Turner Controversy
Encyclopedia
The Turner Controversy is a name given to a dispute within the Socialist Party of Great Britain
regarding the nature of socialism
instigated by Tony Turner. The dispute ultimately led to an exodus of members who went on to form the short-lived Movement for Social Integration.
When membership and activity was at a peak in the period after the Second World War, Turner began giving lectures for the Party on what socialism
would be like. The content of these lectures led
him to develop a position that caused enormous controversy in the Party by the early to mid-1950s and which was elaborated by Turner and his supporters in articles in the Party’s internal discussion journal of the time, Forum.
Three interlocking propositions underpinned the ‘Turnerite’ viewpoint:
This view was in direct contradiction to the Party's Declaration of Principles, which identifies socialism
as being the product of the class struggle
and which states that the socialist
movement will organise for the capture of political power, including power over the state’s coercive machinery, should it need to be used against a recalcitrant anti-socialist minority.
A series of acrimonious disputes between the ‘Turnerites’ and the majority of the Party culminated in a Party referendum and then a resolution being carried at the 1955 Party Conference to the effect that all members not in agreement with the Declaration of Principles be asked to resign. Turner, having survived a previous attempt to expel him, promptly did so, along with a number of other
members including Joan Lestor
(later to become a Labour
minister) and the psychologist John Rowan
. Some of these ex-members formed a short-lived Movement for Social Integration, though, ironically enough, the impact the dispute had on the Party as a whole was almost entirely disruptive and negative. Indeed, it didn’t recover its vitality for some years, until the wave of radicalisation that grew up in the 1960s.
Socialist Party of Great Britain
The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
regarding the nature of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
instigated by Tony Turner. The dispute ultimately led to an exodus of members who went on to form the short-lived Movement for Social Integration.
When membership and activity was at a peak in the period after the Second World War, Turner began giving lectures for the Party on what socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
would be like. The content of these lectures led
him to develop a position that caused enormous controversy in the Party by the early to mid-1950s and which was elaborated by Turner and his supporters in articles in the Party’s internal discussion journal of the time, Forum.
Three interlocking propositions underpinned the ‘Turnerite’ viewpoint:
- that the society of mass consumerismConsumerismConsumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
and automated labourAutomationAutomation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
which capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
had become had to be swept away in its entirety if alienation was to be abolished and a truly human community created. This meant a return to pre-industrial methods of production, on lines inspired by TolstoyTolstoyTolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
and William MorrisWilliam MorrisWilliam Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
’s News From NowhereNews from NowhereNews from Nowhere is a classic work combining utopian socialism and soft science fiction written by the artist, designer and socialist pioneer William Morris...
. - that the creation of the new socialist society was not simply in the interests of the working classWorking classWorking class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
but was in the interests of the whole of humanity, irrespective of class, a proposition they thought it essential for the Party to recognise in its everyday propaganda, and - the means of creating the new peaceful and cooperative society had to be entirely peaceful, indeed pacifist (and in the view of some, possibly even gradual).
This view was in direct contradiction to the Party's Declaration of Principles, which identifies socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
as being the product of the class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
and which states that the socialist
movement will organise for the capture of political power, including power over the state’s coercive machinery, should it need to be used against a recalcitrant anti-socialist minority.
A series of acrimonious disputes between the ‘Turnerites’ and the majority of the Party culminated in a Party referendum and then a resolution being carried at the 1955 Party Conference to the effect that all members not in agreement with the Declaration of Principles be asked to resign. Turner, having survived a previous attempt to expel him, promptly did so, along with a number of other
members including Joan Lestor
Joan Lestor
Joan Lestor, Baroness Lestor of Eccles was a British Labour politician.Lestor was educated at Blaenavon Secondary School, Monmouth; William Morris High School, Walthamstow and the University of London. She became a nursery school teacher and a member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, but...
(later to become a Labour
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...
minister) and the psychologist John Rowan
John Rowan (psychologist)
John Rowan is an author, counselor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor who practices Primal integration in England. He has worked with Ken Wilber in exploring Transpersonal psychology and has written several books on subpersonalities.-Career summary:...
. Some of these ex-members formed a short-lived Movement for Social Integration, though, ironically enough, the impact the dispute had on the Party as a whole was almost entirely disruptive and negative. Indeed, it didn’t recover its vitality for some years, until the wave of radicalisation that grew up in the 1960s.