"a maximum programme". There is ample evidence of the bureaucratic nature of the WRP, while illustratsons of its sectarianism are manifold being generally expressed in abstentionism from the main struggles of the working class, and a refusal to ike up serious anti-imperialist camLos Its "maximum programme" it cover for non-intervention within the broad strugele.
However these "deviations" of the WRP a sot blemietes on an ochutwise healthy ady nor are they the failings of a leader hip which has grown old and cannot papple with the changing circumstances of the ururge in the class struegle The crisis in the WRP has been sharpand by the current economic and social as exposing the political depeneration of this orpiniation which reaches right ack to its formation in the late 1940L Contrary to the expectations of the rutskyist movement the end of the acond World War did not result in the diate demisc and discrediting of 1, nor did it lead to an immediate te crisis of world imperialism. iu survived the War and expanded ontrol into Fastern Europe. In many, pitalet countries the Communist Fardes particularly in France and Italy, lecame the major working class parties PROLONGED CRISIS statinum went through a prolonged cms which only burst to the surface with the sevelations of Kruscher in 1956.
The stalinice by collaboratine with the imperialists helped to save capitalism a Weitem Furope and theruby effectively trottled any working class challenpe to capitalist power. The basis was laid for sn aprecedented boom and an enormous exansion of the capitalist productive forces The effect of the post-war boom in Britain was to strengthen the hold of repetism over the working class and give cumency to the idea of the 'mixed econmay*- Workers did actually get real improvements in their living standards and he boom provided the deonomic basis for Wellare State.
Trotskyin - a movement born out of the defeats of the international working clam and as a reaction lo Lhe betrayals of salinises — had nat heer able to gain a decisive base in any key sections of the orking class. Its expectations of growth o the post-war period were delayed by the Nower than expected tempo of the twin cris of imperialisen and stalinism. Ies isol on was ocrpetuated and it besame sulat to the pressure of the organisations hich dominated the working class PRESSURE la Britain the pressure exorted on the evolutionary moveitent was that of soc il democracy. The small, politically isolateg and theosetically ill-oquipped revoluronary organisations were sucked into the whiripool of reformism.
The defence of a 'timoless" programme ocame its theoretical life, Its practice bome that of clinging desperately to the cat-tails of left social democracy. Its hat a centrist current would dovelop inMoe the Labour Party which would breek mith social democracy.
The forerunners of the Will, in order to strengthen their identification watts this so-called centrist cument sold Tribune Hitaking bardened left" reformista Lk.
Worker contacts witt recruted to the" Labour Party and thie industrias struggle was turned towards demands on the Labour Party leaders. As the thesis was that the workine class had to po tiroush the es perience of breaking with social democracy, our Party had to be recruited so they could be booken from it!
The WRP has remained trapped in this contradictory position between reitcrating the programme rather in the manner of a wel-rchearsed litany and tailing behind reformism. It has completely Tailer in address itself to the main question of how it can pain a base in those. forces which ape breaking from both sulin ism and imperialism.
The national liberation struggle in Algeria, the Cuban revolution and fight of the NLF in Vietnum pushed the WRP onto the sidelines. Reginning trom the dogmatJe assertion that because these struggles were not led by Trotskyists they could nor lead to the overthrow of capitalism the WRl resorted to propagandistic denuncia Mone n these surodes Faiting to recognase them as the fast Apsurges la a new upturn of the world res clutionary forcas they fasled to anderstand the effect that these struggles would have on developing a new vanguard in the metopobran coantres. Nor did they grasp How in the carly stapes this would have its ervatest impact on torcus not localedan thi mass organisations of the working cinss.
On Algeria Chey bocame super-apolorits for the MNA the movement led by Messall Had and litter opponeets of Die FL.N which was Jeading the arred strugde acunst French imperialism. Their support of the MNA was dietaled hy purely oceters of the MNA were collaborators of the o ASS ton for the revolution repesants a consolidation of capitalisa. This no douht brings nods of approval from the people who argue the theories of state capitalism, but has nothing in common with repotulionary marxicalsation of thousands, mainly outside Ele tradibunal breaniations — acound Vietnar was not only ignored by the WRP but actually denounced by it When 100,000 people marched in 1968 againsi ory to the NE' the WRP produced a leafler: "Why we are cat marching forces of the revolutionary left had won idarity Committee to the position. of calling for the victory of the NEF. The CP Jasteau of seting to mobilise in support af a revoltrionary stugele, develop an antiimperidist consciousness in these new forces and win them to revolutionary polifics against the semi pacifisen of the CP the WRP apposod the march The only time that the WRP enterod inta serious activity on the war in Vietnan was whon Nilson made his visit to Nixon which caused opposition inside Lie Labour Party. This was Lhe scenario the WRP and erstood hest. Ir gave the WRP a chance to to make propaganda inside social democr DEGENERATING What the WRP does not understand is that the long boom of the past war years .the traditional local Jeaders both inside the Labour Party and in the anions. The WRP':
Hence.
