Solidarity 168, 5 March 2010

Ernest Erber, who died in February at age 96 might be known to readers of Solidarity and members of the AWL only from Max Shachtman’s memorable response to his 1948 resignation from the Workers Party. The Fate of the Russian Revolution carries large excerpts from Shachtman’s spirited and anguished reply. Erber, who wrote under the party name Ernest Lund, was an original founder of the Socialist Workers Party as it emerged in the 1930s from the American Socialist Party. He was to become an early comrade of Draper’s and Shachtman’s and a leader of the later split from the Cannonites in 1940...

Entitled, "Irish Marxist rebuts internet slander", and "Comments on a smear job", this article by Rayner Lysaght appeared on the website of "Socialist Democracy", the Irish Mandelites. In an abusive introductory paragraph, they say that they themselves are unwilling "to join in this arcane discussion, but we do recognise Raynor’s right to defend himself and publish the letter in that spirit." Surfing the net the other day, this writer was surprised to see his name taken in vain as being a “second-hand-tale-spinning adoptive Irish nationalist”. Further on, he was intrigued further by a...