revolutionary Challenge on 6 January. joint questions. Two recent articles in Socialist Challenge illustrate UTS *The Crisis of the Far Left in Europe' by John Ross, and Ernest Mandel's Fourth International: 40 years Firstly, they deny that any substantial changes have taken place in post-war capitalism -hence "classical' revolutionary these politics do not need any alteraWE PUBLISH here the response from Big Flame's National Committee to the appeal for joint work and unity which appeared in Members of the International Marxist Group and the International Socialist Alliance, which jointly issued the appeal, have discussed the response and it was considered that none of the points raised by Big Flame should stand in the way of its involvement in the tion. Secondly they assert that the FI has been correct on every major question in the period.
For instance. they sav: *The also correctly understood the historically limited the so-called boom".? In fact, Second World War, the FI predicted that capitalism would quickly collapse and the system would not even meet the imSocialist future. about the successes asserted.
"post-war after the backwards, 'occasional areas of work outlined.
Much of the Big Flame letter is concerned with criticism of the IMG, which the ISA as a group has no position on. It was therefore thought that the IMG itself ought to reply to these.
Praise of Communism It's sensible. anyone can understand it.
It's easy.
You're not an exploiter, so you can grasp it.
It's a good thing for you, find out more about it.
The stupid call it stupid and the squalid call it squalid.
It is against squalor and against stupidity.
The exploiters call it a crime But we know:
It is the end of crime It is not madness, but The end of madness.
It is not the riddle But the solution It is the simple thing So hard to achieve.
Bertold Brecht.
mediate needs of the masses.
Similar points could be made outside a limits the FI This is analyses of Stalinism and other Ross's article Inese points are not made in Trotskyists a sectarian nit-picking way. But aries?' this tendency to re-write history admitting only conjunctural er- rigidity rors', does not bode well for the attitude ability of the IMG to learn poism. litically from others, inside or SICW confirmed by John Challenge SOCIS entitled, *Can Nonbe RevolutionFurther confirmation of this lies towards the SWP, expressed in its resolution, 'Our Marxism, i.e. Trotskyism', and its members will have to either abandon their programmatic tradition or they will have to abandon their class.' Much of this resolution can only strengthen fears that this appeal and similar 'unity initiatives" are to be used as sectarian battering rams against the SWP.
For example, the experience of Socialist Unity is scen d. enabling the IMG to launch a campaign for a "socialist alternative" aimed at forcing the . SWP into an electoral alliance with us. The appeal we are dis cussing with ISA/BF should b seen as a lever.
Big Flame, as a non-Trotskyist willing to regroup organisation that defines revolutionary Marxism as Trotsky.
And if the IMG is not willing to recognise the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the SWP's politics, what chance is there of those of BF being taken seriously within a regrouped organisation, dominated by the IMG WHEE present perspectives BF sees left regroupment as providing the organisationa framework for genuine and synthesise differing traditions on the revolutionary left.
united revolutionary organisation should not merely be the sum of parts engaged in constant faction fights.
We remain in favour of joint work and debate - but without conditions. Joint work that will keep open the possibilities for future regroupment.
We will continue to work with the IMG, the ISA, other organisations, and non-aligned militants in areas like Socialist Unity, United Troops Out Movement, Anti Nazi League, Ford Workers Group Big Flame National Committee
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The areas of debate outlined by Big Flame clearly need to be pursued, and Socialist Challenge hopes to help organise discussions on some of these in the near