Let's have a demo against GR/SWP. They are not part of the movement. The movement consists of autonomous groups all over the world who want radical change. GR/SWP don't want radical change. They suck all of the energy out of any campaign they leech themselves onto. They use real campaigns against real problems suffered by real people to recruit people to their airy fairy pseudo-intellectualised theoretical view of what the world should be (e.g. that they should have power). Their ideas are 150 years old. They are not even their ideas. You are not allowed to have ideas in the SWP. They are more conservative than the tories. They are Corporal Blimps. They like to be seen as acting responsibly. That means not upsetting anyone in power. Because they want power themselves. And like anyone else who wants power they will stoop to the lowest possible means to get it. Message to GR/SWP - Get off our backs.

Ironically Helen is from the Revolutionary Communist Group, a leninist party, who amongst other things once tried sending loads of members to RTS meetings.

To misquote Tolstoy, they and the SWP are as different as cat shit and dog shit, but I don't like the smell of either.

This is getting boring. Look, we know what the SWP is like, but this is the most serious political crisis I've ever seen in my lifetime. For all the criticism, the swp is doing a hell of a lot of anti-war campaigning, if you can't offer an alternative to the public or whoever then stop moaning and start organising.

If this is the political level at which your pegging you're response it is no wonder that the real anti-capitalist movement can be smoothered by social democrats.

I did attend RTS meetings with a couple of mates, never talked to anyone about the RCG cos I wasn't there for that reason...I was there because, like every one else, I was hoping that the direct action movement would take off as a mass movement and confront the system I hate in my gut - capitalism!

I believe in revolution, do you think I care if it's communist, anarchist or green...I don't - but at the moment I find that communism answers more questions I have about creating a new society then anarchism. I went up to Newbury a couple of times back in the day - but I found that when I tried to talk to people about the capitalist system being the root of the problem, I was told to keep politics out of it - so I found an organisation that combines real anti-capitalism with support for national liberation and anti-imperialist struggles with a committment to direct action and rejection of 'working within the system' as a tactic.

You say the SWP are Leninist - hey, I'm not a Russian history expert but I know that is a nonsense! Talking of pots and kettles, if I see a spade I call it a spade... They are no more revolutionary than Tony Blair....that's their problem. As I said, the SchNews pamphlet points out that the problem is the opportunist tendency and it doesn't matter what the group calls itself, the function they serve is the same - to act as an obstacle to the development of a real revolutionary mass movement. But to be 'anti-group' -without any political analysis or assessment - that's sectarian and divisive. We must build a coalition, yes! But we must make it a serious one and not just a presentation or a clique of any colour!

Leninism _is_ a correct description of the SWP in terms of their belief in the revolutionary party.

One of the best critiques of 'the party' comes from libertarian marxist Immanuel Wallerstein; tried to find it on the web but have drawn a blank. It's in his book 'After Liberalism' and was summarised on the 'alternatives' page of the spoof paper RTS produced to coincide with Prague, 'Financial Crimes'. If you really want to read it email me and I'll type it up for you (the summary that is, not the full version).

Personally I care if a revolution is communist, anarchist or green. I don't want to end up in a repressive retread of Russia after the revolution, nor do I want some weird deep ecological or primitivist society. I want a free ecological society based on principles of democracy and equity. I don't want to replace what we have now with something worse...

I left britain in 94, now live in France but was backtheUK for August and September. Apart from the general shock in experiencing Britain I went to the GR conference in London and then the demo in Brighton.

Just two points, at the counter conference what wasvery clear was the qualitative difference between thespeakers from outside uk (Ya Basta, Oscar Oliviera Bolivia etc) their ideas and delivery was clearly far more radical and engaging than ostifnotall of the UK speakers. That`s not to say that we shouldn`t continue to build a consensus, but clearly more time needs to be gioven to let radical ideas and actionbe heard otherwise Briotain is going o fall far behind this movement.

As for the demo in Brighton, thereis learly a more effective way to use the enthusiam of 5 - 10 000 activists than leading them in along line up streets with noapparent purpose,but whose fault isthat? ours for letting ourselves be led? the police for arresting a few wombles or the swp/gr lot for wanting tolead and being unaware of more engaging tactics?

Blaggers guide to the conference (see below) has a few other ideas, where I live in France we have similar problems with Attac, who want to lead and keep discipline, we just have to learn how to live with them being firm and articulating and doing what we want to do, "don`t hate the SWP/GR/Attac, be your anti capitalist movement"

The constant slagging off of the SWP is repetitive. The comment calling for us to have a demo against the SWP is beyond stupidity. Firstly, whether you agree or disagree with us, we get things done. Secondly, key members of the SWP set up the Stop the War Coalition which mobilised 2 million people onto the streets of London last year; I can think of no other organisation which is capable of this. Thirdly, we are still a small party with only one councillor in the whole of the U.K, and to spend so much time and effort abusing us borders on insanity. Level your criticism at the party which took us to war, Labour; the party which supported them, the Tories; and the party which sold out on the movement; the LibDems. They all happen to be the largest parties in Britain, beat them before you march against the SWP.