UK, The "Authoritarians of the left" in action a Leaked SWP Internal Memo

This very scary internal SWP document which was leaked onto
the Indymedia site a couple of days ago by a pissed-off
recent recruit? It is definitely genuine, as a couple of
SWP members posted up comments complaining about it being
made public and trying weakly to defend its
contents.

Even those who have experience with these people have
expressed shock at the arrogance and blatant parasitism
which this memo reveals - also by the extent to which
they are already taking over and mis-using the anti-war movement.
This is the document as posted:

*****

After Brighton - All Out 13 October

Sunday's demonstration in Brighton was fantastic! Despite the torrential rain, the
media scare about violence & the attempts by the police to effectively
criminalise it some 7000 people demonstrated in what was the first national
demonstration in the war.

Added to this were the 1200 people who attended Saturday's Globalise
Resistance conference. This provides a magnificent launch pad for the 13
October demonstrations called by CND in London & Glasgow.
Across the country we need to be working with CND locally to book & fill
coaches for 13 October.

The 13 October can be absolutely massive.

Every SWP member must be in London on the day.

Recruit, Sell!

The SWP was central to building Sunday's demo and was very important to the
big SA turn out. The Greens pulled back under pressure from the media & the
police. What passes for the rest of the left turned up in small numbers to sell
papers but did not mobilise.

38 people joined through the central recruitment team on Sunday & 12 on
Saturday.

At the University of Hertfordshire we sold 94 SWs & recruited 24 to the SWP.
23 students joined at Northampton University with 43 SWs sold. At Luton
University we recruited 19 students. This story is being repeated across the
country. Across Leeds last week we recruited 89 students last week. At
Sheffield University 47 joined & we sold 220 SWs!

We can grow in every & any university, FE or school. Set up a Stop the War
meeting, debate or teach in or get a discussion at a school assembly.
But there are also older activists who are being pulled towards us. We
should take time to sit down with such people & talk to them about joining.
At the ICL factory Stop the War meeting in Manchester last week I person
joined.

People can see the role we are playing in mobilising. We need to combine that
with a high stress on our ideas - we will not grow simply by being the best
activists.

4 people joined at the 350 strong Manchester Stop the War rally.
In Birmingham on Saturday we sold 184 SWs & recruited 8 people.11 joined on
the Leeds Saturday sale.

70 were sold at University of Central London, 58 at Atlantic College in
Cardiff, 53 at Leeds University, 36 at Leeds Metropolitan University.

As we write we will have recruited between 250 & 300 people in the last week!

Things Are Shifting Big Time

When 250 people demonstrate against the war in Whitstable you know things
are shifting!

The mood over the war is changing. It's clear that the US ruling class is
divided about where & who to attack & about becoming embroiled in
Afghanistan.

The Arab states, Iran & Pakistan are all terrified of the domestic reaction to any
attack on Afghanistan. Silvio Berlusconi's attack on Islam, boasting of the
'superiority'& 'supremacy' of Western civilisation [sic], will increase tensions in
the US led coalition.

In Rome on Saturday 50,000 demonstrated at a march against the war called
by Rifondazione. Two days before 20,000 gathered in Naples in what was
effectively a local demo against the Nato summit which was switched to
Brussels.

The anti-war message is getting across.

Build for the 13 October London & Glasgow CND demonstrations. We want the
maximum number of people there. In addition to trade union banners we want
school students, pensioners & whoever making home made banners they can
march behind.

In every town & city we need to ensure there are united front Stop the War
Coalition public meetings with big name speakers. These should include an
SWP speaker (see below) - ring the National Office, CND, Labour MP, trade
unionists, Asian or Middle Eastern speaker etc. We should propose that these
meetings should agree/vote to affiliate to the national Stop the War Coalition.
Set up a representative Steering Committee. These should not be dominated by
sectarians/idiots.

We need to give people activity. We should be building local workplace,
college, school, community based Stop the War Coalitions.

Get people out doing petitioning, postering, graffiting, doing street
theatre, die ins etc. Be imaginative.

In the colleges we need to be organising teach ins & debates between pro &
anti war academics. These can pull big numbers - over 100 came to a Stop the
War meeting addressed by Rae Street from CND, a Green councillor & Michael
Bradley of the SWP at University of Central Lancashire in Preston last
Wednesday.

