Splits of the Socialist Workers Party (Britain)

Esme Choonara, Amy Leather, Candy Udwin, Maxine Bowler, 2013 Disputes Committee
Esme Choonara, Amy Leather, Candy Udwin, Maxine Bowler, 2013 Disputes Committee

We do not agree with their politics but reproduce this for reference.

Notable splits and departures from the Socialist Workers Party in Britain (and some notable international splits) in chronological order including key figures. The list shows a history of active members' serious complaints about the organisation and how it is organised. The issues are repeated since the formation of the SWP which should raise questions about the much-vaunted SWP model of ‘building the party’ especially for those unfamiliar with the party and its history.

Submitted by jondwhite on April 26, 2020

1971 - Trotskyist Tendency/Alliance for Workers’ Liberty/AWL – over imperialism
https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2013/03/03/trotskyist-tendency-1968-71
1974 – Revolutionary Communist Group/FRFI – over crisis theory and imperialism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Communist_Group_(UK)
1975 – International Socialist Opposition/Workers League/Jim Higgins/Roger Protz – over democracy
https://www.marxists.org/archive/higgins/1997/locust/app06.htm#pla
1976 - Workers Power/Red Flag/L5I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers'_Power_(UK)
1978 – Revolutionary Communist Party/Living Marxism/Spiked
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Communist_Group_(UK)
1981 – Red Action- over squaddism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Action
1982 – Womens’ Voice sympathisers and Flame BME activists
https://livesrunning.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/womens-voice-a-retrospective/
1983 – Revolutionary Democratic Group/Steve Freeman/Dave Craig – over republicanism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Democratic_Group
1994 – International Socialist Group/Jim Higgins/Andy Wilson – over democracy
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/iso/isg.html
http://www.studiesinanti-capitalism.net/SIAC_SWP_files/SWP%20Democracy%201994.pdf
1996 – IS Canada
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/iso/
2001 – ISO/International Socialist Organization (U.S. split from International Socialist Tendency)
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/iso/
http://www.whatnextjournal.org.uk/Pages/Back/Wnext19/Iso.html
2010 - Left Platform/Counterfire/John Rees
https://luna17activist.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-do-we-build-revolutionary.html
2011 - International Socialist Group (Scotland)/Chris Bambery
https://luna17activist.blogspot.com/2011/04/swp-chris-bambery-resignation-letter.html
2011 – Association for Musical Marxists/Ben Watson/Andy Wilson – over culture (founded 2010, resigned 2011)
https://web.archive.org/web/20110717170511/http://www.unkant.com/p/manifesto.html
2013 –International Socialist Network/Richard Seymour – over ‘Comrade Delta’
https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/944/swps-tom-walker-why-i-am-resigning/
2013 – London Black Revolutionaries – over direct action
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Black_Revolutionaries
2014 - January - RS21/Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (resigned 23 December 2013, founded 2014) – over ‘Comrade Delta’
https://revolutionarysocialism.tumblr.com/post/54901525674/statement-on-the-swp-crisis
2020 - SWP Tyneside – over behaviour and organisation
https://swpcrisis2020.blogspot.com/

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