Trotskyist storm

New Internationalist, July, 2004

Give us some hard evidence of genocide, exploitation or the like, but to target 'the Trots' (Worldbeaters, NI 367) for being good at getting their numbers out and selling papers ... It is hardly surprising that they lack a sense of humour when faced with such silly resistance. At peace rallies and other such demonstrations there is always an amazing array of views on how to make the world a better place and in the end all 'the Trots' are guilty of is having a different view of what's wrong and how to fix it. Rather than seeking common ground with such groups the NI is guilty of giving the real authoritarians with all the power and influence in our world something to laugh about: the 'left/greens' ability to squabble and self-destruct with precious little prompting from the obedient mass media.

Neil Smith Richmond, Canada

2

The writer expresses sympathy for a 'horizontalist' position--no doubt held by a group of people with a political barrow of their own to push. Not able to win the global justice movements to their perspective(s) or non-perspective perspective, which they valiantly are doing on our behalf (thank God for these morally superior democrats that protect others from dangerous opinions and their own credulity), they turn to some venomous red-baiting of groups that are honest about having a position, winning people to it and frankly introducing internationalist politics to a sector of the population beyond the rarefied ranks of the ghettoized global justice movements in the West.

These high priests and protectors of democracy seem to think there is something repugnant about leadership. Boosting union membership in my workplace didn't happen by us not overburdening people and respecting their autonomy to self-organize. The horizontalists seem to be privy to information denied the rest of us, that they clearly see the danger of 'leadership' while the rest of us dupes get 'hijacked' by other groups, like brainless automatons. If the argument is that the presence of the Trots is an impediment to building the movement, I ask you, could 'horizontalism' and all the other wankology in the global justice movements be deterring union militants who understand the need to organize in the face of attacks. Or aren't they welcome?

David Latham Thornbury, Australia

3

What disturbed me about the article's line of argument is that similar conspiratorial accusations originated under McCarthyism. Are we to believe that socialist activists are as bad or worse than corporate executives that kill for profit? Surely the NI would not make the same accusations against the women's movement, the queer rights movement, or ethnic and cultural minorities who have all played an active and positive role in shaping and transforming the North American component of the global justice movement into a more inclusive, progressive and diverse resistance. What alarms me most is that the article condemns those who 'breeze in on the latest "Protest of the Month"'. Is the NI arguing that activists should only focus on single issues or that we should only focus on concerns relevant to 'us'? I hope NI will present fairly the merits of many different political ideologies within our movement, rather than focus on the irrational fear that activists do not have opinions or minds of their own with which to judge future direction and strategy.

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Alex Lisman Toronto, Canada

4

Whatever your views on our political philosophy, SWP members work tirelessly campaigning against war, fascism, workers' oppression and capitalism. Surely we should be working together towards achieving these aims and campaigning against the common enemy of capitalism, rather than attacking each other.

Andrew Collingwood York, England

5

I have been an activist for over 30 years and have always wondered why there was so much silence about these groups you so aptly call the 'Authoritarian Socialists'. It's not Socialists that are the problem, but those who presume to take control of our movements. Here in Britain, such groups have been a constant obstruction to real social change. We wouldn't mind working together with them, so long as they stop trying to take over. Thank you for taking on the hard targets.

Chris Wright London, England