Socialist Worker - any good?

[fol de rol]

Just a quick one - sorry it isn't much of a topic.

I'm currently considering whether or not to subscribe to Socialist Worker. Is it any good?

[Marvin]

Hmm, you're opening a bit of a can of worms for most people on the left.

If you're a member of the SWP, then yes, if not, then there are other alternatives.

I consider myself a Socialist but am not a fan of the SWP, they've been the cause of a lot of rifts amongst the left in this country and as such I don't get the SW as I don't want to pay my money to an organisation that have been shooting the left in the foot for a long time.

[Looknorth]

Never read it, but my tenants seem to rather like it. They pinned a copy to my front door.

[Baxter]

Get the Morning Star it's a much more entertaining read.

[Saucer51]

I once saw Vanessa Redgrave on Question Time opining that British people think they're too good for some jobs.

Of course, on a busy Saturday night, Ms Redgrave can be found cleaning the public shithouses in her town centre....not.

[Mary Hinge]

Never read it, but my tenants seem to rather like it. They pinned a copy to my front door.

Sounds like you have a case of the Trotsky Revolutionaries Overthrowing Land Ladies Society there, Looknorth.

Seriously though FDR if you can get this fucker to fly then I want to be billeted next to you in a POW camp. We'd be in Switzerland before the first month was out. Since I've got the flying kit, here's something to help.
Anyway here is a promotional video on behalf of the CONFEDERATE SOCIALIST WORKERS' PARTY. And you thought they were all in the Klan. Seems not.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1802drfkya8[/youtube]

1,2,3 I wish I was in Dixie...

[biggytitbo]

I once saw Vanessa Redgrave on Question Time opining that British people think they're too good for some jobs.

Of course, on a busy Saturday night, Ms Redgrave can be found cleaning the public shithouses in her town centre....not.

Vanessa Redgrave has a job though, she's a successful actress.

[its not cool to be weird]

Vanessa Redgrave has a job though, she's a successful actress.

Good point. But she's a twat isn't she. The most obnoxious guest Question Time ever had.

FDR, subscribe to Private Eye, its all the facts you need.

[Borboski]

She'll remain notorious for her support of Gerry Healey, won't she?

[sirhenry]

FDR, subscribe to Private Eye, its all the facts you need.

Can't get better advice than that.

[NoSleep]

I once saw Vanessa Redgrave on Question Time opining that British people think they're too good for some jobs.

Of course, on a busy Saturday night, Ms Redgrave can be found cleaning the public shithouses in her town centre....not.

What's Redgrave got to do with the SWP? Wasn't she a member of the Worker's Revolutionary Party?

[its not cool to be weird]

They're all Trotskyists?

I've some more good advice. The SWP is a member of Respect. Don't read their rag!

[Neville Chamberlain]

Get Class War instead! You'll not find them jumping into bed with fascists (although they could use a proofreader sometimes!).

[Searchlight]

Years ago I used to work in London and we used to get a daily paper delivered called something like "The News Line". It was printed by a collective in East London and their world view seemed to be as follows;

1) Everyone in power is either evil or a sell out.

2) Apart from Colonel Gadaffi and Yasser Arafat.


In my experience most leftist publications take this approach. They will have a few pin ups who can do no wrong such as Castro, Galloway, Sheridan and more recently Chavez. Everyone else is assumed to be working from evil intentions.

I wouldnt bother paying actual money for Socialist worker mate. You can read ill informed, mad, leftist rants on the internet for nothing.

[Famous Mortimer]

They're all Trotskyists?

I've some more good advice. The SWP is a member of Respect. Don't read their rag!

Consider the can of worms opened...Respect proves that far from causing splits in the left, the SWP has tried to hold it together. We supported Galloway, in public at least, when he acted like a twat on Big Brother because the result Respect was trying to achieve meant more than us thinking he was an idiot. He was the one who resented Respect spending money on Gay Pride, for example, and while he never said it, the implication of such a stance is clear – want to appeal to Muslims, some of whom are notorious for homophobia, without coming out as a homophobe yourself (which Galloway probably isn't)? Make a noise about support for Gay Pride. He demanded that SWP members step down from all positions of power inside Respect, and just become, effectively, his unpaid ground troops to get him re-elected. I think we took a lot of his shit, and even so in the end it was him that split from us.

I was about to say I don't get why anyone would compare the Workers Revolutionary Party, which had membership in low-ish double figures for nearly all its existence, and was "famous" for having a gun produced at one of its meetings to start the revolution, the party who bought Trotsky's death mask, and the SWP, a genuine mass party of the working class. But of course I know why – because INCTBW is having another pop at the SWP, as he's done a bunch of times before.  

I consider myself a Socialist but am not a fan of the SWP, they've been the cause of a lot of rifts amongst the left in this country and as such I don't get the SW as I don't want to pay my money to an organisation that have been shooting the left in the foot for a long time.

Perhaps you could name a few examples, because otherwise it just looks like a meaningless ad hominem to chuck yet more shit at the SWP.

In my experience most leftist publications take this approach. They will have a few pin ups who can do no wrong such as Castro, Galloway, Sheridan and more recently Chavez. Everyone else is assumed to be working from evil intentions.

So we're either damned for causing splits in the left or damned for unquestioning support for the above list of people. You've clearly never read Socialist Worker or you'd know your statement was a load of rubbish. There have been articles supporting all of them at one point or another, there have been articles criticising them too.

