MIA: History: ETOL: Document: British Trotskyism: The Workers Press

Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line

Workers Press
Continuing the News Line


This version the Workers Press was the continuation of News Line, the publication of the Workers Revolutionary Party in Britain, in 1985. This occurred after the historic leader of the WRP, Gerry Healy, was expelled from the party on charges of sexual predation. He was replaced by others in the leadership of the WRP. They immediately dissociated the WRP from Healy and his minority of followers in the WRP and changed the name to Workers Press, the name the paper had prior to the launching of the daily News Line in 1976. All this is explained here, by the British Splits and Fusions blog who scanned these copies of Workers Press for their blog and had this to say about the whole thing:

As the Workers Revolutionary Party split in two, each of the warring factions, at first, sought to publish their own version of the daily Newsline. So it was that we had the pantomime spectacle of rival papers under the same masthead – one proclaiming “Gerry Healy expelled” and the other replying “Oh no he’s not!”

However, within a couple of months, towards the end of December 1985, the anti-Healy grouping around Cliff Slaughter, Tony Banda and others abandoned the Newsline in favour of a re-launched weekly paper Workers Press. Thereafter the two groupings claiming the name Workers Revolutionary Party were known respectively as the WRP(Newsline) and WRP (Workers Press)

We present here approx. 522 issues of Workers Press from December 1985 up to issue No. 522. A big gap exists between 1989 and 1993 which we will endeavor to acquire.

The paper is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the early issues document the unfolding split within the WRP and give a commentary on the rival Newsline group as the Torrance leadership moved from defending Healy to sidelining him leading to the Healy-Redgrave split and formation of the Marxist Party.

Similarly, we find coverage of the ongoing decomposition of the WRP (Workers Press) itself as various groups, tendencies and prominent individuals split away. So, we see the split of Michael Banda, the group around David Hyland, aligned with David North’s Workers League in the US which was to become first the International Communist Party and later the Socialist Equality Party and the International Socialist League which aligned itself with the Latin America based Morenoist International Workers League.

Alongside polemic with their erstwhile comrades, Workers Press opened its pages to a wide range of British and international Trotskyist groupings and, in its pages we find debates, polemics, articles and letters from and to Workers Power, supporters of the United Secretariat and its British section, adherents of the Lambertist tendency and many others including the Workers International League which had itself decamped from the Newsline side of the split…

Having been cut loose from the International Committee- both the North and Healy claimants to that mantle- the WRP (Workers Press) sought to develop its own international contacts, a process which led to the formation of the Preparatory Committee for an International Conference of Trotskyists – an attempt to re-found the Fourth International.

Copies of Tasks of the Fourth International – journal of the Preparatory Committee can be found here, along with its successor The International.

Many thanks to Barry for loaning his holdings of Workers Press and to Keith S for scanning part of his own collection.

When Splits and Fusion completes the task they have set for themselves, we will present the rest of Workers Press here.


1985-1986

No. 1, December 21, 1985
No. 2, January 4, 1986
No. 3, January 8, 1986
No. 4, January 11, 1986
No. 5, January 15, 1986
No. 6, January 18, 1986
No. 7, January 22, 1986
No. 8, January 27, 1986
No. 9, February 1, 1986
No. 10, February 7, 1986
No. 11, February 15, 1986
No. 12, February 22, 1986
No. 13, February 29, 1986
No. 14, March 8, 1986
No. 15, March 15, 1986
No. 16, March 22, 1986
No. 17, March 29, 1986
No. 18, April 5, 1986
No. 19, April 12, 1986
No. 20, April 19, 1986
No. 21, April 26, 1986
No. 22, May 3, 1986
No. 23, May 10, 1986
No. 24, May 17, 1986
No. 25, May 24, 1986
No. 26, May 31, 1986
No. 27, June 7, 1986
No. 28, June 14, 1986
No. 29, June 21, 1986
No. 30, June 28, 1986
No. 31, July 5, 1986
No. 32, July 12, 1986
No. 33, July 19, 1986
No. 34, July 26, 1986
No. 35, August 2, 1986
No. 36, August 9, 1986
No. 37, August 16, 1986
No. 38, August 23, 1986
No. 39, August 30, 1986
No. 40, September 6, 1986
No. 41, September 13, 1986
No. 42, September 20, 1986
No. 43, September 27, 1986
No. 44, October 4, 1986
No. 45, October 11, 1986
No. 46, October 18, 1986
No. 47, October 25, 1986
No. 48, November 1, 1986
No. 49, November 8, 1986
No. 50, November 15, 1986
No. 51, November 22, 1986
No. 52, November 29, 1986
No. 53, December 6, 1986
No. 54, December 13, 1986
No. 55, December 20, 1986


