolve the crisis of proletarian leadership.
Without such a party it is impossible build Teadership consistently basing itself on the global struggies of the workers oppressed, practical lessons and needs arising develop corroct policies and a way forward to socialism. class history confinims this fact.
The opportunist Icadership of the workers' movement today represents the main political problem facing the masses in the struggle to defend and AV E EILEALELIE left can present trateg halt or reverse its decline.
for the rotten leadership.
political Sectarian Alternative advancing (TOTOUBOR)
challenge social democratic Feb 1978, p2).
La) We foroes on the full revolutionary class. lE of all SPAlEY organised practice threatens Trotskyist movement.
that cerorinisnl. consistent *that left ciass they could revolutionary which, this project and grasp the OTCE bureaucracy.
All working Weak Link ravages imposed by the decay of the Imperialist system and all attempts to Political defeat of the labour sureaucracy is a necessaty conditios emergence ol a mass revolutionary party to replace this Our programme and practice must therefore advance i political strategy to meet this task.
The IMG leadership calls for "the links construction of a socialist alternative o. Labourist politics in the nationa. TC AIICA WOUR ATOUB LOELIN all revolutionary socialist foroes to politics politics. all along the line.' (Battle of Ideas, 2 This programme marxism which includes building a revolutionary socialist International. The tendency of the IMG 1o counterpose the "socialist alternative' grouping of revolutionary socialists to this task in political integrity and development of tie b) It is a sectarian error to declare those already "converted" is a serious strategy to win new and decisive forces away from The IMG attacks the SWP's project to orgazasog souuanes, pomnny ou social democracy and its ideas had to be cocountered before be combatted and defeated". (ibid). It is a good point. We won't meet many reformist ideas in the course of aroumine toucther socialists" Whether their zoes under the sean *Build the Socialist Alternative' or "Build the Socialist Workers Parcy' in neither case does il offer a political strategy to advance the mass struggle and decisively challenge the labour Reformist politics predominate in Tne Brinsa labour movemenE tromP to bottom. To break this chain we need to find its wetk link. This cannot revolutionary left" who have broken ATCOLY CACI CEXS AIM CEOTEN.
We must turn to the broad layers of millant acivits in the trade union and the Labour Party, in the shop Lewards movement and amone the youth and oppressed sections society. These militants, overwhelmingly influcnced by reformism, have come to the fore in many strucale: over the past period.
Their vanguard position, and close the masses, confronts these militants with the conflict between the immediate noods of the mass struggle and the practical effects of class collaborationist proved sharp enough in the heat of certain struggle partially escapes the control and political framework of the reformist ureaucracy. The task for Trotskyists is to win this vanguard of militant workers to systematic and total break with reformism. It will not occur spontaneously.
Kevlationary Strategy This means revolutionists must intervene alongside militant workers to open the road for consistent class Propaganda for CWTCOUS SN Trotskyist policies drawn up to moel the acrual needs of the masses as opposed to the policies of class collaboration is a vital task. alone is tot enough.
We must fieht in the labour independent IPSCOILER for organs the of creation struggle, representine ,and uniting sections of the masses, to advance class against capitaliscs, Initially, these organs of sruggle will take various forms too numerous lo detail bere CINI TALIL COEELELLSCOLIECU fight Ciovemmient Cutbacks in the : commitiees and elected commissions to exumine of specific firms or branches of industr:
Within such bodies we should fight for revolutionary policies as well as dertanding support from "left" labour Jenders for the policies and strugeles they develop. CLOE United Class Front In this way the material basis is laid for building a united class front to carry tornard srege and appressed. It also prepares tb way for the future emereence of rea of organs of workers power, uniting the broad masses on the basis of widest democracy Soviet organs represent the highest form of the class-wide united front. They will be sharply the basis for workers state power to repinoe that of the capitalisis, don't expect factory committees or soviets to spring up overnight neither next week nor on the eve of the socialist revolution. It is mecessary to take steps now to prepare the basis for this development.
The strateay building pre-soviet organs of strugsle and tiehtine for the anited chiss tron. is one that needs of the claws struggle and opens the road to socialist revelution, It is a serious political strategy to fight the орешиста arming anguard with a tine for the mass and creating the best conditions to win this vanguard to conscious and consistent, rejection of reformist politics.
We oppose the Socialist Unity ractie wluch offers merely slogans for a This *socialist alternative linked only to the strategy for 'unified revalutionary As we have argued, this is a sectarian line in the mass struggle and a false trpad Disis For reponar MERISE DERIS Our strategy keads to 3 tactical the tion in boergcois clections, all of them link with and reinforce our everyday work.
L Stand Trotckyist candidales to propagandise the programme and strategy of revolutionary marsisi platform of support for independens drpatis principled, hut partial, policies linked to specific strugeles. For example, i platform of End all immigration controls, organise apainst racist attacks.* pretence DI workers the of workers' power class independentiy power!, osthned ahove Ini propaganda answers the immediale TEYUEIDILET locality, the militant this campaign, Summary Trotsyists Ising the To. THTpw practically organisation": victory revolution.
Support candidates on a clear There. , struggle and self-detence Such a candidacy/ platform makes answcr all che Immediate tasks facing the working class. It does show a line to advance the mass strugale on a particulur question and hegins lo reveal, in practice, an overall political strategy fof which it is a part) for deleating the labour bureaucracy in the course of adsancing the immediate interests of the workers and oppressed.
3. In many arcas there will be no candidates supporting a principled strategy for workers power againsi Here, militants and class conscious fighters will vote Revolutionists should CaNNNEE under the slogan: *Vore Labour, hut fight for workers This would combine for Trotskvist gramme with a light to win suppor for specific policies and methods of Srugale that ane the hasis of everyday intervention in the As with the other clectoral tactics. We aith to win Labour actisists, trade unton and other malitants to support mast light among militant workers in the class strugele siralemie nithod 01 1he transisonal programume to help them off the dead hand of reformist Icadership and show the struggles 1o chrough the socialist Leading people into the editorial Socialist Challenge into Socialist Unity and so on, does not begin this prosess.
The Trotskrist Opposition Faction has major political differences with the IMG lendership. It is impossible te detail these in the space available The above statement only indicates some uf the main points of an alternative line lo that offered hy the leadership at this conference.