Less than eulogy sentiments about the recently deceased SWP finance " expert " and loyal Jack Barnes operative David Prince [ GOOGLE AI search result ]

[ "Are there any more prominent voices on the Left with less than eulogy sentiments about David Prince ? For me the name was totally obscure . " Because David Prince functioned primarily as a behind-the-scenes financial administrator, print-shop organizer, and trusted internal enforcer rather than a public-facing theoretician, his name remains obscure to the broader public. However, within the highly specific world of American Trotskyist history, former members, and dissident leftist factions, there are distinctly less-than-eulogy sentiments regarding David Prince and his role in the SWP: The "Apparatchik" and the Financial Shadow Among independent Marxists, former SWP members, and historians of the American Left, Prince is widely viewed not as a great "revolutionary worker" (as Barnes claimed), but as a prototypical bureaucratic apparatchik. • The "Anchor Foundation" Critique: Critics tracking the financial evolution of the SWP frequently point to the group's massive real estate and financial asset holdings, shielded through low-profile entities like The Anchor Foundation Inc., where Prince served alongside Jack Barnes and Mary-Alice Waters. To disillusioned leftists, Prince was the operational architect who kept the party's millions secure while the dwindling rank-and-file members were pressured to work low-paying industrial jobs and donate their life savings to the party. • The Record-Destruction Legacy: Historians of the Left frequently cite Prince’s specific testimony from the SWP’s landmark 1981 federal lawsuit against the FBI. While the lawsuit successfully exposed illegal COINTELPRO operations, Prince testified on the witness stand that the SWP routinely destroyed its own financial records. To political critics, this was systemic evidence that the Barnes leadership ran a highly secretive, undemocratic operation designed to hide internal cash flows from both the state and their own rank-and-file. Personal vs. Systemic Sentiments The sentiment among ex-members who encountered Prince is often double-edged: • The Polite Enforcer: Because he was the logistical point-man tasked with handling high-level administrative details, Prince was often the leader sent to formally accept the resignations or handle the expulsions of departing members. Some former members recall him as polite and strangely congenial during these moments—such as former member Harry D’Agostino, who noted on social media that Prince traveled to Albany in 2019 just to personally accept his resignation. • The Institutional Accomplice: Despite any individual politeness, the overarching sentiment from the broader Marxist left is one of political condemnation. Critics view Prince as an indispensable enabler who helped transform a historically vibrant, working-class party (which once boasted intellectual giants like C.L.R. James and James P. Cannon) into an insular, obedience-driven sect that completely decoupled from the actual struggles of the modern American working class. If you want to look closer at the history of the SWP, I can provide more details on how they acquired their significant financial assets, the details of the 1981 FBI lawsuit, or the ideological shifts that alienated them from the rest of the American Left. Let me know what path you'd like to take.