The Left and Iran: Galloway, the SWP and Tony Sanois dreaming of a Socialist Iran

The positions of the Left in the UK in relation to the Iran crisis vary a fair bit , but are all flawed. George Galloway seems to be emerging as an outright apologist which, to be fair, has more or less been his position for a while. For more on Galloway's position see here http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/06/22/galloway-v-chatham-house/

The Socialist Workers Party have it seems done a complete about face from their previous position as regime apologists and now loudly support the demos. For more see here http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=18229 No doubt their North Tehran branch are busy printing the We Are All Neda Now! placards as I write. It reminds me of a similar, if rather less despicable SWP turnabout in 1990, when they suddenly came out in favour of non-payment of the poll tax, just as the movement was picking up speed, and proceeded to mop up the recruits.

The statement of the SWP influenced Stop The War Coalition indicates, though, some hesitation about supporting the uprising. They have this to say: “It would be wrong for us to take any position on the disputed outcome of the Iranian presidential election.” No it wouldn't. It is obvious from the figures released that the Iranian election was at least tampered with if not stolen. To stay on the fence in this way is like saying you'd need to hear all the facts before supporting workers in a dispute with their employer. Of course the SWP have also done this in their time, but that's for another day. For the full Stop The War Coalition statement see http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1310/1/

The Socialist Party (formerly Militant) comes out best in the sense that it is clearly on the side of the demonstators and, unlike the Stop The War Coalition, make no attempt to undermine their claims re: the rigging of the election. This is good. However, in his article on the issue Tony Sanois goes on to say this "The guarantee of democratic rights and a solution to the mass poverty and unemployment can only then be assured with the formation of a workers’ and peasants government on a revolutionary socialist programme to transform society in the interests of all working people." There is, it goes without saying, no prospect of the formation in Iran of "a workers’ and peasants government on a revolutionary socialist programme". Outside of the Socialist Party's dull collective mind, that idea has no reality to it at all. Worse though is the comforting lie (comforting at least for the Socialist Party) that the only hope for democratic rights in Iran is for a Socialist Party style regime to take power. To anyone who has experienced the internal machinations of said Socialist Party it is simply laughable to hear it argued that Mousavi is an opportunist and imposter, and what the Iranian people really need to properly achieve their democratic rights is an Iranian version of the dictatorship of Peter Taaffe. For the full article click on
http://www.socialistparty.net/index.php/news/international/194-iran-mass-protests-erupt.html