Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century

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Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century
Abbreviationrs21
Leader Collective leadership (Steering group)
Founded2014
Split from Socialist Workers Party
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Membership (2024)Over 400 [1]
Ideology
International affiliationNone [2]
Website
revsoc21.uk

Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (also known as rs21) is a political organisation in Britain. It was initially founded to "facilitate debate and clarify revolutionary socialist ideas, support collective work in workplace struggle and social movements, and argue for revolutionary socialism and Marxism". [3] Its members are involved in trade unionism, as well as campaigning "around housing, Palestine solidarity, migrant rights, trans liberation and many other issues." [4]

Contents

Origins

rs21 was founded in the midst of a 2013–14 crisis over allegations of rape in the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the subsequent response by the SWP's leadership. [5] [6] In January 2014, 166 [7] former members of the SWP, including Neil Davidson, Dave Renton [7] and Colin Barker, [8] left the SWP and founded rs21, releasing a founding statement to set out their aims. [3]

John Kelly, an academic at Birkbeck, University of London, described rs21 as "relatively open-minded" and "less concerned with disseminating party lines on a variety of issues", with one member (interviewed in 2016) describing themselves as "Cliffite" and influenced by the attitude of the Socialist Review Group and International Socialists in the 1950s and early 1960s. [9] In April 2014, rs21 participated in an unsuccessful "revolutionary regroupment" process with Socialist Resistance, Workers Power, Anti-Capitalist Initiative, and the International Socialist Network – the latter having split from the SWP in 2013. [9] According to Kelly, approximately 1,800 members left the SWP during the crisis and this led to "the creation of a series of small breakaway groups", but rs21 is the only such group to have survived. [10]

History

In its early years, members of rs21 participated in the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts [11] as well as the broader anti-austerity movement. In Scotland, members were involved with the Radical Independence Campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and subsequently in preliminary discussions around the formation of RISE. [1]

In December 2016, rs21 member [12] Ian Allinson announced his candidacy for the position of general secretary within Unite the Union. [13] rs21 members supported his campaign in the subsequent 2017 general secretary election, with Allinson ultimately coming in third place with 17,143 votes (13.2%). [14]

In October 2019, rs21 hosted a one day conference called Endgames? at the Institute of Education, focused on the politics of the climate movement, with 120 attendees and speakers from The Ecologist, War on Want and Youth Strike 4 Climate. [1] [15] In 2021 the Endgames name was used again for a series of online meetings hosted by rs21, including a discussion with Andreas Malm. [16]

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, rs21 has helped organise protests around Britain alongside the People's Assembly Against Austerity, Disabled People Against Cuts and other groups. [17] [18] rs21 was involved in demonstrations across Britain in 2023 and 2024, including against British bombing in Yemen, alongside the Palestinian Youth Movement and Workers for a Free Palestine. [1] [19] [20]

Publications

rs21 maintains a website of news and analysis, and publishes political pamphlets on topics including Palestine, eco-socialism, and trans liberation. Members of rs21 also publish Red Bird, a bulletin aimed at "the radical ecological and climate justice movement". [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Jonny (12 January 2024). "rs21 – The first ten years". Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024.
  2. ↑ Kelly, John (2023). The Twilight of World Trotskyism. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-1-032-35008-0.
  3. 1 2 "Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century Launch Statement". Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century. 15 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "About rs21". Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century. Archived from the original on 19 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Downes, Julia (2017). ""It's Not the Abuse That Kills You, It's the Silence": The silencing of sexual violence activism in social justice movements in the UK Left" (PDF). Justice, Power & Resistance. 1 (2). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Socialist Resistance (23 January 2014). "Welcome to RS21". International Viewpoint. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 Platt, Edward (20 May 2014). "Comrades at war: the decline and fall of the Socialist Workers Party". New Statesman .
  8. ↑ Dale, Gareth (14 February 2019). "Colin Barker obituary". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 6 January 2020– via www.theguardian.com.
  9. 1 2 Kelly, John (2018). Contemporary Trotskyism: Parties, Sects and Social Movements in Britain. Routledge. pp. 67–72. ISBN   978-1-138-94381-0.
  10. ↑ Kelly, John (2023). The Twilight of World Trotskyism. Routledge. p. 24. ISBN   978-1-032-35008-0.
  11. ↑ Ismail, Sacha (18 February 2015). "A look at RS21 and ISN". Workers' Liberty.
  12. ↑ Allinson, Ian (24 December 2016). "Ian Allinson backs Jeremy Corbyn". ian4unite. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Unite: Ian Allinson is third candidate to enter leadership contest". BBC News. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Len McCluskey re-elected as Unite general secretary". BBC News. 21 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Woody, Gus (17 October 2019). "Join us at ENDGAMES". Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century.
  16. ↑ Video on YouTube
  17. ↑ Mustafa, Nashwa; Barradale, Greg (14 February 2022). "Thousands take to the streets for cost of living protests". Big Issue .
  18. ↑ Sagir, Ceren (11 February 2022). "Thousands to protest against the rising cost-of-living crisis across Britain". Morning Star .
  19. ↑ @rs21org; (2 April 2024). "WHAT HAPPENED: our coordinated protest calling out the Ministry of Defence in London for backing the Israeli military in carrying out a..." – via Instagram.
  20. ↑ antenna (9 April 2024). "Only Direct Action can stop Britain being complicit in a genocide". Amplify Stroud. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025.
  21. ↑ Red Bird Collective (9 July 2024). "Red Bird #1 What is Red Bird?". Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century.
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