M.pablo Rise & Decline of Stalinism

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the speeches at the conterence, the dominant themes were general descriptions of the situation which failed to touch significantly on the key political questions and consistently returned to the 'defeat' which is supposed to have been imposed at some point on the working class, abstract schemas for building a "class struggle left wing" and programmatic fuzziness.

The central themes of the unified opposition bioc were rejection of the "new mass vanguard"/Socialist Unity orientation in favour of a 'proletarian orientation'to the Labour Party and the trade unions; regroupment on a principled programmatic basis with forces such as the WSL, ICL, Chartists, LSA and Bulletin group; the building of a youth movement; and redirection of Socialist Challenge as "popular workers' paper"

Practical results

Speakers for the opposition bloc were able to draw out some practical results of the majority's record and make a few correct points about the SWP.

A delegate from Brixton showed how the IMG had not only capitulated to nonTrotskyist forces around the West Indian Block but also how the work of the party organisation in that area was suspended for the period of the election!

A speaker from Oxford pointed out the vacillating role of the Oxford SWP in relation to Stalinism. He went on to show how the IMG majority were divided amongst themselves over the nature of the SWP.

Within the proletarian orientation' the opposition platform allowed for electoral intervention but argued that this should be on the basis of the IMG's programme and should be directed to building the IMG.

Failed

Despite making some formally correct points and much talk of training IMG members as 'mass leaders' 'steeled' in a clear understanding of programme and party building, the opposition failed themselves to lay down the basis for a real proletarian orientation around the transitional programme.

As one supporter of Strawson catalogued the sort of content required for a revolutionary paper, the Socialist Press reporter got the distinct impression that his own paper was being described.

However, a similar thought was obviously running through the speaker's head and in order to clear up any misunderstanding he rounded Mandel urges "unity"

rejecting Socialist Press as a model and instead held out the very different papers Rouge (paper of the French LCR) and Militant (SWP/ USA) as the ideals to imitate.

This admiration for the SWP is quite crucial to understanding the politics of the IMG opposition bloc, as there is more than a suggestion of the SWP/USA about the "alternative' being presented to the IMG membership.

In his greetings to the conference SWP leader Barry Shepherd reported a recent decision by the American Pabloites to make a turn to the working class' "We are seeking to get the majority of our comrades into the big mass industrial unions in the USA", , he said.

Lest anyone thinks that this heralds a fundamental change in political line, Shepherd went on to explain that the campaigns of the SWP would not change politically but would simply be carried out within the working class rather than among radicalising petty-bourgeois layers.

So it is with the orientation of the Strawson/SWP bloc. After making many correct points the Strawson resolution outlines six key campaigns for the IMG over the coming year.

Compatible

Each of these are compatible with the politics of the majority, but the difference is the proposal that they be carried into the main organisations of the labour movement: anti-racism and anti-fascism, abortion, withdrawal of troops from Ireland, against unemployment, for defence of dissidents within the bureaucratised workers states, for democracy in the labour movement.

It remains to be seen whether Strawson - an all-time political tourist - will be completely absorbed into the alternative Pabloite politics of the SWP, or turn perhaps in a more healthy political direction.

At the last IMG conference the "Trotskyist Opposition" hailed the emergence of the WSL as an important gain for the building of the Trotskyist movement.

What we have seen in Socialist Challenge and in a short unfinished document presented by a member of the Trotskyist Opposition indicates that some programmatie strengths of this tendency remain intact, even in the hostile environment of the IM(i. leadership factions remains to be seen.

Interesting

In the context of the USFI the fraternal greetings from the LCR, (French section of the USFI), and from the international leadership itself were a particularly interesting feature of the conference.

The LCR speaker-in sharp contrast to the line pushed by the IMG in public meetings held to discuss the situation following the left's defeat in the French elections-argued that the workers would resist the attacks being prepared by the French ruling class and that real opportunities were opening up for revolutionaries to fight for the breaking of workers from the main reformist organisations.

Referring to methods of achieving regroupment, the LCR delegate stressed that programme was central to unity.

This theme was continued by the USFI speaker who surprisingly stressed the importance of the Transtional Programme and the need to take advantage of the crisis in the reformist and centrist organisations through 'hard, programmatic struggle'.

