Brian Dickinson

Letters

Under the influence

From Socialist Review, No. 185, April 1995.
Copyright © Socialist Review.
Copied with thanks from the Socialist Review Archive.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

In his article In the Balance (February SR) Tony Cliff rightly points out how much the Tories are hated and how volatile the class struggle is at the moment. Workers are willing to support other workers in struggle, usually in a passive way, while not always confident enough to take action themselves.

However, I do not agree with his optimism. He assumes that because the rank and file are not under the influence of the Communist Party then the SWP is in a better position when (and if) the upturn comes.

Despite all its faults, not having a large organisation such as the CP on the left is not something to be glad about. If people were turning away from the CP and turning towards other left wing organisations then I would agree with Cliff’s optimism. Unfortunately workers are not turning towards left wing organisations, mainly because the left (as a whole) is not growing in Britain at the moment. Workers are not just disillusioned with the Tories and the Labour Party, they are also disillusioned with politics in general. A lot of militants are dropping out of political activity altogether.

It is for this reason that Cliff is wrong to assume that ‘the slow recuperation will continue’. Cliff should know better than to assume that workers will continue to be more and more militant as the Tories get more and more vicious. A lot could happen over the next few years. With a Labour government looking more and more likely, ‘new realism’ could rear its ugly head again. As the struggle at the moment is not generalised enough, the militancy could easily dissipate. In two years time we could end up with a Labour government just as vicious as the Tories or another Tory government. In comparing the class struggle in the 1970s with the situation today, Cliff is guilty of exaggerating the militancy.

Brian Dickinson
Crawley

Top of page

Socialist Review Index | ETOL Main Page

Last updated: 15 December 2019