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Many people, both within and without the SLP, have asked for factual information regarding the sequence of events which led to the split in the SLP at its recent Congress. 'Scottish Socialist' is glad to provide this information.
Before the Congress the woek preceding the Congress, some seven delegates received notification that they were not to attend the National Congress. The entire text of the letter, signed on behalf of the Standing Orders Committee (SOC), read *The SOC are unable to recognise you as a branch delegate, and request that you do not attend Congress", During the same period, the credentials of the entire Leith Branch delegation were similarily withdrawn. Friday October 29th These suspended delegates attempted to attend the SOC meeting prior to the opening of Congress, but were refused a hearing. They remained in the Golden Lion Hotel, the venue of the Congress, in order to lobby delegates; to ask delegates to raise the matter on the floor of Congress; and to appeal to Congress for the right to be heard. Friday October 29th - Evening.
Congress opened. The SOC itself raised the question of the suspended delegates, and allowed time for discussion of the matter. The Chairman of the SOC introduced the item the first part of the SOC Report. He merely stated the text of the letter sent to the delegates concerned, and asked for Congress's endorsement. No reasons were given: no evidence was led; and demands for the suspended delegates to be heard were rejected. Despite repeated calls for reasons and evidence, the Platform remained silent.
During the debate, delegates speaking from the Поог, in favour of the SOC decision, made it clear that the suspensions were a result of an alleged dual membership of the suspended delegates with an organisation known as the International Marxişt Group. No evidence to support these allegations was given. At the and of the debate, Mr. Jim Sillars, in summing up, was allowed double the time of any of the previous speakers to repeat these alleg. ations.
The only piece of evidence that he presented was that a certain Neil Ascha journalist with the Scotsman erson, and a member of the SLP newspaper, had contacted an un-named person at the IMG headquarters in London, who had said that the IMG had made a decision to infiltrate the SLP. Since this isolated item of evidence was presented during the Tinal remarks of a summing-up, it could not be challenged from the floor.
A card vote was then taken, and Congress decided to accept the SOC action. The rest of the evening's business was then dealt with - in an orderly fashion.
Saturday October 30th. - Morning:
Congress business proceeded in an efficient and orderly manner. At lunchtime, the suspended delegates called a meeting in the nearby Station Hotel, to state their side of the case. They extended an invitation to all delegates, and over sixty attended. They explained that the allegations of dual membership with the IMG were untrue, and appealed to delegates not to walk out of Congress in protest at their suspension, but to stay to support the left wing resolutions which were due to be debated.
A number of delegates then intimated that they weTC aware that the National Organising Committee (NOC) had organised a slate of approved candidates for election to the incoming National Executive Committee, and it was therefore agreed to reply in kind, and urge delegates to vote for an alternative left slate. This was then drawn up.
Saturday October 30th. - Afternoon:
On the resumption of Congress, it was announced that the Cumbernauld delegation had submitted an Emergency Resolution reading "This Conference, in view of recent cvents, instructs that no national official of the party shall make unauthorised personal statements to the press regarding party business. Further, that in future, no prior notice of Congress agenda shall be released to the press until it has been discussed and amended by party branches. Only the final agenda for Congress shall be issued to the press."
The SOC reported that they recommended that this resolution should not be debated. Congress, however, on a show of hands, referred back this SOC Report. The afternoon's business proceded quickly and efficiently. Once again, SOC reported on the Cumbernauld Resolution, and recommended no discussion. Again Congress referred back
this Report. The day's business was concluded.
Sunday October 31st. - Morning:
When Congress reconvened, the Chairof SOC read out an Emergency man Resolution from the Ayr branch calling for the dishandment of the Kelvin, Stirling. Stirling University, and the Cumbernauld branches. and the expulsion of their delegates for disrupting Congress.
John Robertson, M.P. for Paisley. proposed that Congress moved straight to a card vote. The Chairman immediately announced that Mr. Robertson's proposal had been carried by the acclamation. No evidence was presented; no arguments were heard, and those who were accused were given no opportunity to speak. The vote was taken and the branches were expelled. St. Andrews branch walked out in sympathy with the expelled branches.
