Labour leaders

Dear Editors

I am a subscriber to the Socialist Standard and am always absorbed by every article. As a former member of the Labour Party (not very active) and reader of Socialist Worker I realise that your organisation and beliefs represent a clear unambiguous alternative to capitalism unlike the latter.

The fanfare of eulogies and general sycophancy devoted to Tony Blair after his long awaited departure announcement not only obscured that his principal legacy is that most of New Labour legislation since 1997 required the support of the Tories, but to create the illusion that the direction of governments and related events are somehow

influenced by an individual's personal characteristics. Behind all the talk about “end of eras” and legacies the reality is that Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer has had to be more “New” Labour than anyone else within the government and the red carpet to No 10 which is clearly being unrolled for him is solely to ensure that the political landscape in the UK is even more bi-partisan than it is now.

It is interesting to note that many, particularly in the Tory Party, who call for an election now because of a mid-term change of personality in No 10 have not been equally insistent that Mr Blair faced a leadership contest in the first place rather than being allowed to just walk away like some revered abdicating monarch. Moreover if their concern about accountability is genuine and not about political point scoring over personalities they would surely be at the forefront to insist Mr Brown faces an open leadership contest with a candidate from the traditional left, a contest that many mainstream political pundits are trying to eschew in fear of what it might reveal.

With so many political issues at stake, particularly Iraq, such a contest would be a reminder of what politics should be about in a democracy albeit confined to one party.

NICK VINEHILL, Snettisham, Norfolk

Thieves and robbers

We have received the following comment from journalist Dominic Lawson on the article on crime that is on our website (at http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/feb98/lead4.html):

Thank you for sending me the article from the Socialist Standard. In common with most Marxist analysis it regards those who rob, burgle and steal in capitalist countries not as robbers, burglars and thieves, but as co-workers in the fight for a more equitable distribution of wealth. Of course, once the socialist society is born then these same people are indeed robbers, burglars and thieves and deserve the harshest of punishments. In China, for example, crooks are executed on a grand scale. In short: this argument is politically self-serving and morally derelict.

DOMINIC LAWSON

Reply: China and other similar and past regimes are not and never were socialist, but state capitalist (see the article on Maoism in this issue). And we don’t regard workers who steal from their fellow workers as engaging in the class struggle against the capitalist class (themselves a class of robbers). - Editors.

UK BRANCHES &  CONTACTS

LONDON

Central London branch.
Corres:Richard Botterill, 21 Ashwell Park, Harpenden,
Herts AL5 5SG.
Tel: 01582 764929.
Email:
2nd Tuesday and the 4th Monday of every month
 at  7.30 Head Office.
52 Clapham High
St, SW4 7UN.

Enfield and Haringey branch.
Tues 8pm.
 Angel Community Centre,
Raynham Rd, NI8.
Corres: 17 Dorset Road,
 N22 7SL
Email:

South London branch.
 1st Mon.7.45pm. Head Office. 52 Clapham High St, SW4 7UN. Tel: 020 7622 3811.

West London branch.
1st & 3rd Tues.8pm,
 Chiswick Town Hall,
Heathfield Terrace (Corner Sutton Court Rd), W4.
Corres: 51 Gayford Road,
London W12 9BY

Pimlico.
C. Trinder, 24 Greenwood Ct,
155 Cambridge Street, SW1 4VQ.
 Tel:020 7834 8186

MIDLANDS

Birmingham branch.
 

Corres: David Coggan,
13 Bowling Green Rd, Stourbridge, DY8 3TT.
 Tel: 01384 348845. djcoggan@hotmail.com

Website

NORTHEAST

Northeast branch.
Corres: John Bissett, 10 Scarborough Parade,
Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, NE31 2AL. Tel: 0191 422 6915
  Email:

NORTHWEST

Lancaster branch.
 P. Shannon, 71 Coniston Road, Lancaster LA1 3NW.
Email:

Manchester branch.
Paul Bennett, 6 Burleigh Mews,
 Hardy Lane, M21 7LB.
 Tel:0161 860 7189
Website.

