Leninist Vanguard statement on John Rees
This is a guest post by Dave Dudley of Leninist Vanguard
How are socialists to respond to the removal of John Rees from the SWP Central Committee? Of course, our instant reflex is to titter, to gloat. Why should we not engage in a spot of schadenfreude at the expense of the bearded one? Such responses are not only juvenile and revisionist, but miss the point entirely.
I’m no Keith Flett and I certainly hold no candle for Rees’ mild efforts in analysing the great works of Trotsky or his poor grasp of dialectics, but his choice of facial hair is his alone to make. If he wishes to behave like a man in midlife crisis and attempt to look like Craig David then so be it. Internet chatter over his goatee merely distracts those of us on the left striving for left unity from the most important task of exposing the sheer lack of democracy at the heart of the SWP, an outfit which long ceased to be socialist, workerist or a party for that matter. We can only pity the student members who joined up at freshers’ fayres recently.
Furthermore, is mocking facial hair not at least Islamophobic? Those who engage in such activities are no better than the Zionist AWL and deserve to be driven out of the labour movement. Provided Comrade Rees is prepared to undergo the necessary cadre training in order to correct his poor grasp of dialectics, there is a place for him in Leninist Vanguard, even if the SWP aren’t prepared to have him.
Defend Comrade Rees!
No attacks on facial hair!
Smash the SWP!
Comments
| 27 November 2008, 10:58 pm |
Ok so i’m not from the UK (canada) so will some kind Brit tell me:
Was this a serious post?
And what’s with the fascination with the silly leftie fringe parties? In Canada, neither the CP nor the CP-ML get the time of day.
Any answers will be appreciated.
| 27 November 2008, 11:05 pm |
Fringe parties?! The SWP is the party that will lead the workers of the world to revolution. Have some RESPECT, for pity’s sake!
| 27 November 2008, 11:19 pm |
Vildechaye, thanks for adding something actually funny to this post.
| 28 November 2008, 12:43 am |
Comrade Dave, take no notice of the bourgeois deviationist individualists currently positioned in an obstructionist stance at the head of the comments, spitting in the face of the proletariat. Every true progressive thinker stands shoulder to shoulder with you on the cusp of historic inevitability.
| 28 November 2008, 1:59 am |
Look vildechaye, we’ve said that it’s wrong to be beardist. By extension, that covers all matters tonsorial. So calling the SWP a `fringe party’ is again drawing attention to their hair. It’s not on, you know. Split is out, as well, as split ends must not be discriminated against.
| 28 November 2008, 4:01 am |
I am not surprised to see a splitter like Dave Dudley gloating over the criminal ousting of Comrade John Rees. It is rather ironic, however, to see him promoting a pro-beard agenda.
Back in my early activist days, when I first met Dave, he was known as “Bumfluff” Dudley. Let’s just say that his facial hair was like his commitment to revolutionary politics - wispy and barely credible.
Since then, of course, he has risen to the heady heights of Chair of Leninist Vanguard, and become the darling of the media classes, feted by Islington salonistas and Daily Mail feature writers alike. I, meanwhile, prefer to remain at the sharp end of political activism, plying copies of Socialist Worker to the oppressed galley slaves of capitalism outside Deptford East rail station (every Weds evening, unless it’s raining hard).
I haven’t seen Dave for years. Doubtless he now sports facial fuzz to rival Karl Marx. All I can say to anyone taken in by Comrade Dudley is this - beware of false prophets, and of false beards!
No to Philishave!
No to Wilkinson Sword!
No to capitalist lackeys in cat fur chin muffs!
| 28 November 2008, 7:42 am |
vildechaye @ 27 November 2008, 10:58 pm
” the fascination with the silly leftie fringe parties? ”
It’s not a fascination. It’s just that these tiresome trotskyites keep hanging around outside the shops on Saturdays, failing to sell papers and they’re forever popping up at local Trade Union meetings. Where I live, they bussed in hundreds of people for the 2005 General Election and the dis-respect candidate came second.
| 28 November 2008, 9:26 am |
“Leninist Vanguard” - do they exist at all somewhere outside this blog? you’ve got that name from some 1970s French film, don’t you?
sorry - i’m not a native speaker, so i may have missed something, but this is ironic, no?
i mean: “Furthermore, is mocking facial hair not at least Islamophobic? Those who engage in such activities are no better than the Zionist AWL and deserve to be driven out of the labour movement. ” - doesn’t get any better than that, does it? (what about the facial hair of a certain Mr Hitler - mock this and you’re islamophobic???)
this must be a covert advert by the awl to attract attention to the fact that by the simple trick of not being anti-Zionist they manage to be trots and reasonably-sane at the same time
| 28 November 2008, 10:58 am |
It is probably only fair to mention to some of the foreign visitors to this site, that this is indeed a spoof post.
Having said that, I agree with the sentiment:
SMASH THE SWP!
| 28 November 2008, 11:23 am |
“this is indeed a spoof post. ”
problem being that the anti-semitic left is so ludicrous that it’s hard to tell whether it’s a spoof… probably Dudder’s already being hailed by some unsuspecting break-away (n)swp’ers as their new lenin
keep smashing
| 28 November 2008, 11:56 am |
I’m with vildechaye. Is this really serious? But if it is, why should anyone but about eight people care?
Spoof? Well, even then it’s a bit of waste of time.
| 28 November 2008, 12:04 pm |
Sarah?
(wanna say: look who’s talking…)
| 28 November 2008, 12:06 pm |
or to quote the good Dr Seuss: “it is fun and fun is good” (Gr.E.a.H., ch13, verse9)
| 1 December 2008, 10:03 pm |
Those we refuse to mock, we have to take seriously. Therefore, dialectically speaking, we are under a duty to mock the SWP….
Or something like that…
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