In schools push for debates in school assemblies, through debating societies
etc. If we can't get that organise a brief Stop the War meeting after school.

Don't wait till Bush starts bombing to get activity underway. It is quite
possible things could drag on while the US ruling class decide what to do.
This gives us valuable time to build.

Build SWP Groups

SWP Groups need to meet weekly.

We will not build a mass anti-war movement unless we are systematically
building in a particular workplace, college, school or wherever else a Group is
centred on.

We will not involve our members & supporters unless we are getting SW to
them immediately it arrives on Wednesday.

Each Group should have someone who organises SW sales/distribution and
someone who is the convenor. This comrade should be part of a District phone
tree (email too but don't rely on people opening their mail immediately) so that
we can mobilise people quickly in response to events - particularly the start of
US bombing.

Let the National Office/Circulation know details of the Group Convenor & SW
Sales Organiser (name, address, home & work tel. number, email & mobile).
We should be having regular SW District meetings on Imperialism, Islamic
Fundamentalism etc. We need to arm our comrades plus we need to discuss
our work in the anti-war movement. Don't drop these - regular SW meetings will
pull comrades in & increase their involvement in the anti-war movement.
In the colleges we need to meet as the SWP Group at the start of the week to
discuss SW sales, our intervention & recruitment plus we need the weekly SW
Discussion Group.

At every anti-war movement we need a recruitment operation. We should have
a District wide recruitment team for rallies, public meetings, demos etc.
At the 300 plus Manchester Stop the War Coalition rally last Thursday 6 people
joined - including an anti-racist from Oldham, a student at Bolton Institute who
wants to start a Stop the War Coalition & 2 school students who are involved in
the debating society & want to set up a debate on the war. On the 300 strong
peace vigil in Manchester on Saturday 61 people joined.

Build the Stop The War Coalition

Over 100 students came to the first Stop the War meeting at University of
Central Lancashire in Preston; 80 came at Kent University.

90 attended the first Stop the War meeting in Aberdeen where Mike Gonzalez
was the keynote speaker; 250 came in Oxford where Yuri Prasad spoke for the
SWP; 40 came in Nelson.

We need to push for local Stop the War groups to affiliate to the national Stop
the War Coalition. Don't fudge on this. It will create difficulties later. Tuesday's
400 strong meeting in London called from the 2000 strong Friday meeting was
addressed by Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn & Tariq Ali.

Present were representatives of Aslef, the Greater London Association of
Trades Councils, Trade Union CND, Nigel Chamberlain CND's national press &
publicity officer, 2 NUS executive members & many more.

In a couple of places - Oxford & Newcastle - various anarchists & sectarians
have argued against having a SWP speaker at the anti-war meetings. In Oxford
it was non-party members who argued for a SWP speaker. We should not be
defensive about this. We should argue on the basis of our record in initiating the
2000 strong meeting in Friends Meeting House in London & the other activities.
Secondly, we should have comrades there representing trade union bodies etc.
& comrades who have done things against the war. The sectarians talk a lot but
do nothing. Lastly, we should win people in advance to our concept of the Stop
the War Coalition.

Report From North London

9 people joined the SWP at Middlesex University Tottenham site on Monday.
On Wednesday an anti war meeting of 16 people including the union president
planned a debate.

On Tuesday 3 people joined the SWP at the Enfield site

10 people joined the SWP at UNL with 105 papers sold.

An anti war meeting is planned in UNL.

On Wednesday 90 - 100 people attended the anti war meeting in Haringey with
Bruce Kent and others. The Hornsey Socialist Alliance turned out 30 people.
At the end of the meeting people broke into local areas to plan activities. 55
SWs were sold at the meeting.

On Thursday 150 people attended the anti war meeting in Islington with Jeremy
Corbyn. The meeting included refugees and people from the Turkish
community. 45 papers were sold and one person joined the SWP.

Islington North Labour Party GC voted overwhelmingly against the war at a
meeting attended by 25 delegates

Middlesex University NATFHE voted to support 13 October demo and send the
banner.

