14.07.2004

Summer Offensive: See us home

Ian Mahoney urges all members and friends of the party to donate urgently to achieve this year's Summer Offensive target - £30,000

OK, you got us: after my remark last week that there was no need “to press the panic button just yet”, members, supporters and friends of the CPGB obviously decided to tease me. Just over £1,751 came in during the week, bringing our total to just £13,895. We now have just under two weeks to raise £16,000. This is a huge task - but not impossible.

I expect that a number of CPGB members and supporters will pay for their stay at this year’s Communist University within the next few days - this can be added to your individual SO total. The CU can be seen as the highlight of our annual political calendar. For seven days, comrades debate with a range of outside speaker on a number of questions. As opposed to some other political summer schools, we do not shy away from discussing openly our differences. We are convinced that political clarity is best achieved by learning from each other through open debate - although this is not always appreciated by all on the left.

At the SWP’s Marxism event, which has just finished, debate was unfortunately not one of the main features. With meetings lasting just 75 minutes, contributions from the floor were restricted usually to three but sometimes two minutes. This is no way to conduct a proper discussion. We make a point of allowing political opponents to speak freely, be it from the top table or in contributions from the floor - even if they end up talking for longer than our own members.

But the CU provides not only the cut and thrust of debate: the excellent venue (Raymont Hall, part of Goldsmith’s College) allows us to continue our discussions in a lovely garden area, where last year comrades spent many hours relaxing in the sun. Send a cheque or postal order for £20 to reserve your place at this year’s CU - but hurry, so we can include it in the Summer Offensive.

This year’s SO will mainly help us to upgrade our computer and printing equipment - long overdue, believe me. Comrades will be aware that the printing business in general is in dire straits - the demise of the SWP’s printshop proves the point. We are still hanging on to our printing press, because political independence is extremely important for communists - especially if they happen to publish a controversial paper like the Weekly Worker!

Many readers will disagree with this or that particular political point. But that should not be a reason to stop you helping secure the paper’s growth and continued survival. Who else reports so openly about the developments in the European Social Forum? Who else polemicises so effectively against the unprincipled behaviour of the Socialist Workers Party, not least in relation to Respect? You do not have to agree with us on every dot and comma to appreciate our open press and the impact we are making.

Particular thanks this week to DO and KG for a marvellous £100 each; to BP for his £250 and MM for a third bite of the cherry with £60. RP and SF used the PayPal facility on our website to donate £20 each. They were two out of 7,507 who read us online last week - if just 200 from amongst the others gave us £50, we would comfortably reach our £30,000 target. So, to see us home, don’t put off making a donation - do it now! Finish reading the Weekly Worker later …