International Socialist Tendency in the US

[The Idler]

Why does every American affiliate group (ISO and Left Turn) so far, leave the International Socialist Tendency?

[Q]

ISO was kicked out. Never heard of Left Turn.

[redasheville]

Why does every American affiliate group (ISO and Left Turn) so far, leave the International Socialist Tendency?

The ISO was expelled from the IST over differences in perspectives (around issues of the anti-globalisation movement/the state of capitalism in the 90s and some other stuff), but not fundamental politics.

Left Turn (a tiny split off the ISO that still supported the IST) started moving toward a more anarchist type of politics, influenced by the global justice movement. They quit the IST.

[scarletghoul]

its because they are trotskyists

[redasheville]

its because they are trotskyists

Head spinning analysis.

[Random Precision]

Why does every American affiliate group (ISO and Left Turn) so far, leave the International Socialist Tendency?

Short answer is we were expelled from the tendency after the London comrades disagreed with our approach to certain questions. The anti-globalization movement was a big one- the SWP expected us to do an all-out mobilization in Seattle for the WTO, despite that this would have meant getting East Coast and Midwest comrades there, which was a tall order indeed. Also, they expected the ISO to abandon our focus on other causes, like the pro-choice movement, once they decided something else was a higher priority. But, our politics had been diverging during the whole decade of the nineties, which the SWP saw as "the thirties in slow motion" whereas the ISO had a more realistic stance toward rebuilding the movement. Now it looks actually like we may be moving closer again (we had Neal Davidson and China Miéville speak at Socialism this year) so maybe we can have a productive working relationship again even if we don't rejoin the tendency outright.

As for Left Turn (or "The Friends and Family Faction" as I've heard ISO comrades call it who were around at the time of the split, since pretty much everyone in the faction was related) it never really had any sort of politics outside of tailing the SWP's criticism of ISO strategy. So, about a year after the split they'd moved toward reformism and decided that they didn't want to be in the IST anymore.

... And such is the story of one of the most futile and idiotic splits in the history of the left.

[Q]

Short answer is we were expelled from the tendency after the London comrades disagreed with our approach to certain questions. The anti-globalization movement was a big one- the SWP expected us to do an all-out mobilization in Seattle for the WTO, despite that this would have meant getting East Coast and Midwest comrades there, which was a tall order indeed. Also, they expected the ISO to abandon our focus on other causes, like the pro-choice movement, once they decided something else was a higher priority. But, our politics had been diverging during the whole decade of the nineties, which the SWP saw as "the thirties in slow motion" whereas the ISO had a more realistic stance toward rebuilding the movement. Now it looks actually like we may be moving closer again (we had Neal Davidson and China Miéville speak at Socialism this year) so maybe we can have a productive working relationship again even if we don't rejoin the tendency outright.
I wonder, why even consider rejoining the IST? Wasn't the whole expelling a case in point for the undemocratic practices of the SWP ("do it our way, or hit the highway")? In fact the ISO is certainly not the only example of such an expulsion. The former Belgian section for example was expelled in the 1990's because it disagreed with London on the order to do work inside the social-democracy. What is to stop the SWP from pulling such a stunt again in the future?

[Random Precision]

I wonder, why even consider rejoining the IST? Wasn't the whole expelling a case in point for the undemocratic practices of the SWP ("do it our way, or hit the highway")?

Who said we were considering rejoining the tendency? I think we're quite comfortable with our current relationships with other groups around the world, and not looking to join an organized tendency at the moment. Plus, the IST would have to invite us back, and as far as I know they're not currently thinking of doing that.


In fact the ISO is certainly not the only example of such an expulsion. The former Belgian section for example was expelled in the 1990's because it disagreed with London on the order to do work inside the social-democracy. What is to stop the SWP from pulling such a stunt again in the future?

True. I think for us to rejoin the IST, there would have to be a reorganization of it away from "the SWP and the twenty dwarves" model.

[Q]

Who said we were considering rejoining the tendency? I think we're quite comfortable with our current relationships with other groups around the world, and not looking to join an organized tendency at the moment. Plus, the IST would have to invite us back, and as far as I know they're not currently thinking of doing that.
I guess I got confused, thanks for clearing that up.