22.04.1999

Republican communist network

On April 5 agreement was reached in Edinburgh to convene a founding conference of a republican communist network. A date has been set for Saturday July 3. Individuals and organisations will be invited to participate if they agree with the following slogans: republicanism; revolutionary democracy and culture; workers’ power; world communism.

The proposed fifth slogan, ‘international socialism’, was not agreed. Some, including the Revolutionary Democratic Group and the Campaign for a Federal Republic supported the slogan. The Communist Tendency was strongly opposed. It was agreed that the platform should have the four agreed slogans plus an addendum which says: “The network is in the process of debating international socialism as a slogan.”

The preliminary negotiations for this network began in January. They have involved representatives from the CFR, the RDG, the Red Republicans, the CT, the Scottish Republican Socialist Party, Socialist Outlook and some independents.

At the February meeting, the discussion over the platform threw up two main points of controversy - revolutionary democracy and international socialism. Two comrades, one associated with Socialist Outlook and an independent Trotskyist, opposed the slogan of revolutionary democracy. Reformist democracy was acceptable but revolutionary democracy was not. At the end of the meeting it was agreed by the majority, including the RDG, CT and CFR, that the slogan of revolutionary democracy was essential in any republican communist platform.

The slogan of international socialism proved to be more problematic. International socialism received five votes (two CFR, one RDG, one Socialist Outlook, plus one independent Trotskyist). There were four abstentions (Red Republicans) and one against (CT). An alternative proposal was ‘internationalism, socialism and world communism’. Since ‘world communism’ was common to both, the real difference was between ‘international socialism’ and the alternative of ‘internationalism, socialism’. There were six votes for the latter (four RRs, one CT, one Socialist Outlook). There were two votes against (one RDG, one CFR) and two abstentions (one CFR and one other). This attempt to hide our differences failed.

At the last meeting the CT proposed an alternative forum to the four agreed slogans, simply leaving out the question of international socialism. This was not acceptable to the RDG. We are opposed to simply liquidating the socialist slogan. This is exactly what Blair is trying to do - write socialism out of history. We must have a socialist slogan and we must defend it.

The third option was to decide the question by majority voting. This is the approach that has been taken. But we have agreed not to decide this at the first conference. In the first year of the network there will be a series of day schools to consider this and then at the second conference a majority decision will be taken. Therefore the slogan of international socialism is to be identified in the published platform as being debated for future decision.

Communists who openly identify themselves as republicans are a minority within the communist movement. The vast majority remain wedded to economism. Why are republican communists trying to form a network? First, the initiative is coming from Scotland against the background of shifts and realignments taking place within Scottish politics. Second was a desire from some comrades to build organised links with republican communists in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The third motive was a desire to further the process of communist rapprochement.

The SSP has lined itself up with Scottish nationalism, as a broad-based ‘communist-Labour’ party. On the right of the SSP, we have Hugh Kerr MEP and other Labourites. The centre ground is occupied by the CWI-Scotland (former Scottish Militant Labour). On the left we have the Red Republicans and the CFR as officially recognised platforms. The Red Republicans and the CFR have cooperated in the past in limited areas. They were offering rival perspectives for the SSP left.

Originally the Red Republicans claimed to stand to the left of the CFR. The slogans of a federal republic were set against the Red Republicans’ central demand for a Scottish workers’ republic. The argument was falsely presented as a difference between supporting a bourgeois republic versus a (Scottish) workers’ republic. However, in December 1998 the CFR clarified its position and adopted the slogans for a federal republic, revolutionary democracy, workers’ power, international socialism and world communism. These slogans are of course not unique to the CFR and are supported by the RDG and the CPGB.

Dave Craig