WSM?

Formed in 1984 by a guy with a beard we are now able to boast that we are the largest platformist group in Ireland. We publish a free newspaper called Workers Solidarity (10,000 copies bi-monthly) and a magazine called Red and Black Revolution (bi-annual). We are quite controversial in the anarchist movement because we believe in being organised and having collectively agreed positions which we should fight for in struggles, essentially making anarchism a meaningful force when some would rather it remained on the margins of the left as an opposition movement.

Plus our acronym is an ambigram...

Really? I always thought that you guys are controversial in the anarchist movement because you don't have problems with "anarchists" taking hierarhical positions in unions, supporting nationalism and similar. In fact, the anarchist movement I know is not finding the issue of being organized and collectively agreeing on certain positions controversial, quite the opposite, the anarchist movement I know finds those to be the things which go without saying...

But isn't that taking away from the whole point of a non-hierarchical group?

not to mention completely overlooking the actual role of the trade unions and why they can never be 'reformed' as vechiles for working class self organisation.

Comrade, you believe in the formation of a syndicalist union in Ireland in the 21st century. Your politics have enough problems without having to worry about ours.

revol68, the discussion has been fairly civil can we keep it that way? You have points of contention with the WSM, fine, I do aswell (although I disagree with a lot of what you have said) but that's best discussed between us nto used for pathetic insults on an itnernet forum.

Firstly, with unions. I agree that the mainstream unions are well beyond repair. And that no union can be vehicle of revolution. But I do believe that the union can provide a decent platform for our politics, and consiquently do not oppose entryism on principal.

I think what wheresmyshoes is saying is fine, in principal. In principal we all oppose hierachy, and struggle for the abolition of it. But In practice, getting a union official ellected could speed up the realisation of that end (by providing a platform for our politics). I don't mind practical objections to this idea (I hold some myself). But ones rooted in dogma help no one.

dude, really don't bother with this one. Yep its worth asking for a bit of decorum from everyone else on this site when things get heated, but not revol.

If only there was some other anarchist bulletin boards where this kind of thing doesn't happen.

Anyway, thanks for answering a few questions.

Cat, like Galloway?

Cat like what makes lols.

I agreed wit the spirit of your earlier criticisms but this is just stupid, firstly the WSM clearly aren't anything like the SWP and secondly by alluding to that your pretty much providing them with a charicature of hippy' anarchist angst.

In all fairness was there any need to say this. The first part of your description of the WSM would have bee fine and would have produced no arguement, why do you people have such a need to blow your own trumpet In such a sectarian fashion constantly.

national liberation - check
reform the union candidates - check
nationalisation - check
any daftae can join and flog the paper despite apparently disagreeing with their politics - check
an approach focussed on recruiting from the left, most specifically the drained cesspool of "left" republicanism - check

Oh for crying out loud how much capital are you going to try and make out of the one solitary time they have supported a full timer in a newsletter, jesus. Its not like its common organisational practice. Sure their approach to workplace activity feels a little muddled but its not like any oher anarchist group can really get on a high horse about that, no-ones exactly breaking boundaries right now are they. Jesus they put that in their newsletter 4 years ago or something. To make such a big deal out of it now just makes it look to the rest of us like you have developed an unhealthy obsession with the sectarian trivia of the anarchist movement.

For what its worth i agree with some of your criticisms. But at the end of the day what point are you trying to make here anyway? How is screeching hysterically about them being ''anarcho-trots'' going to do you any good? Do you even want it to do any good or are yoiu just here to score points?

We can not look at WSM as an isolated phenomenon, especially when it's public that they and other "trot-platformist" organizations around the world are actively working on creation of their own International. In that sense it would be quite interesting to look at their French counterpart - Alternative libertaire. Apart from criminal political positions that they have on various issues and grose behavior in the syndicalist movement, about which even Vignoles activists can testify, you can, for ex, find an uncritical link to the Ligue communiste révolutionnaire (LCR) on their website. As we all know LCR is the largest French trot party, leading party in USFI (or, as they like to call themselves 4th international) - the main trot international, which is, for a long time now, debating and cooperating with SWP. French IST (SWP International) Section joined, in an organized fashion, LCR in 2004.