Revolutionary Communist League (UK)
Encyclopedia
The Revolutionary Communist League was a small Trotskyist political group in the United Kingdom
. It was founded in 1969 by two groups, one expelled from the International Marxist Group
for wanting focus on entryist work in the Labour Party
, and one from the Militant Tendency
.
The League promoted the Socialist Charter initiative of various Tribunite left-wing Labour MPs
and was consequently nicknamed The Chartists. They took over this initiative, and based their work around the Charter on a conception of transitional politics taken from Leon Trotsky
. In pursuit of this political approach, they were also active around The Soldiers' Charter, the only attempt in recent years on the part of socialists in Britain to subvert the armed forces.
By 1973 most of the group were moving to the right, while others (including Al Richardson) had left. A split developed and the right of the group kept the journal, which developed a politics influenced by Euro-Communism and were close to the Labour Co-ordinating Committee
. The minority became involved in the launch of Labour Briefing. Both tendencies survive to the current day.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was founded in 1969 by two groups, one expelled from the International Marxist Group
International Marxist Group
The International Marxist Group was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It and its youth organisation had had around 1,000 members and supporters in the late 1970s...
for wanting focus on entryist work in the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and one from the Militant Tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
.
The League promoted the Socialist Charter initiative of various Tribunite left-wing Labour MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and was consequently nicknamed The Chartists. They took over this initiative, and based their work around the Charter on a conception of transitional politics taken from Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
. In pursuit of this political approach, they were also active around The Soldiers' Charter, the only attempt in recent years on the part of socialists in Britain to subvert the armed forces.
By 1973 most of the group were moving to the right, while others (including Al Richardson) had left. A split developed and the right of the group kept the journal, which developed a politics influenced by Euro-Communism and were close to the Labour Co-ordinating Committee
Labour Co-ordinating Committee
The Labour Co-ordinating Committee was a factional body inside the British Labour Party established in 1978 and wound-up in 1995. In that period it moved from a group established to challenge to leadership of the party from the left to the vanguard of Tony Blair's drive to modernise the party's...
. The minority became involved in the launch of Labour Briefing. Both tendencies survive to the current day.