Socialist Worker
Encyclopedia
Socialist Worker is the name of several socialist
/communist
newspaper
s associated (or formerly associated) with the International Socialist Tendency
(IST). It is a weekly published by the Socialist Workers Party
(SWP) in the United Kingdom
, a monthly (and daily web site) published by the International Socialist Organization
(ISO) in the United States
, a triweekly published by the International Socialists
in Canada
, a biweekly published by the Socialist Workers Party
in Ireland
and was a monthly published by the former International Socialist Organisation
in Australia
. Socialist Worker
is also the name of an IST political group in Aotearoa
/ New Zealand
.
, which has a daily circulation of 14,000. Although Socialist Worker sales/circulation data is not publicly available, John Molyneux estimates the circulation of the paper is currently under 8,000.
Originally Industrial Worker, and then Labour Worker, it was founded by the Socialist Review Group (which became the International Socialists, then the SWP) in 1961 in London (Cliff 78).
The newspaper was renamed Socialist Worker in 1968 and moved to weekly production; its first editor was Roger Protz
(Higgins 90). Its language and general approach was modelled on The Daily Mirror
but aimed to provide a very different set of ideas (Harman 40). Writers included Paul Foot
, Duncan Hallas
and Eamonn McCann
plus reports of strikes and other struggles from across the country sent in by readers. The editor from 1974 to 1978, Paul Foot
(Foot xii) later went to work for the Mirror, though he continued to contribute to Socialist Worker until his death in 2004. It was edited for many years by Chris Harman
. Working for the newspaper has proved to be an effective apprenticeship for many prominent journalists at the onset of their careers, including Gary Bushell the brothers Christopher
and Peter Hitchens
.
After 2004 it was edited by Chris Bambery
, who was succeeded by Charlie Kimber in 2009, and Judith Orr late in 2010.
The paper is printed early on Wednesday morning, then delivered to key parts of the country, where people in the region collect the paper and sell it. It also has a subscription service by which the paper is delivered on the Thursday by mail. It is also distributed to some shops through the WHSmith News distribution network. It is sent free to any UK prisoners that request it.
It is freely available online. The paper is often sold by street campaigners and picketers as well as in newsagents.
. As its circulation increased along with the growth of the ISO, the frequency of publication has increased, becoming a weekly with issue 379, dated 12 October 2001. The 500th issue was published on 21 May 2004. The paper became a daily web site on May Day
2008.
Since 13 April 2001, the ISO has also published a Spanish language
supplement to Socialist Worker, titled Obrero Socialista. Publication was irregular until 2005, since when it has been bimonthly. Socialist Worker is edited by Alan Maass, and Obrero Socialista by Orlando Sepulveda.
, the Canadian IST affiliate. The newspaper was originally called Workers' Action and was published monthly from 1975 until August 1985. After 108 issues, it was renamed Socialist Worker. In 1994 Socialist Worker started publishing every two weeks, except for triweekly issues in May, July and December. Socialist Worker published its 450th issue on 8 June 2005. In recent years, the newspaper has been published irregularly, usually on a triweekly or monthly basis. Articles from the paper (from 1999 to the present) can be found on the paper's web site.
Socialist Worker is twelve pages and printed in black and red. Its circulation is estimated to be 1200, according to IS members. A French
-language monthly, Résistance!, is also published by the IS and claims a circulation of 300, most of it in Quebec
. The Agitator, a monthly student bulletin was published from 2007 to early 2009.
Similar publications with the same title were formerly published in Australia and New Zealand. The Australian International Socialist Organisation
's paper ended with the merger of the ISO and two other socialist groups which formed Solidarity
. The Socialist Worker political group in New Zealand now writes for the broader left monthly Workers' Charter
, maintaining a themed quarterly journal called UNITY
as an independent Marxist publication.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
/communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s associated (or formerly associated) with the International Socialist Tendency
International Socialist Tendency
The International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of unorthodox Trotskyist organisations based around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in Britain...
