Implosion of WRP
By 1985, concern as to Healy's financial, political and intelligence links with the Libyan and Iraqi governments had risen within the WRP to the point at which the group imploded, the final straw being revelations from longtime associate Aileen Jennings concerning Healy's sexual abuse of female members of his party. He was described by the journalist Andrew Gilligan as a 'serial rapist', Healy described the allegations as a smokescreen for those who had become disappointed with revolutionary politics, following the defeat of the miners' strike. The result was the WRP collapsed into many tiny, competing groups. Ken Livingstone, the Labour Party left-winger who later became Mayor of London, claimed in 1994 that the split was the work of MI5 agents.
In 1985 Healy was expelled from the WRP and it promptly split into several parts, one version of the group producing a version of their daily paper headlined "Healy Expelled", while Healy's WRP produced a totally different version. Healy's WRP continued until what he saw as unconstitutional manoeuvres by the Torrance leadership led him to form another new group. Formed in 1987, the Marxist Party had very few members, but did retain the allegiance of Vanessa and Corin Redgrave. One faction within the WRP supported the perspective advanced by the ICFI and Workers League National Secretary David North. They formed the WRP (Internationalist), later renamed the International Communist Party and, in 1996, the Socialist Equality Party.
In his old age Healy would claim that the disintegration of the WRP was due to the intervention of MI5. He also declared that Mikhail Gorbachev was leading the political revolution in the USSR. Healy died at the age of 76 from natural causes. He was depicted as "Frank Hood of the Hoodlums" in Tariq Ali's satire, Redemption.
Healy has often been criticised for the WRP's internal regime which did not allow members to challenge his ideas or policies. He is also often reported to have used physical violence against 'outspoken members' and, whilst enjoying a financially comfortable life himself, allowed some of his most committed activists to live in poverty.
Read more about this topic: Gerry Healy