Militant labour We became the Socialist Party in 1997. They believed in a type of socialism called Trotskyism. Organising to bring the Labour Party to socialism the Tendency was overtly Trotskyist. The growth of Militant in the Labour Party in the mid-to-late-1970s led MI5 to carry out extensive investigations. Mar 22, 2025 · Highly respected Labour historian Kenneth O. To a section: This is a redirect from a topic that does not have its own page to a section of a page on the subject. He became a significant figure in what became the Militant tendency, a Trotskyist entryist group within the Labour Party. Walsh was expelled from the Labour Party in 1983 together with Peter Taaffe, Ted Grant, Clare Doyle and Keith Dickinson, as one of the members of what was presented to the Labour Party as the 'editorial board' of Militant. By then Militant and their allies had a strong hold on the party. It is a member of the refounded Committee for a Workers' International, and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. The forum… Jun 2, 2025 · Militant not only dominated the Labour Party conference, but also the Liberal, Tory and Social Democratic Party conferences. M This article is about the group. May 19, 2020 · Introduction: Prospects for Freedom is a speech delivered by Malcolm X on January 7, 1965 at the Socialist Workers party’s Militant Labor Forum in New York City. It also explores Labour’s response to such tactics by assessing the impact of the party’s internal investigations into Militant in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the expulsion of the Militant Editorial Board in 1983 We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. By mid-2016 there were two Labour parties May 28, 2015 · Former Militant councillor Derek Hatton is attempting to rejoin the Labour Party. The name Militant Labour was used by other sections of the Committee for a Workers International at the time. The party executive has ordered a full inquiry into the Labour Council after allegations that the revolutionary socialist group Militant Tendency was operating within it. Militant, now the Socialist Party Contact or Join Socialist Party Campaigns Youth Fight For Jobs Socialist News and Views Socialist Party Manifesto The Socialist newspaper Socialism Today magazine Socialist Books Socialist Party links 2001: Dave Nellist, one of Militant's former Labour MP's, now Socialist Party Councillor and former Socialist Alliance chair, launches the May 2001 Election Socialist Party / Militant Veterans of struggles in the 1980s were emboldened by Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to shift Labour decisively to the left. Feb 25, 2022 · Sites and modalities of labor in the Philippines The class of landless peasants has been the reserve labor and actual farm workers for foreign agribusiness ventures. Learn Scottish Militant Labour facts for kidsScottish Militant Labour (SML) was a political group in Scotland during the 1990s. By mid-2016 there were two Labour parties Militant Labour (Ireland) — Militant Labour was the name adopted by the Militant Tendency of the Irish Labour Party after its expulsion in 1989. The Socialist Party (Welsh: Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru) is a Trotskyist political party in England and Wales. This is what’s slowly changing the face of the American labor movement. Four cabinet ministers at the Tory Party conference, led by Thatcher, denounced Militant and Liverpool city council and demanded that Neil Kinnock carry through the expulsion of Militant from the Labour Party. Jan 25, 2024 · It argues that the battle over whether or not Militant should be expelled from Labour was, primarily, a battle of metaphor and semantics. It played a major role in the formation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance and the Scottish Socialist Party, changing its name to the International Socialist Movement, now dissolved. Full transcript: http://www. Aug 1, 2018 · Founded in 1964 under the name Militant, it styled itself as the “Marxist voice of Labour and Youth” and played an important role in bringing together a strong left-wing grouping within the British Labour Party, so much so that the group came to be known as the Militant tendency after the newspaper they sold and read. Militant Labour was renamed the Socialist Party in 1996, and came to wider attention among the general public when Joe Higgins polled just 252 votes behind victor Brian Lenihan Jnr in the Dublin-West by-election of that same year. 38 - October 16, 2023 CINCINNATI — “The strikes today show more and more workers are fed up,” Gary Ringo, a bakery worker and member of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 57, told the Militant Labor Forum here Sept. The paper features US, international, and labor news and history; interviews, activist dispatches, media reviews, socialist theory, and letters to the editor. Mr Kinnock feared the Labour-controlled council was harming the party's image and his attempts to win a general election. A year earlier Labour leader Neil Kinnock used his conference