Militant tendency

Militant tendancy is a current British policy founded in 1964 auour of the newspaper Militant by militants trotskystes of which most known is Ted Grant.

Veteran of the movement since the Twenties, this one had already a long past in WIL and the CCP of which it was one of the principal theorists. The tendency “Militant” was characterized from the beginning by the importance attached to the formal training from its members. Whereas it quasi totality of the revolutionary movement awaits an imminent revolution (according to in that forecasts of Trotsky), Grant and its Co-thinkers quickly understood that Stalinism was being reinforced considerably and that the economic growth was also going to reinforce for a whole historical period the weight of the parties reformists and social democrats. It is this analysis which founds the general orientation of Militant towards the Workers party and a Entrisme of long life.

Later, Grant and the Militant tendency generalize the analysis trotskyste of the Stalinisme and explain why and how nationalist modes middle-class man of the old colonies, however strongly hostile with the labor movement, were capable of exproprier capitalism and to build States on the model of the the USSR or China. This relates to Cuba, but the Syria the Iraq, the Yemen, the Angola and the Mozambique, the Burma, etc

At the time where the principal revolutionary currents claiming trotskysme have the wheel in motion (manpower of the Fourth International were multiplied by 10 between 1968 and 1975) the Militant tendency persists in regarding them as “sects” politically failed.

After marginalize marginalized during every Sixty and Seventies, with most extremely of the expansion of " vagueness; gauchiste" , primarily based on the student mediums, the Tendency Militant becomes at the end of the years 1970 the revolutionary main force in the United Kingdom. The choice made by Militant of enraciner in the Workers party bears finally its fruits. Three of its members are elected appointed - posting their quality of supporters clearly newspaper. Militant also takes the control of Labor youths (it was going to preserve it nearly twenty years). On the trade-union level, Militant obtains the control of the CPSA, the most important trade union of employees of the public services. At that time, the forces accumulated by the Tendency Militant have a weight without common measurement with that of the comparable groups in the rest of Europe.

The Workers party then decided to finish some with troublemakers who took too much importance. In 1983, the members of the editorial board of Militant were excluded from it, followed by a few hundreds of members (on approximately 8.000). In the immediate future, this new situation appreciably does not modify the general orientation of the tendency. In 1984-85, Militant intervenes vigorously in the great strike of the minors and recruits 400 of them.

Especially, in the middle of the years 1980, Militant animates a team of the Labor left gaining the majority with the town hall of Liverpool. This victory without precedent (and new since in all Europe) allows a series of considerable social achievements for a municipality. Thatcher reacts with a total brutality, engaging a five year old arm wrestling with the municipal council, punctuated of general strikes directed by Militant and implying more than 30.000 paid city. The central government, which thinks a time to send the army, uses all the legal artifices to get rid of the city council men of Liverpool and to finish some with this affront.

But finally, it is Militant which gains the war with Thatcher. The fight against the Poll tax remained more the important fact of weapons of the tendency, this one having had the particularly daring idea to impel a civil disobedience campaign, incentive people to refuse to pay this new tax. In Scotland, the countryside takes a massive turn, the central role being played by Tommy Sheridan, a particularly charismatic and combative militant who is thrown in prison to have refused to pay the Poll tax. It is far from being only: whereas 18 million British follows the instructions of non-payment, the supporters of the Militant are imprisoned per tens. The National federation against the Poll tax, which they direct, calls with a mass demonstration which gathers more than 250.000 people in London. Finally, the countryside against the Poll tax obtains total satisfaction after two years of fight: the tax is withdrawn and Margaret Thatcher, the emblematic figure of the right-hand side more reactionary on the international plan, must leave the capacity.

From this moment, Militant is installed durably with the " une" media and become the pet peeve of line and bureaucracy of the Workers party. This last lance a hunting for the hysterical witch against Militant and excludes the deputies who did not pay their Poll tax.

The countryside against the Poll tax on the one hand caused a very violent shock with the Labor direction but also brought to the tendency a considerable number sympathizers who did not recognize themselves in the party. They is particularly thorny in Scotland, where the supporters of Militant have an audience of mass in certain sectors of the radicalized youth influenced by the nationalist ideas. It is then decided to operate the launching of a public organization: Militant Scottish.

It is too for part of the direction of the tendency - in particular Ted Grant and Alan Woods - which is opposed to very left the Workers party. They are excluded but preserve a majority in the international partisans of the Militant and publish since successfully the site " In defense off marxism".

Into the United Kingdom, Militant transforms itself into Militant Ploughing (militant British socialism). Militant Labor modifies in a substancielle way his positions on the place to be given to the fight against the extreme line and specific oppressions (racism, sexism, homophobie…).

Committee for has workers international (CWI), founded in 1974, qu ' it animates decides him to take a public initiative of great width while launching an international movement of young people: Youth Against Racism in Europe (Young people against racism in Europe/JRE). This one convenes a demonstration in Brussels in 1992, gathering nearly 10.000 young people. The participants, including 90 French of revolutionary Communist youths, are filled with enthusiasm. This demonstration will be to some extent the launching of blokbuster in Belgium (principal countryside antifascist of the years '90 and 2000).

The new policy " ouverte" of Militant Ploughing and CWI allow him to recruit a significant number of frameworks coming from other political scenes. Revolutionary Communist youths/Gauche revolutionist of France join the Committee for an international worker. Directing JCR, Raymond Overflow co-opted at the international Executive committee of the CWI like Murray Smith (alias David Cameron). Other militants aguerris more or less close to them adopt the same step, like Luciano Dondero in Italy or Guy Van Sinoy in Belgium. In the United Kingdom, an small group led by Phil Hearst (alias Clarke), leader of foreground of the Secretariat Unified of the Fourth international one makes in the same way.

But whereas the section the British section (become Socialist Party) weakened considerably, the crisis rebounded, of many members protesting against a course considered as gauchist and triumphalist person. The group of Liverpool and the Scot, who created the Scottish Socialist Party, left the organization, just as a significant part of the French, Irishmen and Pakistani.

Today, the heirs to the Militant divide themselves into three blocks: 1°) Committee for has workers international (site of the Belgian section http://www.socialisme.be) 2°) International Marxist Tendancy (http://www.marxist.com) site 3°) an abstract regrouping including/understanding American of Labors Voice Militant, the British of Movements for socialism and French of the site Www.le-militant.org

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