Letters

Uniting traditions

Exasperated by the sectarianism that normally abounds, I went to the CPGB summer school with some hesitation. I am glad I did. The week proved to be both stimulating and enlightening. The level of debate was high and the discipline of the group impressive. Debates and discussions were conducted in an atmosphere of free thought. Criticisms and fears were openly expressed in a comradely fashion. A healthy state of affairs.

As a supporter of the Revolutionary Democratic Group it was an opportunity for me to test and have debated some of the ideas of the RDG - a bit of a rarity in our sectarian movement. Of particular value was the chance to meet and hear the experiences of comrades from other countries. With great interest I listened to the comrade from Iran whose story could be seen as an illustration of what might happen in a national democratic revolution. For me, this made a connection with the earlier RDG presentation on the theory of permanent revolution.

The debate on federalism was also relevant to the situation in Britain today. It was encouraging to see that the overwhelming majority of CPGB comrades supported the demand for a federal republic of England, Scotland and Wales.

There is a feeling that we are entering a more positive period and the CPGB is to be congratulated on the part it has played so far in making this so. Rapprochement is to be welcomed if it means that we as socialists and communists can meet as comrades to discuss and debate our politics. According to my dictionary ‘rapprochement’ means a “renewal of cordial relations” and “reconciliation”. We have so much to learn from each other - whatever tradition we formally come from. Let the best from those traditions be ‘reconciled’ and go forward to build our much needed party of the workers.

Jane Berryman
London

Recharged

As a new supporter of the Party, I thought that the summer school would be a good way to learn more about the CPGB.

At the beginning of the school I felt totally overwhelmed and a little intimidated by the language attached. However with the support of our comrades I persevered and paced myself.

During the week of the school I was immersed in communist theory. I feel I have returned with a lot more knowledge and, because of the energy and comradeship, I have come back to Dundee recharged and motivated to read more and understand.

France-Leigh Williamson
Dundee

Clarity of ideas

The quality of debate at the Party summer school was good. According to experienced comrades the level of discussion was higher than previous years. This was due to polemical clarity rather than polemical heat.

Although there were sharp debates and disagreements there was restraint with a clear focus on the points to be developed. Comrades showed communist discipline in not rushing to throw abuse at those they disagreed with, which simply closes debate before the battle of ideas begins.

But given the intense nature of the school it was inevitable that strong conviction should spill over occasionally in bad tempered abuse or anger. It cannot be otherwise. But it is important not to make a cult of unrestrained anger or hardness.

This is what Mark Fischer appears to do in his article on the school (Weekly Worker 113). It is important to be hard and have thick proletarian skins, especially when we deal with the bosses. But communists are not one-dimensional characters from a comic book. There is a need for some softness or sensitivity when dealing with Party comrades.

Mark’s report from the school gave a disproportionate space to the issue of toughness which formed a totally insignificant part of the school. He also fails to provide any detailed picture of the questions and discussions at the school.

Key discussions such as the contributions from the comrades from Australia or the debate on factions were omitted altogether. The debate on the national question is turned into a soap opera of Marxists versus non-Marxists, and so on.

Dave Hulme
East London