Correspondence: How many dimensions to petty political sectarianism?

1 April 2012

To; Secretary, Socialist Workers Party, Ireland

At the household charges meeting on the 24th March Socialist Democracy distributed leaflets advertising a meeting on the Greek crisis in Dublin at 7-00 on Thursday 5th. We distributed further leaflets at the household charges march on the 31st, only to find that the assembly area was festooned with hurriedly photocopied SWP posters advertising a largely identical meeting at the same time, taking place 100 metres from our venue.

There is only one explanation – an unbelievable level of petty sectarianism on the part of the SWP.

This is wrong on a whole series of dimensions.  Both the SWP and Socialist Democracy are active in the Household charge campaign.  Both organisations are members of the ULA. We both support the resistance of the Greek workers, both oppose the coup staged by European capital that installed a puppet government and the consequent Financial Stability Pact that threatens democracy across Europe. Even more to the point our speaker, Vangelis Koutalis, is a member of our sister organisation OKDE which is a component of the united left group Antarsya. We understand that comrades of the SWP in Greece are also members of this united body.

Why would the SWP attempt to sabotage a meeting addressed by a speaker who is a member of a united left organisation of which they are part? 

We refuse to speculate. We do know there are situations in which political sectarianism becomes so grotesque as to become a parody. We call on the SWP to cancel their meeting and join with us in expressing solidarity with the Greek struggle. We will gladly offer them speaking rights.

Yours

John McAnulty,

Secretary,

Socialist Democracy