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Socialist Alternatives

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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]

A small group in the UK it was best known for the Marxist magazine of the same name partially edited by Keir Starmer from 1986 to 1987.[2] The magazine is believed to have been produced by the Pabloist International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency (IRMT)[3] 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.[4] Paul Mason has called it a "Trotskyite magazine" although this is disputed.[5]

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."[6]

It was described by the left wing magazine Chartist as "the human face of the hard left".[7] Peter Hitchens described Socialist Alternative's "preoccupation with sexual politics and green issues" as presaging the politics of all today's major British politicians.[8]

The magazine included articles by Michalis Raptis,[9][10][11] the leader of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency and the left wing Labour MP Eric Heffer, Peter Tatchell[12] as well as an interview with Tony Benn.[13][14] There were also advertisements for Michael Raptis's "Self Management Lectures"[15] and IRMT publications.[16] Keir Starmer wrote articles on the Wapping strike,[17][18] the 1986 TUC conference,[19] criticising labour leader Neil Kinnock's moves towards the market economy,[20] a book review of Eric Heffer's Labour's future,[21] Trade Unions and pluralism,[22] an interview with Tony Benn[23] and left wing approaches to local government.[24]

The magazine was still publishing in 1989[25] and 1994.[26]

References

  1. ^ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qps14mSlghcC&pg=PA161&dq=%22socialist+alternatives%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC5KPsqLrtAhUVZxUIHQuoASUQ6AEwAnoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=%22socialist%20alternatives%22&f=false
  2. ^ "Keir Starmer: Radical who attacked Kinnock in Marxist journal," Archived 2 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine The Times, 18/1/20.
  3. ^ An archive of Socialist Alternatives is here Archived 2 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ https://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/comrade-paul-mason-backs-keir-starmer-and-socialist-alternatives/
  5. ^ https://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/comrade-paul-mason-backs-keir-starmer-and-socialist-alternatives/
  6. ^ Europe, Internationalism, Socialist Alternatives (Pabloism), and… Keir Starmer
  7. ^ https://www.thesocialreview.co.uk/2020/05/28/starmers-socialist-alternatives/
  8. ^ https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/letters-labours-left-vs-left-struggle
  9. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, pages 26 to 30
  10. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, pages 31 to 33
  11. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 25 to 27
  12. ^ Europe, Internationalism, Socialist Alternatives (Pabloism), and… Keir Starmer
  13. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 21 to 23
  14. ^ Interview with Keir Starmer talking about the Benn interview on Nick Robinson's Talking politics, linked here
  15. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, page 30
  16. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, back page
  17. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, pages 19 & 20
  18. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 7 and 8
  19. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, page 3, written with Alex Harvey
  20. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no1 July August 1986, page 31
  21. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no2 October November 1986, page 41
  22. ^ Socialist Alternatives v1 no3 December 1986 January 1987, pages 25 to 27
  23. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no1 April May 1987, pages 21 to 23
  24. ^ Socialist Alternatives v2 no2 August September 1987, pages 15 and 16
  25. ^ Europe, Internationalism, Socialist Alternatives (Pabloism), and… Keir Starmer, posted on the blog of Andrew Coates an author featured in that edition
  26. ^ https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Ethnicity%20and%20nationalism%20%E2%80%94%20a%20view%20from%20the%20left&author=R.%20Miliband&journal=Socialist%20Alternatives&volume=3&issue=1&pages=7&publication_year=1994