OUTLOOK IN THE NINETIES, millions of women and men have taken part in mobilisations against the evils of capitalism and the bureaucratic dictatorships. This reflects the fact that humanity face widening dangers. Ecological, military, social and economic devastation faces millions of people. Many more people recognise the barbaric nature of capitalism. In a situation where the inability of the social democratic an communist parties to provide socialist solutions is becoming clearer, the task of creating new leaderships remains ahead.
Socialist Outlook is written and sold by socialists committed to this struggle. We are the British supporters of the world-wide marxist organisation, the Fourth International. We stand for the revolutionary transformation of society and a pluralist, socialist democracy world wide. The overall goal which we pursue is the emancipation of al human beings from every form of exploitation, oppression, alienation and violence.
Socialism must be under the control of ordinary people, democratic, pluralist, multi-party, feminist ecologist, anti-militarist and internationalist. It must abolish wage slavery and national oppression.
The working class is the backbone of unity among all the exploited and oppressed. The working class and its allies must uncompromisingly fight against capitalism and for a clear programme of action in order to gradually acquire the experience and consciousness needed to defeat capitalism at the decisive moment of crisis.
The movements of women, lesbians and gay men, and black people to fight their particular forms of oppression make an essential contribution to the struggle for a different society. They are organised around the principle "None so fit to break the chains as those who wear them". I WELCOME Martin Ralph's critical observations about my review of Bill Hunter's book Lifelong Apprenticeship. If nothing else, it gives the book welldeserved additional publicity. But I was writing a review, not a polemical theses. Space permitting, I would have liked to deal with many of the points Martin raised and others as well. I did suggest, in an accompanying letter, that it would be a good idea for Socialist Outlook to arrange a discussion round the book, preferably with Bill taking part. I can not understand why Martin raises the issue of Italy. There was a revolutionary upsurge in Italy after the fall of Mussolini.
But it was a pre-revolutionary situation which could only have. been converted into a revolutionary struggle for power, with the leadership of a Leninist party, deeply embedded in the working class, as the Bolsheviks were in 1917. No such party existed.
The vanguard workers were almost completely under the influence of stalinism and social democracy. Pictures of Stalin were everywhere - even in the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Naples.
"Long Live Stalin" adorned every available wall space. ously referred to me as "Morrow's Creature." I never referred to WIL being "anti-internationalist". However, like so many others, who consider themselves Trotskyists, (and there are still far too many about today) they never believed the building of the Fourth International as a priority.
To me, the Fourth International (US) is the legitimate continuation of the International whose founding conference I was privileged to attend in 1938. I genuinely believe that the WRP, under Healy's leadership, and to a lesser degree the Militant Group, were the major obstacles to the building of a viable section of the Fl in Britain and, because of their attempts to set up 'rival' bodies in other countries, hampered the growth and influence of the Fl world-wide.
The Fourth International (US) is not a monolithic organisation (as Healy's WRP was). There is room in it for all genuine revolu•The Socialist Outlook 300 We welcome readers' letters on any topic. Letters over 400 words may be cut for space reasons. Write to Socialist Outlook, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU. email: [email protected] tionaries. Trotsky made valiant attempts to keep Max Shachtman and CLR James in, despite their very profound differences. Pablo made the same appeal to Healy.
Bill Hunter was and is a revolutionary Marxist. His place is in the Fourth International, in its British section. Charlie van Gelderen, Cambridge donation was well spent!