Movement for Socialism (Britain)

Movement for Socialism
Leader Cliff Slaughter
Founded 1985
Split from Workers' Revolutionary Party
Newspaper Workers' Press
Ideology Trotskyism
International affiliation Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International

The Movement for Socialism was a socialist group in the United Kingdom, led by Cliff Slaughter. It originated as one half of the major split in the Workers Revolutionary Party of 1985, following allegations about Gerry Healy's sexual activities. Initially, both halves continued under the WRP name and both published a newspaper named News Line, but Slaughter's group later renamed the publication Workers Press. As a result, the group was known as the WRP (Slaughter) or WRP (Workers Press).

Workers' Revolutionary Party (Workers Press)

The group was initially led by Slaughter and Michael Banda, but Banda left in 1986 to form the Communist Forum.[1] Another early split was the International Communist Party, which later became the Socialist Equality Party.[2]

The group entered into a period in which its press became the focus of debate on the history of the WRP/ICFI for the members of the WRP and other Trotskyists in Britain and abroad. It was also very active in the Workers' Aid for Bosnia movement[3][4] and had close links with Searchlight South Africa. Important members included Peter Fryer, Cyril Smith and Charlie Pottins.

Moves were made to organise an Open Conference of Trotskyists throughout the world, but this miscarried and in the end a minority of the WRP around veteran Bill Hunter and Martin Ralph were to form the Bolshevik Faction in August 1987. This split in February 1988 to form the International Socialist League as a section of Argentinian Trotskyist leader Nahuel Moreno's International Workers League (LIT).

In 1990, the WRP (WP), along with a few other Trotskyist groups, including the Group of Opposition and Continuity of the Fourth International (GOCFI), led by Michel Varga, formed the Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International.

Movement for Socialism

In 1996 the decision was taken to abandon the name WRP, and the group renamed itself the Movement for Socialism. This later split again, with Slaughter's group continuing to use the name MFS and the Bob Archer and Dot Gibson group going by the name WIRFI.

The Movement for Socialism published an occasional journal Reclaim the Future. It should not be confused with the similarly named groups Movements for Socialism or Movement for a Socialist Future.

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopedia of British and Irish political organizations parties, groups By Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, p.170
  2. ↑ Encyclopedia of British and Irish political organizations parties, groups By Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, p.171
  3. ↑ Encyclopedia of British and Irish political organizations parties, groups By Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, p.171
  4. ↑ Charlie Pottins "New links and old acquaintances"