International Socialist Tendency

The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of organisations around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK. It has sections across the world, however its strongest presence is in Europe, especially in the UK, Greece and Ireland.

Related Topics:
Tony Cliff - Socialist Workers Party

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The politics of the IST are similar to the politics of many Trotskyist Internationals. Where it differs with many is on the question of the Soviet Union, the IST adopting the position that it was state capitalist, rather than a degenerated worker's state, and the theories of the permanent arms economy and deflected permanent revolution.

Related Topics:
Trotskyist Internationals - Soviet Union - State capitalist - Degenerated worker's state

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Unlike many international tendencies the IST has no formal organisational structures and has only ever made one publicly known decision, which was to expel the American International Socialist Organization from its ranks. However the antecedents of the IST go back to the 1950s when the founders of the British Socialist Review Group, around Tony Cliff, were expelled from The Club and thus from the Fourth International. The lack of an international organization has been the source of criticism by dissident groups as the lack of a formal international democratic structure means that the leadership of the British SWP has enormous influence over the other sections without being democratically accountable.

Related Topics:
International Socialist Organization - Fourth International

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~