Arthur Scargill

[Geddan]

I've read MR Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party's manifesto, and I think I like it, but Arthur Scargill has got a bad rumour, I've understood.

The Red Encyclopedia labels him and his party "Stalinist", is this correct? If it is, how does it take form in practice? What's the bad and good things about Mr Scargill?

[Saint-Just]

Anyone who is called a Stalinist is just being defamed by the media or the capitalist exploiters.

I know a number of people in the SLP. I have not read their mainfesto... Nothing bad to say about Scargill or the SLP. Good to say... they are communists. Many of our more right-wing 'friends' would disagree.

[Geddan]

Chairman Mao, my own savior :)

I agree that Stalinism is a label often used to flame people, but the Red Encyclopedia won't flame Scargill for being a communist. I heard something about him controlling the party with an iron fist, but I think I like the guy's party. But something which disturbs me is the failure of us leftists to unite, we won't do any good if we are split up into 300 different parties with 100 members each :(


Chairman Mao, check outh the Q&A section, I have another question.

[Saint-Just]

Scargill values organisation and discipline as highly as all the successful communist parties do is what the people who said he controls with an iron fist meant to say.

I absolutely agree, I would compromise my views to unite with the short-term goal of destroying the class antagonists and their tools of exploitation.

There are so many leftist parties in the UK: Communist Party of Britain, Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain, Socialist Worker's Party, Revolutionary Workers Party, Socialist Party of Britain...

[Just Joe]

Scargill is a known dodgy character. there are rumours he used money from donations to the NUM when they were on strike in the 80's to pay for the mortgage on his house and other things. there are still queries about where £1,000,000 donated by a Russian trade union went to.

i don't think SLP will get much support. they support North Korea for fuck sake!

[redstar2000]

JustJoe's post raises an interesting question.

There's a union run by a known crook with "an iron fist"...yet it's the most militant union around, fights the bosses tooth and nail, people don't dare scab (blackleg) these guys because they're skullbusters, etc.

What attitude should we have towards such a union?

:cool:

[loobylane]

A lot of the things said about Mr Scargill are simply untrue, or exaggerated. Although he has made some mistakes, (IMO, he has too much of an authoritarian outlook) he played a vital role in opposing the Conservatives. Without him, there would have been even less opposition during the years when the unions were being oppressed.

[Just Joe]

Scargill is a known Stalinist. his union is full of Stalinists. they may be militant but they still lost the 84/85 strike. he rules with an iron fist but couldn't keep the strike from eventually breaking. what was the song again?

"the miners, united, will never be defeated!"

but as a miner in a TV program a few months back pointed out, it was not a miner thing, it was a working class thing and the song should have been "the workers, united, will never be defeated".

Scargill supports despotism. he supports DPRK and he supports Slobodan Milosevic. he is/was also member of the 'Stalin Society'.

[Son of Scargill]

The corruption stories regarding Scargill and Heathfield were made up.A couple of months ago the retiring editor of one of the daily rags admitted it.As usual,all the other papers jumped on the bandwagon and a legend was born.
The"apology"was a small two paragragh piece,buried in the Daily Mirror.Typical!Months of front page lies,then a retraction that is hardly noticeable,and,over a decade late.

[Geddan]

Son of Scargill, you know much about Scargill himself?

[Just Joe]

go to the SLP site and search the archives. it'll have articles defending North Korea and Slobodan Milosevic.

the few people he lets make some descisions around him are all 'Stalin Society' members. i advise you join another left wing party.

[Son of Scargill]

Geddan,I'm afraid I'm no expert on Arthur.I respect the man for his unwillingness to compromise,but unfortunately this meant that he was unwilling to go for a national ballot(which the Govt. insisted on) during the miners strike,as every local ballot was in favour of strike action.He thought it a waste of time and resources.I'd have to agree.The bad news was that Thatchers pet judge decreed that the strike was illegal because there was no national ballot,and froze all assets of the NUM.The decision was overturned by several courts,but pet judge kept overturning their decisions,thus keeping the strike fund frozen for the duration of the strike.All he had to do was go for a national ballot early on,but he was not going to be seen to back down to a government order.Admirable and foolish at the same time.
He seems to be carrying the same attitude to this day,in refusing to work with other socialist parties,and standing candidates against other,similar,parties.Thus splitting the vote in some constituencies.But then they generally seem unwilling to work with him either.
It all boils down to your personal view when considering whether to be more involved with the SLP.Fairly hardline in attitude seems to be their way,but I doubt he's planning any gulags at the moment,just planning a party that is in tune with his personal political view,with no compromises.
Admirable and foolish?Maybe.I'm still working on it myself.

[Geddan]

JustJoe, I am a proud inhabitant of the country of Sweden, thus I cannot join Mister Scargill's party.

Son of Scargill, the man raises a lot of questions without doubt, but I will dig further into the matter.