Maurice Brinton - 1922-2005
I never met nor had any direct contact with Maurice Brinton;
however, it's fair to say that without him and the Solidarity group,
there might not be a Red & Black Notes. If that sounds overly
dramatic, let me justify it.
I first came across Brinton's work in 1982 when I found a copy of
The Bolsheviks and Workers' Control in a second-hand bookshop
in St. Catharines Ontario. I thumbed through it, but it sat on my
shelf for a decade and a half.
In 1985, I became a Trotskyist and remained one until 1995. I then
returned to some of the books that had sat unread including
Brinton's. Suffice to say, it was a revelation, which was to unlock
many other doors. Several other people I know have recalled similar
journeys. In clear impassive prose, Brinton exposed the Bolsheviks'
role in the eliminating of Soviet power. Even the Spartacist League,
no friend of Brinton's politics, conceded that the book was "well
researched and fairly objective." (Why the U.S.S.R is Not
Capitalist)
Maurice Brinton, the pen name of Chris Pallis, was born into a
respectable Anglo-Greek family and was a medical professional for
most of his life. During his studies at Oxford, he had briefly been a
member of the Communist Party before being expelled. He then became a
supporter of the Trotskyist Revolutionary Communist Party. In the
late 1950's, Brinton was a member of the Trotskist group led by Gerry
Healy, but quickly parted ways.
After leaving Healy's group, Brinton met with other ex-members to
examine various leftist organizations. The one which most impressed
them, and with whom Brinton was already familiar, was the French
group Socialisme ou Barbarie led by Cornelius Castoriadis. Drawing
inspiration from many of S ou B's conceptions, Solidarity and Brinton
were the main English language publicists of Castoriadis' thought,
but they were much more than that. In a crisply written journal,
Solidarity presented a sophisticated critique of Leninism and the
vanguard party, incisive industrial coverage, clear international
coverage devoid of the usual leftist sycophancy, together with a
solid emphasis of workers as the agents of their own liberation.
Mixed together with a cutting sense of humour, Solidarity produced an
impressive magazine and a series of pamphlets, leaflets and
books.
To over-emphasize Brinton's role is to denigrate the contributions
of other talented comrades within the organization, but for a sample
of his best work see the AK Press collection For
Workers Power
Maurice Brinton died March 10, 2005 aged 81, after suffering from
Parkinson's disease for many years. Certainly aspects of his and
Solidarity's politics seem old fashioned now, but his words continue
to echo through the revolutionary movement.
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