DRAWS SOME LESSONS FROM This fundamentally wrong basis on which the fusion of Workers Fight and Workers Power had been carried out inevitably had its effect on other aspects of the ICL's work as well, and the whole tactical way it related to regroupment. In particular, il gravel affected the way in which Workers Action, newspaper which supports the policies of the ICL took up debates on the left.
From the very fact that it considered that other groups were not revolumonary but centrist obstacles, 'rotten blocs' and so forth, Workers Action was inevitably led to take the very worst type of approach in debates. Its expression of differences with other groups were the height of sectarianism, and could be absolutely guaranteed to be a barrier and not an aid to regroupment. The type of totally dishonest attack by the ICL on Workers Power after the split — accusations of "desertion', "political suicides, 'circle politics', "could not and did not go forward"- were all of a piece with the type of attacks Workers Action made on other groups.
The comrades of Workers Power may not have been conscious of the sectarianism of Workers Action at the time, but surely by now they should realise that the types of attacks made on other groups - for example, the absurd charge that the IMG, by calling for a class struggle left wing in the unions, were attempting to create a 'murky stream' with the Tribunites in which they could "dabble their fingers' [7), or that anyone who called for a 'NO' vote in the EEC referendum had 'hit rock bottom' and was 'adapting to the nationalistic policies of the Tribune left' [8] - merely opened up the way to the torrent of abuse which the ICL is now unleashing against Workers Power itself.