16.09.1999

Statement

September’s CPGB membership aggregate saw comrades divide into two roughly equal camps over Ireland and the British-Irish.

The first camp is a majority in the making. We stand for consistent democracy and agree that in a united Ireland there has to be a federal solution so as to “fully reassure” the British-Irish and thereby bring about working class unity.

The second camp is amorphous and theoretically weak. At its core lies a small minority which claims that the 20 theses presented by Jack Conrad are a devious cover for the redivision of Ireland. Something which evidently relies on pure invention. In reality the comrades’ objections to consistent democracy stem from a combination of vicarious Irish nationalism and residual bureaucratic socialism.

This core found itself allies in a larger group of comrades who argued that the CPGB should not vote on such matters or that there had not been sufficient time to fully consider the issue. Be it open or concealed, an unwillingness to champion consistent democracy is opportunism. The British-Irish question is no lifeless abstraction or a dusty historical footnote. It is the key to working class unity in Ireland. Communists must bring forward their principles and present concrete answers.

At the next membership aggregate in October I will resubmit my 20 theses for voting. Comrades who object to my formulations should submit amendments. Let us debate each thesis patiently and in detail and see where we agree and where we disagree. That is the only serious and honest way to proceed. I am confident that after the October aggregate the Weekly Worker will be announcing a solid CPGB majority for consistent democracy.

Jack Conrad