speech to launch a furious attack on Militant, and particularly Liverpool Council, which had clashed with the Conservative government over its budget. It argues May 6, 2020 · Militant’s progress was at first tolerated by Labour leader Michael Foot, but in the end, he realised they had to be resisted. This history is alive in today’s salts, who see It also explores Labour’s response to such tactics by assessing the impact of the party’s internal investigations into Militant in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the expulsion of the Militant Editorial Board in 1983, and the Inquiry into the Militant Tendency in Liverpool in 1985-6. Excerpts from Neil Kinnock's speech to the 1985 Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth, with corrected audio. In 1991, Militant decided by a large majority to abandon entryism in the Labour Party. britishpoliticalspee Feb 27, 2015 · Militant attempt to differentiate themselves from left reformists in the Labour Party by saying that such people only argue for piece-meal nationalisation, instead of total nationalisation, which is perfectly possible provided ‘the full power of the Labour movement is boldly used to effect this change. The Yugoslav National Movement (Serbo-Croatian: Југословенски народни покрет, Jugoslavenski narodni pokret), also known as the United Militant Labour Organization (Serbo-Croatian: Здружена борбена организација рада, Združena borbena organizacija rada, or Zbor / Збор[17]), was a Yugoslav fascist movement and organization led by The Liverpool district Labour Party has been suspended by its national leadership. [1] The word is often used as a euphemism for someone who is an entrenched or aggressive adherent to a particular cause, often an ideological faction. It also signified that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was ready for major changes in Philippine Nov 17, 2025 · Labour Party, British political party whose historic links with trade unions have led it to promote an active role for the state in the creation of economic prosperity and in the provision of social services. It might well have tipped the balance against Thatcher if the Liverpool labour movement, which Militant led, had joined the miners in confronting the government. Founded in 1997, it had formerly been Militant, an entryist group in the Labour Party from 1964 to 1991, which became Militant Labour from 1991 until 1997. But what was Militant, asks Finlo Rohrer. [6] In the aftermath of Liverpool's failed rate-capping rebellion, Venton said in an interview: "I have no regrets Jul 16, 2017 · Within the Labour Party and with a strong base in Liverpool- there exists a Trostskyist group called Militant They claim footholds in two to three hundred constituencies, 5,000 committed Mar 23, 2019 · While Militant took care in formulating its political line to avoid unduly antagonizing Transport House, the Labour tops tolerated the Militant Tendency, both because they were able to turn out disciplined foot soldiers at election time, and because their housebroken ‘Marxism’ appealed to elements of the party’s traditional base. It has been the major democratic socialist party in Britain since the early 20th century. ” This is the nub of the issue: the difference between a belief in an The Militant tendency, previously the Revolutionary Socialist League,[1] was a Trotskyist entryist group working within the British Labour Party which was based around the Militant newspaper founded in 1964. Labor Militant (1986–1997) Available issues See also Labor Militant articles by tag and Labor Militant (newspaper). Feb 19, 2024 · Militant Labor Forum: ‘Strikes today show workers are fed up’ Vol. Later, SML became known as the International Socialist Channel 4 documentary on Liverpool’s Militant Tendency, following former Labour party MP and Militant member Terry Fields on his general election campaign. [1] The Labour Party said cuts to the Rate Militant Labor Forums The Militant Labor Forum is a regular series of free-speech forums held in cities around the world organized by supporters of the Militant newspaper. More specifically, it suggests that these years witnessed the successful construction of Militant as Labour’s unwanted and malignant ‘other’. The Militant tendency, or Militant, was a Trotskyist group in the British Labour Party, organised around the Militant newspaper, which launched in 1964. The newspaper was used to push forward party agenda and proliferate socialist issues. The Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement, or KMU) was a federation of various labor unions that united on May 1, 1980 to pursue what it called a “genuine, militant and nationalist” labor movement. Militancy can also refer to the act of striking. His work with the entryist group saw him expelled from the Labour Party in 1986, alongside Derek Hatton and others. . 87/No. Nov 23, 2025 · Militancy is one of the key indicators used in definitions of ‘union character’. Scottish Militant Labour (SML) was a Trotskyist [1] political party operating in Scotland for most of the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International. For the newspaper, see Labor Militant (newspaper). 