Issue 61 of INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM JOURNAL Published Winter 1993 Copyright © International Socialism

I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SOCIALISM
A quarterly journal of socialist theory

EDITORIAL

JOHN MAJOR was supposed to be the Tories' saviour after Thatcherism. Now his premiership looks as weak as Thatcher's ever did. But behind the splits in the Tory party lies the much greater crisis of British society. Lindsey German first analysed that crisis in 'The last days of Thatcher', published in International Socialism 48 just as Thatcher's regime fell to pieces. Here she updates her examination of Tory Britain, charting its economic weakness, its social decay, the strengths and weaknesses of the Labour Party and the trade union movement and the prospects for socialists.

'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS' was a scare started by the right in academia and the press. But it involves issues which no socialist can duck. John Molyneux plots a careful course through the arguments. He damns the hypocrisy of the right but shows that socialists should not be uncritical supporters of much of what is done in the name of political correctness.

E P THOMPSON was a powerful advocate of Marxism's central role in explaining historical change. He was also an unrepentant enemy of academic phrase-mongering and a lifelong political activist. Dave McNally's obituary highlights Thompson's considerable strengths and suggests how his legacy can best be extended.

JAZZ MUSIC comes under Charlie Hore's critical eye and the Labour Party's decline is examined by Charlie Kimber in the latest Bookwatch.