International Socialist Movement

Trotskyist faction in Scotland

For the South African organisation, see International Socialist Movement (South Africa).

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The International Socialist Movement was a Trotskyist current inside the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 2001 until March 2006. It came into existence as a change of name by Scottish Militant Labour, the since defunct Scottish section of the Committee for a Workers' International. In January 2002 it disaffiliated from the CWI after increasing clashes the CWI's leadership around Peter Taffe, although a significant minority based mainly in Dundee stayed with the CWI and formed a pro-CWI platform in the SSP called the International Socialists.

For a few years the ISM was effectively the leadership of the SSP. It developed strong relationships with other currents in the socialist movement, including as a permanent observer with the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. Members of the International Socialist Group in Scotland joined the ISM.

The ISM dissolved in March 2006 stating that it had completed its mission. The reasons for doing so were rather complex. In practice it was having difficulty operating as a coherent political organisation. It had been badly divided internally in the context of a rather heated debate in the SSP around 50-50 representation for women in the run up to the 2003 Scottish election. These divisions became exacerbated by the resignation of Tommy Sheridan as convenor and the election of the new convenor, which was a contest between two ISM members, Colin Fox and Alan McCombes. Some leading members of the SSP, particularly women, had left the ISM or never joined, while others remained nominally members but were not taking part in meetings (e.g. only one member of the SSP executive, Joanna Harvie, attended the ISM meeting which decided to dissolve) and it had become an organisation of SSP middle cadre e.g. branch organisers. However its journal, Frontline, continues publication as an "Independent Marxist voice in the SSP".

## External links[edit]

* Statement on the future of the ISM
* Frontline, former ISM journal, now independent

* v
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Far-left politics in the United Kingdom

Groups|

| Extant|

| Marxist–Leninist|

* Communist Party of Britain
* Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist)
* Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist)
* Communist Party of Ireland
* EPSR Supporters
* Irish Republican Socialist Party
* New Communist Party
* Revolutionary Communist Group
* Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist)
* Stalin Society
* Workers' Party of Ireland

|

Trotskyist|

* Alliance for Workers' Liberty
* International Socialist League
* Militant Left (Ireland)
* Red Flag Platform
* Socialist Action
* Socialist Alternative
* Socialist Appeal
* Socialist Democracy (Ireland)
* Socialist Equality Party
* Socialist Party (England and Wales)
* Socialist Party (Ireland)
* Socialist Party Scotland
* Socialist Resistance
* Socialist Workers Network (Ireland)
* Socialist Workers Party
* Solidarity (Scotland)
* Spartacist League
* Workers' Fight
* WIRFI Supporters
* Workers Revolutionary Party

Anarchist|

* Anarchist Federation
* Class War
* Freedom Press
* Solidarity Federation

Miscellaneous|

* 32 County Sovereignty Movement
* Communist League
* Communist Workers' Organisation
* Independent Working Class Association
* Industrial Workers of the World
* London Black Revolutionaries
* Saoradh
* Socialist Party of Great Britain
* Socialist Studies
* Workers Party of Britain

Electoral alliances|

* Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Defunct|

| Marxist–Leninist|

* Association of Communist Workers
* British and Irish Communist Organisation
* Committee to Defeat Revisionism, for Communist Unity
* Communist Labour Party (Scotland)
* Communist League of Great Britain
* Communist Organisation in the British Isles
* Communist Party of Great Britain
* Communist Party of Scotland
* Communist Workers League of Britain (Marxist–Leninist)
* Marxist Forum
* Revolutionary Communist League of Britain
* Revolutionary Internationalist Contingent
* Revolutionary Marxist–Leninist League
* Revolutionary Policy Committee
* South Wales Socialist Society
* Straight Left
* Workers' Institute of Marxism–Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought
* Workers Party of Scotland
* Working People's Party of England

|

Trotskyist|

* The Club
* Communist Forum
* Communist League (1932)
* Communist League (1990)
* International Group
* International Marxist Group
* International Socialist Group
* International Socialist Group (Scotland)
* International Socialist Movement
* International Socialist Network
* League for Socialist Action
* Left Fraction
* Leninist League
* Marxist Group
* Marxist Party
* Marxist Worker
* Militant Group
* Militant Tendency
* Movement for Socialism
* Permanent Revolution
* Red Action
* Revolutionary Communist League (Chartist)
* Revolutionary Communist Party (1944)
* Revolutionary Communist Party (1978)
* Revolutionary Democratic Group
* Revolutionary Socialist League (1938)
* Revolutionary Socialist League (1957)
* Revolutionary Socialist Party
* Revolutionary Workers' Party
* Scottish Militant Labour
* Socialist Alternatives
* Socialist Democracy Group
* Socialist Group
* Socialist Labour Group
* Socialist Solidarity Network
* Socialist Unity Network
* Workers' International League (1937)
* Workers' International League (1985)
* Workers' Internationalist League
* Workers League
* Workers' Socialist League

Anarchist|

* Anarchist Federation of Britain
* Anarchist Workers Association
* The Angry Brigade
* King Mob
* Movement Against the Monarchy
* Space Hijackers
* United Socialist Movement
* WOMBLES

Miscellaneous|

* Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation
* Big Flame
* Communist Bulletin Group
* Communist League (1847)
* Communist League (1919)
* Communist Party (British Section of the Third International)
* Communist Party of South Wales and the West of England
* Communist Unity Group
* Industrial Syndicalist Education League
* Industrial Workers of Great Britain
* Labour Emancipation League
* Respect Party
* Revolutionary Socialist Party
* Scottish Workers' Republican Party
* Socialist Labour Party (1903)
* Socialist League
* Socialist Propaganda League
* Solidarity
* Workers' Socialist Federation

Electoral alliances|

* Red Front
* Socialist Unity

* v
* t
* e

Scottish Socialist Party

History of the Scottish Socialist Party
and related organisations|

| Key events|

* 2005 Scottish Socialist Party leadership election

|

Progenitors|

* Scottish Socialist Alliance
* Scottish Militant Labour

People|

| Co-spokespersons|

* Colin Fox (since 2005)
* Frances Curran (2007–2012)
* Sandra Webster (2012–2016)
* Katie Bonnar (2016–2018)
* Róisín McLaren (2018–2021)
* Natalie Reid (2021–present)

|

Notable members|

* Bill Bonnar
* Allan Grogan
* John McAllion
* Alan McCombes
* Kevin McVey
* Tommy Sheridan
* Richie Venton

Key publications|

* The Case for an Independent Socialist Scotland
* Break the Chains

Associated periodicals|

* Scottish Socialist Voice
* Frontline

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