Cliff Slaughter, sociologist and author who was entwined in the splits and factions of the extreme Left – obituary
In the 1960s he defended the Trotskyist-Leninist ideal of permanent revolution built on the revolutionary consciousness of the working class
Cliff Slaughter
Cliff Slaughter, who has died aged 92, was an academic who inhabited those outer reaches of hard-Left socialism which, like extreme religious sects, are prone to mind-numbingly complex ideological splits, betrayals and expulsions – coupled with a level of personal vituperation that most people would find baffling – or even comical.
His obituary on the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) credits Slaughter as having played a leading role in the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) – a group which in 1953 split off from the Fourth International (FI, a Trotskyist organisation dedicated to the goal of international revolution) over the leadership of Michel Pablo (real name Michalis Raptis)
The End of ‘Whig’ History and the Twilight of Nations
Commentary
From the 17th to the 20th century, “Whigs” shaped an Anglo-American culture based on the universal principles of the European Enlightenment individual liberty, free speech, property rights, rule of law, free enterprise, and democratic governance.
“Whig” histories were affirmative accounts of national origins that celebrated a progression from troubled or divided beginnings to more just and democratic stages of shared civic development. Whig historians told stories of people and institutions that strived to become better over time.
Up to the late 1960s, Whig history was commonly taught in schools throughout the nations of the “free world.” The development of the nation was regarded as something citizens could be proud of.
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‘Workers of the Empire, Unite!’ New book on challenges to British imperialism May 13, 2021 1:59 PM CDT By John Foster
Rock of Empire: Aerial view of Gibraltar and (insert) trade union leader Albert Fava. | Photo: Port of Gibraltar / Creative Commons | Photo combo: Morning Star
In October 1948, Gibraltar’s colonial governor ordered the deportation of Albert Fava, the general secretary of the Gibraltar Congress of Labour (GCL), the colony’s biggest trade union federation. Along with his wife and four children, he was transported to Britain, never to return. He had committed no crime. No legal case had been taken against him.
In the last few years, many conservative commentators and political figures, including President Trump, have lashed out against extreme left-wing politicians and radical agitators as the “Fascist Left.” Many news media pundits scoffed at this phrase, incredulous at the thought that authoritarian and nationalistic socialists could ever exhibit leftist tendencies. However, many well-known historians would differ. These academicians have identified German National Socialists and Italian Fascists as close relatives to the revolutionary socialist Left. Why? Because Nazi and Fascist authority figures often proclaimed to be on the “Left” side of the political spectrum, embracing a slew of “revolutionary socialist policies.”