Socialist Fight Issue No. 7 Autumn 2011 Price: Concessions: 50p, Waged: £2.00 Imperialism faces its worst financial, economic and political crises since the 1930s—Page 22 Éirígí demonstrate against the British occupation of the six counties—and Martin McGuiness will welcome the Queen if elected President! Gerry, Ray and Liam Contents Page 17: The mathematics of the imperialist butchers’ terrorism Page 2: Editorial: The Three Principles for Revolutionary Re- Liga Comunista Brazil groupment Page 18: Letters pages Page 3: They threw down the gauntlet and Grangemouth sparks Page 22: Imperialism faces its worst financial, economic and shoved it down their throat! political crises since the 1930s, Statement by the Liaison Com- Page 4: SWP capitulates to the Unite Bureaucracy By A J Byrne: mittee for the Fourth International (LCFI) 15 September 2011 Page 5: The Hounding of Abdul Omer Mohsin by Unite the Union Page 24: The fall of Tripoli reveals the new global balance of By A J Byrne class forces, Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth Page 6: Abdul Omer Mohsin and the Terrible Letter By A J Byrne International 18 September 2011 Page 9: Build the Grass Roots Left on the London buses by Tony Fox Page 25: South Africa's Mini Revolt By Ret Marut Page 10: Report on the Fête de Lutte Ouvrière By Gerry Downing Page 26: Israel’s war on Palestine and the ‘Arab Spring’ By Ret Page 11: The Irish Labour party, austerity measures and lifestyle Marut choices By Charlie Walsh Page 27: Those who ‘howled along with the wolves’ and those Page 13: Marian Price detention illegal! By Michael Holden who took a neutral position on the war in Libya Page 14: Catholic Ghettos Erupt in Face of Orange Provocation Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth International and Police Brutality By C., Dublin 14 September 2011 Page 16: Facebook debate on the Anti-imperialist united front Page 32: The riots, the left and the sectarian By A J Byrne Socialist Fight is produced by the SF Editorial Board. Signed articles do not necessarily Contact: PO Box 59188, London, NW2 9LJ, [email protected] represent the views of the SF EB. ,đoàn kết là sức mạnh, Jedność jest siła اتحاد قدرت است ., ,Unity is strength, L'union fait la force, Es la unidad fuerza, Η ενότητα είναι δύναμη ykseys on kesto, યુનિટિ થ્રૂ .િા , Midnimo iyo waa awood, hundeb ydy chryfder, Einheit ist Stärke, एकता शक्ति, है единстве наша сила, vienybės jėga, الوحدة هو ,unità è la resistenza, 団結は力だ", A unidade é a força, eining er styrkur, De eenheid is de sterkte ,אחדות היא כוח ,bashkimi ben fuqine !Ní neart go chur le céile, pagkakaisa ay kalakasan, jednota is síla, 일성은 이다 힘 힘, Workers of the World Unite ,القوة Socialist Fight Page 2 Editorial The Three Principles for Revolutionary Regroupment he 15 September celebrations of David the most degenerate and moribund Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy over the such as the AWL and Permanent fall of Colonel Gaddafi in Tripoli high- Revolution. To these youthful forces light yet again the crisis of leadership of now falls the mantle of revolution- Tthe working class internationally. Because this ary Trotskyism, they must now was the end sought by the majority of the left expose and defeat the class com- groups, this was their ‘revolution’ this was the promisers and the nationalist chau- outcome they wished for. As we write the brave vinists and fight for the interna- soldiers of the Libyan national army are fighting tional revolutionary leadership of the NATO-rebel forces with outrageous courage. the working class. Imperialism has robbed Libyan oil and they are And we have now a force in the celebrating complete neo-colonial domination of trade unions which aims to organise the country. And still the slaughter goes on with the isolated leftist militants and the the support of renegades from Trotskyism of sections of the workers who want A girl holds a picture of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi dur- Workers Power, the SWP, the SP, the AWL and to fight under its umbrella; the ing a pro-government rally in the Gaddafi hometown of Sirte. the rest. This in the midst of the worst economic, Grass Roots Left. It has enormous “mounting concern over the humanitarian situation in the city social and political crisis since the 1930s. potential as opportunities will ap- (of Sirte)” not from the savage NATO bombing which is slaugh- This war to ‘protect the lives of civilians’ has cost pear everywhere; it must pick up tering thousands but from NATO reports that “Gaddafi forces the lives of at least 30,000 people and 50,000 that fallen flag of workers’ fight- (in the city) are endangering “hundreds of families!!” wounded, according to the TNC health minister back. For that reason we quote here from both Lenin Naji Barakat. Half the total are Gaddafi’s coura- The political and industrial go hand in hand. We and Trotsky to demonstrate that the war on geous troops, about 2,000 