THE Communist Party of Britain has pulled out of talks aimed at putting up a far left challenge to New Labour at the next election. Or that’s what is claimed here, anyway. Some leadership figures may have quit the organisation as a result.

The way Phil BC tells it, tensions between the pro-Labour traditionalists in the CPB and those who wanted to line up with Respect a couple of years back have scuppered the possibility of it signing up to the so called ‘son of No2EU’ coalition.

No2EU, of course, is to the far left slate that stood in the European Parliament elections earlier this year. The RMT union contributed its members’ cash, with the CPB, the Socialist Party and some smaller groups providing the footsoldiers.

If I remember correctly, No2EU secured the backing of one point something percent of those that bothered to vote. This is less than the tally for Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party, which didn’t even pretend to mount a campaign.

That was in a proportional representation contest; general elections operate on a first past the post basis. The best any ad hoc grouping, thrown together just months before the poll, can hope to attain is a truckload of lost deposits.

Maybe it will cost Labour three or four marginals. Or maybe it won’t even manage that. And for what? Oh well, maybe they will pick up some recruits.

Broadly speaking, British far left groups have now spent 13 years trying to establish a united electoral alternative. Result? We now have more left sects than at the start of the process.

I regularly get asked how come someone with my politics can be a member of the Labour Party. But let me offer one good reason; the British far left are too sectarian and too stupid to engage in serious politics. Good luck, comrades.