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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Militant Tendency
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The most active far-left group in Britain in recent decades, Trotskyite in its policies but aiming to work from within the *Labour party. Formed in the early 1960s as the Revolutionary Socialist League, it used the public name of Militant Tendency (from its newspaper, Militant). Evidence emerged in 1980 of the group's efforts to gain control of Labour constituency and regional organizations, as well as trade union branches and trades councils.
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Considerable damage was done to the public image of the Labour party, particularly after the NEC recommended in December 1980 that various right-wingers (who later founded the *SDP) should be expelled from the party but that no action should be taken against the left-wingers of Militant. Subsequently the Militant Tendency was judged by Labour to be a separate party, making its adherents ineligible for Labour party membership; Neil Kinnock then undertook the task of rooting out Militant, beginning with the expulsion of five leading members in 1983. The peak of Militant's power was its control during the 1980s of Liverpool City Council.
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