Re: Where, oh where has the SWP gone?

["Jose G. Perez" <jg_perez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I believe, based on a variety of public and private sources, that the
current size of the SWP is in the neighborhood of 300.

There are 3 or 4 significant branches, N.Y., Newark, L.A. and perhaps San
Francisco. These are comparable in size to the typical branches 25 years
ago, of say at least 15 or 20 people or so. All the others are more like
cells, of anywhere from three to a dozen or so people.

The SWP no longer has enough people to set up actual branches in the areas
where it is moving to, these are "organizing committees" of 2-4 people.
Takes 5 to charter a branch.

There is an organized periphery of 200-300 former members who provide the
National Office with about $18,000/month in sustainer income. Assuming the
SWP has 300 members, and that the percapita sustainer to the N.O. is about
$40 (the figure published last year was about $9 and change a week), this
means the periphery contributes more than half the National Office sustainer
income.

In addition, this periphery has been channeled into two other tasks, one,
the "digitization" project, the turning of Pathfinder's backlist into
electronic files and the formatting of these files for printing. The other
is staffing local bookstores. Their collaboration is specifically not wanted
in the union movement, although many, perhaps most, are union members.

The extremely severe internal regime continues to take a significant toll. I
know of at least two sets of trials in the last couple of years involving
several people each that resulted in the loss of several people, as well as
at least one other case where an individual was charged and expelled.

José
----- Original Message -----
From: "Luko Willms" <L.WILLMS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, September 03, 2000 3:48 AM
Subject: Re: Where, oh where has the SWP gone?



>    At the Oberlin gatherings which I attended, I noted that the total
> SWP membership were always about the number of attendees, i.e. a
> number could not attend, which was filled up with other participants,
> international, sympathizers, contacts etc. If that rule is still in
> force, the SWP would have 450 members.
>
> LP> I think there are more people on this mailing list than in the SWP.
> LP> Plus we have more fun.
>
>    At my latest check there were about 180 people on this mailing
> list. That is less, not more.