Committee for a Workers' International

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The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) is an international association of Trotskyist parties. Members include the Socialist Party of England and Wales, the Socialist Party (Ireland), the Socialist Party (Australia) the Democratic Socialist Movement in South Africa and Nigeria and groups using the name Socialist Alternative in the United States, Canada and New Zealand along with parties in Sweden, Germany - representatives in 40 countries worldwide making the CWI the second largest Trotskyist international after the reunified Fourth International.

The CWI was founded in 1974 by supporters of what was then called the Militant Tendency in Britain, Sweden, Ireland and several other countries. Until the early 1990s CWI sections generally pursued a policy of entrism into social democratic or labour parties, although it was not the only strategy pursued. This strategy ended in that decade. The CWI developed an analysis that these parties had changed in nature and had become simply capitalist parties. This was strongly resisted by Ted Grant, Militant's founder. After a lengthy debate [1] and special conference in 1991 confirmed overwhelmingly the position of the CWI in the England and wales section, Grant split in 1992 after he and his supporters stopped paying dues in preparation of founding their own organisation which became the International Marxist Tendency.

Grant dismissed the leadership of the CWI, especially Peter Taaffe, as sectarians because they had deserted, in his view, the mass parties of the working class. Grant cited the success of the Militant in Britain, which as entryists had secured Dave Nellist, Terry Fields and Pat Wall as MPs. However this was countered with the argument that the clear determination of the Labour leadership under Neil Kinnock to destroy Trotskyist influence in the party, as well as Labour's move away from socialist policies, had changed the situation in the party. It was no longer possible, the CWI argued, for Militant to carry out activity in the way it had been done up to the late 1980s. In the UK, Kinnock had Terry Fields MP removed as a Labour MP in 1991, and Dave Nellist MP was suspended from Party membership around the same time. (Pat Wall MP had died.)

Since their open turn CWI sections have, in a number of countries, run candidates under their own name electing Joe Higgins to the Irish parliament Dáil Éireann as a Socialist Party candidate as well as several councillors in Britain, specifically in London and Coventry, and the Irish Republic. The CWI also has elected members of regional legislatures or local councils in Sweden, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands (members of the Dutch Socialist Party who are also CWI members), Pakistan, Sri Lanka and in the former Soviet Union. In the 2005 Sri Lanka presidential elections the CWI affiliate, the United Socialist Party, came third while gaining the highest left vote.

CWI members also played a leading role in founding the Scottish Socialist Party though, due to a split, leading SSP members such as Tommy Sheridan are no longer in the CWI, Both the CWI and Tommy Sheridan have now left the SSP however, establishing a new party in Scotland, Solidarity, in conjunction with the Socialist Workers Party.

CWI members stood as National Conscience Party candidates in the 2003 Nigerian elections, gaining the best results that the NCP achieved. In Germany CWI members have been active in the new WASG since its foundation in 2004 and in December 2005 were elected part of the new leadership of its Berlin district that wants to run candidates on a clear anti-cuts programme in the 17 September 2006 Berlin regional election. In Brazil CWI members helped found the P-SOL Socialism and Freedom Party after left wing parliamentarians were expelled from the PT.