{"id":19391,"date":"2021-08-13T17:09:26","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T17:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=19391"},"modified":"2022-08-13T22:59:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T22:59:01","slug":"the-swp-and-scottish-independence-part-2-to-party-or-not-to-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2021\/08\/13\/the-swp-and-scottish-independence-part-2-to-party-or-not-to-party\/","title":{"rendered":"The SWP and Scottish independence – Part 2, To party or not to party?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This posting\u00a0\u00a0covers the Introduction and Contents of the second part of Allan Armstrong’s review of the book,\u00a0Breaking up the British state, Scotland, Independence and Socialism<\/em>, edited by Bob Fotheringham, Dave Sherry & Colm Bryce of the SWP. The full article can be seen at:-<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com\/2022\/08\/breaking-up-the-british-state-part-2.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

This posting\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0covers the Introduction and Contents of the second part of Allan Armstrong’s review of the book Breaking up the British state, Scotland, Independence and Socialism<\/em>, edited by Bob Fotheringham, Dave Sherry & Colm Bryce of the SWP. The full article can be seen at:-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part 2 \u2013 To Party or not to Party?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>1. The limits of Left social democracy and constitutional nationalism<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>2. Tail-ending Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Leonard and Left social democracy<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. The SWP\u2019s economistic and \u2018national exceptionalist\u2019 approach provides no alternative in the political arena<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>4. \u2018Maginot Marxist\u2019 attempts to dismiss the significance of struggles against oppression<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. The shared history of two unionist states \u2013 the USSR and the UK<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first part of this review, Breakin\u2019 up is so hard to do,<\/em> examined the thinking and theories which have led to the SWP adopting Scottish independence. \u00a0It looked at the political reasons why the SWP is unable to devise an immediate republican, \u2018internationalism from below\u2019 strategy\u2019 to resist Johnston\u2019s reactionary unionists, or to provide an alternative to the constitutional nationalists\u2019 floundering attempts to bring about constitutional change.<\/p>\n

The second part of this review, To party or not to party? <\/em>\u00a0looks into the SWP\u2019s long-standing claim that it provides THE Socialist party alternative to the constitutional parties – particularly the social democrats, be they Labour or the SNP. \u00a0But it also offers an explanation as to why ButBS <\/em>is so muted in making any such party claims for the SWP today. \u00a0It links this to a wider social democratic legacy, which has had such an impact on the British Left. \u00a0Whilst wanting to reject British Labourism, and the SNP leadership\u2019s social neo-liberalism ButBS <\/em>is still mired in an acceptance of much Left social democratic thinking.<\/p>\n

ButBS<\/em> wants the SWP to be seen as a Marxist and revolutionary socialist party, adhering to what it claims to be Leninist methods of organisation. \u00a0Therefore, ButBS <\/em>embraces Vladimir Lenin (and Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Rosa Luxemburg and Leon Trotsky too). \u00a0In an attempt to appear orthodox, ButBS <\/em>uncritically invokes the Bolsheviks\u2019 1917 Declaration of Rights.<\/em> \u00a0This declaration addressed the oppressed nations, which the new Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic inherited from the Tsarist Russian empire. \u00a0However, for various reasons, this declaration has not left Socialists a legacy which we can champion today. \u00a0The Bolsheviks\u2019 failure to embrace an \u2018internationalism from below\u2019 strategy contributed to this.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the second part concludes by advancing the case for a different sort of party – a socialist republican party.\u00a0 It also makes the case that the \u2018internationalism from below\u2019 strategy developed in these islands by James Connolly and John Maclean, should make a major contribution to such a party.\u00a0 This is not done with the intention of creating a new orthodox Connollyism or Macleanism, but in an appreciation that they, along with others (some now neglected, some now misunderstood, and some now forgotten) pointed to another way of thinking and organising, which has increasing relevance today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first part of this article can be seen at:-<\/p>\n

https:\/\/allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com\/2022\/07\/breaking-up-the-british-state.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>_________<\/p>\n

also see:-<\/p>\n

1. A critique of Jeremy Corbyn and British left social democracy – part-2 (c-f)- Allan Armstrong (RCN)<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/a-critique-of-jeremy-corbyn-and-british-left-social-democracy-part-2\/\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

2. The role of platforms- Iain Robertson (RCN)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The role of platforms in the Scottish Socialist Party – Why are the RCN a platform?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n