Weakness of Marxists?

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JOHN Shiers' anger at the Lett ("A Manfesto that leaves out sexual oppression" is generally quite justified, though I do feel a little hurt that Trotskyists are lumped together with Bonnites without distinetion.

After all. the virtual denial of sexual oppression by the Bennite "Manifesto" is a quite logical accompaniment to the hotch-potch of reformist and nationalist ideas in it.

On the other hand, the ignoring of'senual oppression by the Marvist left (which Socialist Organiser has made some small but real steps to overcome) is a disastrous weakness in developing and redeveloping a body of theory to inform the struggle of the working class and oppressed groups against capitalism and imperialism.

Ignored John Shiers is right to say "the body of theory and which has emerged from the socialist feminist current of the women's movement and the gay liberationist current of the gay movement continues to be largely unread and ignored the mainstream left" though some of that theory and action has been accepted piecemeal and largely without acknowledgement (the contributions of the radical and revolutionary feminists have also been ignored).

Worse, some would-be Marvists have accepted bourgeois liberalism as the last word in sexual matters. This is particularly true with pornography, where the dominant left position is "no censorship, free speech". ' If these positions on sexism were transposed to the subject of racism, those promoting them would trulv deserve to be "branded with infamy, if not with a bullet!"

"Patriarchy"

Marxism has failed to see women's oppression central and still fails. I can think of no recent original contribution from the Leninist-Trotskyist tradition which we stand. So it is not surprising that the women's movement is at best unconvinced of the validity of the Marxist method.

As a contribution to women's struggle against oppression. we Marxists should take up the concept of "patriarchy" mentioned the Women's Movement, SO 58). We should also incorporate in our platform condemnation of. and a call for organisation against, male violence against women, including all forms of sexual harassment.

LES HEARN, Southport. ency) is the working class. Many militants have been arrested since the Sandinista leaders came to power"!.

It would have been useful some examples ..could have been provided to to substantiate such claims. The degeneration of the SLL into the WRP of today is a fairly good lesson what happens when analysis of reality is subordinated to factional point-scoring against centrist opponents.

Surely the bankruptcy of the Sandinista regime lies in what they have not done, rather than what they have: the failure to lend active support to the struggles in El Salvador and elsewhere, and the failure to expropriate the industrial bourgeoisie.

Because of their failure to act decisively against capitalism in Nicaragua, the Sandinistas dig their wn graves: their attemp • nalanc between the classes means giving the Nicaraguan bourgeoisie and agents of American imperialism the time and freedom they need undermine the Sandinista regime.

Crushing

The Sandinistas that 'Sandinismo' is on pragmatism, not ism. In practice this being buffeted by pr Masses ir Managua boast based Marxneans essure matter of the American counter-revolutionary offensive throughout Latin The self-styled 'United Secretariat of the Fourth International' , turning blind eye to their political inadequacies, relies on the Sandinistas' introducing socialism in Nicaragua.

An analysis would suggest that this is an extremely unlikely development. But that does not mean that the Sandinistas are a stable counter-revolutionary bloc out to smash the working class (which is not to deny that the policies now pursued by the Sandinistas will in all likelihood lead to massive defeats for the Nicaraguan working class and peasantry).

And the most immediate and concrete task facing revolutionaries in this country with regard to Latin America is not simply pointing out the political failings of the FMIN, FDR, EGP, etc: it is also to bulld active solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggles of the Latin American masses, a task completely ignored in the article.

STAN CROOKE, Glasgow Editor's note: While many of comrade Crooke's points are quite valid we would point out that the article was not a detailed analysis but a brief news item only-indeed less than half the length of his critical letter!