Let Students Keep Their Right To Work

by Sorta Interested Wed Feb 09, 2005 18:10

If I go along to this protest will I have copies of Socialist Worker forced on me? This is a serious point, everyone knows that GR is an SWP Front.

by D Wed Feb 09, 2005 18:24

Of course there are many people who have serious problems with GR - or who believe it is being 'ressurected' as to build for g8 etc. I am hearing it all and am fully aware of such concerns..

Yet do you not lend solidarity to the issue just because you have problems with its organisers. I suppose that is up to each individual to decide.

by Lets see now Wed Feb 09, 2005 18:45

Globalise rsistance is an SWP front, Civil rights movement is an SWP front and Rory Hearne (SWP) is Deputy President of USI. Another SWP campaign that will be dropped once they have sold their quota of papers

by Davy Carlin Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:46

Have a few minutes spare

Each has there own experience of the SWP and I am only to well aware that many will not work with them around Ireland.


Yet while in the SWP I at times was a 'Provo Trot' , an 'IRP supporter', a 'loyalist lover and cosying up to loyalists', 'a liberal' for speaking to the alliance party or to NGO ‘s, ‘an anarchist’ for writing on this website, a ‘Black Nationalist' – and was also at times to much into the ‘community’ for organising marches and engaging with community activists within my local West Belfast area – the list goes on – but you get the drift.

And when I spoke, listened or sat with 'others' from ‘different organisations’, this was seen as 'wrong' and 'suspicious' by some leading Irish members. {All these points I raise I have found go on in all such organisations at different levels}. In doing so I had thought was I only to speak, associate and engage with the SWP. I had also thought if we talk of engaging and debating with and within the movement how on earth could I do that if it was wrong to speak and listen to the various political and organisational aspects of the movement that makes up its diversity – surely a contradiction? Then I realised such debate and engagement was only to be done by the enlightened – by the leadership, in fact leadership to leadership which I personally was to have no truck with as I had done when advised not to write for the Blanket or on Indymedia.

Even now I of course get feedback of what those in various organisations across the board say, and who says it, personal or otherwise. Yet it is water of a ducks back as I now understand the nature of such organisations.


On the picket - as I had said it is up to each individual to decide - If it where me I would support the picket - bring my own placard - banner etc. It does not mean you support or are part of GR by doing that

On the issue of fronts and 'Monopolise Resistance etc I am aware of that. Indeed the new shift to dogmatism over the last two years in Belfast as I had stated had been raised by many differing genuine activists which had begun to put the Belfast SWP into the same camp of the Belfast SP - and if this continued less and less people would be prepared to work with them because of that. The Belfast SWP was built on openness, reaching out for engagement and democratic accountability while putting in the graft on the ground but this began to change over the last two years, more especially as we began to ‘deliver’ bigger and bigger things and decisions then where increasingly influenced from afar.

In saying that I have said that I hold a lot of respect for many individual members of whatever party including the SWP - yet it is the way that such was becoming organised that I and indeed a growing number of genuine activists held problems with.

On the issue of the picket organised by GR - if I lived there I would go along and support the picket for the issue and bring my own placard or banner along etc, as I would if a similar picket was called by the SP in Belfast who leader {ship} in Belfast I have huge problems with.

I would not though say if the SP where organising under a 'GR' banner to go to the G8 go with them as I know how they operate. Therefore I would show solidarity with the cause re the picket - but not make a 'political decision' to travel with them to the G8. AS I said it is up to each individual to decide. For me I differentiate between various individuals within such organisations and the organised leadership of such organisations and more especially of how they set out to organise. Similarly I differentiate between lending solidarity to such a picket - bringing my own banner etc and lending and throwing my weight behind the actual organisation.

Just my thoughts – and no I will not be travelling to the G8 with GR – again that is my individual choice. I will say finally I hope to see more SWP individual engagement on Indymedia and such sites. This is a good thing as is the now seeing some beginning of opening up their publications to engagement with and within the movement both in Ireland and in Britain – such tentative steps are to be welcomed. D