Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.
01-359 8180/9. 01-359 8371. Distribution/ Advertising Communist Party noiding a number of district congresses. CLIVE UNDULL artended the one in London on behalf of over a Socialist Challenge.
Here he looks at the CPGB OHIC after Congress became Eurocommunist'.
The London District Congress of the Communist Part produced result. The perspectives of the outgoing leadership rejected.
ALTERNATIVE if the Instead a series of branch amendments which had been composited into an alternative set or proposals were presenica to the congress.
the hard-line Stalinists and the London party leaders The London District Committee document was slated as being timeless: *It could have been written at any time in the last ten years'.
Sue Slipman described it as "pre-British Road to Socialism' — "it didn't reflect the thinking of the new draft the November 1977 National Congress.
The 'campaign proposals' it put forward could be generously described as example all it said on racism Was. tion to the importance of the *Pay fight against racism in every sphere of life.' On local message was: 'Prepare in good time for the next round of GLC and Borough Council chips tions.
In political alternative resolution was not qualitatively merely pointed out the obvious steps that would be needed to take up the fight against racism or to prepare in good time for we ections DECLINE It certainly contained nothing that will reverse the party's continuing decline in London - paper membership has fallen from 4,124 in November 1977 to 3,762 today. provincial The congress, provided an object lesson in bureaucracy and manipulation by the outgoing leadership.
After a clear vote (126 to 107)
District Secretary Gerry Cohen to reject proposals, there were repeated attempts decision.
25th when it formally unprecedented were These were adopted at These were aided partisan banal. For *The congress particular atten- with some the district leadership.' the the whole day.
Electerms the different.
however, motion moved by alternative this Another sign of the crisis in the CPGB is the latest issue of Comment, which includes a section from a critical work on the USSR by French CP members plus'what we have said statements in 1937, 1956, and 1978.
the chairing other, to coneress ov wick ricks. ever the Morning Star report noted tee, Was maEkee ScOTCLary by lively and sharp discussion, delegates extremely strong criticisms of This was so much the case that the Sunday morning closed session had to be extended to perspectives.
Attempts were made on the one hand to reverse the defeat Delegates vote at the CPB congress in November 1977 STALIN- THE MISSING -AND US EIVCS CPGB of the day before; and on the change the composition of the District Committhe District At the end there wasn't time complete CICCLIOIS leaving the outgoing leadership to organise the counting of the votes! The amended draft itself was referred back", leaving the London District without any The ban on tendencies and factions meant that clear rank ete.' Our socialism will be infinitely more democratic than what evists i "socialism' in the USSR and Eastern Europe have discredited socialim in the eyes of the millions of workers throughout the world. Weare opposed to could not be presented.
Party members, let alone branches, were not able to circulate alternative documents - to those of the leadership, to meet and organise how best to different political alternatives Instead debate is confined within a constitution which monopoly PLO permanent faction the leadership.
The commission on 'inner party democracy established from the national congress has yet to make any report. makes it even more likely that its role will be to present a few cosmetic changes, as with the Morning Star report The decline of the CPGB over the last year has been dramatic. Party membership in June this year stood at 21,i45; 4,148 down on the figure in November 1977.
SOLUTIONS The politics of the party's Eurocommunist critics offe no solution to this crisis. On the main issues of the class struggle in Britain they are, if anything, to the right of the leadership.
no section of the there socialist alternative being offered which bases itself on the consistent defence of working class interests.
However, the 10 November discussion manice care discussion article Bumber of criticisms pat number criticisms revolutionaries have made of the CP's practice in relation to building the self-activity of the working class and oppressed Bloomfield called for 'much more capuasis to grass Foots and file movements' we mus occonne a central ingredient of our work'. He commented:
*At practice present suggests we see rank and file groupings as adjuncts to the official movements. EMIS Is inadequate.
BREAK *They must be encouraged as vigorous, independent forces in their own right, vital to the struggles on wages, employment, cuts, alternative plans, But unless such proposals are accompanied by a break with the policies of class collabo ration import controls. participation, etc. - there will o no adequate basis for building a socialist alternative to the Labour leadership.