Future elections
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Hi Alex,I am delighted that you will soon be a member of The Socialist Party, hell, I stopped calling them the SPGB 20 or more years ago! but regardless, you ask if they are a party with the right tactics?First of all, I would ask another question, is The Socialist Party a party, with the right message? The answer is an unequivocal yes. That Capitalist society does not, nor cannot work for 95 to 99% of the population is irrefutable. As someone who has been a member and supporter of The Socialist Party for 32 years and can say that they are the ONLY party who has consistently opposed the insanity and iniquity of Capitalism. They are not interested in reforming it and have a body of "logical argument" that proves beyond doubt that it is irreformable nor irredemable!Lets get to the meat of your question! Are they a Party with good tactics? First of all, as with any political, or other organisation, it's tactics are only are as strong as it's membership and their commitment. The commitment of Socialist Party members is, on the whole, absolute! Taking in to account ill-health, problems that invariably spring up within Capitalism, they are some of the most determined and single-minded individuals I have ever met. Disagreements aside, the are my comrades.Their tactics? well they are, and this is merely my opinion for what it's worth, beginning to be on the right track. They, nearly put "we", are a party that believes Socialism can only be brought about via the ballot box. What they may have realised, or stumbled over accidentally is that, standing in elections gives a "focal point" for activity, energises and unites comrades in the struggle. I think, reading the various Party forums, that this has finally been realised.So yes Alex, I would say that The Socialist Party IS, a party with good prospects to do some serious damage in the intellectual and political arena. But, it is dependent on members to "force" this issue.With this in mind, and with people like yourself asking this sort of question and the shit, "my", "our"class are getting from Capitalism, I am minded to reverse my decision and rejoin the Party!Personal and procedural disputes aside, this is where the, "intellectual and logical high ground is", would I, could I, be anywhere else? I do not think so.So I hopefully have answered "your" question and so doing, answered my own. Let's get to it and be damned LOL, Steve.
Hello Steve,Thank you for the response. Anyway, we, as a party, will still work very hard as a party and work in the interests of the general public, because the SPGB always has and always will be a people's party.May I ask, though, I thought you said, at some point in this thread, that you thought the North East branch were getting a disproportionate amount of funds from the SPGB.Also, correct me if I am worng but, is most of the SPGB funds kept in Clapham in London?If this is the case, and most party funds are kept in London (the Capitalist financial centyre of Britain!) Then the party needs to change so that funds are distributed evenly across the country.
Alex Woodrow wrote:Hello Steve, May I ask, though, I thought you said, at some point in this thread, that you thought the North East branch were getting a disproportionate amount of funds from the SPGBI think that was me, my point being that if Steve stood as an independent he would not receive financial support from the party. If Steve rejoined and stood as an official party candidate I am sure he would receive finance.Re the concentration of funds. The party's funds are under the democratic control of the membership regardless of which bank they are in. The membership has control.
