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principles and analysis they developed a political critique which challenged these positions at a more fundamental level. But even in these instances, only a handful of disputes have been so serious that they have led to organisational breakaways, and for a political body that has seen thousands of members join over a century of activity, this is remarkable. While sometimes damaging to the Party, these have always involved very small numbers of dissidents who have either left the organisation voluntarily or who have been expelled by a Party Poll. In each case they have been more an instance of splintering than splitting. For the historical record, six splinters of the various kinds discussed above can be readily identified. They are detailed below in chronological order.
307:. A series of acrimonious disputes between the "Turnerites" and the majority of the Party culminated in a Party referendum and then a resolution being carried at the 1955 Party Conference to the effect that all members not in agreement with the Declaration of Principles be asked to resign. Turner, having survived a previous attempt to expel him, promptly did so, along with a number of other members, including
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Declaration of
Principles and not addressed in the initial membership test – in other words, issues which are somewhat peripheral or incidental rather than core and fundamental. These issues have included the Party's exact attitude to trade unionism, its view of capitalist economic crises, and – in more recent years – whether something akin to law will exist in socialist society.
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states in the 1980s. On other, far fewer, occasions, small groups of Party members, sometimes concerned by the Party's pace of growth (or lack of growth in some periods) have developed ideas which have challenged the Party's basic, core positions more clearly. Having initially agreed with the Party's
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parties. Martin and
Snellgrove argued that socialists were required to oppose measures introduced by capitalist parties on each and every occasion. Unable to convince the rest of the membership, they resigned in 1911 and a small number led by Martin went on to found the Socialist Propaganda League.
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branches of the Party were expelled after a party-wide referendum found them to be engaged in persistent undemocratic behaviour. Some of these ex-members, comprising sixteen individuals, refused to recognise the expulsions and attempted to continue operating as the
Socialist Party of Great Britain,
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Naturally, in an organisation of critical thinkers that has endured for a century, the existence of some disagreement is inevitable. Indeed, it would be true to say that a fair number of internal debates and disagreements have arisen in the
Socialist Party concerning issues not covered by the
319:. Some of these ex-members formed a short-lived Movement for Social Integration. The impact the dispute had on the Party as a whole was almost entirely disruptive and negative, and it did not recover its vitality until the wave of radicalisation in the 1960s.
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schemes. This critique of the Party's revolutionary strategy was vigorously rebutted in other circulars from branches and members and at Party conference. A small number of proponents of the
Guildford perspective resigned. They went on to publish the journal
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The early dispute in the
Socialist Party which led to the formation of the tiny Socialist Propaganda League was the product of the optimistic belief of the Party's founder members that the socialist revolution was near. A group of members around
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arises, being divorced from the day-to-day struggles of workers. One particular group of these activists published an internal discussion bulletin, which, in 1974, converted itself into an externally oriented journal called
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and his ideas probably represents the most unusual breakaway from the
Socialist Party in its entire history. During the Second World War this group developed a fascination with perceived impediments to mass
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and those involved in the group set up an organisation to propagate their views called the Social
Science Association, which existed from 1944 until 1956, attracting a number of new recruits during the
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Influenced by the prevailing political climate, some members who joined in the 1960s wanted to change the emphasis of the Party's propaganda efforts towards taking a more positive attitude to
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408:, they also claimed that socialists would be encouraging the growth of the non-monetary, voluntary sector of the economy and should be instrumental in developing support networks for
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and local councils) to adjust patterns of state income and expenditure in ‘socialistic’ directions, including the provision of free services. Drawing inspiration from writers like
421:, so-called because it aimed to ‘span’ opinion across the non-market socialist sector of political thought, and in recent years some have been instrumental in founding the small
283:. This survived until the death of its editor (and the former secretary of the SSA), George Walford, in 1994. As of 2007, barely a handful of its exponents still survive.
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before the overthrow of the capitalist class and the formal establishment of socialism. They claimed that socialists would use their influence politically (through the
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which they claimed to have "reconstituted". The group's activity consists primarily of holding occasional propaganda meetings and publishing their journal
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branch circulated an internal discussion document arguing that the growing socialist movement would have a profound economic impact on the operation of
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When membership and activity were at a peak in the period after the Second World War, a renowned Party speaker,
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There have been some event-specific debates too – such as over the Party's precise attitude to the
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group claims that the original SPGB has deviated from the strict anti-
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The Monument: The Story of the Socialist Party of Great Britain
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principles it established in 1904, to the point of engaging in
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personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
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The League remained active until Martin's death in 1951.
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and then to the movements for political democracy in the
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113:"Socialist Party of Great Britain breakaway groups"
104:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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565:Socialist Party of Great Britain breakaway groups
523:(1198). Socialist Party of Great Britain: 38–41.
540:. Wrexham: Bridge Books. pp. 33–35, 38.
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164:Learn how and when to remove this message
62:Learn how and when to remove this message
515:DAP (June 2004). "Getting Splinters".
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102:adding citations to reliable sources
287:The Movement for Social Integration
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