1987

No. 56, January 3, 1987
No. 57, January 10, 1987
No. 58, January 17, 1987
No. 59, January 24, 1987
No. 60, January 31, 1987
No. 61, February 7, 1987
No. 62, February 14, 1987
No. 63, February 21, 1987
No. 64, February 28, 1987
No. 65, March 7, 1987
No. 66, March 14, 1987
No. 67, March 21, 1987
No. 68, March 28, 1987
No. 69, April 4, 1987
No. 70, April 11, 1987
No. 71, April 18, 1987
No. 72, April 25, 1987
No. 73, May 2, 1987
No. 74, May 9, 1987
No. 75, May 16, 1987
No. 76, May 23, 1987
No. 77, May 30, 1987
No. 78, June 13, 1987
No. 79, June 20, 1987
No. 80, June 27, 1987
No. 81, July 4, 1987
No. 82, July 11, 1987
No. 83, July 18, 1987
No. 84, July 25, 1987
No. 85, August 1, 1987
No. 86, August 8, 1987
No. 87, August 15, 1987
No. 88, August 22, 1987
No. 89, August 29, 1987
No. 90, September 5, 1987
No. 91, September 12, 1987
No. 92, September 19, 1987
No. 93, September 26, 1987
No. 94, October 3, 1987
No. 95, October 10, 1987
No. 96, October 17, 1987
No. 97, October 23, 1987
No. 98, October 31, 1987
No. 99, November 7, 1987
No. 100, November 14, 1987
No. 101, November 21, 1987
No. 102, November 26, 1987
No. 103, December 5, 1987
No. 104, December 12, 1987
No. 105, December 19, 1987


1988

No. 106, January 2, 1988
No. 107, January 9, 1988
No. 108, January 16, 1988
No. 109, January 23, 1988
No. 110, January 30, 1988
No. 111, February 6, 1988
No. 112, February 13, 1988
No. 113, February 29, 1988
No. 114, February 27, 1988
No. 115, March 5, 1988
No. 116, March 12 , 1988
No. 117, April 9, 1988
No. 117, May Day Edition, 1988
No. 118, June 11, 1988
No. 119, June 18, 1988
No. 120, June 25, 1988
No. 121, July 2, 1988
No. 122, July 9, 1988
No. 123, July 16, 1988
No. 124, July 23, 1988
No. 125, July 30, 1988
No. 126, August 6, 1988
No. 127, August 13 , 1988
No. 128, August 20, 1988
No. 129, August 27, 1988
No. 130, September 3, 1988
No. 131, September 10, 1988
No. 132, September 17, 1988
No. 133, September 24, 1988
No. 134, October 1, 1988
No. 135, October 8, 1988
No. 136, October 15, 1988
No. 137, October 22, 1988
No. 138, October 29, 1988
No. 139, November 5, 1988
No. 140, November 12, 1988
No. 141, November 19, 1988
No. 142, November 26, 1988
No. 143, December 5, 1988
No. 144, December 12, 1988
No. 145, December 17, 1988
No. 146, December 24, 1988
No. 146, December 24 Special Supplement, 1988


1989

No. 147, January 7, 1989
No. 147, January 8 Special Supplement, 1989
No. 148, January 14, 1989
No. 149, January 21, 1989
No. 150, January 28, 1989
No. 151, February 4, 1989
No. 152, February 11, 1989
No. 153, February 18, 1989
No. 154, February 25, 1989
No. 155, March 4, 1989
No. 156, March 11, 1989
No. 157, March 18, 1989
No. 158, March 25, 1989
No. 159, April 1, 1989
No. 160, April 8, 1989
No. 161, April 15, 1989
No. 162, April 22, 1989
[1990/1991/1992: issues 163-347 are missing]

1993

No. 348, March, 1993
[issues 349-352 are missing]
No. 353, April , 1993
[issues 354-379 are missing]
No. 380, October , 1993
No. 381, October ,1993
No. 382, November 6, 1993
No. 383, November 13, 1993
No. 384, November 20, 1993
No. 385, November 27, 1993
No. 386, December 4, 1993
No. 387, December 11, 1993
No. 388, December 18, 1993