The large movement - evoking a radthe war in Vietoati under the slogan Vict- has been bult. It only is by aderentro Ageinst the Communist Party, the scnail Party will he built.
over thie vanguard around rie Vietnam Solhad argued for a 'negotiated peace position.
thisas ar opporlunity Britain expose the Latour Jesders and alleted them feat the CP - no thanks to the WRP. Th JUNTA of power.
the party A'RP was ciriming that the question of powar was buing posed. Their demand was For the re-call of the Labour Parly Conler In both instances ticy located their demands widhin parlamentary solarions, failing to recognise that thie burning question if a cevolutionary situation did exist (which was patent monsensc) or a general strike was possible would be the moed to does not understand that the dopth and amensity of the crisis will produce snigeles where workers will challenge the cup italist institetions. Unfortunarely for the scholastics of the FRP, the working class in these strugeles that the revolationary Instead the WRP is reduced lo warn ing of the impending betrayals and urging the Lireck and Portaguese niasses to build sections of the International Coc mittoc. This pravides no line on what Ite Portugese and Greek workers shoule do now. Nar does it caable the WRP to inluence the political vanguard her n Chile was for the WRP an idcal oppos tunity to demonstrate for the roch tinte the betrayals of stalinism. However, it took no part in the work of the Chile Solidanty Campaign where on important struggle fook place against the atrempos of the CP and the socia democrati to keeu the campaign within the limits of pressure on the labour "lefts".
The revol Donary leil were able to de consoquenoes of this were that important secans atine vanchard were broucht intr conflict not only with stalinion but agrinst In November 1973 as 10.000 people demonstrated in solidarity with the Chileu mastes the WRP was ereconcen in change ie! Hanneersmith Odeon declaring the revalacionary party and densancing the new vanguard which is breaking from ro formise and stalinise is emerging outside the control of the revolutionary left It is froin this vanguaed that the forces cao and must be assembled to construct cass revolutionary parties.
This is not some diversios as the H'RP believe. Without intervening in these struages it is not possible to deloal the CP and social democracy. In practice the WRP capitulates to both staliniem and social democracy because it can paly confront them with the timeless progranume. It has no analysis of bow the crisis of capitalison is creating a new vanguard - which is br course centrist, te osciliates betweci retorigism and repolation.
By absteining on chese strugeles thes Prove theassis incapable o winning thes peaple in a revolorionary progra mnc More important they have no line for bow the vanguand can orante the nas movement cowards chalenging rap Ialist power by crcating their own forms The WKP conterpeses itself to the selForganiation of the workers mos ment, Its position is reducible to. we are Jom as - bor meopustrie Bon of a party with a base and prestige inside the the workine class is not dependest simply is aisa determined by how tat patr works inside the mass morment towands organs of dual power - Independent Torne of worker power - which ensure the vio tory of the workers morement in ils straagies against capitaliam now and lay the ass for a purty with a real base inside tic ME BOCIEI the de mands for alected strike conan atroes sabject to re call by mass meetings of the workers; the budding of action contilos arounć campais such as Shre Wsbury: the campaico for the Working Wonien's Charler iavolving not simpli and breaking across the sectotal bound artes which srific ond thwart the indepen dent organisations of the working class ane net oniy nopostry to win immodiero strageles. They also educate the working class and other oppressed groups in society on the torms of organisation that they need to estabilish their own nike REFORMIST PRACTICE The WRP has no answer on these problums, hence its combination of ultra-left Thetoric and reformist practice. Forood back into the shetlo of abstract propagan disa it taker on the form of marcian Fabianism' combined with a Salvation Aroy type recruiting programme.
For currents such as the WSL which have emerged from the WRP the problem is to now break frons their ideological ancestors. Houyism 'with a human face is not De solution, What these comrades nave to address themsolves to is what has led the WRP into its political impass The comrades of the WSL by involving thomselves ad struggios over Shrewsbury. by helping to build a powerlul Troops Our of Ireland movement, by-taking up the struggle against fascism can helf to play a decisive role in winning the vanguard from stalinism acul social democracy.
to dent cor the tercouuonary prog rumme has to take place on the terrain al struggle. The would-be philosophers of the WRP have only interpreted the world and that meber badly - the task is to