25. Venton was a full-time regional organiser for the Militant tendency in Merseyside during the 1980s, [5] when Militant controlled the Labour Party in Liverpool. The Labour Party NEC Hayward-Hughes inquiry, which reported in June 1982, found that the Militant was guilty of breaking Clause II, section 3 of the Labour Party constitution. Militant also took over the Labour Party Young Socialists, which helped them recruit members. To understand why, a brief word on its nature and its role within the Labour Party is necessary. Aug 26, 2009 · At first we were known as Militant and then as Militant Labour. It adopted the slogan "Better to break the law than break the poor" which had been the slogan of the Poplar council in the East End of London in 1919–20 and was to appear on the Liverpool City Council's banner in 1984–5. SML was part of a bigger international group called the Committee for a Workers' International. From the early 1970s, it was led by members of Militant. [20] Militant is the publication of the Militant Party, a subset of the Labour Party in England/Wales. It described its politics as descended from Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky. [19] In the general election of the following year, Higgins was elected to Dáil Éireann for the first time. It was from within the Labour Party that the Militant Tendency, the forerunner of the Socialist Party, had since 1964 attempted to challenge the Labour Party leadership's adherence to capitalism, and present a clear socialist alternative to the working class. 2 The Tendency is a Trotskyist body, organised along EventType: Militant Labor Forums Build the Labor Movement! Break from the Democratic and Republican Parties! Join the Socialist Workers Party! Speakers: Rebecca Williamson, SWP candidate for King County Executive Jacob Perasso, SWP candidate for mayor of Seattle Neil Kinnock’s Battle with the Militant Left: The Speech That Changed Labour Bob Newhart’s German Impression Is Incredible | Carson Tonight Show The Labour Party Young Socialists (LPYS) was the youth section of the Labour Party in Britain from 1965 until 1991. The battle between the Labour Party and its Militant faction was one of Reviewed by Patricio N. A militant is a person engaged in warfare or combat. Abinales, Department of Political Science, Ohio University. The Militant theory of the Labour Party, nationalisation as the key criterion of the nature of the state, the Enabling Act and Proletarian Bonapartism are all linked by a failure to grasp the centrality of the self-organisation and self-activity of the working class, and an economistic conception of the struggle for power. In 1999, LM changed its name to Socialist Alternative. Historically, the working class saw the Labour Party as their party. Redirects to sections Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4. But it could be more than that. This is the third speech given by Malcolm at the Militant Labor Forum and, in this speech, he explores national liberation struggles in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Our orientation to the mass organisations, and especially the Labour Party, was the key factor in this process. Displaced landless farmers populate the city and work as contractual labor in local factories and multinational EPZs. Along with his supporters, he founded Socialist Appeal, which in 2024 developed into the Revolutionary Communist Party. Labor Militant Have you read Labor Militant? This semi-monthly newspaper ran from 1986 to 1997, and is published on the Web for the first time by Militant History. ’ [9] May 2, 2023 · This summer’s labor fights are an important opportunity for an increasingly militant labor movement to win critical battles. Apr 24, 2025 · Peter Taaffe, driving force behind the Militant Tendency which paralysed Labour in the 1980s He was the editor of the newspaper Militant, which became a ‘party within a party’ despite Labour The Militant general secretary, Peter Taaffe, told the inquiry that the Militant's Editorial board consisted of five people, with an additional sixty-four full time staff. In 1983 the editorial board of Militant was expelled but Militant continued to dominate the party in Liverpool and to have three MPs. Widespread labor militancy in the ’30s shut down entire regions of the country and created the conditions for the passage of the New Deal, which regulated working conditions and protected union organizing. Morgan, in his biography of Michael Foot, described Militant in these terms: “This tiny group, whose guru was Ted Grant, originally of the Revolutionary Socialist League in Liverpool in 1955, had the aim of capturing the Labour Party for the cause of revolutionary socialism. Critics of Militant have said the faction was trying to take over the local party and use it to spread its Trotskyite views. According to Michael Crick, its politics were influenced by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky and "virtually nobody