To fol de rol, try a copy and if you like what it has to say subscribe. If not, don't. 

[The Plaque Goblin]

The Working Socialist is better.

[biggytitbo]

When the cat and the dog are both abused by their master, they should not spend all their time squabbling amongst themselves.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

The SWP actually formed the more reasonable, measured end of the Respect party. Which is saying something.

[its not cool to be weird]

When the cat and the dog are both abused by their master, they should not spend all their time squabbling amongst themselves.

Indeed, they should both concentrate on becoming pigs, and then men.

Consider the can of worms opened...Respect proves that far from causing splits in the left, the SWP has tried to hold it together. We supported Galloway, in public at least, when he acted like a twat on Big Brother because the result Respect was trying to achieve meant more than us thinking he was an idiot. He was the one who resented Respect spending money on Gay Pride, for example, and while he never said it, the implication of such a stance is clear – want to appeal to Muslims, some of whom are notorious for homophobia, without coming out as a homophobe yourself (which Galloway probably isn't)? Make a noise about support for Gay Pride. He demanded that SWP members step down from all positions of power inside Respect, and just become, effectively, his unpaid ground troops to get him re-elected. I think we took a lot of his shit, and even so in the end it was him that split from us.

I was about to say I don't get why anyone would compare the Workers Revolutionary Party, which had membership in low-ish double figures for nearly all its existence, and was "famous" for having a gun produced at one of its meetings to start the revolution, the party who bought Trotsky's death mask, and the SWP, a genuine mass party of the working class. But of course I know why – because INCTBW is having another pop at the SWP, as he's done a bunch of times before.  

Hear hear. Actually I've never knocked the SWP directly (and it wasn't me comparing the SWP with the WRP anyway, all these acronyms), just socialism in general. I much prefer the former as it happens. In this case I couldn't agree with you more Famous, the real question is, why did the SWP align itself with that cunt Galloway in the first place? Seriously WHY? Its beyond logic. They (you) must've realised Galloway would always be the public face of Respect? As an attempt to promote socialism it was badly misjudged I think.

To fol de rol, try a copy and if you like what it has to say subscribe. If not, don't. 

That is the best advice right there (aside from subscribe to Private Eye). Personally I prefer not to read newspapers for opinion, or if I do I tend to look for papers which I disagree with.

Out of interest, Famous, since you're the man in the know, what sort of stories does the Socialist Worker cover? Is there much investigative journalism or is it mainly comment?

[Sovereign]

The SWP actually formed the more reasonable, measured end of the Respect party. Which is saying something.

True. They're not a bad bunch of people, I'm still a member but I'm not an activist anymore. They've got a decent level of organisation for a fringe party, moreso than The Socialist Party or the Communist Party of Great Britain. They're a little bit authoritarian for me, and I disagree with them on their open borders policy towards immigration, but they're alright on the whole.

I met one of the people who edits socialist worker a while ago, a scottish bloke called chris if I remember correctly, and he was a lovely bloke and talked at great length with passion and intelligence about Antonio Gramsci. Its not a bad paper at all, it doesn't get overly sentimental about Chavez or Castro or even Galloway in my knowledge. To be honest, I dont know anyone in the SWP who has much time for George Galloway, he's hated amongst many senior figures in the party and considered an embarassing liability.

There's still too much partizanship and hopeless bickering on the left, but if another Respect style co-alition involving the moderate anti-war muslim, The Green Party and the other Socialist parties came together it would comfortably get more votes than UKIP, the BNP or any other fringe party. In the coming years, the interest in such fringe parties will increase, something which has been a noticable trend since the anti-globalisation riots in Seattle through to the massive anti-war protests in 2003 and 2004. The upcoming recession will also probably add to this, although the hope that this will be another 1929 is foolhardy wishful thinking. The recession is not the end of capitalism, its severity is being overstated because many socialist would rather pray for a miracle to fall into their laps rather than work hard to affect change.

[its not cool to be weird]

Just boom and bust innit. Sounds a bit like Christianity, get 'em while they're down. Problem with that is when they're up they tend to lose interest.

[Lord Summerisle]

Socialist Worker = Marxist = Dogmatic

You're better off with anarchism

[samadriel]

What kind of anarchist?

[NoSleep]

What kind of anarchist?

I was going to ask that.

[Blumf]

Anarchism^(tm)(r) - Distributed self-governance solutions for the 21^st century
_{(subsidiary of NeoCon International Inc.)}

[Baxter]

Anarchism^(tm)(r) - Distributed self-governance solutions for the 21^st century
_{(subsidiary of NeoCon International Inc.)}

Needs more Helvetica

[Blumf]

I was thinking some generic swirly logo...

[Baxter]

We facilitate informed public debate by providing accurate factual information on today's social issues, publishing informed comment and analysis, and bringing together leading protagonists in open discussion. Anarchism never takes a corporate view on any of the issues tackled during the course of this work. Our current focus is on issues such as education, health, crime, social security and immigration.

[Blumf]

I can feel this new brand direction really testing well with the focus groups, likely to register as high as Coca-Cola or Marlborough for recognition. It's certainly a brand I'd feel comfortable investing my political leanings with as an aspiration statement.

[Baxter]

We should really get into contact with Linotype to get an original typeface designed to further enhance the brand Identity. Some viral public 'art' adverts wouldn't go amiss either the Proles just LOVE those bouncing rubber balls.