Islington NUT committee voted to affiliate to the Stop the War Coalition
unanimously

We are The Anti-Imperialists

We want to forge a broad Stop the War Coalition but within that we need to form
a clear anti-imperialist pole of attraction.

We have a Leninist attitude to imperialist war. For us the main enemy is at home
in the shape of the UK state & its New Labour government. We want to connect
opposition to New Labour's war on the working class with opposition to its war
drive. We also need to become the voice of the oppressed masses across the
globe who will be the victims of Bush & Blair's war.

That is why we are against blanket condemnation of 'terrorism'. It's not so long
ago Tory students were calling Nelson Mandela a terrorist & demanding he was
hung. The Daily Telegraph & Mail are calling for Blair to break with Sinn Fein &
the Irish peace process as part of the 'war' on terrorism.

Israel is demanding strikes against Hizbollah in Southern Lebanon & Hamas in
the occupied terrorities.

Rally For Palestinian Rights

To mark the first anniversary of the Intifida the Campaign for Palestinian Rights,
the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition & Youth Action for Palestine, have
organised a rally at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road in London on
Thursday 4 October at 7.30pm. Speakers include Paul Foot, Tariq Ali & Michael
Rosen (leaflet enclosed).

Bush's war drive has focused attention on the Middle East & has increased
identification with the Palestinian's fight. Palestinian Societies are growing in the
colleges. Leaflet the colleges, get posters up & hit the email.

Socialist Alliance

National Liaison Meeting this Saturday, 12-4pm,Custard Factory, Birmingham.
SA National Conference, Sat. 1 December, Logan hall London.
Oldham Respect Festival

The Oldham Respect Festival is taking place on 20 October. This is a very
important mobilisation for the North West & ANL activists from further afield. Call
the ANL on 0207924 0333 for more details.

New Socialist Review

Tariq Ali on Pakistan; Mike Davis on Bush's war at home; Lindsey German on
why we say no to war; Mike Haynes on the clash of civilisations; Clare Fermont
on the history of Afghanistan are some of the contributors in the new Socialist
Review 'Stop This War' special issue. Over 180 were sold at the counter
conference on Saturday and over 100 on the demonstration on Sunday.
Borders in Oxford phoned up on Saturday and doubled their order from 25 to
50. Every comrade must get this issue and it must be on every sale.
Get all money to the Review office immediately on 0207-538-3308

New International Socialism Journal

The new ISJ focuses on the arguments within the anti-capitalist movement
post-Genoa. Tom Behan does a report on the exciting situation in Italy after the
G8 summit while Alex Callinicos examines the politics of Tony Negri.

Boris Kagarlitsky reports on Genoa.

People will want to read this.

Report from Italy

The comrades of Comunismo del Basso sold over 100 copies of their magazine
on the Rome demo. 40 people came to Marxism in Rome, from the Centre & the
South, with 10 people joining (from Rome, Bologna, Sardinia & Pesaro). This
has laid the basis for an effective group in the country. There were a good
group of young comrades who are coming forward.

Plans are now under way to hold a similar event in Milan.

The money we raised after Genoa helped produce a pamphlet on the Italian left
from the 1969 Hot Autumn to the Red Brigades. It also paid for a French
comrade who speaks Italian to go to Rome for a week to help build the event &
an Italian comrade in London to go for 5 days.

The comrades said the Rome demonstration was brilliant with loads of young
people on it.

Party Notes By Email

To make sure that comrades can get and distribute party notes and leaflets as
rapidly as possible, every group should send in details of an email address.
This should be a comrade who can print off leaflets and distribute or forward the
email on to other members in their group. Please send details to it@swp.org.uk

Bookmarks News

The new Socialist Worker pamphlet, No to Bushes War, the military face of
globalisation is now out! Its brilliant - crammed with facts and analysis.
Well over 1000 copies were sold this weekend alone, despite the driving rain on
the demo yesterday. Everyone you sell SW to will want this pamphlet. It needs
to be at all anti war meetings and vigils. Orders received by 10.00am Tuesday
may be able to go out with the papers this week.

Black History Month events at Bookmarks begin this Thursday, 4 October, with
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, continued with Paul Robeson junior talking about his
biography of his father next Tuesday, 9 October, both at 6.30pm.

********

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