Two men and a blog form a faction

Oh well it is the season to be merry I suppose, so the news that two individuals have formed an open faction within the "Committee for a Workers International" (CWI) should provide brief entertainment for the trot spotters out there.

The CWI is of the course run by the Socialist Party (nee Militant Tendency) which will be familiar to readers active in the trade unions and Labour Movement. They're the ones who bankrupted Liverpool Council back in the eighties and have shafted the PCS union to near extinction this year.

So whats this lot about then?

Economic theory it seems. They claim the CWI/SP leadership know sweet FA about about economics and Marxist theory (that explains a lot), but lets hear what they have to say for themselves in the grandly titled:

Marxist World Faction declared

A struggle within the Socialist Party of England and Wales and Socialist Party Scotland (both part of the Committee for a Workers International) started nearly two years ago over Marxist theory, which soon led to a questioning of the ideas held by the leadership.

Two members, Steve Dobbs and Bruce Wallace, were declared “indefinitely suspended” by the CWI leadership in 2014 for spurious apolitical reasons, but in reality were expelled (in all but name) for raising Marxist ideas and challenging the wisdom of the Socialist Party EC- namely Peter Taaffe and Lynn Walsh.

Throughout the period prior to suspension, Steve and Bruce continuously enquired about the right to form a faction, which, according to the constitutions of both respective parties, is the right of all members. These requests were completely ignored and, in one case, facetiously rejected outright.

As members of the CWI, we have therefore been given no choice but to form a faction to defend the genuine ideas of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky from centrist and reformist distortion. At the present time, our other supporters cannot identify themselves for fear that organisational measures will be taken against them.

This is a totally undemocratic response by the leadership of the CWI and utterly against the methods of Marxism in relation to party building which the CWI is supposed to uphold. We stand by the principles of democratic centralism and declare the leadership of the CWI in breach of these principles...........

In other words the usual Trotskyist crap then.

Other than Steve and Brucie, the other members of this faction are not revealing their identities.

Oh deary me.

I wonder what the working class they claim to really represent will make of all this?

Nothing I would imagine as everyone wraps their presents and sinks another ale or two in preparation for the capitalist festival that used to be known as Christmas.

Bruce Wallace has been writing a navel gazing website for some time which you can find here.

Dreary.

Hat Tip: Kevin Higgins