Re: Just catching up

Date: 2nd Sept '02

Name: PDC

Country: England

In reply to Hockey Hair I would make the following points:

1) I think we have nothing to fear by taking on and destroying the arguments of the far-right.

2) As a single-issue organisation, AFA was always going to suffer once the political situation changed. That is, unless its members were willing to adapt. From very early on RA read the situation correctly, declaring that 'No Platform' was not enough and that working class militants would instead have to 'Fill the vacuum' in communities abandoned by Labour and ignored by the Left. Some were up for the challenge, many were found wanting.

3) To be honest, the No Platform outfit are hardly worthy of serious comment. At best, I would describe them as the arse-end of AFA, those stuck in a time-warp unable and unwilling to adapt to the new situation. At worst, well, you'd have to ask serious questions about who were pulling the strings.

As a general point, I think very few understand the RA 'mentality.' RA took on the role, almost single-handed, of taking the fight to a far bigger enemy and comprehensively beating them, forcing the far-right to abandon their previous 'march & grow' strategy. This took place to a continous barrage of condemnation from those on the Left. And yet RA appear to have emerged with the only credible strategy of putting the working class back on the map politically.
Any seasoned RA-watcher will tell you there are actually very few secrets to RA. They will always do exactly what they say. That is why they remain an anomily to those on the Left. There is no sloganeering or twists in the party line to interpret. If they say they are going to 'smash the fascists' - they do. If they say they are going to 'go straight to working class communities' - that is precisely what they will do.

For those willing to trawl through it, it is all on this site. The analysis has been spot on. RA say what they are going to do and then do it - literally. Incomphrehensible to most within Left/Anarchist circles I know, but it's all there.

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