Communist Renewal: discussion points… arising from Communist Renewal Team members discussions with BDNs, Party Secretaries’ & Cadres’ Meeting, and Executive Committee discussion Communist Renewal Bulletin 6 October 2016 as background to the
54th CONGRESS SESSION ON COMMUNIST RENEWAL There is no intention to arrive at specific and binding conclusions in the Renewal session of Congress – the intention is to further embed the discussions throughout the Party to bring about real and effective development.
T
he Communist Renewal process has focused on both discovering and promoting the great work and strengths of the Party across our Branches, Districts and Nations Britain, and also on discussing the challenges and problems we are facing now and in the future.
We need to ensure that we are working as effectively as possible. As Marxists we know that any organisation full of life and development is driven forward by the contradictions in society, and within itself. That’s life – that’s dialectics. Building on success and confronting problems and areas that need improvement is a natural and positive process. Only with that process do we grow in numbers and influence. This is particularly urgent in the face of the continuing and deepening ruling class offensive, and our role in the working class and progressive movement to develop a revolutionary class consciousness, and to build the Party. The Renewal process has been, and remains, led by the Party membership. A volunteer central Renewal Team has spent many hours in direct discussions with BDN Secretaries and cadres, producing responses and reports from 95% of them. Summations of these led to the materials and format of the Secretaries’ & Cadres’ meeting in September… which again was led through open discussion by its participants. Communist Renewal is and will be concerned with all aspects of our work and Party life, from that of individual comrades to our national committees. This discussion document reflects the stage the process is at as we prepare for 54th Congress. It is focused on Branch life & Party membership Our work in the mass movement –particularly in the trades unions and the antiausterity movement the Morning Star Clearly these areas are all interconnected. Good organisation and work in any one area will impact positively on all the others – and the opposite is also true! So the following discussion points - arising from BDN discussions, Renewal Team summations, the Secretaries’ & Cadre meeting and EC discussions – cannot really be “sectionalised”. They are in sections here only to make presentation more simple and to provide background and context for 54th Congress Special Session on Communist Renewal, integrated and free flowing and focused on “What should we have in our Branch Annual Plans?”
Branch Life & Party membership 1. ALL members should attend Branch regularly. Should this apply to ALL, or are there some comrades whose other Party work exempts them from this principle? 2. How do we ensure Branch is ACCESSIBLE to all possible members? Regular timing, venue, transport? How can we use social media links, ICT, and “Virtual Branch” BETWEEN Branch meetings and where comrades find physical attendance impossible? 3. Branch provides the “big picture”, the “wide perspective”, “the struggle in all forms” beyond the individual focus of the specific political work of any individual comrade. How? 4. Branch collective activity and discussion must be directly USEFUL, even INDISPENSABLE, to comrades’ political work, if we expect full attendance. How can we achieve that? 5. How can a Branch committee provides a strong cadre leadership, and identify and deliver cadre development for all members? ALL members need to become not only movement “activists”, but class leaders… how is this achieved? 6. Have all members got a Handbook and BRS – and studied them together? Does this lead to proposals for updates etc? Nothing stands still. 7. Do all members play an active part and role, agreed by the Branch, in the local movement appropriate to their various abilities and situations at various times? 8. Do all members report to Branch on their political work, and discuss it collectively; aware they represent the Party at all times to workmates, family, friends, neighbours, activists etc 9. Is Communist Education a major feature of the Branch, with all comrades participating and leading “guided discussions” – on Marxist texts, Communist Review, Challenge, Party pamphlets etc. Can this be done during Branch meetings or does it require a special session? Can it be done together with non-members? 10. Does the Branch discuss and analyse the local area - industry & services, employment, communities, environment, specific local characteristics of the ruling class offensive etc? 11. Does the Branch discuss the local movement (People’s Assembly, Trades Union Council, anti-racist work, environmental organisations etc), potential Party involvement and what political leadership and specific proposals we can provide… and HOW? 12. Do comrades agree what we want to achieve prior to taking part in local meetings/events? 13.Does the Branch have an Annual Plan - and does every comrade have a specific and clear role and responsibility in that Branch Plan? 14. Does the Branch have a plan and process for targeted recruitment & cadre development? 15. Are ALL members willing and able to run a new members’ course - Class, Exploitation, State, Party, BRS Strategy - and mentor new applicants and members 16. Are all new members committed to Branch attendance, Communist Education, Branch work according to the plan, activity in the mass movement in appropriate & agreed roles? 17. How do we relate to supporters of the Party who do not currently want to make the commitments of membership? How do we keep them involved and active with us? 18. Does the Branch organise events for all members & supporters to raise the Party profile? Public events/ invitation meetings/ street stalls/ leafletting/ social nights etc 19.Does the Branch ensure comrades are able to experience the life of the whole Party District/Nation, schools, TU Advisories, Policy Commissions etc 20.Does the Branch work to develop true comradeship and friendship – including frequent social activity for branch members and supporters?