Those expelled then called a meeting to discuss what had happened. Over eighty delegates, representing 19 branches more than half the total number of Congress delegates attended and pledged their opposition to the expulsions. A press statement was then unanimously approved and issued to the Press; (this statement is reprinted in the Scottish Socialist broadsheet on the split).
SOME EXPLANATORY POINTS
Democratic Procedures.
One of the most noticeable features of the whole series of events is the absence of basic democratic procedures. The procedures used were contrary to all the standards of natural justice. The accused were not informed of the allegations made against them; no evidence was presented; and no right of reply allowed. In the case of the expulsions of the branches, no
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opportunity for discussion was allowed. No Scottish court, tribunal or hearing would ever be conducted in this way. Dual Membership.
The NOC had never, in fact, been given the authority to rule against dual membership. The branches — (whether they had had their own members accused of dual membership, no 1) had always maintained that questions of this sort would be thrashed out at Congress during the debate ratification of the Draft Constitution.
Yet before Congress, delegates had their credentials withdrawn on the basis of alleged dual membership. In acting in this way. the SOC pre-empted Congress, and anticipated ratification the relevant clauses in the Draft Constitution.
The Cumbernauld Emergency Resolution.
This was not discussed at the Saturday meeting in the Station Hotel. It is eminated solely from Cumbernauld in response to
reports widely published in the Press on September 21st., that Jim Sillars had denounced certain resolutions placed before Congress by the Kelvin and Stewarton branches.
It was felt that such remarks preempted Congress, and had grave implications for the principle of the Party leadership's accountability to the membership. The Party leadership obviously regarded the disquiet with which the Press reports were received as important, for much of Mr. Sillars interview on the front page of the special Congress issuc of "Forward Scotland" was given over to a refutation of the charge of pre-empting Congress, Yet this same leadership twice refused to allow discussion of the matter, despite a majority of Congress delegates indicating that they wished to do so. Disruption.
This was the official reason given for the expulsion of the four branches. It is difficult to see when or where this disruption took
membership with the IMG was as a reason for the expulsions. Yet no evidence other than a single phone call by a journalist to an unnamed person (of which no record was kept) was advanced. Such hearsay evidence would be given no credibility in any court
The IMG is the British Section of the Fourth International. It admits to being a Trotskyist organisation. Though it does not reveal its membership figures, informed observers estimate its total UK membership at 600, with perhaps 10% of that located in Scotland. Even if all Scottish IMG members joined, they would be a small and insignificant group within the 2,000 strong SLP.
Some of the expelled members admitted prior membership of the IMG. However,
General Secretary of the SLP some months carlier in order to explain this, and the General Secratary had confirmed his membership of the SLP. It would appear, however, that the NOC subsequently decided that even former membership of another political organisation lays members open to the charge of "dual membership".
But if this is the case, it is not clear why prominent members such as (formerly of the SP) or Norman Easton Bob Tait (formerly the Scottish Workers Republican. disqualified from SLP membership. similarily place. All the Saturday sessions of Congress ended on time, and were conducted in an orderly fashion. Friday evening's session ran late, but this was on account of the excessive time taken to count the card vote on the suspension of delegates credentials the result of a debate initiated by the SOC. The only other possible disruption" was the presentation of Cumbernauld The Emergency Resolution, which was submitted in accordance with Standing Orders, and which the delegates indicated they wished to discuss.
After the Expulsions.
After expelling the four branches, Congress was faced with a motion critical of the procedures used by the Party Leadership. Even with a Congress depleted of all indentifiable opposition, 230 votes were cast in favour of the motion. This was regarded by the Party Leadership as a vote of no confidence and there followed the well-reported series of threatened resignations by leading figures in the Party. This was only halted by Congress's acceptance of a personal vote of confidence in Jim Sillars which was carried with only three abstentions. A personal vote confidence is not a vote in favour of policies of or administrative procedures.
JIM MacKECHNIE