1994

No. 389, January 8, 1994
No. 390, January 15, 1994
No. 391, January 22, 1994
No. 392, January 29, 1994
No. 393, February 5, 1994
No. 394, February 12, 1994
No. 395, February 19, 1994
No. 396, February26, 1994
No. 397, March 5, 1994
No. 398, March 12, 1994
No. 399, March 19, 1994
No. 400, March 26, 1994
No. 401, April 2, 1994
No. 402, April 9, 1994
No. 403, April 16, 1994
No. 404, April 23, 1994
No. 405, April 30, 1994
No. 406, May 7, 1994
No. 407, May 14, 1994
No. 408, May 21, 1994
No. 408, May 28, 1994
No. 410, June 4, 1994
No. 411, June 11, 1994
No. 412, June 18, 1994
No. 413, June 25, 1994
No. 414, July 2, 1994
No. 415, July 9, 1994
No. 416, July 16, 1994
No. 417, July 23, 1994
No. 418, July 30, 1994
No. 419, August 20, 1994
No. 420, August 27, 1994
No. 421, September 3, 1994
No. 422, September 10, 1994
No. 423, September 17, 1994
No. 424, September 24, 1994
No. 425, October 1, 1994
No. 426, October 8, 1994
No. 427, October 15, 1994
No. 428, October 22, 1994
No. 429, October 29, 1994
No. 430, November 5, 1994
No. 431, November 12, 1994
No. 432, November 19, 1994
No. 433, November 26, 1994
No. 434, December 3, 1994
No. 435, December 10, 1994
No. 436, December 17, 1994

1995

No. 437, January 7, 1995
No. 438, January 14, 1995
No. 439, January 21, 1995
No. 440, January 28, 1995
No. 441, February 4, 1995
No. 442, February 11, 1995
No. 443, February 18, 1995
No. 444, February 25, 1995
No. 445, March 4, 1995
No. 446, March 11, 1995
No. 447, March 18, 1995
No. 448, March 25, 1995
No. 449, April 1, 1995
No. 450, April 8, 1995
No. 451, April 15, 1995
No. 452, April 22, 1995
No. 453, April 29, 1995
No. 454, May 27, 1995
No. 455, June 3, 1995
No. 456, June 10, 1995
No. 457, June 17, 1995
No. 458, June 24, 1995
No. 459, July 1, 1995
No. 460, July 8, 1995
No. 461, July 15, 1995
No. 462, July 22, 1995
No. 463a, July 29, 463-Bosnia Special issue, 1995
No. 463, August 12, 1995
No. 464, August 19, 1995
No. 465, August 26, 1995
No. 466, September 2, 1995
No. 467, September 9, 1995
No. 468, September 16, 1995
No. 469, September 23, 1995
No. 470, September 30, 1995
No. 471, October 7, 1995
No. 472, October 14, 1995
No. 473, October 21, 1995
No. 474, October 28, 1995
No. 475, November 4, 1995
No. 476, November 11, 1995
No. 477, November 18, 1995
No. 478, November 25, 1995
No. 479, December 2, 1995
No. 480, December 9, 1995
No. 481, December 16, 1995
No. 482, December 23, 1995

1996

No. 483, January 13, 1996
No. 484, January 2o, 1996
No. 485, January 27, 1996
No. 486, February 3, 1996
No. 487, February 10, 1996
No. 488, February 17, 1996
No. 489, February 24, 1996
No. 490, March 2, 1996
No. 491, March 9, 1996
No. 492, March 16, 1996
No. 493, March 23, 1996
No. 494, March 30, 1996
No. 495, April 6, 1996
No. 496, April 13, 1996
No. 497, April 20, 1996
No. 498, April 27, 1996
No. 499, May 4, 1996
No. 500, May 11, 1996
No. 501, May 18, 1996
No. 502, May 25, 1996
No. 503, June 1, 1996
No. 504, June 8, 1996
No. 505, June 15, 1996
No. 506, June 22, 1996
No. 507, June 29, 1996
No. 508, July 6, 1996
No. 509, July 13, 1996
No. 510, July 20, 1996
No. 511, August 10, 1996
No. 512, August 17, 1996
No. 513, August 24, 1996
No. 514, August 31, 1996
No. 515, September 7, 1996
No. 516, September 14, 1996
No. 517, September 21, 1996
No. 518, September 28, 1996
No. 519, October 5, 1996
No. 520, October 12, 1996
No. 521, October 19, 1996
No. 522, October 26, 1996


Last updated on: 11 July 2017