UK General election 2010

I can explain the British "Left" quite easily without looking anything up (oh wait maybe because I'm a goddamn stinking pinko... "

British Labour Party- Second International (from the 1890s)
went reformist very quickly as did the 2I, under the influence of figures like Bernstein, and by the 1900s had resulted in Millerandism, where a Socialist Party member became part of a capitalist government. In 1914 the International fell apart as each section supported its own capitalist government in the war. Offspring include the Social Democratic Party Of Germany, founded by Karl Marx ironically, now a right wing party of course. The Socialist Party of France, the defunct Socialist Party of America, led famously by Eugene Debs, and many others besides Labour.

in 1920s British sympathizers of the Russian Revolution formed the British Communist Party to fight for the principles of Socialism against the reformists
Stalinist counter-revolution took over the Soviet Union and the Third International was purged of genuine socialists. The parties were then, after a brief so called "ultraleft" period, instructed to back up the Social Democrats in a policy known as the Popular Front, which prevented revolutions from taking place in Europe.

in the 1930s real socialists abandoned any attempt to break the Communist Party from Stalin's grip and formed a British section of the Fourth International. In 1940, Trotsky, the FI's leader, was finally assassinated by Stalin after years of pursuit and after the murder of all his family members and comrades.

Following WWII, a large section of the Fourth International decided that it should be liquidated into the Stalinist parties and third world movements. These were the Pabloites. Groups in Britain reflected Pabloism (groups like the Militant Tendency), the "State Capitalists" group led by Tony Cliff (eventually represented by Socialist Workers Party), which was quite similar, and the International Committee party of derisively named orthodox or ortho-Trotskyists whose party was the Socialist Labour League. The Socialist Labour League became the Workers Revolutionary Party in 1973, and was the largest left wing party in Britain. In 1985, it split three ways as the result of the decision by the leaders that Pabloism was correct and the party should be liquidated and become subordinated to the Stalinist parties and third world movements. This was largely because they were demoralized by the conservative turn in the 1980s. A small segment of the party, however, remained loyal to the Fourth International and was vindicated by the fall of the Soviet Union, which was declared impossible only a few years before by the demoralized leaders (Banda and Healy). They continued on as the Socialist Equaliy Party, and want to rebuild the party on firmer foundations based on internationalism.

As for the Militant Tendency, it tried to rise to the top of Labour by entering into it, but its members were expelled in the 80s, ruining the stratagem, Ted Grant, it leader, died in the 2000s. The SWP is also opportunistic, teaming up with Labour politicians and promoting wide alliances. They have abandoned revolutionary change for supporting in practice Labour - they want to be a "junior partner." This is common, and there are equivalent organizations in the USA such as the International Socialist Organization, which is a middle class type protest organization.

etc.

^off the top of my marvelous head and I'm an American AND most of this stuff happened way before I was born


Edited by RoyFairbank - April 13 2010 at 18:59

Parties should acknowledge that voting for them is not a support of their policies but simply the choice of the lesser of evils.

Well, as is well known to the electorate: