22.09.2010

Rumours flying around

Honesty has won us readers and loyalty, says Robbie Rix

George Osborne’s budget will entail savage cuts. He has spoken of an age of austerity. Millions face unemployment, pay freezes, loss of benefits and a sharp decline in living standards. Huge demonstrations and protests will happen this year and the next. The Manchester TUC gave a useful green light. And doubtless the entire left will expend every effort to mobilise people. But what then? We have seen Greece, Spain, Ireland and France. The working class resists with commendable discipline but is unable to take the fight to the enemy. Bankers, establishment politicians and the entire capitalist system are now  widely despised. A larger and larger minority want an alternative, socialist, society. But the instrument is clearly absent. Nowhere is there a mass Communist Party worthy of the name.

Of course, this is where the Weekly Worker comes in. Our aim is to unite the existing, often bitterly divided, left into a single Communist Party. Not only those outside the Labour Party but those inside too. Only through such a strategy is it possible to seriously envisage drawing masses of so-called ordinary people to the kind of party needed if we are going to see an end to capitalism. That is why bringing out into the open all the shades, factions and significant arguments on the existing left matters. An approach which has won this paper a widely envied circulation. But as the reader will doubtless  will be full aware, we practice openness when it comes to shades, faction and significant arguments in our own ranks too.

To be honest I was expecting a sudden spike in readership numbers. Especially as rumours are flying about of an imminent split in the CPGB. However, as it turns out, over the last seven days (we count from Wednesday to Tuesday) there were 9,576 electronic readers. No change in other words. Either way we will be publishing articles dealing with our internal differences over the coming weeks. Such an approach is the surest way to guard against irresponsible splits and should serve as a model of good practice for the rest of the left. Certainly the best class militants, the critically minded,  people with real revolutionary spirit will not touch a party which hides differences and treats them as something shameful. Arguments are inevitable, healthy and wonderfully educational.

Honesty has won us not only readers, but loyalty,  not least as shown by this week’s list of donors: TW (£150), MM (£70), MC (£10), RP (£10), SK (£230), AP (£15) and GD (£5). Which, if my arithmetic is correct adds up to £490. Together with our £577 running total we now have £1,067. With another week to go before the end of the month that takes us within reach of the £1,250 target.