Marxist History? may not be suitable for miniscule "Tactics appropriate to parties some 6000 and the Labour Party 1930s and 1940%, as well as the tactics, Thus Trotskyists in the weakness of the revolutionary Tell has necessitated different occasions when the extremie groups.. There have been still in its infancy: E W S formation of the Labour Party, as parties in Europe, represented an itself was a mixed blessing.. un workers (Page 37). In reality the with the building of other mass improvement' from the openly around the necks of RE V the minority of advanced bourgeois parties, but a Gluckstein, Bookmarks, The Labour Party - A Tony Cliff and Donny Marxist History 1988. 57.95. Reviewed by
bad) of Trotskyists, including the omitted, The capacity of a small. but since its inception. Here their raised by entris and the politics pages on the Socialist League in from the footnote quoted above, More significantly the work even miniscule group to lead of the Socialist Labour League own projects), and a couple of a short section on the Militant Socialist Review Group in the (again bocause of one of their reference to the role (good or distortion by omission. Apart members from the questions of the Labour left, leads to a the carly 1930s, there is no (SLL) in the 1950s is also attempt lo immunise their entrism had to be rocognised as a insistence on official recognition revolutionaries to stand on their of the right to free criticism and organisahional autonomy, Such served the purpose of helping milieu or the abandonment of genuine class struggle (which Socialist Review Group (the weakness. As soon as it had Party. This did not invoive a precursor of the SWPy used. 'entrism" inside the Labour own feet, eatrism had to be absorption by the reformist abandoncd. As a long-tem policy it could only lead to tactic imposed by great revolutionary intent, or public declaration of seemingly endless capitulation lo its elevation of 'national interest" safeguard against "Bolshevism"* important step in the direction of was always the understanding of Most of what the authors say betrayals of the leadership. This pro-imperialist chauvinism and Parliament was seen openly by history, its early pucts with the the needs of the ruling ciass, A about its class collaborationist Sidney Webb and others us "a over class are proof too of its industrial action, is true. Its class independence by the working class, despite the strong Labour Party in Lenin and Trotsky. Liberals, its sell- small organisation and in support of its immediate tactical interess. of the Labour Party is written by pretending to be objective, is narrow viewpoint of a relatively starting point the interests of Worker Party's (SWP) version history, which this purports struggle against capitalism. Unfortunatcly the Socialist Cliff and Glockstein from the point of view of the ruling generally written from the class. A work of Marxist to be, should have as its the working class in its BOURGEOIS history, JANE KELLY
Arthur Deakin, who had used the given by Inhune In the lell-wing sultice to underline the enormity apparently largely motivaled by Blue Union against the TG WIE dockers to join a union of their massive force of the TGWU to In the section on Bevans, the authors discuss the support the hatred of the Bevanites for the Labour Left, in such a way between the "political" Labour Party and the 'industrial' trade ignored. A few examples will squash the Labour left' (page choice. Tribune's stand was in 1954, and for the right of unions was broken down is that the traditional division of this omission. propose and carry out joint work denunciations from the sidelines. Two questions (at least) arise. First, is a group like the SWP of been partially achieved, with the abstention from the struggles of Anti-Nazi League at the end af the left in the Labour Party put less than 4000, in a position lo impose the classic united front course not. Only once has this on today's Labour Party? Of confines of ibe Labour Party with the Labour left, as they existence the SWP has been has always been outside the Has the SWP's effective them in a good poxition to organisation)" (Page 108). the 1970s. For most of its chancterised by secturian significant impact on the relation Laker Partie resented 2s% af party of any sort exists. the adult population voted in the But there is a lot more wrong But we need only look to the represents a lower level of class to see the real gains in the form one-sidedness in its emphasis: with this account than a bit of of class independence that the United States, where no mass They see no alternative to the hoses. The failure of the US last US Premdential election. of class forces in American independent party not only working class to build an consciousness, but has a still represents. | precursor of the SWP, in the late every opportunity, and as such it role of revolutionary marxists in Labour Party, It also ignores the as a revolutionary socialist view 1960s. As a result its uscfulness retain illusions in the party, But relation to this party: including of the mass party is completely selling out the working class at could play a role in educating Lenin's formulation of the Labour Party as a 'bourgeois if does so in a very one-sided some of the Labour left who the International Socialists. It contains a devastating critique of Labour's role in contradictory nature of the way, underplaying the
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 12 February 1989 Hull, Liverpool and Manchester? committeey bult by the rank and file at every dock in Birkenhead, Motivated hy hatred it might who had no link with rank and breakaway to the "Blue Union' Nor was thix process simply have heen; but why did Bevan, Why? Because the SI.L. had Committee hefore the move to the dockers and the Bevanites. therefore able to link together file workers" struggles (Page. unofficial commitices, indeed the "Bluc Union', and were organised by the unofficial Birkenhead Port Workers" 266) agree to support the they had fused with the greal influence in these (contradicting their theory of the groups were full of militants und took the SWP months (some say groups set up during the miners" The experience of the support six) to realise that the strike was with trade union lefts, women's downtum) and that the support collected, pickets supported. It initialed and led these suppin one: no again, In many areas, strong, the Labour left (along strike of 1984-5 answers that rooms were lent to miners lo groups. Constituency party organised, money and food especially where they were groups, other left groups) going to last a long time argue in the conclusion? work from, rallies were that those tactics were based on a directly from the narrow interests Marxists in a footnote discussing uniled front, with of the SWP today, from its belicf 1920s. Posing themselver as the play the clasxic united front role Communist Party as advised by liberation, It believes that it can proposed by Lenin and Trotsky in many of their writings in the Lenin. The footnote points out revolutionary party which will today, they deride work in the Labour Party by revolutionary alterative to the mass party the Communists numbering For the one-sidedness flown lead the working class to its the tactics of the carly "party to party' (Page 29, their italics). The party character in the abstract, they are Parliament is seen as a substilute the theorctical framework for the from trade unionism from the organisation could defend itself presented as the icsuit of defeat: new unionism, but of its defear' writers accept its contradictory party", appears at the Labour Party represented. It is very beginning of the book as class that the formation of the for trade unionism: "d retreat The ILP was not the child of historic gain for the working (Page 12, their italics). The argument, but although the election of Labour MPs 1o mealy-mouthed about the belief that collective
NORTN-EAST PREA WOMEN AGAINST 3 m
same time the SLL recruited both from the dockers and the Labour important though this was in the about building the Labour left, fight against the right. At the
Philip Gordon/Reflex Peter Fryer: workers leaders like the 1956 invasion of Hungary by groups which tried to recruit the from the Communist Party after recruited intellectuals including dissidents, the SIL were by far Party. Moreover, in the split Brian Behan who sat on the the Sovict Union, of all the the most effective, They
Martians in the Arizona desert and the chance of a new career his nose eaten by cancer a fridgedaire in an automobile the most powerful man accompanied by his 2nd wife :