Dear Sir or Madam, I’m writing to you to let you know that I have cancelled my standing order (membership number 2307) for #LeftUnity and will briefly let you know why. Earlier today, Left Unity shared #Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK’s photo on Facebook, calling for a demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy in London on Friday 11 July. I left a comment to the effect that one-sided support in this conflict is a bad idea, and that any demonstration deserving the support of a progressive group should be one for peace, not one for #Israel or Palestine. This comment has been deleted, and I am no longer able to leave comments on Left Unity posts as I have apparently been blocked. One oppositional comment deserves being shunned altogether, simply pretending that such voices don’t exist. How many other people get silenced in such a manner? Apparently, in order to be a ‘good’ socialist, one needs to side with Palestine (whatever that means), or at least shut up. This never happened, as far as I’m aware, to those trolls who use comments on Left Unity posts to insult other people; it’s apparently ok to be a troll and tell others what ‘true socialists ought to do, but it’s not ok raise a critical voice and say that shooting rockets at Israel may not be a peaceful gesture either. Oppose whomever and whatever you like, but don’t you dare put in a word of defence in favour of Israeli citizens, many of which are likewise victims of this bloody conflict. We have a word for such a mindset. It’s called anti-Semitism. We also have a word for silencing critical voices. it’s called despotism, the unbearable arrogance of those to silence voices they do not wish to be heard. Is this also how Left Unity would treat critical voices if you had a majority one day? I joined Left Unity on 15 April 2014, membership number 2307. Possibly you’ve now reached 2,500 or more. Clearly, it’s time to weed through all those masses and offload anyone who doesn’t toe the line; clearly those managing the Facebook page have a democratic mandate to delete comments and decide who’s worthy of participation in the discussion and who isn’t. The new form of ‘democratic centralism’. The party must apparently be a true vanguard of the working classes, in best Leninist tradition. We all know how that ended. Consequently, John Tollans comment on another post by Left Unity (a press release on strike action) goes unchallenged: As Lenin pointed out almost 100years ago when talking about the Labour Party, it takes more than a Party membership made up of workers to be a workers Party.’ Poor spelling aside, is that what you wish to be? I am seriously saddened that a promising project to challenge the horrible politics in the UK turns sour so soon, that plain arrogance already finds a home in such a new party, no better than Labour’s arrogance. Should you choose to make a formal apology and let me know what steps you consider appropriate to ensure pluralist discussion with many voices in the future, I shall happily accept it and take up the standing order again. If not, then that will be proof enough that you’re indeed repeating all the Leninist, totalitarian past mistakes of socialism. In this case I’d suggest you rename your Facebook page ‘Pravda’. Yours sincerely Nicholas Williams
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 10:17:19 +0000
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