British SWP says Churchill was real enemy not Hitler

In the world of the lunatic Marxist left (apologies to non-deranged Marxists out there), anything that capitalists and imperialists do must automatically be opposed, regardless of fact or even reality.

We have a fine new example of this. The British Socialist Workers Party has proclaimed that Hitler was not planning to invade Britain and [...]

The state of WBAI (dire)

Doug Henwood hosts Behind the News, a left economics show on Pacificia affiliate WBAI in New York. He just sent an open letter to the chair of the WBAI board about the station’s disintegrating situation. He’s been there over 20 years.

Whatever you’ve heard about the decline of Pacifica lately, well, it’s getting much [...]

Why is the antiwar movement stalled?

In two words: the left

So says Raimondo at Antiwar.com. He is scathing against leftie ideologues who don’t want a right-left coalition to fight against the insane wars of the US because that might cut into their already absurdly small power bases.

The Ron Paul faction of the right as well as the Buchananites oppose [...]

On leaving PSL

(Reader EnCee on why he left PSL. Promoted from the comments to my Abstaining from bad sects post yesterday. The image is of my choosing.) This is just a little blurb on my own departure from the PSL after 6+ years. There is so much to get into, but I promised Bob I would [...]

Abstaining from bad sects

Sectarianism, left cadre organizations, and ultra-leftism too often create a squabbling, ineffective, sometimes fanatical left, filled with schisms and splinter groups. Chip Berlet explores this in an article written in 1999 but just as true now.

An excerpt.

Ultra-leftism is an egocentric form of mythopoetic martyrdom whereby practitioners anoint themselves as the beleaguered guardians [...]

American Leftist surveys the SWP wreckage in Britain

Recently there was a split, purges, and resignations, with much resultant gnashing of teeth in the Socialist Workers Party in Britain. SWP is a Leninist formation that fancies itself a vanguard party, ready to lead the workers to the inevitable proletarian victory. However, this can only happen after the masses have realized the correctness of [...]

My enemy’s enemy is still my enemy

To badly mix metaphor with a Charlie Daniel lyric, I couldn’t resist chasing this dead horse once more around the parking lot. Because when an “Iran cleric urges severe punishment for rally leaders” I’m guessing that means lots of prison and torture, something you’d think lefties would oppose.

Just because Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thumbs his nose [...]

On similarities between some far leftists and the ayatollahs

Christopher Hitchens, on the ayatollahs blaming everything on the British.

One of the signs of Iran’s underdevelopment is the culture of rumor and paranoia that attributes all ills to the manipulation of various demons and satans. And, of course, the long and rich history of British imperial intervention in Persia does provide some support for [...]

Response to lefties who support Ahmadinejad

It’s heartening to see a groundswell from the far left against ultra-left parties who will not support the Iran protests because of their delusion that Ahmadinejad somehow is an ally. (And maybe because they see this as a way to recruit for their parties.) But the sick truth is, too much of the far left [...]

A question to the left on Iran: Can the people make history or not?

Mike Ely at International Journal of Socialist Renewal on the left response to the Iran protests and why the foe of my foe is often not a friend.

There is a self-deceptive politics (among some leftists) that seeks to prettify all kinds of reactionary forces that (for one reason or another) are in opposition to [...]