01.11.2007

Debating perspectives

Mary Godwin reports on the CPGB's members aggregate on October 28

An aggregate of CPGB members held in London on October 28 discussed prospects and plans for future work in the light of developments in the world and on the British left.

Comrade John Bridge began his opening with the world economy. He foresaw either stagnation or a downturn within the next 18 months. This would produce further pressure on public sector pay and for some a fall in living standards. It would also mark an end to ever-rising government spending on health and education. This can be expected to generate an increase of rank and file trade union activity which will put pressure on the bureaucracy. Therefore the trade union question is more important than recently.

The United States remains the global economic and military power, but it is in relative economic decline. In 1945, the US was responsible for 50% of the world's GDP. That figure has now fallen to 20%. Despite its massive deficit, the US continues to spend more on arms than the next seven highest spenders combined.

The 9/11 events were the pretext and trigger for, but not the cause of, US aggression in Iraq, and its current threatening posture towards Iran. The underlying cause is the need to compensate for its economic decline by military means. Thus the debacle in Iraq makes an attack against Iran more likely, not less - in the form of a massive 'shock and awe' operation, with even the possibility of a pre-emptive Israeli attack on Iran involving the use of nuclear weapons. Far from spreading 'civilisation' in Iraq or elsewhere, the US is spreading chaos.

Decay of the left

How will the left measure up to the tasks created by this crisis situation? Not very well, said comrade Bridge. Since the 1980s we have been in the period of 'the dying of the old'. Some comrades look to 'unity' projects, such as the Socialist Alliance or Respect and their equivalents in other countries. These provide some temporary, limited space for the authentic left, but they are characterised by absolute theoretical poverty and can only lead to disillusionment and the loss of another generation.

The main problem is that the left today does not think. The theoretical faults of the SWP's founder, Tony Cliff, are many but at least he attempted to theorise the conditions under which he lived and operated. John Rees has made no effort whatever to theorise Respect. In practice he has subordinated his organisation's claimed principles to the most conservative elements in the Respect popular front. Criticism of the SWP/Respect debacle from the left has been noticeable by its absence. Hence, when capitalism is in decline and the US is behaving increasingly irrationally, the left is incapable of rising to meet the challenge.

The crisis in Respect, which the CPGB has long predicted, is a perfect example of the dying of the old. The SWP now admits that Respect has a businessmen's wing and is floundering in the search for an exit strategy. Rees thought that by collaborating with existing class structures he could use 'local communities' to give the SWP an electoral presence. Opportunist, cynical and hopeless.

In the current crisis the SWP has lost elements of its right wing. The left wing is noticeable by its absence. It should be encouraged to reveal itself and to openly rebel "¦ and if there are to be more expulsions it is Rees, Lindsey German, Chris Bambery et al - those responsible for the Respect popular front debacle - who should be shown the door.

Comrades debated how the CPGB should respond to the split in Respect. James Turley said the SWP had some direction in the past, through posing as different from the Militant Tendency. Now it is the largest group on the left it can only chase after things that have gone by.

Jim Moody said the SWP does not have a legitimate regime, and members are being expelled simply for political differences. As there is no democratic centralism, so members should not feel bound by the discipline of their leadership.

Mike Macnair said it is not clear that the SWP is retreating in good order from the crisis in Respect. There is a real chance that it will be burned up. The SWP loyalists have produced a petition with 900 signatures. The claimed membership of the organisation is around 6,000, but that is a fake. The real membership of the SWP over the last 30 years has never been more than 1,200 to 1,500 and is less now.

Comrade Macnair also spoke about our clear duty to break with the fake anti-imperialism which characterises so much of the left. This means combating those groups whose fake-left anti-imperialism means in fact that they side with tyrannical regimes who are actually tied in with imperialism. In this way, the prospect of genuine proletarian internationalism can be opened up. He concluded by saying we must be prepared to respond to whatever comes out of the SWP and Respect. There may also be a flaring up of trade union struggles. But in the meantime it is correct to focus on the Iran question.

Comrade Cameron Richards, in contrast, said responding to what is going on in the SWP should be a priority for the CPGB. He criticised the failure of reports in the Weekly Worker to intervene clearly enough in the SWP crisis. We should clearly say we are against the expulsions of the right. We should encourage democratic debate in the SWP. This is the only way the conditions for more principled elements to organise can be created. The left in the SWP will not emerge spontaneously, we have to encourage it, which means engaging with them face to face, by attending their meetings.

In response to this comrade Tina Becker suggested that the Weekly Worker should analyse and explain developments, and criticise the lack of democracy and accountability in the SWP, but should not take sides in the split. Neither side is principled. When we meet people who want to leave the SWP, we should encourage them to stay and fight for democracy inside it, as is our usual practice. Comrade Peter Manson agreed the Weekly Worker should not take sides. We do not defend the right of people like Rob Hoveman to break the discipline of their own organisation. We would support a rebellion from the left, but not from the right. Comrade Nick Rogers said we cannot fault the SWP leadership for expelling members for disobeying their instructions.

