Socialism and Left Unity: A Critique of the Socialist Workers Party

by Peter Taaffe

"Using the method of contrasts, we compare their ideas and ours on how best to take the left forward. But our arguments are not directed solely at the SWP and its supporters in the British and international labour movement. There are also organisations and groupings which have a similar approach. This book is a critique of what we believe are wrong methods in general, which in the crucial task of forging a new Marxist force can be a barrier to building a new mass workers' left party in Britain. Our task above all is to seek to educate the new generation of workers and young people who will be moved into action by the great events that impend in Britain and worldwide. Many will investigate the credentials - including the history of all organisations - before engaging with them. A serious examination - which we aim for here - would show that the SWP in its fundamental ideas, its approach and, above all, its method has been found wanting. Unless they change, they can still have a negative effect in the battles to come."

- From the preface

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Peter Taaffe was a British Marxist Trotskyist political activist and a longtime leader of the Socialist Party and its predecessor, the Militant tendency.
Taaffe was the founding editor of the Trotskyist Militant newspaper in 1964, and became known as a leading member of the Militant entryist group in the Labour Party. Taaffe was expelled from the Labour Party in 1983, along with four other members of Militant's editorial board.
Taaffe was influential in the policy decisions of Liverpool City Council of 1983–1987, according to the council's deputy leader Derek Hatton, and in the formation of the Militant tendency's policy regarding the Poll Tax in 1988–1991.

Reviews

[Jean Gourevitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a hopeful name 'Socialism and left unity" for a book that only uses dogmas and pathetically says: "they were always wrong, we are always right."

This tactic proved itself triumphant considering how many generations the CWI/ISA had passed since.