For reasons best known to them the editors of Permanent Revolution (the journal of the comrades expelled from Workers Power) inivted me to send them a letter. Here is a sneak preview.

Splits and expulsions can be demoralising experiences. On the other hand they can offer an opportunity to look with fresh eyes at the political landscape and re-consider one’s political practice.

The announcement of the birth of the League for the Fifth International was mostly greeted with howls of laughter. The current’s subsequent development into a sect predicting imminent revolution provided lots of giggles too. It’s obvious to anyone familiar with those involved that those of you who were expelled from Workers Power were those most familiar with what is really happening in the class struggle. Your principal fault, as far as I could see, was that you refused to delude yourselves about the type of period we are in.However I don’t think that there is a future for an organisation that tries to create “Continuity Workers Power”. The trick of joining a broader formation such as the Socialist Alliance and flouncing out when it didn’t adopt a revolutionary programme is really not worth repeating.

As supporters of Socialist Resistance demonstrate it is entirely possible to maintain a revolutionary Marxist current inside organisations such as the Socialist Alliance and Respect. This October’s conference and next year’s local government elections will be important milestones in the development of a mass party to the left of Labour. At the moment it is indisputable that Respect is narrowing politically. The SWP’s control of it has tightened and the number of independent socialists in it has fallen. Nevertheless its councillors have met every crucial test so far and the trade union conference will see some increase in the number of working class militants in the organisation.

The other big factor is what’s happening internationally. The revolutionary processes that we are seeing in Venezuela and Bolivia will re-shape the left globally. They will energize existing organisations and draw a new political generation to the ideas of revolutionary socialism. This places an obligation on all of us to explore the strengths and weaknesses of our political traditions. It also means making hard judgements as to whether or not another tiny group selling a paper on demonstration is a real contribution to the regroupment and strengthening of revolutionary socialism.