(IST). It is a weekly published by the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
(SWP) in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a monthly (and daily web site) published by the International Socialist Organization
International Socialist Organization
The International Socialist Organization is a revolutionary socialist organization in the United States that identifies with the politics of International Socialism, a current of Trotskyism, and the Marxist political tradition that American socialist writer and activist Hal Draper called...
(ISO) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a triweekly published by the International Socialists
International Socialists (Canada)
The International Socialists is a Canadian socialist organization. It is part of the International Socialist Tendency. The I.S. publishes an English-language monthly paper, Socialist Worker and holds an annual Marxism conference every spring in Toronto....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a biweekly published by the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Workers Party is an Irish Trotskyist political party.-Foundation and growth:The SWP was originally founded in 1971 as the Socialist Workers Movement by supporters of the International Socialists of Britain living in Northern Ireland, who had previously been members of People's...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and was a monthly published by the former International Socialist Organisation
International Socialist Organisation (Australia)
The International Socialist Organisation was an Australian Trotskyist political organisation, founded in 1971, originally as the Marxist Workers' Group until it dissolved to form Solidarity in 2008 with two other socialist organisations...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
Socialist Worker is a socialist organisation based in Aotearoa/New Zealand.SW evolved out of the group known as the Socialist Workers Organization, the successor organisation of the Communist Party of New Zealand...
is also the name of an IST political group in Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
/ New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
United Kingdom
The Socialist Worker published by the SWP, claims to be the most widely read socialist newspaper in the United Kingdom, although this claim is also made by the Morning StarThe Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
, which has a daily circulation of 14,000. Although Socialist Worker sales/circulation data is not publicly available, John Molyneux estimates the circulation of the paper is currently under 8,000.
The newspaper was renamed Socialist Worker in 1968 and moved to weekly production; its first editor was Roger Protz
Roger Protz
Roger Protz is a British writer, journalist and campaigner. He was an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale in 1971, and has written several books on beer and pubs...
(Higgins 90). Its language and general approach was modelled on The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
but aimed to provide a very different set of ideas (Harman 40). Writers included Paul Foot
Paul Foot
Paul Mackintosh Foot was a British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party...
, Duncan Hallas
Duncan Hallas
Duncan Hallas , was a prominent member of the Trotskyist movement and a leading member of the Socialist Workers Party in Great Britain.-Biography:...
and Eamonn McCann
Eamonn McCann
Eamonn McCann is an Irish journalist, author and political activist.-Life:McCann was born and has lived most of his life in Derry. He was educated at St. Columb's College in the city. He is prominently featured in the documentary film The Boys of St...
plus reports of strikes and other struggles from across the country sent in by readers. The editor from 1974 to 1978, Paul Foot
Paul Foot
Paul Mackintosh Foot was a British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party...
(Foot xii) later went to work for the Mirror, though he continued to contribute to Socialist Worker until his death in 2004. It was edited for many years by Chris Harman
Chris Harman
Chris Harman was a British journalist and political activist, and a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party...
. Working for the newspaper has proved to be an effective apprenticeship for many prominent journalists at the onset of their careers, including Gary Bushell the brothers Christopher
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
and Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
.
Chris Bambery
Chris Bambery was a member of the Central Committee of the British Socialist Workers Party until April 2011 when he resigned from the party. He is a leading member of the newly formed International Socialist Group ....
, who was succeeded by Charlie Kimber in 2009, and Judith Orr late in 2010.
The paper is printed early on Wednesday morning, then delivered to key parts of the country, where people in the region collect the paper and sell it. It also has a subscription service by which the paper is delivered on the Thursday by mail. It is also distributed to some shops through the WHSmith News distribution network. It is sent free to any UK prisoners that request it.
It is freely available online. The paper is often sold by street campaigners and picketers as well as in newsagents.
