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The Socialist Party (Template:Lang-cy) is a Trotskyist political party in England and Wales. Founded in 1997, it had formerly been Militant, an entryist group in the Labour Party from 1964 to 1991, which became Militant Labour from 1991 until 1997. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International (2019), and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

History

The Socialist Party (SP) was formerly the Militant group which practised entryism in the Labour Party around the Militant newspaper. Founded in 1964, the Militant newspaper described itself as the "Marxist voice of Labour and Youth". In the 1980s, Militant supporters Dave Nellist, Pat Wall and Terry Fields were elected to the House of Commons as Labour MPs. In 1982, Liverpool District Labour Party adopted Militant's policies for Liverpool City Council in its battle against cuts in the rate support grant from government, and came into conflict with the Conservative government.

In 1989–1990, Militant led the All-Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation, which organised a non-payment campaign against the poll tax. Terry Fields was jailed for refusing to pay the poll tax and expelled from the Labour Party for defying the law. The Labour Party had earlier found Militant guilty of operating as an entryist group, contrary to the party's constitution.

In 1991, there was a debate within Militant as to whether to continue working within the Labour Party, centred around whether they could still effectively operate in the party following the expulsions. The poll tax campaign also suggested that there was more to be gained as an open organisation than inside the Labour Party. At a special conference, 93% of delegates voted for the Open Turn. A minority around Ted Grant broke away to form Socialist Appeal in the Labour Party.

Operating as an "open party" was first undertaken in Scotland with Scottish Militant Labour, standing Tommy Sheridan for election from his jail cell. The group became Militant Labour in 1991, after leaving the Labour Party. The journal Militant International Review, founded in 1969, became a monthly publication and was renamed Socialism Today in 1995. In 1997, Militant Labour changed its name to the Socialist Party, and the Militant newspaper was renamed The Socialist.

In March 2009, the Socialist Party was invited to participate in No to EU – Yes to Democracy (No2EU), a left-wing alter-globalisation coalition by the RMT union leader Bob Crow, for the 2009 European Parliament elections. This alliance later developed into the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), of which the party is a member.

In 2018 and 2019, the party was involved in a dispute within the predecessor Committee for a Workers' International (1974) around the questions of socialism and identity politics. The Socialist Party, as part of the “In Defence of a Working Class and Trotskyist CWI” (IDWCTCWI) faction, would go on to re-establish a revived Committee for a Workers' International in 2019 that considers itself a continuance of the original CWI (though this is disputed).

Allegations of violence against women and sexual assault

In March 2013, Socialist Party member and National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Assistant General Secretary Steve Hedley was accused of domestic violence by a former partner, Caroline Leneghan. Hedley, who had joined the Socialist Party a year after the alleged event took place, resigned immediately from the Socialist Party when the allegations were made.

A former Socialist Party member alleged in 2013 that the Socialist Party's Executive Committee unfairly dealt with her complaint against a fellow member who put his hand on her knee. The Socialist Party did not publicly comment on her case, but Hannah Sell, who was Deputy General Secretary at the time, published a statement on behalf of the Executive Committee: "Combating violence against women: A socialist perspective on fighting women's oppression".

See also

Notes and references

1. Keith Edkins (30 November 2009). "Local Council Political Compositions". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
2. Nicholas Whyte (10 May 2005). "The 2005 Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland". Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive. Archived from the original on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
3. "Labour win but come under fire from axed Nellist".
4. Mgadzah, Ray (28 March 1995). "Legacy of Mersey's Militants". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
5. This initiative would eventually lead to the foundation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance. The majority of Scottish members, after forming the Scottish Socialist Party, left the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI – the international socialist organisation which the Socialist Party is affiliated to) in early 2001 as the Scottish majority moved away from traditional Trotskyist politics. The CWI in Scotland now works as part of Solidarity – Scotland's Socialist Movement.
6. Fighting for socialism: One hundred issues Archived 17 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine, by the editor, Lynn Walsh. Retrieved 2007-07-29
7. "Election campaigns". socialistparty.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
8. "About". TUSC. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
9. Kelly, Fiach (6 March 2019). "Socialist Party documents illustrate criticism from international comrades". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023.
10. Flakin, Nathaniel (9 August 2019). "The Split in the CWI: Lessons for Trotskyists". Left Voice. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
11. "RMT accused of dismissing attack claim by activist". The Independent. 8 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
12. "RMT investigation concludes: Steve Hedley has no case to answer". www.socialistparty.org.uk. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
13. "Workers' movement: Bureaucratic 'justice' and dealing with sex assault cases". Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
14. "Combating violence against women: A socialist perspective on fighting women's oppression". Socialist Party. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2020.

External links

• Socialist Party
• Socialism Today theoretical journal of the Socialist Party
• Committee for a Workers' International
• Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
• Catalogue of the Socialist Party archives held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick

• Socialist Party (England and Wales)
• Militant tendency