rebel troops and the must tackle the first in order to advance the Libya and the fight against the TU bureaucracy in remaining 13,000 or so civilians. second. In order to begin the regroupment proc- Britain can only be conducted by the United The Guardian’s Ian Black and Chris Stephen, in ess we need agreement on two fundamental Front and Transitional Programme method – In an article of unbelievable hypocrisy on 26 Sep- principles and agreement to begin the discussion defending the United Front Lenin quoted from tember, reported that there was “mounting on the third position. the German ultra lefts in Left Wing Communism: concern over the humanitarian situation in the 1. The principle that we are for the defeat of our "All reversion to parliamentary forms of struggle, city (of Sirte)” not from the savage NATO bomb- own ruling class and its NATO-rebels agents in its which have become historically and politically ing which is slaughtering thousands but from war on Libya obsolete, must be emphatically rejected" This is NATO reports that “Gaddafi forces (in the city) said with ridiculous pretentiousness (says Lenin), are endangering “hundreds of families!!”.” 2. We are for rank-and-file-mobilisation and and is patently wrong. “Reversion" to parliamen- These lying scoundrels of the mass media and organisations; tarianism, forsooth! Perhaps there is already a pro-imperialist politicians right into the ranks of “in the trade unions to should always strive not Soviet republic in Germany? It does not look like the leadership of the majority of the far left only to renew the top leadership of the trade it! How, then, can one speak of "reversion"? Is groups are prepared to lie and cover up for this unions, boldly and resolutely in critical moments this not an empty phrase? slaughter in the hope of benefiting materially or advancing new militant leaders in place of rou- politically from the booty robbed from Libya. Trotsky also opposed this wrong ultra-left tine functionaries and careerists; but also to method internationally against Imperialism: This is a measure of is the political collapse of create in all possible instances independent mili- the far left into the arms of the trade union tant organizations corresponding more closely to “The only salvation of the workers and peasants bureaucrats. The chief manifestation of this is the problems of mass struggle in bourgeois soci- of China is to struggle independently against the the SWP’s capitulation to the Unite Bureaucracy. ety; not stopping, if necessary, even in the face two armies, against the Chinese army in the The SWP have implicitly agreed no longer to of a direct break with the conservative apparatus same manner as against the Japanese criticise the ‘left-wing General Secretary’ of of the trade unions.” Trotsky – The Transitional army” (say his ultra-left opponents). And Trotsky Unite as the price of retaining their places on the Programme, 1938. explains “to participate actively and consciously Unite Executive and the SP and the AWL have in the war does not mean ‘to serve Chiang Kai- 3. The third position, on which agreement is not indicated that they had already made that politi- shek’ but to serve the independence of a colonial necessary to begin with, is the relationship to cal grovel by agreeing that the mild SWP criti- country in spite of Chiang Kai-shek. And the the Labour party. Is the Labour party still a bour- cism of the British Airways betrayal by Unite (no words directed against the Kuomintang are the geois workers party and by extension do bour- details of the protracted machinations by Simp- means of educating the masses for the over- geois-workers parties internationally exist in son et al to isolate the dispute and to frustrate throw of Chiang Kai-shek. In participating in the large numbers? This discussion cannot be the strike votes) was ‘ultra-left’. The terrible tale military struggle under the orders of Chiang Kai- avoided because it concerns the method behind of how this left Abdul Omer Mohsin isolated and shek, since unfortunately it is he who has the the theory of the United Front and Trotsky’s facing eviction with a serious heart attack threat- command in the war for independence—is to Transitional Programme – how do small groups ening because of acute stress is just one of the prepare politically the overthrow of Chiang Kai- of revolutionaries relate to the mass of the most visible consequences of that collapse. shek... that is the only revolutionary policy”. working class Labour voters? That would a very depressing scenario – whole- So here is Trotsky in 1937 elaborating a policy Socialist Fight’s Where we Stand document says, sale collapse of the left in supporting their own not only of critical (but not political) support for “The emancipation of the working classes must capitalist class in a war on Libya and wholesale left bourgeois nationalist government of Chiang be conquered by the working classes themselves.