of the recent pronouncements of Socialist Organiser THE ALLIANCE for Workers Liberty (AWL), which publishes Socialist Organiser, has vigorously stepped up its attacks on Socialist In Socialist Organiser 526, Sean Matamna devoted a whole page to attack ing us. His attack was sonalised vitriot, ending bizarre conclusion that Outlook supWhat lies behind this outburst is the embarrassment Socialist Organiser has faced on two issues. First their denunciation of Ken Livingstone's Labour leadership Challenge, in which matamona caled Livingstone orag election defeat of Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams, entitled 'Good News from West Swinging behind Prescott Socialist Organiser's line on the Labour leadership election has been through curious gyrations. At first their line was that the only potential candidate who could be supported wa: their candidate for deputy leader. 'Students for Grant' groups.
given that Grant was excluded by the undemocratic nomination rules, 50 has come out in favour of a vote for John Prescott!
Here is clever logic for you; Ken Livingstone is too right wing to be sup Kinnocks fondercher on escort, and indeed a 'scumbag'; but deeply mired in complicity with New Realism, is now deemed worthy of support.
Socialist Organiser is a rightward moving sect. It delights in taking positions sharply at variance with the rest of training of its largely student sup Ane nase saecereover the Maastricht agreement. Socialist of the far left, opposes the Maastricht plan for a fortress Hurope which would frontally attack the working class, immigrants and asylum seekers.
Demanding the right to abstain SO boldly demands a referendum on the issue. But then it declares it would advise the working class to abstain if & left tendency instead? such a referendum was held! Even though socialists oppose the status quo in Europe, that is no reason not to op pose a major attack on the working class of the whole continent.
A more serious attack on socalist Outlook has been articles in SO 525 and 526 about the recent strike ballot on London Underground. In both these articles RMT District Council member Patrick Sikorski is named as a supporter these articles know full well that this is tantamount to denouncing Sikorski to Witch-hunting Indeed the first article is signed by a "Central Line guard', an elementary precaution given the hunting atmosphere on London UnderBut no such security precau ions apply to alleged supporters of Left currents, apparently Socialist Organiser should call its authors, Central Line guard and Jim Dennam, coorder and era tis angerns operation.
The articles attacking Sikorskiare full of the most apolitical personal abuse talking and sarcasticall 'Great Man' and 'Great Thinker etc etc). Moreover they are based on a falsehood; the accusation that Sikorski vigorously supported the calling off of the strike.
No mention is made of the fact that at the crucial District Council meeting of 12 May Sikorski was one of the minority of four people who argued that the strike should go altead. But what do facts matter when you can sling abuse at another far What is to be made of a current whose stock in trade is apolitical abuse and frenzied attacks on the rest of the far left? These things have a very specific Training its student members in dogmatic factionalism SO's That is ten yod will see ataly.
on the far left in Socialist Organiser than conception of the policions of te The AWL has no policy on building an international revolutionary move ment. To give itself a veneer of internationalism and the illusion of international links it ransacks the press of the Fourth International.
A serious article on Algeria will be by the PST, the Algerian trotskyist organisation' without any acknowledgement that this organisation is part of the Fourth International - while the AWL is not. And the same is true of many other countries.
of SO articles in recent years have been culled from Rouge, Critique Communiste, Inprecor and International Viewpoint, all journals of the FI.
International isolation The AWL's international isolation is consequence of the decision, in the 1970s, of the AWL's forerunners to efuse to join the Fl despite thei position of 'critical support for it. The ab sence of any regular participation in international discussions is evident in their increasing cranky international politics.
The line adopted by SO on the castern bloc, a reversion to the positions drift. The AWL regards the attempted estoration of capitalism as a bourgeoi volution' and thus progressive The logic here is very clear and very precise; the AWL regards the ex-Soviet Jnion and the other post-capitalist states as having been an historical The attempt to com to restore capitalism may be progressive in SO's view, but for the millions reduced to destitution and poverty by this process it is not.
Ireland
The move to the right is also clear in the gradual change of position on the national question. Support for the national struggle in Ireland was for years a particular point of honour for SO leaders like Matgamna and Martin Thomas; now it has been abandoned.
On the Middle East, the AWL's format suppor to the Farsonian nadonat stat for a two state borden, to the rights of the present state of Israel, a garbled perversion of the trotskyist Middle East and the right of self-determination for Israeli jews within it.
Socialist Outlook has major differences with the AWL on building a revolutionary current in Britain. The AWL's work is seriously distorted by its absolute prioritisation of students.
Recruiting students is of course valurevolutionary current in this period cannot be based on students.
Matgamna's assertion that 50's trade work 'is probably better than Socialist Outlook's' is laughable; you will search high and low for any union with a seriously organised AWL frac tion. Indeed ex-student supporters of the AWL have told us that industrial workers have been compelled to 'make the turn to becoming students!
jean Matgamna in his attack on socialist Outlook thinks we are 'funny people because we don't always respond positively to their numerous them. Our answer is simple. We are always interested in debating other socialists who are serious about ideas.
But we refuse to prioritise discussion people whose ider of debate 1s dredging up allegations about what our supporters are alleged to have said in pubs and hurling apolitical abuse.
Chronic way of life for Socialist Organiser and the AWL; the worst habits of headbangcome endemic, a part of that grouping's DNA. Such genetic diseases are invariably fatal.
No. 25 July 11, 1992
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