Page Socialist Fight Liaison Committee for the Fourth International No. 28 Sept/Oct 2018 Price: Cons: 50p, Waged: £1 (€1) Sir Boyle Roche, who was a tion of Corbyn and McDonnell, member of the Protestant As- showing growing class confi- cendency, speaking in the Irish dence. These MPs, who passed a House of Commons, in 1796, in motion of no confidence in Cor- mortal terror of the revolution byn in 2016 by 172 to 40, now spreading from France: beg him to save them from the “Mr Speaker, Here perhaps, sir, anger below. the murderous Marshallaw-men “Call off the dogs”, begs Chuka (Marseillaise) would break in, cut Umunna and Joan Ryan is at- us to mince-meat and throw our tacked by “Trots, Stalinists and bleeding heads upon that table, Communists” (below, with Gavin to stare us in the face!” Shuker, hidden). Who can tame The Tory’s Telegraph says more the fearsome beast? than they intend. Their fear is And Rouhani is urging it all on not Momentum, but that Corbyn (Islamophobia or propaganda will inadvertently unleash the against the great potential of the pent up anger of the working 1979 Iranian revolution, inevita- class against capitalism itself. bly like all revolutions, gone so Motions of no confidence in 3 horribly wrong?) They all know right-wing MPs, facing the dog, the real danger is from their own keep coming despite the opposi- risen working class. Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Page 2 Socialist Fight Where We Stand (extracts) Socialist Fight is a member of the Liaison to work within the Labour party as well as within other theory as hostile to Marxism, to the class struggle and to Committee for the Fourth International proto-parties such as Left Unity and RESPECT that revolutionary socialism. seek to present socialist and anti-imperialist politics in 11. We also support the fight of all other specially op- with The Communist Workers Front, opposition to the neo-liberalism that is now deeply pressed including lesbians and gay men, bisexuals and Brazil The Socialist Workers League, embedded within the Labour Party. We support all transgender people and the disabled against discrimina- USA and Tendencia Militante Bol- genuine left developments within Labour, such as the tion in all its forms and their right to organise separately chevique, Argentina Corbyn for leader campaign. in that fight in society as a whole. The Editorial Board is: 4. We strongly support campaigns to democratise the 13. We fight racism and fascism. We support the right of trade unions’ traditional link to the Labour party. We are people to fight back against racist and fascist attacks by Gerry Downing, Ian Donovan, Carl for funding only those MPs who agree to and have a any means necessary. Self-defence is no offence, we Zacharia, Ailish Dease, Chris Williams. record of fighting for union policies. support it. Two people might make racist/far right Fight PO Box 59188, London, NW2 9LJ, 5. We fight for rank-and-file organisations in the trade comments but on challenging them one might turn out [email protected]. unions within which we will fight for consciously revolu- be a hardened racist/fascist and the other might be https://socialistfight.com/ tionary socialist leadership.in line with Trotsky’s Transi- mindlessly repeating the Sun editorial. It is necessary to tional Programme statement: distinguish. It is a legitimate act of self-defence for the Communist Workers Front—Brazil “Therefore, the sections of the Fourth International working class to ‘No Platform’ fascists but we never call http://lcligacomunista.blogspot.co.uk/ should always strive not only to renew the top leadership on the capitalist state to ban fascist marches or parties; Tendencia Militante Bolchevique, Argenti- of the trade unions, boldly and resolutely in critical these laws would inevitably primarily be used against na, moments advancing new militant leaders in place of workers’ organisations, as history has shown. http://tmb1917.blogspot.co.uk/ routine functionaries and careerists, but also to create in 14. We oppose all immigration controls. International The Socialist Workers League, USA, all possible instances independent militant organizations finance capital roams the planet in search of profit and corresponding more closely to the tasks of mass struggle imperialist governments disrupts the lives of workers http:/ against bourgeois society; and, if necessary, not flinching and cause the collapse of whole nations with their direct workerssocialistleague.blogspot.co.uk/ even in the face of a direct break with the conservative intervention in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan and Signed articles do not necessarily repre- apparatus of the trade unions. If it be criminal to turn their proxy wars in Somalia and the Democratic Repub- sent the views of Socialist Fight. one’s back on mass organizations for the sake of foster- lic of the Congo, etc. Workers have the right to sell their ing sectarian factions, it is no less so passively to tolerate labour internationally wherever