I’ve had enough: Nick Bird Resigns From SWP

international | anti-capitalism | other press Wednesday October 10, 2007 17:31 by John Cornford

Nick Bird has been a member of the SWP for 17 years. Below he outlines his reasons for parting with what he sees to be an undemocratic and dishonest organisation.

As for my intentions, I have been an SWP member for 17 years, but frankly I’ve had enough. This is a bit of a wrench for me, since I feel that I learnt the core political ideas and principles that I hold from the SWP. But for some years I have felt my belief in the good things that the party does being qualified by frustrations at its practices and methods. I will stay in Respect and align myself with those who want an inclusive, democratic party that fights for peace, justice, equality and socialism.

The reason that the SWP lurches from one extreme position to another is rooted, I believe, in its method of work; in a lack of openness and a stunted democratic structure within the party. The (lack of) coverage of this debate in Socialist Worker is one example.

To date, there has been one wholly inadequate report following the Respect NC statement, which mentioned that some people were ready to write Respect’s obituary, but failed to make any reference to the participants in, or terms of, the debate. Anyone whose only source of information on the subject was SW must surely have been rather confused.

When the whole future of Respect is at stake, surely that is worth mentioning in Socialist Worker? The debate about what type (special or otherwise) of party or coalition we need.