Resignation from SPEW – Open letter

[jondwhite]

http://shortarguments.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/sara-mayos-resignation-from-the-socialist-party-her-letter-to-hannah-sell/

From Sara Mayo, former Deputy Branch Sec of "Socialist Party of England and Wales" (CWI) Cardiff South branch

[jondwhite]

SPEW have not attempted to cover uphttp://bit.ly/s-mayo2but also argued against signing women in the labour movementhttp://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/16503/11-04-2013/combating-violence-against-women-a-socialist-perspective-on-fighting-womens-oppression

[Anonymous]

However, Sara Mayo's letter to Hannah Sell, SPEW's deputy general secretary, was removed, but fortunately a Google cache has preserved it.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:h-l6CuVwiSUJ:shortarguments.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/sara-mayos-resignation-from-the-socialist-party-her-letter-to-hannah-sell/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=ubuntu 

[ALB]

jondwhite wrote:

SPEW have […] also argued against signing women in the labour movementhttp://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/16503/11-04-2013/combating-violence-against-women-a-socialist-perspective-on-fighting-womens-oppression

Actually, this SPEW statement against signing the 'women in the labour movement' document is not too bad and makes some good points against it as well as against anti-men feminism and no platformism, including this one:

Quote:

However, in saying "We therefore believe that, when women complain of male violence within our movement, our trade unions and political organisations should start from a position of believing women" the statement bends the stick too far, effectively arguing that the workers' movement begins by concluding the man is guilty, regardless of the evidence, or lack of it.Instead the statement should say that trade unions and political organisations should start from a position of taking all claims of violence made by women very seriously, and carrying out a thorough investigation, in a way that is sympathetic to the woman making the accusation.

This is the same point that was made when it was discussed here on this forum and at our EC meeting.As to the incident that has led to a resignation, I can't see that it has any political significance whatsoever. I certainly don't think we should use it to try to make some political capital out of it.

[jondwhite]

I think this may have come up elsewhere, but I've always assumed believing the women is not synonymous with assuming guilt in the absence of other evidence. I think it is more a reference to summarily dismissing the allegation prior to investigating.Having said that, on the face of what little I've read, then SPEW seems to not have handled this as badly as SWP.The latest Weekly Worker has a few things about this, including a letter about thishttp://www.cpgb.org.uk/home/weekly-worker/958/lettersand an article herehttp://www.cpgb.org.uk/home/weekly-worker/958/workers-movement-bureaucratic-justice-and-dealing-with-sex-assault-cases

[Anonymous]

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