Class War Classix launch "Introduction to Big Flame"
Cl@ss War | 09.10.2008 21:09 | History | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | Liverpool
New publishing venture consisting of reproducing old seminal class war publications from interesting groups and traditions.
Cl@ss War Classix is a new initiative to reproduce seminal publications of the class war. Enjoy. Contact Cl@ss War Classix at: 07931 301901 or 
class.war.classix@googlemail.com for orders, or to suggest publications to reproduce.
The first in the series is the Introduction to the 1970s political group “Big Flame”.
"Introduction to Big Flame"
Big Flame were a libertarian Marxist political party in the United Kingdom. They were founded in Liverpool in 1970 and at first grew rapidly in the prevailing climate on the left, developing branches in a number of cities. They have been described as soft Maoist in order to distinguish them from the hard-line Maoist groups which adopted a Stalinist stance. In contrast to this Big Flame was quite libertarian. One of the key sentences in their platform published in every issue was the statement that a revolutionary party was necessary but that "Big Flame is not that party, nor is it the embryo of that party". This had the advantage of distinguishing them from some small groups who saw themselves as much more important than they were, but posed the problem of the 'party's' real reason for existence.
They published a magazine, also entitled Big Flame, and a journal, Revolutionary Socialism.[1] They also devoted a great deal of time to self-analysis and considering their relationship with the larger Trotskyist groups. In time, they came to describe their politics as "libertarian Marxist". In 1978 they joined the Socialist Unity electoral coalition, led by the Trotskyist International Marxist Group.
In 1980, the anarchists of the Libertarian Communist Group joined Big Flame. The Revolutionary Marxist Current also joined at about this time. However, as more members of the group defected to the Labour Party, the journal ceased to appear in 1982,[1] and the group was wound up in about 1983.
1] John Moorhouse, A Historical Glossary of British Marxism (Pauper's Press, 1987)
class.war.classix@googlemail.com for orders, or to suggest publications to reproduce. The first in the series is the Introduction to the 1970s political group “Big Flame”.
"Introduction to Big Flame"
Big Flame were a libertarian Marxist political party in the United Kingdom. They were founded in Liverpool in 1970 and at first grew rapidly in the prevailing climate on the left, developing branches in a number of cities. They have been described as soft Maoist in order to distinguish them from the hard-line Maoist groups which adopted a Stalinist stance. In contrast to this Big Flame was quite libertarian. One of the key sentences in their platform published in every issue was the statement that a revolutionary party was necessary but that "Big Flame is not that party, nor is it the embryo of that party". This had the advantage of distinguishing them from some small groups who saw themselves as much more important than they were, but posed the problem of the 'party's' real reason for existence.
They published a magazine, also entitled Big Flame, and a journal, Revolutionary Socialism.[1] They also devoted a great deal of time to self-analysis and considering their relationship with the larger Trotskyist groups. In time, they came to describe their politics as "libertarian Marxist". In 1978 they joined the Socialist Unity electoral coalition, led by the Trotskyist International Marxist Group.
In 1980, the anarchists of the Libertarian Communist Group joined Big Flame. The Revolutionary Marxist Current also joined at about this time. However, as more members of the group defected to the Labour Party, the journal ceased to appear in 1982,[1] and the group was wound up in about 1983.
1] John Moorhouse, A Historical Glossary of British Marxism (Pauper's Press, 1987)
Cl@ss War
Comments
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Big Flame and Solidarity
10.10.2008 09:02
Ray
e-mail:
rayhulm@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://The Bad Old Days Will End
Class war packed in years ago
11.10.2008 21:37
Class War decided to call it a day around 1993 when they felt they had done their job, So I don't kno wwhy these imposters still carry on. The paper is awful obvisoly written by people who no connection to working class people.
Ian Bones
Ian Bones talks bollocks
12.10.2008 18:55
Not Ian Bone
It was a good wind-up while it lasted
13.10.2008 17:01
The people latching onto the name and pretending a great extended stunt was anything more are full of shit. And so is their paper. The inventive subversives who really were Class War got out when they saw these escaped suburbanite tossers coming. The nadir -and possibly the point at which this happened- was a Class War meeting in Leeds when some real working class lads broke into their cars and nicked what was handy. Or had those with their heads screwed on already got out before that?
Class War worked because the Sun, Daily Mail etc. believed it. Ha ha! Grungy "lifestyle" types still taking the wind-up seriously after all these years are just pathetic and irrelevant.
Not Ian Bone Either
Class War now and then
15.10.2008 14:26
JH