10.07.1997

Cream on it?

Party notes

Comrade Dave Craig’s article on his understanding of the current attitude of the Revolutionary Democratic Group (faction of the SWP) to the process of communist rapprochement with the Communist Party is to be welcomed (Weekly Worker July 3). This is despite the fact that it raises more problems than it solves. I hope other comrades - both in the Communist Party and the RDG - will now also give their opinions on the state of play after some two years of detailed negotiations between representatives of the organisations.

Given that the only point of contact we have had with the RDG has been through comrade Craig himself comrades like Martin Blum can be forgiven for their blunt appraisal of the current health of Dave’s organisation - that it is dead. Dave’s oblique formulation - “we remain as unimportant and as non-existent as ever” (Weekly Worker July 3) - will do little to appease the ‘RDG RIP’ school of thought.

Dave appears to want to differentiate between my approach and those such as my comrade Martin Blum. I am different in that I have recognised that there are political disagreements between us, including over rapprochement itself. Therefore, I apparently have seen it as “quite right for the RDG to seek agreement on this”. Blum and the now-or-never ultimatumists in our ranks have regarded the political clarification as a “waste of time”, an unfortunate approach akin to “the SWP” (ibid).

The division comrade Craig points to exists in his mind, not in reality. I endorse the comments comrade Blum has made about the RDG. The majority of the Party believe that the time is long overdue for the RDG to make a decisive move toward organisational unity with the CPGB. My hackles rise when I see the notion of political “agreement” mentioned in the same breath as rapprochement and I have made precisely the criticism of the RDG in previous columns of confusing programmatic agreement with the project of communist unity initiated by the leadership of this Party in December 1994 (see the Weekly Worker supplement ‘Party, non-ideology and faction’ December 15 1994 - yes, that’s right comrades, 1994. For my criticisms of the RDG, see Weekly Worker June 5).

The notion that any section of our Party is “not a million miles away from the recruitment methods of the SWP” - that is, join now or sod off - is laughable given the elaborate minuet this organisation has collectively participated in with Dave and his ghostly group. The past few years have seen the RDG erect a whole series of hurdles for us to clear - joint meetings and interventions around the SWP’s Marxism summer schools, participation in our cadre schools, a joint programme commission, excruciatingly slow work around a seemingly ever-multiplying series of draft joint statements.

Comrade Craig’s painfully mechanical method is on display once again in last week’s article, where he pooh-poohs the poor dolts - including comrade Blum and myself - “who think in purely organisational terms”. The notion that unity on the basis of Partyism - a concept that I am aware brings certain members of the RDG out in a cold sweat - is a “purely organisational” question is staggering. It displays a vestigial adherence - at least - to an essentially sectarian party-building project, the forlorn search for ideological replicants. The coming together of different political trends around the fight for the type of Party our class needs - not over tactics or whether Trotsky was right or wrong in the 1930s - can have wide exemplary impact and point the way to the solution of the current political impasse that traps our class.

Dave is quite right when he writes that the process we have engaged in has ground to a halt on a number of occasions. He cites pressure of work on both organisations. This errs on the generous side for his own comrades, I’m afraid. Representatives from the Provisional Central Committee of our Party have negotiated with Dave Craig as an individual, with the rest of his group as passive observers not even commenting on the process in the pages of this open paper. Under these circumstances, it has hardly been surprising that the whole shebang has stalled occasionally - on the RDG’s side, it has relied on the initiative, the work and political will of one individual, not an organisational impetus towards unity.

Which really brings us to the nub of the problem, I believe. Does the political will exist in what remains of the RDG for unity with us? Concretely, I would like to see other comrades apart from Dave Craig in print on what holds them back - the only objections I have really encountered so far are our level of dues, our discipline and our annual collective insanity known as the ‘Summer Offensive’. Is there more to it, comrades?

I am pleased that Dave ends his article with the tantalising promise that the RDG “will be coming up with some concrete proposals” on unity. Let me pre-empt it a little and offer a version of the type of political ‘deal’ I would be happy for our organisation to offer Dave’s group.

Those RDG comrades who are closest should join now as full members of the Party with all the rights and duties that entails. They would be at liberty to form a factional grouping with RDGers who remain outside our ranks, possibly as Party supporters. Partisans of this faction - whether Party members or not - would be able to participate in our regular aggregates and seek to win the majority for their views. While only full members can have voting rights or access to cells, these ‘external’ comrades could be accorded consultative votes and we will bend over backwards to ensure the faction has the fullest opportunity to present its views to both the Party membership and the wider public.

The rules, dues and discipline of the Party apply to all members without exception, but supporters are not bound by the levels of the Party and can choose to contribute to the organisation at levels they feel comfortable with. As my granny used to say, what else do you want - cream on it?

Of course, the door will remain open to the RDG and other organisations whatever the short term developments. However, I must disagree strongly with Dave when he suggests that we approach the project with “infinite patience” (my emphasis). I don’t know about you comrade, but I just have this lifetime to make a difference to the world. Unless you are the current manifestation of a timelord, I suspect the same is true for you too.

Call me impatient if you like, but ‘infinity’ therefore does seem to me rather a long time.

Mark Fischer
national organiser