alanjjThis post is for anyone who is interested. The Contemporary Marxist Party (CMP) have a manifesto put together now. Unfortunately they are not a socialist party, they support state capitalism as they like to defend Lenin and Mao, both two capitalist dictators.Anyway, below is the link to their manifesto, and you can click on the link to then see what the Contemporary Marxist Party stands for.Link: http://www.cmparty.org/manifesto/
‘whose Primary industries, and many Secondary Industries are dying, and where Tertiary andQuaternary industries are on the rise.’ Quarternary…now there is an everyday word for workers to understand! Apparently in a later reference to this i gather it means part of the service sector. A Unitarian movement for a Unitarian Front.!!i first misread it as Utilitarian as in the church…lolWhy is it that groups who say they seek unity always form breakaways rather than uniting by joining existing organisations? Why re-invent the wheel all the time. I realised this when the CP breakaway trade unions of the 30s were called united miners of scotland and united garment workers union. Both were never united and both failed to take off. http://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/05/red-union.html
alanjjohnstone, I agree with you one hundred percent. The Contemporary Marxist Party would rather do what's best for their own party rather than uniting the people. The CMP have before said they are for socialism, so I asked them why not come and join the Socialist Party of Great Britain. Though the secretary of the Contemporary Marxist Party rejected this idea, just showing how they didn't really want to unite the people.I used to be a member of the CMP, and, for a while, I thought they were real socialists. Though once I saw that there were people in the party defending the likes of Lenin and Trotsky, as well as defending the Soviet Union and the idea of a "Vanguard Party" running the world, and with the party happy not to challenging but rather embrace these extreme state capitalist views I could do nothing but leave the CMP and join the Socialist Party of Great Britain, the only REAL socialist party. Also, the CMP had an undemocratic leadership, with unelected secretaries and a are planning to put in a party committee. The CMP are NOT a democratic movement acting in the interests of the people, and the only way the Contemporary Marxist Party can improve is by removing the undemocratic, pro Soviet style parasitic party leaders and instead create a party based around REAL democracy which works in the interests of the majority of its party members, instead of working in the interests of the few party secretaries. Anyway, there are many decent members of the Contemporary Marxist Party, as the majority of the members are decent people and oppose state capitalism, and this is why the CMP has had problems regarding sustaining its membership and the party is no political threat, as really, at the moment, they are just a false flag sensationalist front. I am sure maybe a few of these members may well join the Socialist Party of Great Britain, as I will stay in touch with many ordinary CMP members and try to convince the REAL socialist faction of the CMP to leave and, instead, join the SPGB.
Alex,great review of the CMP! Should go in the Socialist Standard.
TheOldGreyWhistle, thank you very much for your praise regarding my review on the Contemporary Marxist Party. Anyway, now you have suggested getting an article printed in the Socialist Standard on the subject of reviewing the Contemporary Marxist Party, I will get into contact with the whoever makes the Socialist Standard and ask if they would be interested in an article of this.Thanks for the suggestion mate, it's a very good idea to have an article of this in the Socialist Standard.I owe you one!Alex.
Pity, Steve, you didn't avail yourself of the opportunity to put something on the ballot paper as you can for Parish Council elections but it's a still straight Socialist v Labour fight:http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/StatementOfPersonsNominatedParish.pdf
I thought I had put something on, "Socialist society not Capitalism". It was an oversight on my part, caused by the fact that I was not feeling well that morning. As you rightly say, it will be a straight fight, with the caveat that it will be one Socialist against two Labourites and as I have seen before this is not always good! But my Socialist ideas or well known, as is my stance, "you dont understand and agree, then vote for someone else".Steve.
ALB wrote:Pity, Steve, you didn't avail yourself of the opportunity to put something on the ballot paper as you can for Parish Council elections but it's a still straight Socialist v Labour fight:http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/StatementOfPersonsNominatedParish.pdfTo be fair Alb Steve is an Independent canditate and it's up to him anyway, unless the party is going to throw some support his way?Wouldn't be that much different from the party offering financial support to the anarchist book shop. Steve's case is identical to that of the party and you will rarely come across a more honest bloke (as well as being a socialist of course) in the north of England. Having a manifesto distributed in a Parish is not that expensive. Of course there is the problem of Steve being asked why he does not stand for the Socialist Party!
Actually he's a "no description" candidate not an "Independent" (which is generally the designation used by undercover Tories!). That's of course only as far as the ballot paper is concerned.I missed that Steve is also standing for the County Council (where you don't have a choice of putting some description on unless you are nominated by a registered party):http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/StatementOfPersonsNominatedCountyDivisions.pdf
I should have said independent with a small ' i' from political organisations.
TheOldGreyWhistle wrote:Wouldn't be that much different from the party offering financial support to the anarchist book shop. Steve's case is identical to that of the party and you will rarely come across a more honest bloke (as well as being a socialist of course) in the north of England.Strange that an offer of financial help was seriously suggested for the fire damaged anarchist bookshop, yet when a recent ex party member announced they are standing in the local elections, (to continue north east socialist electoral activity) no offer of party support was even mentioned on this forum.
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