Our record recognised (1969)

From the May 1969 issue of the Socialist Standard

Tibor Szamuely, the Hungarian-born lecturer, broadcaster, and Tory pamphleteer, wrote in a letter to the Jewish Chronicle of February 14 that

  “the most consistently anti-Communist record in this country and elsewhere since 1917 is that of Leftwing organisations, like the Socialist Party of Great Britain”.

This is worth recording so that it can be drawn to the attention of ignorant Tories and others who try to tar us with the Russian brush.

Two other points. Although we understand what Szamuely means by ‘anti-Communist’ that is not how we would put it. With Marx and Engels we hold that Communism and Socialism are interchangeable terms to refer to the society we wish to set up. Our case against the Russian government and its so-called communist parties is that they are anti-socialist and anti-communist. Again, we do not regard ourselves as 'leftwing’, a meaningless tag that only adds to political confusion. We are a socialist organisation opposed to the ‘left’ as well as to the ‘right'.