• Source: Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century

      • Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (also known as rs21) is a far-left organisation in Britain. It was initially founded to ‘facilitate debate and clarify revolutionary socialist ideas, support collective work in workplace struggle and social movements, and argue for revolutionary socialism and Marxism’. Its members are involved in trade unionism, as well as campaigning 'around housing, Palestine solidarity, migrant rights, trans liberation and many other issues.'


      Origins


      rs21 was founded in the midst of a 2013-14 crisis over allegations of rape in the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the subsequent response by the SWP's leadership. In January 2014, 166 former members of the SWP, including Dave Renton and Colin Barker, left the SWP and founded rs21, releasing a founding statement to set out their aims.
      John Kelly, an academic at Birkbeck, University of London, described rs21 as 'relatively open-minded' and 'less concerned with disseminating party lines on a variety of issues', with one member (interviewed in 2016) describing themselves as 'Cliffite' and influenced by the attitude of the Socialist Review Group and International Socialists in the 1950s and early 1960s. In April 2014, rs21 participated in an unsuccessful 'revolutionary regroupment' process with Socialist Resistance, Workers Power, Anti-Capitalist Initiative, and the International Socialist Network – the latter having split from the SWP in 2013. According to Kelly, approximately 1,800 members left the SWP during the crisis and this led to 'the creation of a series of small breakaway groups', but rs21 is the only such group to have survived.


      History


      In its early years, members of rs21 participated in the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts as well as the broader anti-austerity movement. In Scotland, members were involved with the Radical Independence Campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and subsequently in preliminary discussions around the formation of RISE.
      In December 2016, rs21 member Ian Allinson announced his candidacy for the position of general secretary within Unite the Union. rs21 members supported his campaign in the subsequent 2017 general secretary election, with Allinson ultimately coming in third place with 17,143 votes (13.2%).
      In October 2019, rs21 hosted a one day conference called Endgames? at the Institute of Education, focused on the politics of the climate movement, with 120 attendees and speakers from The Ecologist, War on Want and Youth Strike 4 Climate. In 2021 the Endgames name was used again for a series of online meetings hosted by rs21, including a discussion with Andreas Malm.
      In response to the cost-of-living crisis, rs21 has helped organise protests around Britain alongside the People's Assembly Against Austerity, Disabled People Against Cuts and other groups. rs21 was involved in demonstrations across Britain in 2023 and 2024, including against British bombing in Yemen, alongside the Palestinian Youth Movement.
      In 2024, rs21 renewed its ‘About Us’ page after a democratic process culminated in an All Members Assembly, calling it ‘a living document’ that ‘reflects the organisation’s commitment to a non-reductionist class politics that opposes all forms of oppression.’


      Publications


      rs21 maintains a website of news and analysis, and publishes political pamphlets on topics including Palestine, ecosocialism, and trans liberation. Members of rs21 also publish Red Bird, a bulletin aimed at the 'the radical ecological and climate justice movement'.


      References




      External links


      rs21 website
      rs21 publications
      rs21 Instagram page

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