Militant Tendencies?

THE MILITANT TENDENCY.

Definition of 'Militant': "Having or showing a desire or willingness to use strong, extreme, and sometimes forceful methods to achieve something."

In the 1980's the 'Militant Tendency' as they were known became pariah within the Labour Party. One of the reasons for that was their absolute unwillingness to compromise and thus promote party unity. They refused to listen to repeated calls for 'Unity' and, in consequence caused some significant disruption. (There were many other obvious reasons but that was always underlying the disunity problem.) As time went by they hardened their attitudes even further and eventually forced a very acrimonious split. There could be only one winner and subsequently Militant died a slow and painful death. I remember it all too well being ancient myself and a Labour Party member at the time.

Well perhaps it's just me but comparisons with the 1980's 'Militant Tendency' movement and today keep popping into my head. The palpable irony is though that now it seems it is the neo-liberal right wing 'New' Labour representatives that are hardening their attitudes and have adopted a no compromise disunity stance. The outcome is causing terrible disruption and seems to be leading us once again towards a forced split within the Labour Party. Not something to look forward to believe me.

That said, and for me it has become a given in just 4 short days after Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected with a huge mandate, it is the case that those acting in a likewise disruptive manner have now become a mirror image of that group of people once known as the 'Militant Tendency'. A group of people who seem unable or unwilling (or maybe both) to listen to repeated calls for 'Unity' and so carry on regardless causing significant and terrible disruption in their quest to undermine and destroy a democratically elected leader, and at any cost.

Increasingly, to me anyway, the only observable difference is that 'Militant' were hard left whilst they are hard right. Is that not the only real distinction between these two factions? Can it be that the same fate that befell the 'Militant Tendency' of the 1980's can now be clearly seen rising above an horizon that only those acting in a militant fashion today cannot and/or will not look to and acknowledge?

Just asking.

GB.