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Socialist Alternatives was the British section of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency (IRMT), a formerly Trotskyist Pabloite group based in Paris.[1] Being a small group in the UK, it was best known for the Marxist magazine of the same name founded in Oxford[2] by Ben Schoendorff[3] and partially edited by Keir Starmer from 1986 to 1987.[4][5][6] which was used by his supporters in the leadership election to show more left wing credentials.[7] The magazine is believed to have been produced by the Pabloist International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency (IRMT),[8][9] and advertised its events and publications, although one of the authors identified it as being an outgrowth of the Socialist Society connected with Ralph Miliband and Hilary Wainwright,[10] who both wrote for the magazine. Paul Mason has called it a "Trotskyite front magazine",[11] although this is disputed[10] and its ex-editor Benjamin Schoendorff called it "post-Trotskyist".[12] The French Trotskyist journalist Maurice Najman was also cited as a key supporter.[10]

Its politics were defined by one of its later authors Andrew Coates as being "aligned to the European ‘alternative’ movements of the time which stood for ecology, feminism and self-management. These were forerunners of later radical green-left groups, Los Indignados, Podemos, the left of Labour and similar currents within social democratic parties."[13] It was described by the left wing magazine Chartist as "the human face of the hard left".[14] Peter Hitchens described Socialist Alternative's "preoccupation with sexual politics and green issues" as presaging the politics of all today's major British politicians.[15]

The magazine included articles by Michalis Raptis,[16][17][18][19] the leader of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency and the left wing Labour MP Eric Heffer, Peter Tatchell,[13] as well as an interview with Tony Benn.[20][21] There were also advertisements for Michael Raptis's "Self Management Lectures"[22] and IRMT publications.[23] Keir Starmer wrote articles on the Wapping strike,[24][25][26] the 1986 TUC conference,[27] criticising Labour leader Neil Kinnock's moves towards the market economy,[28] a book review of Eric Heffer's Labour's Future,[29] Trade Unions and pluralism,[30] an interview with Benn,[20] and left-wing approaches to local government.[31] The magazine was still publishing in 1989,[32] and also in 1994.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Barberis, Peter; McHugh, John; Tyldesley, Mike (1 January 2000). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. A&C Black. ISBN 9780826458148. Retrieved 14 March 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Sir Keir Starmer: Bureaucrat first, politician second". The Economist.
  3. ^ "The Socialist Alternatives experiment - an 1980s attempt to search for a new revolutionary subject". YouTube. 6 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Keir Starmer: Radical who attacked Kinnock in Marxist journal," Archived 2 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine The Times, 18/1/20.
  5. ^ "Interview with Keir Starmer: Fatboy Slim, open selections, Trotskyism and more". 12 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Keir Starmer: The sensible radical". 31 March 2020.
  7. ^ Savage, Michael (8 February 2020). "Jeremy Corbyn's local Labour party backs Keir Starmer for leadership". The Observer.
  8. ^ An archive of Socialist Alternatives is here Archived 2 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Keir Starmer, Trotskyism and Pabloism. | by John Rogan | Medium".
  10. ^ a b c "Comrade Paul Mason Backs Keir Starmer; on Starmer's 'Socialist Alternatives' background". 8 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Clive Lewis and Keir Starmer are the candidates who understand how Labour must change". www.newstatesman.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  12. ^ "The Socialist Alternatives Project & Keir Starmer 1986-2024. The dialectic of timely historical research". 22 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Europe, Internationalism, Socialist Alternatives (Pabloism), and…Keir Starmer". 29 August 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Starmer's Socialist Alternatives". 28 May 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Letters: Labour's left vs left struggle | the Spectator". 3 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Keir Starmer has come a long way from the anti-capitalism of his youth | John Rentoul". Independent.co.uk. 4 September 2021.
  17. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, pages 26 to 30
  18. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, pages 31 to 33
  19. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 25 to 27
  20. ^ a b Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 21 to 23
  21. ^ Interview with Keir Starmer talking about the Benn interview on Nick Robinson's Talking politics, linked here
  22. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, page 30
  23. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, back page
  24. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, pages 19 & 20
  25. ^ "Keir Starmer: Radical who attacked Kinnock in Marxist journal". The Times. 18 January 2020.
  26. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 7 and 8
  27. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, page 3, written with Alex Harvey
  28. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, page 31
  29. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, page 41
  30. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no3 December 1986 January 1987, pages 25 to 27
  31. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no2 August September 1987, pages 15 and 16
  32. ^ Europe, Internationalism, Socialist Alternatives (Pabloism), and… Keir Starmer, posted on the blog of Andrew Coates an author featured in that edition
  33. ^ "Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
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