Thursday, February 11, 2010

Lindsey German quits SWP before axe: “You saw it here first”!



This apparently is kosher. In a completely weird and wonderful exchange of emails with the thuggish National Secretary of the SWP, Martin Smith and their former SWP “leader”, Lindsey German, who has resigned from the Party. Icepicker100 reminded me that you saw this first here (headphones or speaker on)!

As demonstrated in these emails the SWP and other ultra left Parties believe in what is called “democratic centralism”. This means whatever their Party Central Committee decides, SWP members have to obey. Even if this goes against what is best for the trade union or front (as in this case with Stop the War) they are involved in. German refused to accept what she had been told to do by the SWP central committee so she resigned ahead of being expelled.

Another lovely thing these cults do to their dissent members is to “hammer" (they actually use this word) them out of the Party. This is usually not done physically but rather verbally and emotionally.  This is why Smith deliberately sticks the knife in with the comment about direct debits. 

Still, I have no real sympathy with German since she helped create the monster that has turned against her.  However, this may mean there will be a split in the SWP which should be interesting (abet utterly unimportant and insignificant in the wider scheme of things)

Anyway check out the emails and make your own mind up.

Hat-tip “A Very Public Sociologist” and “Socialist Unity”.  A message for the Left Platform and SWP CC reponse to Left Platform.

1a "Dear Lindsey,

On behalf of the CC, we are repeating our request that you don’t speak at the disputed StW meeting in Newcastle tonight [Wednesday 10th February]. We expect you, like all SWP members, to respect our decisions.

We also think that it is imperative that you meet with members of the CC at the earliest possible opportunity. Could you please give us some dates when you are free.

Martin Smith (SWP National Secretary)

1b Dear Martin,

I asked Judith whether I would be subject to disciplinary action if I went to Newcastle. Your reply is ambiguous on this question. Could you please clarify. The STW meeting is not disputed, as you put it. It was agreed at two Tyneside STW steering committees, despite our comrades raising why I was going to the meeting. I therefore think your request is misplaced.

Lindsey

2a Dear Lindsey,

We have already made our decision very clear to you. If you ignore our request we reserve the right to respond as we see fit.

Martin

2b Dear Martin,

It is clear from your reply that your request is in fact an instruction not to speak in Newcastle tonight at the Stop the War meeting.

I regard such a course of action as damaging both to the party and STW. The meeting is properly constituted as evidenced by two sets of minutes of steering committee. There is no good reason for me to withdraw and none that I could possibly justify to STW members locally or nationally.

I have always tried to prevent internal disputes from damaging the movement. I feel that you have brought these disputes into STW and that is unacceptable.

It is therefore with the greatest regret that I am resigning from the SWP. This is a very hard decision for me. I joined more than 37 years ago and have always been committed to building it, which in my view meant relating to the wider movement.

I was on the CC for 30 years, edited the Review for 20 and played a major role in the movement and party building. My respect and affection for many party members remains, and my commitment to socialism as ever. I hope to continue working with them in the wider movement.

Lindsey German

3a Lindsey,

I acknowledge receipt of your resignation and have amended our records accordingly.

Please note it is your responsibility to inform your bank to close your Direct Debit/Standing Order.

Martin Smith (SWP National Secretary)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't whether to laugh or laugh a lot! Farewell, old tub-thumper!

Leon

Anonymous said...

"This means whatever their Party Central Committee decides, SWP members have to obey."

Actually it's more like: whatever the membership decides, Central Committee members and other high profile members have to obey. The higher the comrade's position, the more they are held to account, as opposed to conference deciding things and the leadership doing whatever the hell they like (see: the Labour Party)

Anonymous said...

People front for Judah

Needs YOU !

John Gray said...

Hi Anon 17.13

Rubbish! Did the members hold a secret ballot before the President of the CWU was forced to resign when she went against CC “order” to call off postal strikes? No, that decision was made by CC.

Did “members” decide that German could not speak at that STW event?

nick venedi said...

Hi John,

A bit confused about your reply to coments on this page? You reply to Mike when there is no comment from Mike? And in what context was the reply around 'most Greeks being Orthodox?' (most are of course) was trying to make sense of that one as the self appointed correspondent of Hellinism on your blog.. lol
Nick

John Gray said...

Hi Nick

By complete co-incidence I have just emailed you something!

I've cut and pasted on the wrong post!

I can't count and now this...:)

It should be on this http://grayee.blogspot.com/2010/02/operation-black-vote-clg-mp-shadowing.html

I'll delete and repost

Anonymous said...

Do the members hold a secret ballot over whether to discipline someone when they go against a union's policy? Conference is the sovereign body of the party, at which policies and perspectives for the coming year are voted on, the central committee, the national committee and the disputes committee are elected by delegates who in turn are elected by their branches in the pre-conference period. If someone is acting alone against party policy, *especially* if they hold a high profile union, local government or party position, they are held to account for their actions.

John Gray said...

Hi Anon
Apologies for not responding sooner but I have been away. Anyway, your reply is IMO rather silly and missing the point.

Apart from it should be the rule book that any members in a truly democratic organisation are charged against not just the CC opinion. German is I believe an officer of STW and perfectly entitled to address STW meetings in this capacity. The SWP CC decided without reference to the STW to threaten German with expulsion is she spoke at this meeting?

So all SWP members who hold positions in STW or any union or "front" (this is what they call them for crying out loud) has to do what their CC tells them not what they were elected to that position to do?

German got what she deserved since she didn’t mind others being treated in this way when she was on the top table but this democratic centralism by the extremist ultra left and their followers is just plain disgusting and shameful.

IMO of course.