In July I attended the launch meeting in Brisbane of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, a group formed mainly by the former Leninist Party Faction of the DSP (Castroite) group.
Australia-wide, the RSP includes many people formerly very prominent in the DSP, such as John Percy, Doug Lorimer, Allen Myers, and Max Lane. In Brisbane, so I'm told, they have about eight people.
It was impressive that they had set up a website, produced a first issue of a monthly paper, rented an office, made banners, and got t-shirts advertising their paper, Direct Action.
As a political meeting, the launch was less dynamic. The main speech, by Kathy Newnham, lasted probably less than five minutes, and there was no time for contributions from the floor.
Kathy presented the RSP as continuing a "fight for a revolutionary perspective" which had been thwarted inside the DSP. But her account of why the DSP embodied less than a fully revolutionary perspective was essentially that, she said, the DSP was not now giving sufficient attention to boosting and applauding the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes.
Whatever your view of Cuba and Venezuela, lack of applause for Castro and Chavez seems to be the last thing you could accuse the DSP of.
The RSP people had fought in the DSP against its "liquidation" in favour of subordinating DSP profile to that of the Socialist Alliance, a grouping which now (by common consent, I think) is seen to be not much more than a "front group" for the DSP.
The DSP's decision to maintain the Socialist Alliance may indeed be somewhat inefficient, and the "perspectives" propounded by new DSP secretary Peter Boyle to hold out great prospects for the SA may indeed be delusory, but the RSP seems to lack a clear alternative political identity around which to regroup people in competition (as competition there must inevitably be) with the DSP.
The launch also included food, for which the RSP can only be praised - $3 for as much potato curry as you could eat. And the RSP members' welcome to me, as a Workers' Liberty member, was warm and comradely.
I have written to Brisbane RSP proposing a joint forum to debate issues of difference - maybe focusing initially on Venezuela and on the proper structures for a revolutionary party. No reply yet.
It will be worth following the RSP's press for their reports on Indonesia. See also Max Lane's blog.
