On the Socialist Equality Party

The following article is divided into two sections. The first section is a letter from a reader about their experiences with ISSE/SEP members. The second section is a critique of the SEP's theory and political positions.

I would like to describe my experiences with the International Students for Social Equality and the Socialist Equality Party. Before I do that, let me say that the names and places will not be said in order to avoid restarting old, worthless drama.

A while back, I went to one of the ISSE events at a school. The event was on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard about the event when I met an SEP member from another city standing on the sidewalk passing out papers in order to advertise for the ISSE lecture. The unnamed party member seemed like a fairly nice guy. I talked with him for a while, but all he wanted to do was get into this competitive discussion (a borderline argument) about why I was wrong about my political position. His whole position seemed to be "Stalin is evil," as if Stalin was still around today causing trouble for Trotskyists like him. To be honest, I think a lot of Trotskyists really need to move on and realize that Stalin and Trotsky are dead and that there are more serious issues challenging the working class today.

This unnamed member made some seemingly dogmatic assertions about his party. He said that they were building support among the working class, which I found funny because he was basically trying to recruit in a middle-class school. All so-called "revolutionary vanguards" claim they are building a support base among the workers, but in reality these claims are often untrue.

Anyway, I was dragged to the ISSE event later that night by a friend of mine who mistakenly thought it was a good idea. The event itself was alright, the speaker didn't say anything that wasn't already common knowledge though.

I questioned the speaker about a few things related to Leninist theory, and he responded but he seemed annoyed that somebody would actually inquire about his party at one of their own events. I thought this was what they wanted. Anyway, I eventually asked a question that he didn't like, and so he started shouting like a child. I find this funny because the speaker must have been at least fifty years old. After the event, one of the ISSE kids approached me and scolded me for saying some things that she didn't like (as if we have to conform to her rules or something). And the kid basically promised to "get me."

As I left, some of the SEP/ISSE members mocked my voice, and I heard one of them make a homophobic remark towards me. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure that individual doesn't speak for the entire organization. Still, one must wonder what kind of "socialist equality" is being taught in SEP circles if one of their members is making comments like that.

Another time I was talking with a different ISSE member (living in God only knows where) over the internet. This person made a ton of sectarian remarks. S/he called other socialist websites "petty-bourgeois" and stated that the workers would "eventually demand leadership from us [the SEP]." Some people might think this extreme arrogance is cute, but I think it is almost like narcissism, only for the party instead of the individual.

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Before we begin with the heavier part of The Partisan's criticism of the SEP, let us take a look at an excerpt from an article on their official news website, the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS).

As for the speakers, one had the strange feeling that you could have heard the exact same speeches at the rallies held two years ago when George W. Bush was still president. One had to wonder if Obama’s name was censored from their remarks. However, it is more likely that the silence on Obama was self-imposed... (Protest group covers for Obama and the Democrats, March 24, 2010)

The protest and rally to which the WSWS article is referring to is the March 20th, 2010 anti-war rally in Washington DC. As a member of multiple groups that sponsored my area's trip to the protest, I can testify that many, if not most, of the speakers at the anti-war rally spoke out against Obama's actions. These speakers and groups included Cindy Sheehan, representatives of Black is Back, InfoWars, and many others. People from other groups, including those that spoke, had their marching contingents chant anti-Obama messages such as "Hey Obama, we say no, the occupation has got to go!" It seems that the WSWS is just lying in order to make itself look like the only legitimate anti-war group around.

Furthermore, speaking out against the US government and its corporate masters as a whole is a lot better than simply speaking out against Obama (who is only a temporary representative of the elites).

Now, onto the more serious matters.

The SEP Statement of Principles has, as Trotskyists often do, said this.

The Fourth International, with which the SEP is aligned, emerged out of the implacable struggle waged by Marxist internationalists, led by Leon Trotsky, against... the betrayal of the program of world socialist revolution by the dictatorial regime headed by Stalin and his henchmen.

We all know that Stalin didn't do as much as he should to bring forth the international revolution, but he didn't outright betray internationalism. It was Stalin who eventually sent economic aid to the Chinese after their revolution. It was Stalin who aided the revolution in North Korea (which one could say has taken a turn for the worst). It was Stalin who, during the WWII era, backed guerrillas in Latin America (according to author Jon Lee Anderson). As a matter of fact, it was Stalin who paved the way for the establishment of socialism in Eastern Europe after WWII.

The SEP Statement of Principles also stands against identity politics, which it claims to be counter-revolutionary. In many ways identity politics can be reactionary, but it seems they have forgotten for oppressed nations the struggle for national liberation becomes inseparably bound up with the class struggle. Here are some quotes to back this up.

“…emphasis must necessarily be laid on their advocating freedom for the oppressed countries to secede and their fighting for it. Without this there can be no internationalism.” -V. I. Lenin, "The Discussion on Self-Determination Summed Up"

“Hence it is the task of the International everywhere to put the conflict between England and Ireland in the foreground, and everywhere to side openly with Ireland [the oppressed nation]” -Karl Marx, "Ireland and the Irish Question"

While at one of the ISSE events, the author learned that the SEP is against "protest politics" and doesn't take part in activism because of this. No really, this is actually what the ISSE members said. I have searched the WSWS and SEP web pages, but I haven't yet found one clear definition of "protest politics." It remains unclear to me whether these people see protesting as a useful tool to gain support and grow in number, or if they actually plan on replacing protests with ISSE study groups.

The SEP demanded as part of their "socialist" program that the private banks be nationalized by the US government. They stated that their program is a "socialist program that places the needs of the people before the profits and personal fortunes of the ruling elite.” So they are basically dressing up reformist politics in revolutionary-sounding words. According to the quote, we can assume that the SEP will allow for the continued existence of a ruling elite. At the same time, the SEP program says that they don't believe reformist politics can work. Wow, what doublespeak! See the third article linked to at the end of this blog entry for clarification of this.

Many claims have been made against SEP leader David North. Among them are claims that Mr. North is a CEO of a publishing company affiliated with the WSWS. This would not only explain North's anti-union politics, but it would also explain why a supposedly "socialist" website like WSWS has a copyright seal and claim at the bottom of its page. As a matter of fact, even dedicated Trotskyists who dislike North hold to the claim that North is a member of the bourgeoisie.

Anyway, this brief criticism is finished. To see what other people, including Trotskyists, have to say about the WSWS/SEP/ISSE, check out the URL's below. If you have any good criticisms of the SEP and company, leave them in the comments section.

"Where were you David North?"
http://www.internationalist.org/wherewasdavidnorth.html

"The SEP is a Crock"
http://www.indymedia.org.nz/article/73526/socialist-equality-party-crock

"With capitalism like this, who needs socialism?"
http://wspus.org/2009/02/capitalism-in-crisis-reforms-collapse-or-a-socialist-revolution/

"The WSWS Resorts to a smear campaign"
http://www.permanent-revolution.org/polemics/smear_campaign.htm