Comments on: So Long, Suckers

By: Lynne T

Lynne T — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:33:24 +0000

Paul Stott:

Similarity between Manuel’s appearance and Galloway’s is pretty superficial. They both sport moustaches and that’s about it.

Galloway reminds me of far more the creepy trade union type that Peter Sellars played in “I’m alright Jack”.

By: Alan Ji

Alan Ji — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:41:08 +0000

Lindsay German has been a leading light of the SWP, and of IS before it, since at least the early 1970s. If they are close to expelling one of Britain’s most notorious trostskyists, that is a significant moment.

But I’m inclined to agree with those who say it’s just a benchmark in a pricess of narrowing and decline.

By: Bob Morris

Bob Morris — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:03:24 +0000

As one who was purged a few years back from a Marxist groupuscule here in the States, I read this then giggle.

“I used to be disgusted, now I’m just amused.”

By: Michael Ezra

Michael Ezra — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:55:48 +0000

The Weekly Worker also discusses the expulsion of the 36 year old SOAS student activist Clare Solomon (Weekly Worker misspell her name as Claire). On her blog, Solomon bemoans her expulsion, professes her innocence and is clearly aiming to be readmitted to the party. Not only did I read her post, I took the trouble to read the comments and the following had me laughing out loud:

"When I joined the SWP in June 2003 I thought it was a charity or an NGO until a comrade I met at Marxism 6 days later explained what the SWP was all about."

This comment was made by Florence Durrant on 10 December 2009 at 22:01.

By: michael read

michael read — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:54:09 +0000

Pity your poster couldn’t sketch out a dummy’s guide to the left.

As a curious observer, and lurking reader of this site, I can’t work out how it all fits although I appreciate the magnificent theatrical farce on show.

Also, where does the author stand? In which party? At a guess, they’ve got to have been involved at one stage but since the report is laced with schadenfreude they are now detached though not without sympathy.

By: Berkwatch

Berkwatch — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:35:21 +0000

As of 2009[update] the central committee members were: Chris Bambery, Weyman Bennett, Michael Bradley, Alex Callinicos, Colin Smith, Chris Harman (who died in November 2009), Viv Smith, Hannah Dee, Judith Orr, Martin Smith and Charlie Kimber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Workers_Party_%28Britain%29

By: Anon.

Anon. — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:24:03 +0000

Who are the people on the Central Committee of that venerable institution, the Socialist Workers Party?

By: Andrew Coates

Andrew Coates — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:00:37 +0000

We have been laughing about this all week.

And indeed longer.

I went up to a SWP cadre selling the Socialist Worker outside Suffolk College a fortnight back and bought a copy of the ‘paper’. Then told him I was a supporter of the Weekly Worker.

Collapse of stout party.

http://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/swp-you-gotta-laugh-aint-ya/

By: alauda

alauda — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:13:29 +0000

That sounds like an accurate description of Lindsey German as she is now…

Imagine that, a (very small) army of zombie SWPers shuffling along, clutching their mouldering copies of the Socialist Undead, hungering for the flesh of the living.

If there weren’t only a handful of them, they could actually pose a threat…

By: Adrian Morgan

Adrian Morgan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:54:18 +0000

Unless it just staggers on like a zombie that doesn’t realise it’s dead, the corpse decaying a little bit more each day but never quite falling apart…

That sounds like an accurate description of Lindsey German as she is now…