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There is that old Jeremy Hardy joke,
about all the anti-Thatcher protests in the '80s,
where the most frequently overheard line from the organisers was always,
'I thought YOU were organising the banners'.
SWP saw a gap in the market, and an effective way to gather publicity for their (lost) cause.The suspicious might believe that such awareness is normally lacking from the forlorn Left, and that some judicious donations from rightwing troublemakers would result in the kind of pay-off stated above, with Alastair Campbell able to dismiss any pro-Corbyn demo as solely down to the SWP.
csb
Hadn't seen of the SWP for years, then, outside Shepherds Bush market, 2 years ago, there they were! I felt like Attenborough encountering a coelacanth.
mespilus
Have you ever been to a demo? You might remember the SWP placards were particularly prevalent during the Iraq protests, but their membership numbers were still miniscule. These groups come prepared and hand out the placards to anyone who will take them. This isn't indicative of broaders support or membership numbers.