Mass Movement activity How does the Party offer positive leadership in the mass movement & overcome “bureaucrats, red-tapists & incorrigible windbags”, defeatism, posturing, laziness, egotism, ultra-leftism etc?
Trades Union Movement 1. Are all comrades members of trades unions, and assisting in their work? 2. Are they in touch with their Trade Union Advisory, and through that with the Party Trade Union Coordinating Committee? 3. Are all comrades aware of the Party’s historic leading role in the trade union movement, strategically and organisationally – including “Broad Lefts”, Shop Stewards organisation, “unofficial” as well as “official” positions. 4. How can we build the trade union and the Party in the workplace as a priority? 5. Are Branches engaged with local Trades Union Councils, UNITE Community etc? 6. We need self-reliant comrades AND a collective Party support. a. How do we develop new self-reliant cadres in the trade union movement? b. How can the Branch help - and learn from - comrades’ trade union work, from workplace to national level? c. What is the special role in the Branch of comrades who are, or have been recently, trade union and labour movement leaders – with or without formal “positions”. Is such a role a comradely responsibility or a burden? 7. How do we ensure Party comrades who become trade union leaders remain “grounded & rooted” in the Party? How do we use their knowledge, experience and leadership? 8. How do we take trade union organisation into the super-exploitative world of “precarious working”, “self employment” etc 9. How do we develop the Party’s Trade Union Advisories to involve many more comrades? Can we use the Party database and ICT? 10. How can comrades and Branches contribute to Trade Union education? 11. Are comrades actively working on recruiting women and young people into the TU movement? How? Women’s Commission? Party/YCL &TU Young Worker Project?
Anti-Austerity Movement 12. Do comrades in People’s Assembly (and other progressive organisations) make sure that they are known as communists? 13. Do comrades active in People’s Assembly discuss the way forward with other Branch members, and then offer appropriate political strategic leadership, report back to Branch and discuss progress/next stage? 14. Do we consistently argue the class nature of the anti-austerity struggle? a. Austerity the product of ruling class offensive b. Need for working class leadership of PA – trades unions and trades councils joint working – and make it happen c. Need for a “single unified anti austerity movement” 15. Are comrades and Branches focused on building local PAs on the basis of detailed knowledge and work on local anti austerity issues – closures, cuts, “precarious working”, local privatisation etc 16. Do we encourage PA to adopt positive policy – as in “In Place of Austerity” – and pursue the “anti-monopoly alliance” position?
Morning Star 1. The Communist Renewal team found that very few Branches mentioned Morning Star work as an important activity in their Branch Plan. Do we take it for granted? 2. How does the Branch promote and sell the Morning Star? Party stalls? Specific Star sales? Promoting to local newsagents, shops etc? TU branches/offices? Selling at meetings? Morning Star “round”? Together with other non-Party Star supporters? 3. Is the Star always on Branch agenda? Are suggestions/proposals/ideas sent to the Management Committee or appropriate Star worker? 4. Does the Branch write up local issues and struggles for the paper? 5. Are we open to/exploring how to reach new and younger readers – through new approaches – social media etc 6. Is a Morning Star Readers & Supporters Group locally important? How should it relate to Branch?
District/Nation 1. Coordinate Study and Education with District & Nation events 2. Explore Branch attendance and potential necessity/ usefulness of a “virtual Branch”
Party Commissions Our policy Commissions are established by the EC to help develop and implement Party policy. They are national bodies, but may be reflected in organisation at District or Area level, where agreed by the District Committee. There are currently 17 Commissions… Anti-Austerity, Anti-EU/Popular Sovereignty, Anti-Racist/Anti-Fascist, Culture, Economics, Education, Environment Science &Technology, Health & Welfare, History, Housing, International, LGBT, Peace, Pensions, Rural & Agriculture, Unemployment, Women. The Renewal Team found that with some notable exceptions most Commissions are not yet properly embedded in the life of the Party, 1. Has every Branch member identified & involved themselves with at least one Commission? 2. Would it be useful to bring members together on this basis at District or Area level?
PC and EC 1. Check Party Handbook for necessary updating. All Branches to ensure ALL members have one, electronic or hard copy. All new members must be given a copy. 2. Develop together with other domiciled Parties in the Coordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain a new reader in Dialectical & Historical Materialism 3. A new members’ study course to be developed designed to be done where necessary on line, with support from Branch mentor 4. Cadre Development activities to be offered to Branch activists – possible examples a. Use of Social Media/websites/FB etc b. Public speaking/round table discussion/chairing c. Producing Party leaflets/publicity on local issues d. Running Branch Literature/Party stalls etc 5. Develop a clear system for distribution and publicising new pamphlets and documents 6. How to improve participation in and outcomes of Trade Union Advisories and Commissions