Let's Imagine
Most people are turned off by party politics - which is not really surprising given the way that many of our politicians behave.
But for me politics is what makes the world go round and can even be great fun at times - especially if you don't take yourself too seriously and are able to enjoy a laugh, at the insanity of it all.
When I was actively involved in politics, your worst enemies were often other 'comrades' on the left - members of the International Socialists (IS), the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), Militant and so on.
Yet all of these 'Trotskyist' groups were despised by folks in the Communist Party and in the Labour P who regarded the 'Trots' as deluded and dangerous.
Because their modus operandi always the same and involved making impossible ('transitional') demands in every situation - then working through ill-disguised front organisations such as The Militant newspaper in an effort to achieve their aims.
Nowadays Trotskysist groups tend to organise around Anti-Cuts Movements of various kinds- but the pattern of behaviour is always very predictable.
So here's a old joke to illustrate what I mean - the Trotsky 'Can Opener' joke.
Trotsky's Can Opener
Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky are marooned together on a desert island - with little food to sustain them until help arrives.
One day they find some tins of baked beans get washed up on the shore - and the three revolutionary leaders forget their differences for a while - and set about trying to get at the contents inside.
Lenin volunteers to go first - he spends ages analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the tin can before tapping it gently with a stick - whereupon the top pops opens and for the first time in days the hungry men have a feed.
The next day Stalin steps up to the plate, so to speak - but just like his politics Stalin's approach to solving a problem - is much less subtle than comrade Lenin's.
Stalin picks up a big rock and attacks the tin can with great force - which gets the job done in one sense, but the beans inside spill out all over the place - and get covered with dirt and sand.
So the three comrades go hungry that day.
The following day it's Trotsky's turn to tackle the tin - he reflects for a few moments before turning to his colleagues and says:
'Comrades, let's imagine we have a can opener'.
Nowadays the largest Trotskyist party still operating in the UK is the SWP - the Socialist Workers Party - which at the moment is tearing itself apart over allegations of rape and sexual assault against a senior (male) party official.
Because instead of involving the Police and having the allegations properly investigated - the SWP set up its own 'Disciplinary Comittee' to interview the parties involved - before deciding if there was a case to answer, by having a vote.
In the event the SWP 'Disciplinary Committee' went on to dismiss the charges - which has, unsurprisingly, led to bitter recriminations and widespread resignations.
I'm not surprised, I have to say.
Because it sounds to me as if some of the comrades got together one day and said - 'Let's imagine we're the criminal justice system - that'll do the trick!'.
