lormer leaders of the IS Sesant the I-CL As Trotsky wrote of similar dead-end plits in his period: They split from us not because we are intolerant or intolerable. but because they themselves did and could not go forward."
The split has no foundation in revolwtionary-internationalist principles Use of the five months prepatory ebate for the forthcoming I-CL confer Muones and Stocking came with only relatively minor differences on national tactical questions.
Their chief argument centred round the riew. that the I-CL gave insufficient priority to "industrial work at the |-CL malority tended to 'sectal anism' or 'propagandism', or concessIons to Labourism. [Only one of those participating in tne spiit nas ciaimed unat the political differences were large enough to justify it].
When the other Political Committee members orotestac sonins ine unorin cipled factionalism inherent in the workerist demagogy about "industrial work' shen nuenes ane stockine were unabit to earmark a single actual difference as concretely should be done eation to Incus na wow. and in caricatural presentation of the majority's arguments Hughes and Stockminds of the membership being "pois- ser uo a nue and cry oned' against them. They were eventually to demand - as an ultimatum other PC members cisavow their boltica assessment of Hughes' and Stocking's methods. decided to onference Committee on 10 September, and his co-thinker would not undertake cecisions it inev were in a minon.
Stocking TOT- of not recognising the unsalistacion. postponement, alteration of and claims da, reference Inev made ЛО recognition.
defence of most cratic ngnis or the -cL membersnip, suspend Hughes, Stocking and King.
recoonise ine autonty or conterence Hughes, obstinate and went on the path of split.
between Workers Power which formed the I-CL.
proportion - that the condemned the invocation of forthcoming I-CL TITST the August National Committee their documents had receiver onlve tiny minonly yote. at ine rolllica.
Stocking King suddenly declared that they did not recoanise the authority of the conference and that they to abide by its reiterated over three day a their pushes, later, Hughes, authority of the conference. It was put to them that if they considered conference preparations the agen. back of documents, etc such proposals, but adamantly held to their position of non The PC majority was then obliged, in elementary demoAt the same time, the door was left open to I-CL. nem ov a orovision inat inev would of completely and immediately reinstated even onto the PC, If only they agreed to Stocking and king remaine iney brasent me soias a ce Jusion. a reversal of the December 1975 fusion Fight and Workers ship!!.
This is a dishonest trick. A large of the ex-WP comrades [inc Hughes lucine leaoine ex»wr comraces roman loyal to the I-CL. In a special appeal, they the 'ex-WP laver us aim is to dovance me rorrunes of a narrow circle... It is an attempt to appeal to comrades on the basis of past friendships, loyalties and allegiances as opposed to political programme.
The split represents the revolt of circle against party spirit. As a result of fusion arrangements Hughes Socking a vee overn!
leading committees of the I-CL corresponding more to their former eminence n mne Let ractoni worker. Power than to their real influence in the A declaration signed by memoers or ne no maony nac arredo committed its signatories to support the granting of places on the Political Cocontrast, Hughes and Stocking, in the last period before the desertion, announcea a programme or removing all memo ers of the PC majority from the leaderHowever, the perspective was one of and Stocking being a subord inate part or a collective leadersnip, not emperors in their own circle. They could not tolerate that. And so they took the course or spiit, appealing to old loyalties rather than to any politics. They bolted rather than subordinate themselves to the work of party-building the hugnes stocking grouping nas no political future. It will either expire or gravitate to a large group and Ine ING Wnose dog-fighting they will feel at home. Its main platform inside the I-CL was pre- inousinal work has already admitted that outside the I-CL his grouping will not be able to do most any senious Inousual orientate to 'lots of work' in the mass reformist party.
At the Hughes-Stocking meeting of 19 September, a group including the only ing the -CL cell in an important Mid lands tactory argued an anti-spiit line They Stocking were serious about their politics, they would form a faction in the I-CL to fight for them. They declared that they nemseive: woula mont tor mel tions - which are close on some issues to those put forward by Hughes StockinG in ine ore conterence debate -Inside the I-CL, probably by forming a faction who took part in - most probably second thoughts.
chronic -TaCTIonal -out nuenos mmsen has in any case will WOUN anTO Hughes-Stocking membership. element at the meet that if Hughes and analysis they I-CL DOSE intervention in and aDoration The I-CL entirely upholds the right of these comrades to form a faction It leaves its doors open to any comrades They will be entirely free to argue their positions within the cemocratic centra st Tamework of the I-CL, and to receive proportional repres entation on the leading committees The Political Committee of the I-Cl guaranteed that documents I-CL orientation will remain on the agenda of the conference to be debated by the me -cu will not waste time mourning over the desertions.If comrades wish to commit political suicide, I ne las • cannot oe stooDed. will learn the lessons example Hughes and Stocking gave us of circie pontics, and co forward. ConTIn uing our programme of publications, the working class, and emational dialogue debate ano coll COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL-COMMUNIST LEAGUE their willingness to abide by these decisions. This we saying that the refusal of the ex-WF ISSUEs repeated slanders and the determination of the ex-WF leaders to make them the issue on their side of the debate, of supporters of this position would be held within a week. However, we accepted the 'normal discipline' despite repeated charges that we were splitters and were planning to Join me worker:
two days aner mis me mree ex-wr memoers o the PC were suspended at a PC meeting to which they . The Matgamna group thus organIsec a soil wich unev noses would only involve Hughes, Stocking and King and a few comrades in They have been disappointed - despite claims of a 'desertion' of between 12 and 20 individuals, some 38 COlE ot the Workers members) have decided to terminate what remains of the fusion. They have done this because the Mataamna leadersnio nac nackee the eacing and had obstructed and undermined all attemptes at open and honest debate. To have gone to ine conterence wouls nave been to recoonise une Matgamna grouping's claim that the fusion was It should be known on the left that the Matgamna leadership has shown itself politically and organincapable of maintaining a democratic the -CL hardened sect. It should be known that far from being "breaking the log-jam on the Marcamna s orcanisanon is one or me mosr obauratt though not the most significant, logs in the jam Workers Power will fight for its own politics in Britain