Comrade Bridge replied that the expelled members are carrying out the decisions of their last conference. The leadership is attempting to close down debate. We should say clearly that there should be full and open debate, including at the SWP's January conference. We are not supporting the SWP's rightwing, we are supporting the freedom to debate. Politics matters more than formal rules. We want to help create the conditions where the rank and file can hold Rees to account. Comrade Macnair agreed, arguing that there are occasions when it is legitimate to expel people, just as there are occasions when it is legitimate to walk out. But not at the start of a period of pre-conference discussion.

Hands Off the People of Iran

Among the most important of our tasks in this period is our work to support and build the Hands off the People of Iran campaign. Comrades who attended the October 27 Stop the War Coalition conference reported back to the aggregate. The STWC's leadership's attempt to silence the voice of Hopi and Communist Students backfired completely.

Thanks to the intervention of the CPGB alongside the two organisations, the conference was forced to discuss the nature of the Iranian regime. Hopi is proving extremely successful, with the large number of signatories and support from many quarters boding very well for its founding conference on December 8. Hopi should become a real presence in the political life of Britain and internationally - vitally important at a time when Iran is the strategically pivotal question on the political agenda.

Comrade Becker observed that for many years the CPGB had simply reacted to the often flawed initiatives of other groups. In Hopi and Communist Students, where we have taken the lead and have greater opportunities to push forward our project. Comrade Bridge agreed that building Hopi is the best way to attract wide layers of the left, including the left of the SWP.

Campaign for a Marxist Party

The CMP has also been a focus of CPGB work for nearly two years, but it has suffered from inertia and a lack of direction. Comrade Yassamine Mather of Hopi - a guest at the aggregate - outlined the attitude of Critique, of which she is a supporter. Critique is threatening to pull out unless the CMP gets its house in order by the November 24 conference.

Some comrades said the CPGB should do the same, describing the CMP as a waste of time and our involvement with it a waste of effort. Comrade Nick Rogers said we should not bother debating with the likes of the Democratic Socialist Alliance if we were not in the CMP, and comrade Becker said we should devote the talents and energy of our comrades to more worthwhile projects.

Comrade Manson, however, said we had welcomed the call for a Marxist Party in contrast to the plethora of halfway house projects, and have tried to shape the campaign in a principled way. It would be a mistake to walk out now and leave the CMP in the hands of the DSA. Several comrades pointed out that the CMP has also been a good forum for debate between the CPGB and other Marxists, especially in London.

Party organisation and education

The CPGB remains a tiny organisation, but through the Weekly Worker we are a force on the left that is listened to and has influence far beyond our numerical strength. This is because we know how to work hard and concentrate our limited resources to best effect.

Currently our primary focus must be Hopi. This must be a campaign based on root and branch involvement by our own comrades, who must therefore become knowledgeable and authoritative speakers on the whole issue of Iran. The absence of viable formations on the left only emphasises the importance of promoting organisations such as Hopi and Communist Students, who showed real initiative and imagination in the lead-up to the previous day's STWC conference.

In our internal party life it is essential to step up a gear or two, as it seems that we shall be moving into difficult territory in terms of increasing hostility from other groups, especially the SWP.

The CPGB must expect irrational, vicious abuse, possibly including physical violence against our comrades, as we have experienced in the past. Despite any threats, we shall continue to tell the truth about what is going on in left politics, and will continue to use every avenue open to us.

The CPGB's work in London is being reorganised to reflect our current tasks and to ensure that all comrades are committed to the maximum possible participation in party actions and work at every level. The necessity for ongoing theoretical work and education remains a top priority. Only through this can comrades effectively intervene in the battles which lie ahead.

Comrade Mike Macnair emphasised that, given the expected economic downturn, we can expect a destabilisation of Westminster politics and a general heightening of political tension - circumstances in which the CPGB needs both to increase its concentration on issues like Hopi while at the same time deepening our educational work and pressing on with the redraft of the Draft programme. Tactically it will be a time when we shall need to be light on our feet and adept at responding effectively to turns and changes in events.

Communist Students

In the current period of the terminal decline of the old left, the growth of communist organisation among students is particularly important. In a separate session of the aggregate, comrade Ben Lewis introduced a discussion on Communist Students, of which he is a leading figure, with a report on the work and plans of CS.

It took part in freshers' fairs at 12 universities, and is in the process of organising the students recruited at these events into branches according to location and task. In some cases geographical isolation makes it hard for them to meet regularly, but a Marxist educational programme has been organised in which individuals can take part remotely using the internet.

Communist Students groups are organising for the Hopi founding conference, working out strategies to get involved in the political life of the National Union of Students and hoping to make an impact at the student day of action next February. The next issue of Communist Student is currently being planned.

Comrade Becker observed that there is no formal mechanism for recruiting members to Communist Students or setting up new branches. We need to think creatively about how this can be done, including the compilation of a pack of reading materials for new members.

The Weekly Worker remains the best weapon in the hands of Communist Students, comrade Bridge said. Other participants in the debate also emphasised the importance of distributing and writing for the Weekly Worker.

Comrades praised the success and dynamism of the students, and comrade Yassamine Mather reported that a student group in her native Iran have renamed themselves 'Communist Students' after reading about their namesake in Britain via the Weekly Worker.

Following comrade Lewis's excellent work in Communist Students the aggregate voted to elect him as a candidate member of the CPGB Provisional Central Committee.