IN TOUCH IF YOU ENSURE WE MAKE OUR FUND DRIVE TARGET section of the series of capitulations to policies since the dass of MueDonald.
Beyond the bureaucracy result.
Party, the 'Militant' maintaining its further and Among the Lestle.
wuthentically Wilson and Callaghan's policies.
revolutionary sectarian positions THE PERIOD of the last Labour government was a testing time for any workers claiming to be socialist. The Lahourleft The the most ignominious right-wing alliance and the the Labour Party the Communist Party remuined paralysed Socialist by its refusal to break with the left of Socialist influence, und politicul credibility as a The current terming ibself the Marxist alternative in the Lubour group, placed altered positions Can Ie apparatus of the Labour Party above the needs of the working class. lis shift Further to the right was rellected in its open espousal of a pruceful democratic road to socialism.
forces of the capitalise left the situation was mure creditable. The Socialist Workers Party played a key role in building the campuign, single most effective political initiative of the last five sears — the And Nazi No matter what important BETHE atiomary differences exist with the SWP it also fought for. solidarised with, every massstruggle of the werking class and oppressed againsi Within the Labour Party some small currents, I1 DECIS Action and the Chartists. took wrong on major questions such as the AL and the SHEESE DI devolution referendum, but took the the first Initiative, in the form of the TOT A DOUT Victory, which might have approximated to the type of uniled response needed in the Labour Party. gained.
International Marxist Group wSl. was able lo take initiutives significant impact. The best kaown Sochilist Calty Socialist Challenge newspaper. But they also incleded the Teachers Allance, the Campaige for Action in NEPE, the Students Alliance, Revolution youth paper, and playing its active role in building the ANL and the National Abortion Campaign.
On that basis the IMG significanily -THI an orgunisation based in the trade unions and increased its relative weight umong the forces to the left of the Labour and Communist Party bareaucracies.
Hut despite these limited gains the revolutionary left absolutely failed to cIl the guins that WETE them. Under the 1964-70 Lahour major political the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign, helped to shape politics and cumpaign for revol- This waged try the Internutional Socialists (now the SWP] resulted in a serious and credible revolutionary organisation coming out ADOCHE AS 2E alternative to militants, The advent of another major campaign with an even greater working class composition, the Anti Naxi League, abso affected wide layers. But the secturianism of the if organisacion of the extreme lett blocked serious organised force coming out of it.
The SWP paid the price for is policies in 1974-79 by coming out of the end of te period of the lahour government not smaller in numhers but drastically weakened terais working class militants with a real position in the unions compared to 1974, and having suffered a major los of cadres. And its sectarianism was able to block the winning to organised revolutionary -POSSUCS young workers who could have been The smaller sectariun groups - ICL all had major splis and lost forces. The campaign for revolationary anity waged by the IME corresponded to the objective needs of the situation, and therefore allowed it to maintain numbers, and significantly improve Its social composition, but the size of the orgunisalion was not enough to schieve the unity of revolutionary forces which was needed.
This situation is of significance in the new period of struggle which is starting Tories, -The reformist Enhour left have not paid anything like the politicul price they should and could have done for their whysmul record ander Wilson and Callaghan.
Left reformists never automatically pay a price for their betrayuls tt onis if a real organised alternative is built to Asalways sectarianism has not alded the revolutionary organisations which practise it but hus aided the obstacles to the working class.
problen also revolutionary left a sharp challenge The way the posturings of the Labour lefts can best be countered is through the fur left making the most vigorous and concerted drive to both show theanselves the most consistent fighters uguinst the Tors government and at the same time put forward the basies of a socialist alternative to tiled social democratic policies.
The need for a unified revolutionary organisation that understands the Fundumental lasks ahead under the Tores is now even more important.
Socialist Chullenge 10 May 1979 page