The Labour Party and the Politics of Transition

Abstract

In the article entitled 'Moving On', Ralph Miliband presents a forceful and persuasive case for the creation of a new socialist formation in this country.' It is relatively easy to contrast this ideal model of a socialist party with the gritty reality of existing groups, throwing their worst features, warts, economism, and all, into sharp relief. This Ralph Miliband does with customary skill. However, this particular approach raises more questions than it answers, since a distinct problem of political method is involved here. This is the question of what is the key criterion to be adopted for assessing the performance of existing socialist groups and parties? A list of good and bad points can be made for any socialist group, without necessarily adding a great deal to our understanding of the causes of the current crisis of the left in this country, and how best to overcome it.