Hands off the SWP!
Socialist Press1979 1979-09-19Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 4 →
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• felt really dismayed to discover that the WSL has given so much prime space in your paper to hacks who have so little understanding about revolutionary politics that they see as their main enemy all the groups to the left of the CPGB who are making some significant contribution to the overthrow of capitalism.
Naturally, the state of the left in Britain is appallingendiess sectarian struggles by tiny grouplets all claiming to have discovered the correct and pure 'Leninist-Trotskyist' and other "ists" line, and then turning out verbose and pompous crap and distortions about each other. in order to win converts to their particular sect.
Recently, during the Garners strike, I first heard of the WSL when I spoke to some comrades on the picket line, and was really impressed with what they were saying and doing-it seemed to me that the WSL were truly differentiated from that host of hot air sects -Sparts RCT, RCG, WRP etc.-in that they really stuck to this dispute and provided much needed support to the strikers alongside the SWP and IMG.
Imagine my dismay then in reading several centre page 'SWP Specials' from your paper dated June-July 1979, which were filled with such complete distortion and in some cases direct lies about the SWP, in order to Drove' the correctness Tasris except when individual comrades from your organisation act in a true 'United Front" such as at Garners.
Derek Chassay.
We reply:
Comrade Chassay's "dismay" at our extensive political analysis of the SWP's 'rank and file' politics is unfortunately not backed up by a single. example of a "direct lie " or a "distortion".
We would contend that this is because the articles were carefully researched, and designed to challenge those like cde Chassy who feel it sufficient to be simply "to the left of the CPGB", and that a Leninist party and Marxist theory are not necessary in today's class Yet it is precisely on the basis of our grasp of Marxism and the crisis of working class leadership that the WSL's full-scale support for the Garners strike was mobilised and maintained, enabling us to materially and politically strengthen the strike.
We advise cde Chassay to read Lenin's What is to be Done? before returning to a study of our articles on the SWP.