Socialist Party of Great Britain debates

Debates between the Socialist Party of Great Britain and other groups were of particular importance in bringing the party case to an outside audience without the sometimes off-putting rhetoric of platform speaking, or the one-sidedness of educational talks. A prime instance of this importance for the party is the case of Richard Headicar, a former Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament speaker, won over after debating with the party. Of rather wider historical importance were the debates with the Revolutionary Communist Party in the late 1940s. In the course of these Sammy Cash persuaded the RCP’s Jock Haston of the state capitalist nature of the Soviet Union. The idea was then relayed to Tony Cliff, from which it formed the genesis of the Socialist Workers Party.

Debates were not a major part of Socialist Party of Great Britain propaganda until the 1930s, reliance being instead put on outdoor speaking, particularly at established street corner venues (as can be seen, debates at outdoor venues were not however unknown). The Indian Summer of SPGB debating was clearly in the 1980s, with a range and number never previously seen. In the last ten years debating has virtually ceased to be an element of SPGB propaganda.

It was in fact the only Marxist group in Britain (in Germany, the Communist Party of Germany engaged in such debates) that would share a platform to debate against those from the far right such as Probyn, Goulding and Raven Thompson from the British Union of Fascists and Denis Pirie from the National Front.

It may be noted that until the 1970s at least, debates, like lectures and talks, were primarily held in the winter months. Although obviously skewed towards London, it is obvious just how concentrated in the capital SPGB activity has been.