Principles

Referring to principles to be used in fusion with other groups he again stressed programme (the first four congresses of the Communist International and the Transitional Programme), democratic centalism and line of march for the present situation to change the balance of class forces.

On the Fourth International, he argued that "belonging to the Fourth International is an absolute principle in any fusion"

He went on to say that in the light of this there were some problems with the IMG leadership's approach to regroupment.

The response of Alan Jones to this intervention (which stands in sharp contrast to the practice of the USFI internationally) was a characteristic one.

"Bloody disgrace"

Outside the conference hall he referred to the speech as a "bloody disgrace"particularly as the IG leadership had not been informed of the contents of the USFI greetings!

Jones had good reason to be annoyed. Not only is the transitional missing from the IMG's basis for regrouping with the British SWP, but he knows full well that if the regroupment were to take place it would have to be outside the USFI, for which the SWP has nothing but contempt.

Following objections to his intervention the USFI delegate returned to the platform to explain that the content of his speech had been agreed by the International Bureau alone and that discussion with the IMG leadership would have to procede on the leading bodies of the International.

It is quite typical of the USHI to leave its intervention But in view of the record of its sections, particularly in Spain and Portugal, over the last few years, the USFI leadership should also make a thorough examination of the way the "fight for programme" is being waged by its members.

It is certainly hard to take seriously the pretence of the USFI leadership - whose whole history has consisted of revising the most basic conceptions of the Transitional Programme - to stand today as staunch defenders of Trotskyist 'orthodoxy' It is worth asking at what point the USFI leaders decided that the Transitional Programme had become a matter of principle .

Discuss

The WSL has expressed its wish to discuss these questions with the USFI leadership and members.

It would also be interesting to know where the USFI stands in the Party and Faction debate, in which the IMG leaders have set out to falsify the history of the The Socialist Challenge 'Open Forum' of 24 April was devoted to an article by Tariq Ali entitled 'A Plan to Save the Morning Star'.

Reporting the difficulties which Stalinism in crisis has provided for the Morning Star, Ali spends much of his offering wailing about the "setback to the working class" which he feels the collapse of the Star would represent.

"CP members are faced with the possibility that they might have to cease publication of a daily. This would leave us without a single daily working class paper.

True there is always the Newsline, but it reflects the bizarre politics of the Workers Revolutionary Party...

•.. so in effect the death of the Star would leave us without a paper in which one can occasionally read the views of shop stewards engaged in struggles All movement openly arrayed behind Jones' liquidationist capitulation to the British SWP centrists. and the other quarter swinging towards the Pabloite US SWP, the future looks pretty bleak for serious forces within the All the signs confirm OUT long-held view that no amount of numerical gro wth or temporary adaptation to critics within or outside the movement can resolve the political crisis within the And the political collapse .. J 11. of the various oppositions indicates that there is no prospect of a turn in the coming period towards a fight for the demands and principles of the Transitional Programme.

Those who are turning away from Jones must not be taken in by the SWP/USA but must turn to serious examination of the record of the WSL-the only organisation in Britain fighting for the programme and method of the Fourth International. and their for solidarity"

It would also be one less daily paper reflecting the views of counter-revolutionary Stalinism.

Far be it from us to defend the Newsline but the fact of the matter is that those who care to read it will find regular coverage of industrial disputes, views of shop stewards engaged in struggles and their calls for national solidarity.

They will of course search in vain, las they would in Socialist Challenge) for the method and principles of the Transitional Revolutionaries can have only one attitude to the CP-bitter hostility.

The collapse of the Morning Star would be a clear indication that its counter-revolutionary policies were bringing it to a severe crisis.

It is not our job to give advice to the enemies of the workers movement on how they could avoid the just deserts of their This does not mean that we take a sectarian attitude to the rank and file of the CP.

But even a fool could see that if the healthy elements in the CP suddenly found themselves without a daily paper, then the political crisis this would spark off within the Stalinist movement would create great opportunities for revolutionaries.

Circulation

Circulation of papers to the left of the CP would almost certainly rise-and the possibilities of fighting for a genuine revolutionary paper would be greatly increased.

If the Morning Star is in crisis then the best thing Trotskyists can do is to help that crisis along In the now famous words of Rohin Rlarkhurn "/o* * -==-'

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SOCIALIST. ESS, Wednesday 3 Маї, 19-8 relative sanity of Uxiora, Wycliffe proposed a radical answer to the religious con-