Solidarity 167, 18 February 2010

The allegations that intelligence agency MI5 colluded in the torture of British citizen Binyam Mohamed say a lot about both the security services and the New Labour government. Mohamed, a British Islamist captured in Afghanistan and flown to Morocco for interrogation, says that his genitals were cut repeatedly and that he was hung by his wrists and beaten until he was sick. Claims have emerged that a British intelligence officer on the spot was aware of what was happening, but, when he wrote to London expressing his concerns, was told he was not required to intervene. Shadow Home Secretary...

John Rees, the SWP's leading figure from Tony Cliff's death in 2000 to 2007, has resigned from the SWP together with 41 others, with a statement endorsed by 18 other recent ex-SWPers. Their statement links their resignation with that of Lindsey German, another former SWP leader who resigned in protest at pressure from the SWP Central Committee not to speak at a particular local meeting of the Stop The War Coalition (of which she is the paid convenor). Like German's resignation letter , the new statement says nothing about what the signatories will do now, politically. The statement claims that...

Over 500 people attended the Unite Against Fascism conference at the TUC's Congress House on 13 February - including trade unionists, student activists and young people from across the country. With even roughly adequate political perspectives, these activists would be well-placed as tribunes and organisers for an effective anti-fascist movement. Unfortunately the conference confirmed what we knew already: the SWP leadership has involved them in a morass of political unprincipledness and confusion. I attended the opening plenary and the workshop on 'Bringing anti-fascism into the workplace'...