Chris Bambery

Chris Bambery was a member of the Central Committee of the British Socialist Workers Party until April 2011 when he resigned from the party.^[1] He is a leading member of the newly formed International Socialist Group (Scotland).

Originally from Edinburgh he began his political career as a member of the International Marxist Group in 1972. After leaving Edinburgh University, where he had been Vice President of the Students Representative Council, he became a full time organiser for the IMG in Glasgow in 1978-79 but left that organisation in May 1979 joining the Socialist Workers Party seven months later. In late 1981 he became the SWP's Glasgow organiser.

In the 1983 he moved to North London as an organiser for the SWP and was elected a member of its Central Committee in 1987 becoming its National Organiser shortly afterwards, a position which he held to 2004 when he replaced the long serving Chris Harman as editor of Socialist Worker. Since 2010 he has been an organiser for the Right to Work campaign. The right to work campaign, in conjunction with the Socialist Workers Party, were criticised for storming negotiations between Unite and British Airways over striking cabin crew.^[2] Both sides involved in the talks condemned the intervention, which resulted in negotiations in the dispute breaking down. ^[3] Chris was not, however, present at this incident, and the action was led by SWP national secretary Martin Smith.

It has been alleged that he has attempted to get other demonstrators arrested because he does not agree with their slogans. ^[4] Freedom newspaper have stated that they have had access to several signed witness statements from people present on the October 3rd. 2010 'Right To Work' march in Birmingham, that identify stewards collaborating with police against anarchists.^[5] Freedom newspaper states that one statement read "Chris Bambery gathered other stewards with the intention of not allowing anarchists to join the march and form a block." It goes on to state that people were directly told by Chris Bambery to "put that banner away or I'll get you all nicked" before Bambery walked over to the police to complain.^[6]

It has however also been suggested that Chris Bambery was only trying to get the Anarchists to move back down the order of the demonstration. This was due to the fact that a group of disability rights activists in wheel chairs had been invited to lead the march. However the anarchist contingent refused to accept this and demanded that they be allowed to march at the front contrary to the wishes of the disability rights activists and the Right to Work Campaign.

Chris Bambery has been criticised by anti-fascists for an article in International Socialism autumn 1993. In this article he wrote about physical opposition to the Nazis by members of the KPD in Germany in the 1930s. In his opinion this reduced the struggle to a minority of hardmen grouped around the KPD. He claimed that these individuals glorified a laddish lifestyle, there was bullying amongst Red Front Brigade (RFB) fighters and that they were happy to join the Brownshirts for beers and some were even happy to go over to the Nazis. This was seen as an attack on anti-fascists who support the use of violence. (At the time the article was written, the groups Anti-Fascist Action and Red Action were perceived to be the target of these attacks). It was also seen as a twisting of facts. In particular, the incident alleging RFB fighters joining SA members for beers mentioned by Bambery was in fact an ambush on the SA by RFB fighters, and ended in one of the Brownshirts being stabbed. ^[7]

He led the International Socialist Tendency at the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest in Italy in 2001 with Alex Callinicos.

Bambery made public his resignation letter to SWP national organiser Charlie Kimber on April 11 2011.

Chris Bambery is now a member of the International Socialist Group (Scotland).

Bibliography

• Scotland's National Question (1995)
• Ireland's Permanent Revolution (1990)
• Scotland - Nation & Class
• Scotland - The Socialist Answer
• Stopping The Nazi Menace - How To Fight The Fascists Today
• Fighting To Change The World
• Ireland - Why The Troops Must Get Out
• Permanent Revolution
• Imperialism
• A Rebel's Guide to Gramsci (2006)
• Gramsci: Hegemony and revolutionary strategy

References

1. ^ Toby Young "Crisis in the SWP: Is this the end of the People's Front of Judea?" Daily Telegraph (blog), 13 April 2011
2. ^ http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=5933
3. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7752577/BA-boss-Willie-Walsh-surrounded-as-demonstrators-storm-union-talks.html
4. ^ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/10/464168.html?
5. ^ Freedom Vol.71 No. 20 23rd. October 2010
6. ^ Ibid
7. ^ Sean Birchall "Beating The Fascists: The untold story of Anti-Fascist Action" Freedom Press London 2010

Media offices
Preceded by Chris Harman	Editor of Socialist Worker 2004–2009	Succeeded by Charlie Kimber

Persondata
Name	Bambery, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death