Betrayals whittle down CP

Scan page 9

A FUTURE.

ELECTED The new Steering Commit- (Bristol], Kate Williams tee elected at the Confer: [Wolverhampton], Judith ence is: Bonner [Coventry, Peter Kate Williams Ruth Davies (Wallasey), Jo Thwaites [Islington], Mick Liggins [Wolverhampton], Constantin [Camden], Caroline Lees Cashman (Wallasey], Jim Kearns [Glasgow), Chris Marsh [Woolwich], Linda Moulsdale [Ware], Phil Sharpe (Nottingham], and Baz [Coventry). THE British Communist Party continues to lurch deeper into crisis. Last week's 37th Congress saw not only the (now routine) annual announcement of the loss of 2,000 more members and a drop of 2,000 in circulation of the Morning Star: it also brought open divisions reflecting political impasse.

On virtually every policy decision there were sharp differences: but there was unanimity in silence over the betrayls perpetrated in the class struggle by CP members since the last annual congress.

There was no criticism, forkers georal set Metal George Guy for knifing the BL workers' pay struggle this year, or of Longbridge convenor Jack Adams for sinking the pay struggle last year and isolating the battle against the victimisation of six Longbridge workers last November.

Nor was there any criticism of the CP line on the People's March, which was to struggle against giving the March a working class character and to press for the involvement of so-called 'progressive' bourgeois figures — local bosses, bishops, and even Tories.

Pressure This line of class collaboration, and a commitment to the Parliamentary politics spelled out since 1952 in successive versions of 'The British Road to Socialism' represents common ground between the CP leadership and its various oppositional curtents - including the splitaway New Communist But for some years the other pole of CP policy -commitment to support the foreign policy of the Stalinist bureaucracy in the Soviet Union - has come under growing internal pressure, which erupted last year into outright opposition by the leadership of the CPGB to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Invasion

This year again saw a fierce debate on Afghanistan, with the Party divided down the middle on the issue. Pro-Moscow loyalists rallied a surprisingly strong 115 votes against a leadership vote of only 157.

The complete absence of principled opposition within the CP was underlined by the debate on Poland. The hard-line Stalinist opposition argued in favour of a Soviet intervention to crush the new Polish workers' movement: the 'Eurocommunist' leadership majority, guided in this by 'theoretician' Monty Johnstone, replied that invasion was not necessary since the Polish Stalinist party was doing the job itself.

But at least one challenge to the leadership came from a progressive direction - with moves to overturn the CP's opposition to the demand for immediate withdrawal of troops from Ireland.

Under heavy pres sure from delegates, the f 'arty leadership supported a resolution criticising its own slowness in changing the Morning Star.

Delegates slammed into their Party's paper: West of England district secretary Neville Carey complained for instance that, 'The paper is all too often dull and boring" ,and that he often read it only as "a chore". • With support like that, small wonder sales have slumped!

Class

Some critics of the Star complained that it was losing any class character and dissolving itself in the 'broad democratic movement'. John Foster, Scottish organiser for the Star, criticised the leadership's resolution as la disaster' and argued the need to develop a base in the working class.

But such a base could only be developed on the foundation of a clear political challenge to the Labour and trade union bureaucracy - with whom the CP: sakata con to the Labour Party was a big issue at the conference. If the CP really had anything to offer for the struggle for socialism, it would be vigorously joining with those fighting inside the Labour Party. But in fact the CP is considerably to the right of substantial sections of the Labour Party, and the CP leaders can't support involvement in the Labour Party - because their organisation would just disappear into the Labour Party's soft left!

The vote against an immediate campaign for affiliation was three to one.

The crisis of the CP in Britain is no accident. It is part of the world-wide crisis of Stalinism. The rise of class struggle both in the capitalist countries and in the deformed workers' states - in particular Poland - has sharpened the conflict between the working class and their bureaucratic leaders.

The British CP can no longer rely on the once unassailable prestige of Stalin's Kremlin leadership, the former monolithic conformity of the world Stalinist movement, or its own former ruthless suppression of opposition to hold the line.

Intensify

As workers turn increasingly to the left of the Labour Party and/or the revolutionary left to advance the struggle for socialism, the crisis of the CPGB can only intensify.

This opens up great opportunities for Marxists in the unions. Socialist Organiser supporters should press home this advantage by drawing the best militants away from the CP and its front organisations towards the Socialin Org.. aniser Alliance.