This month marks 30 years since Socialist Appeal was founded. Our organisation has come a long way since, with the forces of Marxism leaping forward in recent years. Help us celebrate our birthday by joining us in the struggle for socialism!
We are proud to announce that this month marks the 30th anniversary since the first ever issue of Socialist Appeal was published.
Back then, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most shrill supporters of capitalism were declaring the ‘end of history’ and the triumph of the market.
Britain, meanwhile, was on the cusp of a general election that would see a Tory government elected for a fourth consecutive term, on the back of a series of historic defeats for the organised working class.
This marked the beginning of an era of ‘globalisation’ and growth for the capitalist system; a period in which the Marxists – in Britain and internationally – had to swim against the stream.
The subsequent three decades have seen a dramatic reversal of these fortunes, however. As Socialist Appeal founder Ted Grant correctly predicted at the time, the collapse of Stalinism was merely the prelude for even greater events: the collapse of capitalism.
Now it is the defenders of capitalism who have been forced onto the backfoot, with their system at an impasse – a system that is responsible for the destruction of war, poverty, disease, and climate change.
The ideas of Marxism, meanwhile, are finding a greater and greater echo, as workers and youth are radicalised by the ever-deepening crisis that is ravaging living standards, eroding all the pillars of the establishment, and stirring up instability at all levels: economically, politically, and socially.
This has been reflected in the tremendous growth of our organisation. Socialist Appeal is not simply a paper, but is the Marxist voice of workers and youth; the British section of the International Marxist Tendency, which organises revolutionary activists in dozens of countries across the world – from Brazil, Mexico, and the USA, to Russia, South Africa, and Pakistan.
In all these places, and many more, we are seeing an enormous thirst for Marxist analysis, theory, and ideas – the only ideas that offer a genuine explanation for the turbulent, titanic events taking place around us; and, most importantly, that offer a way forward.
These ideas – outlined in our programme, articles, books, and all the other material we publish – need to be, in the words of Marx, turned into a ‘material force’ capable of overthrowing this decrepit, rotten system, and leading the working class in the fight for socialist revolution.
This is the urgent task that lies before us.
So if you agree with what you read in our articles and publications, or hear on our podcast, then please help us celebrate our 30th birthday by:
- Subscribing to our paper – with a special anniversary 25% off sale on digital subscriptions until 29 April.
- Donating to our historic office collection – see below for more details.
- Joining us and getting involved with Socialist Appeal activists in your area – and across the globe – in the struggle for socialism.
Historic financial appeal: Forward to a permanent office!
This year is a very significant year for the development of the Marxist tendency in Britain, given that it is the 30th anniversary of the founding of Socialist Appeal. But the Socialist Appeal is more than just a newspaper.
The newspaper and the organisation are based on the defence of genuine revolutionary Marxism, in both theory and in practice, serving to transmit these ideas into the wider labour movement.
We are proud to defend these ideas. But 30 years on, it is only the ideas that remain the same. Our organisation, meanwhile, has been transformed.
We must not rest on our laurels. Our most important years are still ahead of us. We must recognise that we are in a new period now, and that we must proceed on stable foundations.
We have undergone such amazing growth in the last few years, that we have almost outgrown our current office. We cannot afford to stay still and remain where we are.
With a large office that we own ourselves, we will be more in control of how to adapt to this growth. It will give us more control over our own future, in that we will not be subject to the whims of a landlord, who could evict us if they so wish.
For that reason, we are marking our 30th birthday with a campaign to purchase our own office space, with room in which to continue expanding.
We are therefore issuing this appeal – to all our readers and supporters, to all of our comrades and friends – to help us meet our bold target of £200,000 for this special office collection.
Having our own office space will bring priceless benefits to the building of the tendency.
All of the generous donations that our friends and supporters make require sacrifice and commitment. As things stand, however, much of that sacrifice ends up in the pocket of a landlord.
This is a necessary evil for now. But if this campaign is successful, then all future donations and income will contribute towards strengthening the financial resources of the Marxist tendency.
Revolutionary events are already shaking the world. We are confident that with stable foundations, the revolutionary organisation can withstand these tremors, and rise to the occasion.
Please help us in this important task by digging deep and donating what you can. Forward to a permanent office! And forward to the socialist revolution – when we can abolish these profiteering landlords for good!