they get the best price. subordination of the revolutionary mass movement to Revolutionary internationalism Subscribe to Socialist Fight the control of openly reactionary or disguised conserva- 16. We were and are for the immediate withdrawal and/ Four Issues: UK: £15.00, EU: £18.00 tive (“progressive”) bureaucratic cliques. Trade unions or defeat of imperialist armies in wars like Iraq, Afghani- are not ends in themselves; they are but means along the stan, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Whilst giving no political Rest of the World: £20.00 road to proletarian revolution.” Send donations to help in their produc- support to the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Sunni and 6. We totally oppose all economic nationalist campaigns Shia militias in Iraq, Hamas or Fatah in Palestine, Gad- tion Cheques and SOs to like for ‘British jobs for British workers’ that means dafi (as was) in Libya, Assad in Syria, the ‘Islamic State’ Socialist Fight Account No. 1 capitulation to national chauvinism and so to the politi- in Syria and Iraq, the theocratic regime in Iran or the Unity Trust Bank, Sort Code cal and economic interests of the ruling class itself. We Donbass leadership in Eastern Ukraine we recognise US- are therefore unreservedly for a Socialist United States of 08-60-01, Account. No. 20227368. led world imperialism as the main enemy of humanity Europe. and so advocate critical support and tactical military 9. We are completely opposed to man-made climate assistance from the working class to all those fighting for Revolutionary socialism change and the degradation of the biosphere which is the defeat of imperialism as part of the perspective of 1. We stand with Karl Marx: ‘The emancipation of the caused by the anarchy of capitalist production for profits Permanent Revolution. working classes must be conquered by the working of transnational corporations. Ecological catastrophe is 18. We are for the overthrow of the Zionist state of classes themselves. The struggle for the emancipation of not ‘as crucial as imperialism’ but caused by imperialism Israel and for a Multi-Ethnic workers’ state of Palestine the working class means not a struggle for class privileg- so to combat this threat we must redouble our efforts to as part of the Socialist Federation of the Middle East. es and monopolies but for equal rights and duties and forward the world revolution. 19. As socialists living in Britain we take our responsibili- the abolition of all class rule’ (The International Work- Special Oppression and Racism ties to support the struggle against British imperialism’s ingmen’s Association 1864, General Rules). 10. We recognise that class society, and capitalism as the occupation of the six north-eastern counties of Ireland 2. In the class struggle we shall fight to develop every last form of class society, is by its nature patriarchal. In very seriously. For this reason we have assisted in found- struggle of the working class and oppressed in the direc- that sense the oppression of women is different from all ing the Irish Republican Prisoners Support Group and tion of democratic workers’ councils as the instruments other forms of oppression and discrimination. Sexism we will campaign for political status these Irish prisoners of participatory democracy which must be the basis of and the oppression of women is inextricable tied to the of war and for a 32-county united Socialist Ireland. We the successful struggle for workers’ power. ownership and the inheritance of private property. To reject all ‘two nations in Ireland’ theories. Revolutionary strategy and tactics achieve sexual and individual freedom women need to 21. We are for the re-creation of a World Party of Social- 3. We recognise the necessity for serious ideological and fight in the class struggle in general to overthrow class ist Revolution, a revolutionary international, based on political struggle as direct participants in the trade unions society itself. We cannot leave the struggle against wom- the best traditions of the previous revolutionary interna- (always) and in the mass reformist social democratic en’s oppression until the revolution but must recognise it tionals, critically understood, particularly the early Third bourgeois workers’ parties despite their pro-capitalist as one of the most fundamental aspects of the revolu- and Fourth Internationals, with their determination to leaderships when conditions are favourable. In fighting tionary struggle itself or we will never make that revolu- combat and overcome both reformism and centrism. ▲ the attacks of this Tory government it is now necessary tion. We therefore reject the reactionary “intersectional” Contents Editorial: IHRA, one complete picture of counterrevolution……………………………………………………..Page3 Defend Sandy McBurney………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 5 Call from Iranian Industrial Metal Workers……………………………………………………………………… Page 6 Open letter: Brian Higgins to Len McClusky…………………………………………………………………….