Socialist Resistance
Encyclopedia
Socialist Resistance is a Trotskyist and ecosocialist organisation in Britain which publishes a Marxist periodical of the same name. In July 2009 the International Socialist Group
(ISG) merged into it, making SR the British Section of the Fourth International.
(SSN) and International Socialist Group
(ISG), and 33 individuals.
The founders of Socialist Resistance included Frances Curran and Catriona Grant
, leading members of the Scottish Socialist Party
, Murray Smith, former SSP international officer and Andrew Burgin from of the Stop the War Coalition
, leading members of the Socialist Alliance
included James White, secretary of Barnsley Alliance, Mathew Caygill secretary of Leeds Socialist Alliance plus Lesley Mahmood
(Liverpool) and Margaret Manning (Manchester) from the Socialist Alliance Executive.
.
In July 2009 Socialist Resistance adopted a constitution and a more extensive political basis. The organisation is controlled by an annual conference to which one delegate is elected for every three members. It elects a National Committee and an Appeals Committee (a control commission
). The National Committee appoints sub-committees, including an executive and an editorial board.
addressed by Michael Lowy
and Celia Hart
, a September 2006 annual general meeting, December 2006 and May 2007 forums on "ecosocialism" and a March 2007 forum on the Middle East
. These events often provide themes for books published by Resistance: it produced the first book of Celia Hart
's writings in English, Ron Ridenour's 2006 book on Cuba, the first book on ecosocialism and a large collection on the Middle East
, edited by Roland Rance and Terry Conway.
In September 2009, Socialist Resistance, together with Green Left, organised a seminar on Climate and Capitalism, with Ian Angus
as the main speaker.
Resistance also publishes irregular broadsheets and pamphlets. Three leading activists in Resistance are on the editorial board of International Viewpoint
. Socialist Resistance also co-operates with Green Left
and the Red-Green Study Group in the Ecosocialist International Network.
The rationale for the new publication was "(...) to express and build support for a distinct political position which, despite differences among us on secondary issues, we share. We want to deepen the fight for a broad socialist party in England on the model of, for example, the SSP
in Scotland and the Party of Communist Refoundation in Italy."
Between September 2002 and November 2007 it produced 49 issues of a 28-page tabloid which was produced monthly, with summer and winter issues spanning two months each. In November 2007, the resources used for the newspaper were dedicated to the Respect Renewal movement, allowing it to plan the launch of a newspaper in December 2007. According to a statement by the group's Steering Committee, the change was unanimously agreed at a meeting of the group's members. In January 2008, the group's aggregate agreed to relaunch Socialist Resistance as a colour quarterly magazine in April 2008.
International Socialist Group
The International Socialist Group was a Trotskyist organisation in Britain. It was the British section of the Fourth International until July 2009 when it dissolved into Socialist Resistance.- Origin :...
(ISG) merged into it, making SR the British Section of the Fourth International.
Origins
It was launched on 8 September 2002 by two organisations, the Socialist Solidarity NetworkSocialist Solidarity Network
The Socialist Solidarity Network is a grouping of socialists in the United Kingdom most of whom are former members of the Socialist Party of England and Wales...
(SSN) and International Socialist Group
International Socialist Group
The International Socialist Group was a Trotskyist organisation in Britain. It was the British section of the Fourth International until July 2009 when it dissolved into Socialist Resistance.- Origin :...
(ISG), and 33 individuals.
The founders of Socialist Resistance included Frances Curran and Catriona Grant
Catriona Grant
Catriona Mary Grant is a founder member and former co-chair of the Scottish Socialist Party and the party's equalities spokesperson. She was instrumental in the split from the CWI international which established the SSP during the "Scottish Debate" of the late-90s.She was the chair of the...
, leading members of the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, Murray Smith, former SSP international officer and Andrew Burgin from of the Stop the War Coalition
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
, leading members of the Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (England)
The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England between 1992 and 2005.In late 2005, a small group reformed with the name "Socialist Alliance", with a mutual affiliation with the larger Alliance for Green Socialism.-Origins:...
included James White, secretary of Barnsley Alliance, Mathew Caygill secretary of Leeds Socialist Alliance plus Lesley Mahmood
Lesley Mahmood
Lesley Mahmood is an English politician.She was active in Militant Tendency and Liverpool politics along with her brother Roy Farrar in the 1970s and 1980s....
