Lindsey German resigns from SWP

Lindsey German resigned from the Socialist Workers Party this afternoon. Lindsey has been an activist in the SWP for nearly 40 years, including 30 years as a Central Committee member. She edited the magazine Socialist Review for 20 years and has written a number of books, including Material Girls: women, men and work and A Question of Class. Since October 2001 she has been convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, of which she was a co-founder.

Lindsey was instructed this morning, by the SWP Central Committee, to withdraw from speaking at a Tyneside Stop the War Coalition public meeting in Newcastle this evening. This was an attempt to undermine her work in Stop the War. It was also geared towards damaging those of us in the Tyneside StW group who have recently resigned (or been expelled) from the SWP. It follows a series of examples of the SWP leadership undermining Stop the War (or particular comrades' work in it).

Lindsey refused to cancel her speaking engagement - which was in her capacity as national convenor of Stop the War - and instead resigned from the SWP. Tyneside SWP boycotted the meeting - attended by 35 people, not one of them a member of the party - and went ahead with a routine branch meeting instead. Two local party members turned up beforehand, to sell copies of Socialist Worker, but didn't stay for the public meeting.