 Tel: H. McLaughlin,
01204 844589

Cumbria.
 Brendan Cummings, 19 Queen St, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4BG

Carlisle.
Robert Whitfield. Email:
tel: 07906 373975

Rochdale.
 R. Chadwick, 01706 522365

Southeast Manchester.
Enquiries
Blanche Preston, 68 Fountains Road, M32 9PH

YORKSHIRE

Huddersfield.
Richard Rainferd, 28 Armitage Rd, Armitage Bridge,
Huddersfield, West Yorks, HD4 7DP

Hull.
Keith Scholey. Tel: 01482 44651

Skipton.
 R Cooper, 1 Caxton Garth, Threshfield, Skipton
BD23 5EZ. Tel: 01756 752621

SOUTH/SOUTHEAST
/SOUTHWEST

Bournemouth and East Dorset.
Paul Hannam, 12 Kestrel Close, Upton, Poole
BH16 5RP. Tel: 01202 632769

Brighton.
 Corres: c/o 52 Clapham High Street, London
SW4 7UN

Bristol.
Shane Roberts, 86 High Street, Bristol
BS5 6DN. Tel: 0117 951119

Cambridge.
Andrew Westley, 10 Marksby Close, Duxford, Cambridge CB2 4RS. Tel: 01223 570292

Canterbury.
Rob Cox, 4 Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6AB

Luton.
Nick White, 59 Heywood Drive, LU2 7LP

Redruth.
 Harry Sowden, 5 Clarence Villas, Redruth,
Cornwall, TR15 1PB.
Tel: 01209 219293

East Anglia
East Anglia branch meets every two
months on a Saturday afternoon (see meetings page for details).David Porter,Eastholme, Bush Drive, Eccles-on-Sea,
NR12 0SF. Tel: 01692 582533.
Richard Headicar, 42 Woodcote, Firs
Rd, Hethersett, NR9 3JD. Tel: 01603
814343.
Richard Layton, 23 Nottingham Rd,
Clacton, CO15 5PG. Tel: 01255 814047.

NORTHERN IRELAND

 Newtownabbey:
Nigel McCulloch
Tel:02890 860687

SCOTLAND

Edinburgh branch.
1st Thur. 8-9pm.
The Quaker Hall, Victoria Terrace(above Victoria Street), Edinburgh.
Also 2nd & 4th Wednesdays,
The Lanthorn Community Centre,Dedridge Livingston,West Lothian
J. Moir. Tel: 0131 440 0995
Email
Website

Glasgow branch.
 3rd Wednesday of each month at 8pm in  Community Central Halls, 304 Maryhill  Road, Glasgow. Richard Donnelly, 112  Napiershall Street, Glasgow G20 6HT.
Tel: 0141 5794109 Email: Website

Ayrshire:
 D. Trainer, 21 Manse Street, Salcoats, KA21 5AA.
 Tel: 01294 469994. Email

Dundee.
 Ian Ratcliffe, 16v Birkhall Ave, Wormit, Newport-on-Tay,
DD6 8PX.
 Tel: 01328 541643

West Lothian.
2nd and 4th Weds in month, 7.30-9.30.
 Lanthorn Community  Centre, Kennilworth Rise, Dedridge,
Livingston.
 Corres: Matt Culbert,
 53 Falcon Brae, Ladywell, Livingston, West Lothian, EH5 6UW. Tel: 01506 462359. Email

WALES

Swansea branch.
2nd Mon, 7.30pm,
Unitarian Church, High Street. Corres:Geoffrey Williams,
19 Baptist Well Street, Waun Wen,
Swansea SA1 6FB.
Tel: 01792 643624

Cardiff and District.
John James,
 67 Romilly Park Road,
Barry  CF62 6RR
 Tel:01446 405636

INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS

AFRICA

Gambia. World of Free Access.
c/o 21 Dobson St, Benjul.

Kenya.
 Patrick Ndege, PO Box 56428,
Nairobi

Namibia.
 Anthony Amugongo, PO Box 1502,
Oshataki.

Swaziland.
 Mandia Ntshakala, PO Box
981, Manzini

EUROPE

Denmark.
Graham Taylor, Spobjervej
173, DK-8220, Brabrand.

Germany.
Norbert  Email:

Norway.
 Robert Stafford. Email:

COMPANION PARTIES
OVERSEAS

World Socialist Party of Australia.
 c/o
Rod Miller, 8 Graelee Court,
Kingston,
Tasmania 7050,
Australia. Email:

Socialist Party of Canada/Parti Socialiste du Canada.
 
Box 4280,
Victoria B.C.
 V8X 3X8
Canada. Email  : Website

World Socialist Party (New Zealand)
r> P.O. Box 1929,
 Auckland, NI,
New Zealand. Email: Website

World Socialist Party of the United States
P.O. Box 440247,
Boston, MA
02144 USA. Email:  Webs