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Letters

Dear Editors

I was interested by Steve Shannon's letter on reformism and the editorial reply in the September Socialist Standard. I've believed for some time that the Party's principled opposition to reformism is one of its truly distinctive features. Search long enough and you'll find other political organisations which mouth off once a decade about free access or the abolition of the wages system, but you'll search a lot longer before you find any which never align themselves with some attempt to rearrange capitalism.

This opposition to reformism is well grounded because reforms are by their nature divisive and therefore work against the vital condition of working class unity. For example, within capitalism, raising miners' pay will be good for miners but not necessarily for other workers. The only interest guaranteed to be shared by all is an interest in ending their position as wage slaves. Voting for reforms which 'could benefit the working class as a whole' would be an empty task if this means benefiting all members. (And what else could it mean?) That leaves the problem pinpointed by Steve Shannon, and reference to the party's position being 'long-established' is no answer.

But there is a way out of this. The editors rightly speak of socialist 'delegates' facing the problem of whether to vote for reforms. Who decides how they vote? Not them, but the membership of the Socialist Party. This would have two advantages. It would act as a check on whether the membership had reached the political maturity necessary for bringing about a socialist society. (If they vote for reforms they haven't.) It would also begin the important process of allowing the electors, and not those they have elected, to have control over what happens.

Still, no hurry in resolving these issues. Looks like there won't be a minority of socialists in parliament any time soon.

Keith Graham (by email)

Reply:
We can’t accept that all “reforms are by their nature divisive”. Many may indeed benefit just a section of the working class, but surely a reform removing restrictions on free speech or the freedom to organise would benefit all workers (and the socialist movement too)?

By the way, we define a reform as a politically-implemented measure and so don’t include wage increases as a “reform”, or wages struggles as “reformist”, even if these are still changes within capitalism. We are all in favour of workers struggling to get the best deal they can for the sale of their labour power to employers, even though we don’t of course seek support on this basis either. - Editors.




UK BRANCHES &  CONTACTS

LONDON

Central London branch.

  2nd Wednesday of the month at 18:30 at the Plough, 1st Floor, 27 Museum Street, Bloomsbury, WC1A.
Tel: Tristan  0207 622 3811
Email:

Enfield and Haringey branch.
2nd & 4th Weds, 8pm. Angel Community Centre, Raynham Road, N18. Corres:
17 Dorset Road, London N22 7SL.
Email:

South London branch.
 1st Tues.7.00pm. 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.

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

Bolton.

 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

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 Thursday 8-9pm. The Quaker Hall, Victoria Terrace (above Victoria Street),
2nd Wednesday at West Lothian as below.
 West Lothian
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

ASIA

India.
World Socialist Group, Vill
Gobaradhanpur. PO Amral,
Dist. Bankura,
722122

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