(Liverpool) and Margaret Manning (Manchester) from the Socialist Alliance Executive.
Organisation
Founded as a network it developed the norms of an organisation, included elected bodies, local groups and formal membership. By 2007 135 activists had subscribed to its internal listserver http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/resistancesupportersgroup/, of whom around at least 65 could be assumed to have been members of the ISG http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Socialist_Outlook/; and at least 20 of whom were supporters of the SSN http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Socialist-solidarity/. Its members also include former supporters in Britain of the Democratic Socialist PerspectiveDemocratic Socialist Perspective
The Democratic Socialist Perspective was an Australian Marxist political group, which operated as the largest component of a broad-left socialist formation, the Socialist Alliance...
.
In July 2009 Socialist Resistance adopted a constitution and a more extensive political basis. The organisation is controlled by an annual conference to which one delegate is elected for every three members. It elects a National Committee and an Appeals Committee (a control commission
Control commission
A control commission is an independent regulatory body. Control commissions are most often found in regulated industries and political organisations...
). The National Committee appoints sub-committees, including an executive and an editorial board.
Activities
It organises monthly public meetings in London, Oxford and Birmingham, as well as national open forums each year. For example, it organised a June 2006 dayschool on the Bolivarian revolutionBolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
addressed by Michael Lowy
Michael Löwy
Michael Löwy is a French-Brazilian Marxist sociologist and philosopher. He is presently the emeritus research director in social sciences at the CNRS and lectures at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales...
and Celia Hart
Celia Hart
Celia Hart was a Cuban physicist and writer. Until May 2006, she was a member of the Cuban Communist Party. She was the daughter of two historic leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Haydee Santamaria and Armando Hart ....
, a September 2006 annual general meeting, December 2006 and May 2007 forums on "ecosocialism" and a March 2007 forum on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. These events often provide themes for books published by Resistance: it produced the first book of Celia Hart
Celia Hart
Celia Hart was a Cuban physicist and writer. Until May 2006, she was a member of the Cuban Communist Party. She was the daughter of two historic leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Haydee Santamaria and Armando Hart ....
's writings in English, Ron Ridenour's 2006 book on Cuba, the first book on ecosocialism and a large collection on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, edited by Roland Rance and Terry Conway.
In September 2009, Socialist Resistance, together with Green Left, organised a seminar on Climate and Capitalism, with Ian Angus
Ian Angus
Ian Angus is a socialist and ecosocialist activist in Canada. Angus joined the New Democratic Party in 1962 and then the Young Socialists in Ottawa in 1964. He was active in the YS and the League for Socialist Action into the 1970s...
as the main speaker.
Resistance also publishes irregular broadsheets and pamphlets. Three leading activists in Resistance are on the editorial board of International Viewpoint
International Viewpoint
International Viewpoint is the English-language edition of the monthly magazine of the reunified Fourth International. It focuses on translating articles into English written by socialists in other languages. Its ISSN is 0294-2925....
. Socialist Resistance also co-operates with Green Left
Green Left (Green Party of England and Wales)
Green Left is an anti-capitalist and eco-socialist grouping within the Green Party of England and Wales. It seeks to constitute a network for socialists and other like minded invividuals in the Green Party, whilst acting as an outreach body that will communicate the party's left wing policies to...
and the Red-Green Study Group in the Ecosocialist International Network.
Periodical
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
in Scotland and the Party of Communist Refoundation in Italy."
Between September 2002 and November 2007 it produced 49 issues of a 28-page tabloid which was produced monthly, with summer and winter issues spanning two months each. In November 2007, the resources used for the newspaper were dedicated to the Respect Renewal movement, allowing it to plan the launch of a newspaper in December 2007. According to a statement by the group's Steering Committee, the change was unanimously agreed at a meeting of the group's members. In January 2008, the group's aggregate agreed to relaunch Socialist Resistance as a colour quarterly magazine in April 2008.