Ferent from that of all the existing left- left as a whole. But these cannot be lonary organisations and of the ComSocialist Challenge was launched last June on the initiative of the International Marxist Group, the British section of the Fourth International. Our aim was to the base of the trade unions.
As part of the first task we stressed the like, The effectiveness of our approach necessity for a unified revolutionary bas been demonstrated by the sharp organisation, and in the 6 October rise in our sales and subscriptions, and issue we published a draft statement of also by the numbers of supporters' aims as the basis for revolutionary groups established in areas where the unity. As part of the second task we IMG has little or no presence have recently increased coverage of the how the existing rank and file bodies a political intervention. There are no relate to them.
ist Challenge and its ability to project a wing papers is due to the wide-rang ing debates the paper has initiated and conducted with virtually all currents in the workers movement.
in an extremely determined fashion — time. the sectarian riotions within the far left our finances THE SUCCESS of any publication mus alos be Judged upon its sales and financial October performance.
journalists wages, typesetting design and printing costs. However in pomparison to other publications, a revoltitionary paper has no big capitalist backers our supporters to sell and finance the paper.
To launch a new paper at the beginning of the summer mouths which, with holidays further such special issues.
Local sales declined and payments became erratic:
Nevertheless, during the first four months of the paper's life we met the survival and in some cases we exceeded CRENCES them. First on new subscriptions, important bedrock to the paper, we aimed to win $750 worth. The final figure £1.333. Secondly, we hoped to make a fund drive target of L1,8000 over three months.
That was toppped The most important aspect of this fund drive that, as the figures show, nearly hall was raised from individual supporters.
Various projects were undertaken nationally to raise funds which are now bearing freit, The 1978 calendar has heen published and sales are already underway. A special Russian Resolution anniversary souvenir copy of Socialist Challenge, designed by David King and with previously unpublish ed text hy Laac Deutscher, will be out in the next few weeks. The first films benefit sniccessful that joint benefits are to become produce a popular, political weekly which could be utilised as a weapon of struggle by thousands of comrades who were not in any revolutionary organisation, and generate oppositional class struggle currents at Some comredes bave an extremely problems facing trade unionists and narrow conception of what constitutes doubt many shortcomings in the Without doubt the success of Social- newspaper, which largely reflect the weakness of our political implantation hand, there are thousands upon thoupolitical and journalistic formula diff- in the working class and that of the tar surmounted by nourishing Musions, That would lead to posturing and dren of 1968, who have rejected (for substitutionism. We have to be extremely realistic. We must understand organised revolutionary politics. Many In other words, we have rejected — whom we are speaking to at the present Our audience today consists of two about what a Leninist paper should be different kinds of people. On the one regular monthly events, beginning on 29 Since the summer, sales have been steada exception. Political goodwill does not pay on the increase. With the print run at 8,500 we are finding ourselves completely out of copies by the weekend. In the issue which contained "Fraud News' the print run was 10,500, The impact of supplements sach as or State support. We rely on the ability of the Ford special and the Review of Books nas been to mark ine paper our tron tel rest of the left press. Plans are afoot for The greater political impair of the paper political activity, stretched the resouroes of can aiso been seen in the sales at Collers, The Central London bookshop, where sales have averaged around 150 a week. However, it is not only bookshop anles which bave been advancing Without douht the Socialist Challenge groups and sellers.
Excluding London, there are now зирporters in over 60 towns and cities. New moupe and sellers now exist in Crawley.
Plymouth, Exeter, Leamington, Swindon and Wolverhampton — to name just a few locations.
Nevertheless, Socinist Chullenge walks a fisancial tightrope. The cost of printing a 16 page weekly with spot colour on four reds a pend each week. To the next fees typesetting and design costs hun weeks these prices, like the rest of prices in Britain are going up. Allied to the fact that to maintain the qually of the paper it i vital for anotber journalist to be employed it becomes inevitable that the price must be increased to 15p from 1 November performance at The Other Cinema was so regret that as much as our readers will, bur economic reality stares is in the face.
JOINT FILM BENEFIT FOR Socialist Challenge INSDE SCABS SHALL NOT PASS ON 11 JULY They di play of sands of former members of revolutmunist and Labour Parties: the chil good and bad reasons) a link with are isolated individuals; others are in women's organisations, gay collect ives, and black groups. • The second group consists of those who are being Radek;
Socialist Challenge has to try and both were necessary. satisfy the political needs of both kinds of militants, thus drawing them closer to organised revolutionary politics.
The growh of supporters' groups is an organisation. We are proud of this fact indication thar chis is happening nationally. The weakest link in this respect is London; though here, too some small steps forward are being considered WEAKNESS While the impact of the newspaper has been considerable, we must guard against complacency. The weakness of the paper has been that it has not yet been able to develop a fully worked out analysis on strategy and tactics necessary lo prepare a class struggle opposition within the unions. Nor have we fully explored or clarified the differences between ourselves and other sections of the left. In this arca we have to strengthen the paper, and steps to do so have already been taken.
The fact that comrades in IWO different organisations Big Flame and the Workers League are considering participating on the Editorial Bourd means that further advances can be registered in the near tuture.
The tasks of the can be symbolised in studying the last two issues. In No. I6 we gave over tour pages to the Ford Workers" Group in order to ad them in their struggle in the plants. We have a number disagreements with the group, but we did not let that become an obstacle. In throughout the world.
Thia cartoon was first publisned in the revp/utionary satirical magazine Rec Pepper, which appeared in Moscow afte the Revolution. The year was 1923. Despite the advanded views on questione such as abortion, marriage sod child-raising, sexism was stildom/nant: hence Luxemburg and Kollontarare missing from the team, which Soznovaky, Trotsky (centre forward], Ryazonor, and Bukharin; [back. 1 ro mors gLoin Tell-back, Mars label-keeper). Kameney, Chickenn, and Lozer The magazice was especially popolaramong workers, and asign that fi? the aduentor Stainism the revalution retained a senseof humour. This is tha Nestime this cartoon has been reproduced We aredoing so to announcedur pecial 16-page supplement on the Russian Revolution. The rexr is a compilation of the evants leading up to th evolation by the late isaac Deutscher and has not been published befon it/s written in such a way thatit can beread in pubile preven performed without specialiattraining. Thedesign aby David King, who has ansarthod pictures not pubiiened before in the soclalistpress. The supplement will bein tw algers throughout and printed on specler paper, at50p. Bulk orders should be sent as soon as possibl * Send In stores from you locality, unian or group, which you a bulk order pest tree.
The breadth of debate in the paper is without precedent in the pages of a newspaper launched by a political because we believe it aids in political chirification and fulfils a real need of socialist We reject the approach which elevates sterile dog matism and slogan mongering to an art and presents this as informed principled political analysis. We have a long way to go, but we are on the road. How long it takes depends concretely our readers and supporters r copies of the paper, we will send
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Socialist Challenge HUGH SCANLON (RAP.)