Home: Blog: 2006-05-20 Anarchists ahoy

Visitors to this site may have read the story of the Red Party, and its paper the Red Star. Since writing it, I've spoken to old comrades about what they are doing now, and can bring their stories up to date.

Class War
Y'harrrEssentially, they've become pirates.

Yes, it's that well-trodden theoretical road from Leninism, through libertararian socialism and anarchism, to revolutionary buccaneerism.

Well, that's probably not how they'd express it. They would claim that they've merely joined the anarchist group Class War (www.classwaruk.org), and that the skull and crossbones is a traditional anarchist symbol, symbolising the lawlessness and rough and ready democracy practised by pirates. Parrots are worn only on ceremonial occassions.

Class War publishes the punchily titled paper Class War, which contains powerful arguments for human freedom as they might be expressed after drinking eight pints of lager. If you've ever fallen asleep reading the Socialist Worker (and if you didn't fall asleep you weren't paying attention) then grab a copy of Class War and discover one of the few left papers with a sense of humour.

I'm delighted to have this chance to wish them, and Class War, good luck in their work. Y'harrr.

Socialist Alliance
Less pirateyMeanwhile, another Red, Gerry Byrne, now chairs the Socialist Alliance (www.socialistalliance.org), an altogether less piratey organisation.

However, politics shouldn't be judged on pirateyness alone. The Socialist Alliance does the vital work of irritating George Galloway and the Socialist Workers Party, by actually arguing for socialism rather than the appalling mix of left posturing and sharia feudalism peddled by the SWP's own monstrous electoral pact, the Respect Unity Coalition.

Of course, it is not the aim of the Socialist Alliance to annoy George Galloway: their aim is to campaign for a new party of the working class, to fill the gap left when New Labour abandoned even the pretence of representing working people. Annoying George Galloway is just a bonus.

Red Star Commando
Full colour subversionAnd collectively, the Reds also continue to write the blog, Red Star Commando at redstarcommando.blogspot.com.

There you will find articles on how in 2000 the Socialist Workers Party said that Big Brother contests were "sad, vulnerable people" (until their own Respect MP George Galloway became one), the Red Star's entry into the BBC Sunday Program's "Nativity Story in 30 seconds" competition, which tells it in 3 seconds but somehow missed being broadcast, and more stories of godless subversion from around the world, with full colour pictures.

Bless 'em all. On the Red Star page you can read the story of the Red Party, which has now been updated to include links to organisations and sites supported by members of the group.