United States
Shortly after its foundation in 1977, the ISO began publishing a monthly titled Socialist Worker, modelled after the British publication of the same name and the biweekly Workers' Power, then published by the International SocialistsInternational Socialists (US)
The International Socialists was a Third Camp Trotskyist group in the United States.The roots of the IS went back to the fall of 1964 when the Berkeley locals of the SP-SDF and YPSL left with 16 members to found the Independent Socialist Club led by Hal Draper and Joel Geier...
. As its circulation increased along with the growth of the ISO, the frequency of publication has increased, becoming a weekly with issue 379, dated 12 October 2001. The 500th issue was published on 21 May 2004. The paper became a daily web site on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
2008.
Since 13 April 2001, the ISO has also published a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
supplement to Socialist Worker, titled Obrero Socialista. Publication was irregular until 2005, since when it has been bimonthly. Socialist Worker is edited by Alan Maass, and Obrero Socialista by Orlando Sepulveda.
Canada
Socialist Worker is the publication of the International SocialistsInternational Socialists (Canada)
The International Socialists is a Canadian socialist organization. It is part of the International Socialist Tendency. The I.S. publishes an English-language monthly paper, Socialist Worker and holds an annual Marxism conference every spring in Toronto....
, the Canadian IST affiliate. The newspaper was originally called Workers' Action and was published monthly from 1975 until August 1985. After 108 issues, it was renamed Socialist Worker. In 1994 Socialist Worker started publishing every two weeks, except for triweekly issues in May, July and December. Socialist Worker published its 450th issue on 8 June 2005. In recent years, the newspaper has been published irregularly, usually on a triweekly or monthly basis. Articles from the paper (from 1999 to the present) can be found on the paper's web site.
Socialist Worker is twelve pages and printed in black and red. Its circulation is estimated to be 1200, according to IS members. A French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-language monthly, Résistance!, is also published by the IS and claims a circulation of 300, most of it in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The Agitator, a monthly student bulletin was published from 2007 to early 2009.
Other countries
The Irish SWP's fortnightly Socialist Worker styles itself as a "paper of the movements", with more in depth articles and commentary from left activists outside the party.Similar publications with the same title were formerly published in Australia and New Zealand. The Australian International Socialist Organisation
International Socialist Organisation (Australia)
The International Socialist Organisation was an Australian Trotskyist political organisation, founded in 1971, originally as the Marxist Workers' Group until it dissolved to form Solidarity in 2008 with two other socialist organisations...
's paper ended with the merger of the ISO and two other socialist groups which formed Solidarity
Solidarity (Australia)
Solidarity is a Trotskyist organisation in Australia, formed in 2008 from a merger between three out of four groups emerging from the International Socialist tradition: the International Socialist Organisation , Socialist Action Group and Solidarity. The group is a member of the International...
. The Socialist Worker political group in New Zealand now writes for the broader left monthly Workers' Charter
Workers' Charter
Workers' Charter was a broad-based, left-wing movement active in New Zealand, which produced a monthly newspaper of the same name. The paper's editor is well known New Zealand socialist and anti-racist John Minto, and its contributors range across the left wing spectrum- anarchists, revolutionary...
, maintaining a themed quarterly journal called UNITY
UNITY
UNITY is the theoretical political journal of Socialist Worker , published quarterly in Auckland, New Zealand, since December 2005. It is edited by Daphne Lawless, and each issue focuses on a central theme of interest to the socialist and radical left movement.The first edition of Unity, published...
as an independent Marxist publication.
See also
- List of Socialist Newspapers in the United Kingdom
- International Socialist TendencyInternational Socialist TendencyThe International Socialist Tendency is an international grouping of unorthodox Trotskyist organisations based around the ideas of Tony Cliff, founder of the Socialist Workers Party in Britain...
External links
- Socialist Worker (United Kingdom)
- Socialist Worker (United States)
- Socialist Worker (Canada)
- Socialist Worker (Ireland)
- Socialist Worker (Australia)
- Socialist Worker (Aotearoa / New Zealand)
- Compilation of articles about the paper's goals and the history of socialist newspapers (US Socialist Worker)