It was recently announced that a speaker from the “Socialist” Party [was to appear on television’s Channel 4]. We believe this was to have been a first for the party. But on that evening one of the unions, in order to ensure greater freedom of speech, prevented the announced programmes from appearing. We very much… read more »
Dear Editors. The article “To Have and to Hold” in the August 1985 issue of the Socialist Standard says the capitalist class control the means of production. Other statements by the party say they do not. Telling us that Dukes, Lords and so on own vast areas of Britain. the article goes on: “They can… read more »
In IC18 it was reported that questioning at a branch had elicited the admission that when the party says the capitalists perform no significant role in society it is speaking inaccurately; the capitalist class performs the highly significant function of exploiting the workers. The Socialist Standard for June 85 repeats this inaccuracy: “The social role… read more »
We have had members of this party saying that instead of circulating our criticisms we should put them in a letter to the Socialist Standard, where they would be answered. The editors of that journal have other ideas. We keep trying, but in future letters sent them will appear here. This one was sent them… read more »
Those who believe that the social system of the USSR is substantially different from that found in America sometimes cite, in support of their belief, the frequent refusal of the Russian authorities to allow their citizens to travel abroad. William Hinton is an American citizen; in 1951 he returned home from China intending to write… read more »
It was in about 1938 that Harold Walsby began to explain to the (anarcho-) Socialist Party of Great Britain the reasons for their eighty years of unbroken failure; there have been periods since then when they were left more or less alone, but pressure has never been completely removed from them, and sometimes a little… read more »
Although the party does not credit us with this (or with anything else, for that matter) we do not hold that their activities are wholly harmful or even pointless, only that their function is not what they believe it to be. So far as their efforts produce any result at all, it is not the… read more »
In order to see what is wrong with what the “Socialist” Party likes to call the case for socialism, all one has to do is to take it seriously. We recently attended a meeting of one branch of the party at which it was proposed that a collection be taken and the proceeds given to… read more »
For years the (Anarcho-) Socialist Party have been telling us the way to end starvation is to abolish capitalism. Now their own journal shows how wrong they have been. An article entitled “How Many Die of Famine?” by “ALB,” in the March 1985 issue of the Socialist Standard, speaks of claims that 50 million or… read more »
In IC12, which was issued in August 1984, there was an invitation to the “Socialist” Party to counter our attacks on them: One sort of contribution will (until further notice) certainly be printed: anything of up to 1,000 words defending the Socialist Party of Great Britain or expounding its case. We do, of course, reserve… read more »