Comrade Delta

Telling the story of the infamous scandal that became synonymous with the Socialist Workers Party, this book details the year-long struggle for women's rights and democracy on the British left.

Comrade Delta recalls the sequence of events in 2013, when members of the Socialist Workers Party learnt that their party had mishandled an allegation of rape. The accused was one of the party's leaders, and those handling the investigations - the leader's friends - humiliated the complainant, asking demeaning and sexist questions before clearing the accused of all wrongdoing. When members protested the decision, supporters of the party leadership sought to drive the dissidents out of the party. For 12 months, the conflict wore on without resolution as more and more information became known to the members and the public.

Based on internal documents and interviews with more than 50 participants, including each of the main complainants, DK Renton analyses the structures and personalities that shielded the perpetrator while victims were harassed and critics were accused of abandoning Marxism.