Michael Banda (1930 – 29 August 2014), born Michael Alexander Van Der Poorten, was a
Sri Lankan communist activist best known as the General Secretary of the British
Workers Revolutionary Party.
Early life and relocation to the UK
Born in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, Banda attended
Trinity College, Kandy
"Look to the End"
, mottoes =
, founder = John Ireland Jones
, established =
, type = Independent Private
, affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican
, grade ...
, alongside his brother, Tony. The two were convinced by teacher Hilary Abeyaratne to join the
Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma
Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) was a revolutionary Trotskyist party which campaigned for independence and socialism in South Asia. The party was formed in 1942 as a unification of two Indian groups (the Bolshevik Le ...
, a
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
organisation affiliated to the
Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
. In 1950, the party merged into the
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP (Literal translation, literally: Lanka Socialist Party, Sinhalese language, Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය, Tamil language, Tamil: லங்கா சமசமா ...
(LSSP), and around this time, the Banda brothers left Sri Lanka.
[Corrine Lotz,]
Mike Banda (1930-2014)
, ''A World To Win'', 14 September 2014 They spent a couple of years in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, the Fourth International at the time being supportive of
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
's regime. They then emigrated to Britain, where they joined the British affiliate of the Fourth International,
The Club, which was led by
Gerry Healy
Thomas Gerard Healy (3 December 1913 – 14 December 1989) was a political activist, a co-founder of the International Committee of the Fourth International and the leader of the Socialist Labour League and later the Workers Revolutionary Part ...
.
Rise to prominence
The Club underwent a major split in 1953, leaving the Fourth International, and Banda was a leading supporter of the majority around Healy.
In particular, Banda attacked
Michel Pablo
Michel Pablo ( el, Μισέλ Πάμπλο; 24 August 1911, Alexandria, Egypt – 17 February 1996, Athens) was the pseudonym of Michalis N. Raptis ( el, Μιχάλης Ν. Ράπτης), a Trotskyist leader of Greek origin.
Early activism ...
, a leading figure in the international, for becoming critical of Tito.
The Banda brothers played a leading role in the design and printing of the group's publications, and remained leading figures as it transformed into the
Socialist Labour League
The Workers Revolutionary Party is a Trotskyist group in Britain once led by Gerry Healy. In the mid-1980s, it split into several smaller groups, one of which retains possession of the name.
The Club
The WRP grew out of the faction Gerry Healy ...
. In 1969, they co-ordinated the launch of a daily newspaper, the ''
Workers' Press'', and Mike Banda became its first editor.
In 1973, the party was again renamed, becoming the
Workers' Revolutionary Party (WRP). Banda supported the Chinese
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
and won the group to his position.
[David North, ]
The Heritage We Defend
' He succeeded Healy as the WRP's general secretary in 1978, although Healy remained the party's most prominent and influential figure. At the
1979 general election, Banda stood for the party in
Newham North East under his birth name, but took only 0.4% of the vote.
Split in the WRP
The WRP underwent a major split in 1985, with Healy's secretary alleging that he had sexually assaulted a large number of female members. Banda expelled Healy from the party in October. However,
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...
, a WRP member supportive of Healy, argued that the allegations were false, and that the expulsion was "...part of a political frame-up by Mr Banda who wants to dissolve the WRP because he has moved to the right".
Healy and his supporters continued to claim they were the WRP, and Banda's group became known as the
Workers Revolutionary Party (Workers Press)
The Movement for Socialism is an occasional grouping of socialists in the United Kingdom. It originated as one half of the major split in the Workers Revolutionary Party of 1985. Initially, both halves continued under the WRP name and both pub ...
in order to differentiate the two. Banda wrote "27 Reasons Why the International Committee Should Be Buried Forthwith and the Fourth International Built", arguing that the
International Committee of the Fourth International
The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) is the name of two Trotskyist internationals; one with sections named Socialist Equality Party which publishes the World Socialist Web Site, and another linked to the Workers Revo ...
(ICFI) of which the WRP was the leading member, should be dissolved. This did not occur, but led the Workers Press group to split from the ICFI, and a group of ICFI supporters in the group to leave and found what became the
Socialist Equality Party.
Marxist Philosophy Forum
The Communist Forum was a short-lived political group formed in 1986 by Mike Banda, following his expulsion from the
Workers Revolutionary Party (Workers Press)
The Movement for Socialism is an occasional grouping of socialists in the United Kingdom. It originated as one half of the major split in the Workers Revolutionary Party of 1985. Initially, both halves continued under the WRP name and both pub ...
. Banda continued to reassess his politics, and in 1986 published "What is Trotskyism? Or Will the Real Trotsky Please Stand Up?", a document arguing that
Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
and the Trotskyist movement were mistaken.
This position differed from the majority of the Workers' Press group, and so Banda left that year to form the Communist Forum. The group moved away from orthodox
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
. This was soon renamed the "Marxist Philosophy Forum", but dissolved in 1987.
After the splits
Banda moved temporarily back to Sri Lanka, where he discussed politics with
Colvin R. de Silva of the LSSP.
On returning to Britain, Banda devoted his time to campaigning for the Kurdish community, forming the Kurdistan Solidarity Committee and Peace in Kurdistan Campaign. He died in 2014, after suffering from increasingly poor health.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banda, Michael
1930 births
2014 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy
Sri Lankan emigrants to the United Kingdom
Sri Lankan Trotskyists
Workers Revolutionary Party (UK) members