Socialist Action

Socialist Action is a far-left influential grouplet specializing in infiltrating other groups and parties for their own ends. During the 1990s the Labour party purged most of the far left radicals, especially the Militant Tendency, but SA managed to go underground, even to the extent to deny its own existence. Socialist Action members congregated around Ken Livingstone, and during his term in office as mayor of London, most of his advisors and important appointments tended to be SA members.

Besides incessant factional fighting, far left groups latched on to issues such as race, anti-nazi (BNP) struggle, pro-gay rights and other pet causes. Invariably these groups would infiltrate existing organizations and take them over. The Anti-Racist Alliance became their most visible organization, and source of endless squabbles with other far leftists.

Further background about this group can be read in Andrew Hosken's Ken and the rise of Socialist Action.

Of Cuckoos and other Trojan acts

After Hugo Chavez came to power some bona fide groups set up the Venezuela Information Centre, but it soon became the target for a well organized Socialist Action group takeover. The SA activists took up key positions, found and cultivated the contacts that the original bona fide members had made with Venezuelan officials, and then proceeded to plot against the founding members. At this point the SA-group operated a parallel organization which would engage in activities unbeknownst the Chairman of VIC and other bona fide members. Finally, the SA-faction started to smear and tarnish the reputation of key members. In October 2008, the founding member and Chairman of VIC resigned, tired of incessant squabbles, backstabbing, innuendo, and sheer mean-spiritedness exhibited by the SA-cadre. VIC is now a Socialist Action grouplet. Part of the explanation why VIC became a focal group for the SA cadre has to do with Ken Livingstone's loss in the mayoral elections. Most SA leaders were now out of office and sought an appealing cause/group to latch on. The anti-racist scene was too contested with many far left groups vying for dominance, and so the Bolivarian revolution seemed like a cause/group to exploit.

Principals

NB: Most of these operators appear and write under pseudonyms.

• John Ross
• Simon Fletcher
• Redmond O'Neill aka Lark
• Atma Singh aka Chan
• Mark Watts
• Ann Kane aka Swift
• Jude Woodward aka Lee
• Mark Watts
• Alan Freeman
• Ken Livingstone

Publications

• Socialist Action magazine (weekly)

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

Lithoprint

26 Shackwell Lane

Stoke Newington

London

Resources

• Jonathan Oliver, Political Editor Ken Livingstone’s aides ‘in secret Marxist cell’ From The Sunday Times January 20, 2008.