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From Militant to the Socialist Party - what you thought
'From Militant to the Socialist Party' by Peter Taaffe, photo (Sarah Sachs-Eldridge) (Click to enlarge)
On 4 July Birmingham South East Socialist Party branch discussed the new book From Militant to the Socialist Party by Peter Taaffe.
I started by briefly outlining my political history and how it related to the history in the book. We discussed the themes that are particularly pertinent to current events, especially the situation with Corbyn and the manifesto versus the Blairite dominated Parliamentary Labour Party and the party machine.
I pointed out that almost everything we have said has been borne out by events.
And now there is a resurgence of interest in socialism, Marxism and Trotskyism. Militant has come back into its own as a description of fighting socialists and we are 'out and proud' about our history.
In the discussion Eamonn talked about voting for Tony Blair in 1997 and how he came across the Socialist Party years later in the early Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition days. He talked about the failures of New Labour, which betrayed the optimism of 1997. People voted for change but did not get it. He totally fell out with them over tuition fees.
Comrades should read the book, if not in one go then they can use the chapter headings, the chronology and the index to navigate the book. Most of the chapters can be read as standalone chapters. It is also a way of exploring Marxism with concrete recent historical examples.
Claire Wilkins, Birmingham South East Socialist Party
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
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- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
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