Socialist Alternatives

Socialist Alternatives was the British section of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency (IRMT), a formerly Trotskyist Pabloite group based in Paris.[1]

A small group in the UK it was best known for the Marxist magazine of the same name partially edited by Keir Starmer from 1986 to 1987.[2] The magazine is believed to have been produced by the Pabloist International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency (IRMT)[3] and advertised its events and publications, although one of the authors identified it as being an outgrowth of the Socialist Society connected with Ralph Miliband and Hilary Wainwright.[4] Paul Mason has called it a "Trotskyite magazine" although this is disputed.[5]

Its politics were defined by one of its later authors Andrew Coates as being "aligned to the European ‘alternative’ movements of the time which stood for ecology, feminism and self-management. These were forerunners of later radical green-left groups, Los Indignados, Podemos, the left of Labour and similar currents within social democratic parties."[6]

It was described by the left wing magazine Chartist as "the human face of the hard left".[7] Peter Hitchens described Socialist Alternative's "preoccupation with sexual politics and green issues" as presaging the politics of all today's major British politicians.[8]

The magazine included articles by Michalis Raptis,[9][10][11] the leader of the International Revolutionary Marxist Tendency and the left wing Labour MP Eric Heffer, Peter Tatchell[12] as well as an interview with Tony Benn.[13][14] There were also advertisements for Michael Raptis's "Self Management Lectures"[15] and IRMT publications.[16] Keir Starmer wrote articles on the Wapping strike,[17][18] the 1986 TUC conference,[19] criticising labour leader Neil Kinnock's moves towards the market economy,[20] a book review of Eric Heffer's Labour's future,[21] Trade Unions and pluralism,[22] an interview with Tony Benn[23] and left wing approaches to local government.[24]

The magazine was still publishing in 1989[25] and 1994.[26]