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Straight Left was a political group consisting of members of the Communist Party Of Great Britain who disagreed with the leadership's policies. It was also the name of a newspaper produced by the group. Though the origins of this faction within the CPGB go back earlier it was formally founded under this name in 1977. It was led by Fergus Nicholson , who had previously worked as the CPGB's student organiser. Unlike the leadership, they supported the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. They also thought the party should concentrate its work in Trade Unions, and not in social movements such as feminism and environmentalism. Because the CPGB's rules banned the formation of factional groups, SL operated in secret. Its meetings were not publicly announced, and writers in their newspaper ''Straight Left'' and their theorectical magazine ''Communist'' wrote under pseudonyms like Nicholson, whose pen-name was "Harry Steel". The Straight Left faction also produced anonymous bulletins to try and influence CPGB Congresses usually under the heading "Congress Truth". Though it was a faction within the CPGB it had supporters within the Labour Party. In March 1979 the ''Straight Left'' newspaper was launched as a monthly which claimed to be a "non-party, non sectarian journal of the left, committed to working class unity and class consciousness". It was edited by Mike Toumazou and the Business Manager was Seumas Milne. Frank Swift was responsible for fund-raising and the editorial advisory panel consisted of Ray Buckton, Bill Keys, James Lamond MP, Jim Layzell, Alf Lomas MEP, Joan Maynard MP, Alan Sapper, Gordon Schaffer and William Wilson MP. SL supporters chose to stay in the CPGB, when rival factions split off to form the New Communist Party (NCP) and the Communist Party Of Britain (CPB). Some leading members such as Andrew Murray and Nick Wright formed a group called "Communist Liaison" after the dissolution of the CPGB in 1991 that published a newsletter called "Diamat" but it later dissolved and most of them, including Wright and Murray joined the CPB. Others, (notably Fergus Nicholson) decided not to join any party. The ''Straight Left'' magazine is still published by Nicholson and his supporters and they have organised a number of annual Straight Left conferences over the years. |
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