VinnieUK
20th April 2013, 23:14
I have recently resigned my membership of the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) after more than a 30 year association.
The party's forum is using ‘moderation’ to suppress dissent.
I am not talking about reasonable moderation. Whole arguments about democracy and free speech within the SPGB are removed by the moderator.
My association with the SPGB goes back to the 70s when their argument was;
"The Socialist Party of Great Britain is wholeheartedly in favour of the fullest freedom of speech. This is because we hold that out of full and free discussion of today's social problems only one valid conclusion can emerge: that Socialism alone will provide the framework within which they can be solved.
Full free speech means exactly what it says: any and every view should be allowed expression so that it can be examined and shown to be wrong."
Socialist Standard January 1979
Their claim that they are merely using moderation does not stand up to scrutiny.
They no longer practice what they preach
The party's forum is using ‘moderation’ to suppress dissent.
I am not talking about reasonable moderation. Whole arguments about democracy and free speech within the SPGB are removed by the moderator.
My association with the SPGB goes back to the 70s when their argument was;
"The Socialist Party of Great Britain is wholeheartedly in favour of the fullest freedom of speech. This is because we hold that out of full and free discussion of today's social problems only one valid conclusion can emerge: that Socialism alone will provide the framework within which they can be solved.
Full free speech means exactly what it says: any and every view should be allowed expression so that it can be examined and shown to be wrong."
Socialist Standard January 1979
Their claim that they are merely using moderation does not stand up to scrutiny.
They no longer practice what they preach