else". [2] In 1982, a Labour Party commission Policies of the Liverpool District Labour PartyIn 1982, Liverpool District Labour Party adopted militant policies for the city. The Militant tendency was an interest group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964. During this time the Labour Party leaders were turning further to the right and the expulsion of Militant led us to draw the conclusion that work in the Labour Party was not the best way to advance the cause of socialist change. This meant they wanted big changes to how society worked. In the 1980s, it had around 600 branches, 2,000 delegates at its national conferences and published a monthly newspaper, Left, later Socialist Youth. It might also be an opportunity for allies to begin to build a solidarity machine that can engage a broader public in labor fights and demand Democrats stand with labor. In Scotland, from the early 90s, Scottish Militant Labour (SML) became the face of Militant. 0 License Feb 6, 2018 · This chapter explores the tactic of entrism within the British Labour Party pursued by the Revolutionary Socialist League and the Militant Tendency between 1955 and 1991. During the difficult early decades of the Troubles we were the only force on the left that did not bend to the pressures of religious sectarianism. We advocated the unity of the working class, Catholic and Protestant, as the only solution. Below is the opening chapter by Socialist Workers Party leader Dave Prince of the new book, The Fight Against… Defend Israel’s right to exist as refuge for Jews! Condemn Jew-hating pogrom! The record of the 'Militant' and the Socialist Workers Party Apr 24, 2025 · Peter Taaffe, who has died aged 83, was the driving strategist of the Militant Tendency, the Trotskyist group organised around the newspaper Militant, which infiltrated the Labour Party and Militant was established in 1972 as a tendency within the Irish Labour Party, as Militant in the UK had done in the British Labour Party. It later became known as the International Socialist Movement, which has since dissolved. Although usually applied to labour organizations, the term militancy can also be used to describe the behaviour of employers, particularly when they engage in union-busting or seek confrontation with their workforce. Jan 3, 2025 · This is the combination asserting itself in the world today: reform and militant agitation within unions, insurgent and bold activity among the unorganized, and the general assertion of bold tactics and militant strategy as a viable path forward. Labor Militant (LM) was a US socialist group founded in 1986. The battle between the Labour Party and its Militant faction was one of the biggest political controversies in British politics in the 1980s. Nonetheless, Militant was a problem for Labour. ‘The Marxist tendency' Jul 18, 2005 · We remained within the Labour Party while all the others marched off into the wilderness, where they stagnated and declined. For redirects to embedded anchors on a page, use {{ R to anchor }}instead. The Militant, on the other hand, did in fact grow by leaps and bounds, thanks to a correct policy. Militant’s emergence in the 1970s as an entryist organisation within the Labour Party and its subsequent influence on Liverpool City Council in the early 1980s led security officials to consider it as an equal if not greater Jun 15, 2022 · The Militant Minority ALU’s win at JFK8 and the ongoing unionization wave at Starbucks frequently invite comparisons to the 1930s. Nov 15, 2021 · Militant had been able to develop and gain significant influence in the Labour Party due to a combination of the Party’s lax disciplinary procedures and of the unity, dedication, and discipline of Militant members. LM was founded in 1986 as a new section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), which was founded in 1974. May 26, 2025 · Militant had the leadership of Liverpool’s Labour council, and major unions in the city, facing Tory cuts. Ted Grant, formerly the group's highest political authority, opposed this decision. Oct 27, 2021 · ABSTRACT This article examines how the rise of Militant Tendency transformed MI5’s perception of Trotskyism’s ability to pose a threat to the British state. Two Militant MPs were elected: Terry Fields and Dave Nellist. Jan 24, 2024 · This article assesses the efforts that were made within the British Labour Party to isolate and exclude the Militant Tendency, a Trotskyite entryist group, during the period 1979 to 1983. The Labour Party took no action against the Militant Tendency until 1981. May 28, 2015 · But what was Militant, asks Finlo Rohrer. Expelled in the late 1980s from the ILP they merged with the Labour and Trade Union Group in Northern Ireland as the Socialist Party. Scottish Militant Labour (SML) was a minor political party operating in Scotland in the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International. Socialist Party / Militant Veterans of struggles in the 1980s were emboldened by Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to shift Labour decisively to the left.