This is a guest post by Howard Fuller
Over the last two decades the Socialist Workers Party has held its annual “Marxism” event at the University of London Union in Malet Street Central London which used to attract thousands of far left activists and gullible students to listen to the basic ideas of the Marxist-Leninist cult. The SWP managed to draw big name speakers such as Tony Benn, Tariq Ali and even George Galloway during one of the infamous “turns”. Even PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka either appeared or was billed to attend some of their events during the week long trot-fest.
As recently as last year people like Gary Younge, Owen Jones, Michael Rosen and Costas Lapavitos were amongst the speakers due to appear. It provided the SWP with a major opportunity to recruit people to its organisation and sell papers and journals, whilst at the same time presenting itself as a credibly large and influential group to the left of Labour. Following the dissolution of the Communist Party, the SWP was at least considered the largest organisation on the far left.
Some of their talks were made interesting by outside speakers and even, in the day, by some of their own. The late Paul Foot was always worth listening to, even though the founder of the SWP, Tony Cliff, rambled well off the subject matter in his twilight years.
No more it would seem.
The latest advert for “Marxism 2013” is now on line.
It advertises just seven speakers. None of whom will set the world on fire as they say. This year the main speakers include Alex Callinicos, better known these days as “the professor” of lynch mob fame, Judith Orr of the infamous “Disputes Committee”, Louise Raw (who has written a book apparently, good for her) and an Egyptian trot, Gigi Ibrahim. Of the other three only Paul le Blanc is known to me; he is “flying in from the United States” the comrades proudly announce but what sort of audience he is going to have for his talk on “Leninism in the 21st Century” is anyone’s guess.
There are no prizes for guess the reason for the sudden collapse of this event. Just two words come to mind. “Comrade” and “Delta”. Usually they have dozens of speakers and talks arranged by now along with bands and whatever else passes for entertainment in the rarefied atmosphere of “Marxism” The audience for this event will now probably be in the dozens, if that.
We’ll probably hear feedback of “thousands” of attendees, not that SWP maths can be trusted. Their claims of over 7,000 members turned out to be a little over a thousand following their very public implosion. Along with carefully taken photographs and a three line whip to get the remains of their party to the opening and closing rallies, the Professor will try to convince both himself and the outside world that the SWP remain a force to be reckoned with.
I don’t think so.
Evidence of this can already be seen in the re-designed Socialist Worker website.
Dreadful. They obviously can’t get the staff either.
