13.09.2006

Launch of Communist Students

Mary Godwin reports from the September 9 aggregate of CPGB members. On the agenda: student politics, our perspectives for the coming period and leadership elections

The September 9 aggregate of CPGB members, held in London, discussed our perspectives for the period ahead, particularly the expansion of our student work. Comrade David Isaacson spoke about communist student activity in the past year and plans for the new academic year.

Student CPGB members and supporters met during Communist University last month to discuss communist activity at colleges and the proposal to help set up an autonomous organisation with the name, 'Communist Students', arose from that. The aggregate agreed that our students should set up communist societies and recruit at the forthcoming freshers' fairs.

The CPGB has a growing number of student members and sympathisers around the country, comrade Isaacson said. Students are interested in ideas and politics, but are less likely to be affected by the demoralisation caused by defeats the left has suffered. While students from different organisations have to work together on campus, we need to ensure that there is a specifically communist voice.

As well as stalls at freshers fairs, CPGB students plan to hold open meetings soon after the start of the new term. Comrade Isaacson hoped that these branches would meet fortnightly, with meetings of CPGB members in the intervening weeks. He also proposed a national conference of Communist Students as soon as possible, perhaps in November, to decide on a constitution for the new formation.

Comrade Isaacson's opening was followed by a full debate, involving student and other comrades, on the question of how to organise communist students. There was some discussion about how closely the communist student organisation should be linked to the CPGB. Comrade Nick Rogers pointed out that students will ask what they are getting into when they sign up, and agreed with comrade Tina Becker and others that it would be dishonest and stupid to deny any connection with the CPGB, as some left groups do when they set up their 'united front' organisations.

Comrade Jim Gilbert, a veteran of the 'official' CPGB's Young Communist League, emphasised that it is important for the youth organisation to have its own programme, constitution and leadership. Comrade John Bridge agreed - we want to build an autonomous and self-governing organisation, allowing the student comrades to "have the gumption to make their own mistakes", which we can and must argue against. But we do not want to control in a bureaucratic manner.

Comrade Sachin Sharma said he had already drafted a possible constitution for discussion at the founding conference. Comrade Mike Macnair urged that the constitution should avoid defining Communist Students as 'the student section of the CPGB', but at the same time it should if possible commit members to a distinctly Marxist approach - not a set of leftwing platitudes that any SWPer could sign up to. But, as comrade Manson said, the students must decide it.

Comrade Macnair also suggested that the rules should be as minimal as possible - having too many rules not only leads to bureaucracy: it also deters students from joining. Othrers agreed that we do not want a labyrinthine structure.

There was discussion of what form the political activity of the student organisation should take. Some comrades had previously suggested that CPGB students should focus on working within the student groups set up by other left groups, but comrades agreed there was no need for this - although we are willing to cooperate with others, our groups should be capable of acting independently, and can be as large and dynamic as any.

Comrade Becker was in favour of emphasising Marxist education, among our own student comrades and members of the new organisation. One suggestion was that this should not take the form of lectures conducted by leading CPGB members: people, including students, learn best by teaching themselves and that could best be done by collectively studying a book and taking it in turns to give an opening on a given section.

Comrade Bridge agreed the student groups should be self-activating: CPGB leaders might speak at their meetings occasionally, but it would be undesirable if that was the only time a branch met. He agreed with comrade Isaacson that it is essential to have regular meetings. He suggested these meeting should also discuss the contents of the Weekly Worker, and agreed that education and campaigning work should be combined. He suggested the students could take part in the joint campaign being set up by the CPGB and Iranian comrades against imperialist intervention and in solidarity with Iranian workers.

Perspectives

Earlier in the day national organiser Mark Fischer gave an opening on CPGB perspectives generally. He urged an honest appraisal to assess our weaknesses and strengths. We are not immune from the effects of the degeneration of the left, and so we need to make the best of our opportunities to counter this. Although in the recent period there has been a slight uplift in recruitment to left organisations, including the CPGB, we are not on the verge of a breakthrough and our main field of intervention remains that of ideas - in the Weekly Worker and on the web.

Comrade Fischer discussed the Summer Offensive, which did not meet the £30,000 target set. Although raising £23,000 is a good achievement by most standards, we do not judge ourselves relative to the rest of the left.

Comrade Fischer then turned to our areas of intervention - firstly Respect. Intervening in Respect was always difficult and will get harder. We have not succeeded in forming a principled left opposition within it. In the debate comrade Macnair in particular emphasised that we should analyse if there was anything we could have done differently to increase the chances of this succeeding. Comrade Simon Wells argued that we should persevere with Respect, as it is "the only show in town." Comrade Bridge pointed out that our intervention in Respect was not at all unsuccessful: by exposing the inconsistencies and contradictions within SWP politics we have prevented the SWP from presenting Respect as a principled working class organisation.

The national organiser also discussed the possibilities offered by the John McDonnell campaign, the Critique initiative in November, and the Campaign for a New Workers' Party.

Comrade Fischer said there are plans to formulate a basic syllabus for new members covering the fundamental ideas of Marxism, the history of the CPGB and what makes our party distinctive.

PCC elections

The aggregate elected Mike Macnair as a full member of the Provisional Central Committee. Comrade Macnair, who was unopposed, replaces Tina Becker, who has stepped down owing to pressure of work. The aggregate thanked comrade Becker for her commitment and continuing hard work.

Mike Macnair joins Mark Fischer, John Bridge and Weekly Worker editor Peter Manson on the PCC.