Communist Party of Britain
| |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | CPB |
| General Secretary | Robert Griffiths |
| Chair | Ruth Styles |
| Vice-Chair | Tony Conway Mollie Brown |
| Founded | 31 July 1920; 104 years ago (1920-07-31) (As Communist Party of Great Britain) 23 April 1988; 36 years ago (1988-04-23) |
| Split from | Communist Party of Great Britain |
| Preceded by |
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| Headquarters | Ruskin House, Croydon, London |
| Newspaper | Communist Review Communist Women Unity! |
| Youth wing | Young Communist League |
| Membership (2023) | 1,308 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| National affiliation | Co-ordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain No2EU (2009–2014) |
| International affiliation | IMCWP |
| Colours | Red and gold |
| Election symbol | |
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
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The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) is a communist party in Great Britain which emerged from a dispute between Eurocommunists and Marxist-Leninists in the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1988. It follows Marxist-Leninist theory and supports what it regards as existing socialist states. The party has fraternal relationships with the ruling parties in Cuba, China, Laos, and Vietnam. It is affiliated nationally to the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. It is a member of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, together with 117 other political parties. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the party was one of two original British signatories to the Pyongyang Declaration.
History
The Communist Party of Britain was established in April 1988 by a disaffected section of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). This section sought to preserve the Communist Party, saving it from its forthcoming dissolution under a revisionist, Eurocommunist leadership.
Origins
In the period leading up to 1988, the Communist Party of Great Britain was in turmoil as the leadership fought the Marxist-Leninist tendencies inside the party. The rupture was made publicly visible in August/September 1982 after the CPGB's theoretical journal Marxism Today published a feature article by Tony Lane which was critical of the labour movement. The CPGB-affiliated Morning Star newspaper responded with a front page article by the party's Industrial Organiser Mick Costello criticising the Marxism Today article. The CPGB's Executive Committee was flooded with communication from party branches over the affair. The party did not withdraw support for Marxism Today, but the editorial board did introduce a disclaimer that 'the views expressed by authors are personal and not necessarily those of the editor or editorial board', marking the journal's deviation from the party line.
Both publications came to characterise separate visions for the future of the party; the internal opposition rallied around the Morning Star and the reformist leadership around Marxism Today. These early signs of trouble attracted international attention, notably from the East German SED which was concerned about the Eurocommunist tendency in the CPGB.
At the CPGB's 38th congress in November 1983, Tony Chater the editor of the Morning Star, as well as the assistant editor David Whitfield, were both removed from their positions on the party's executive. However, they were able to keep their positions at the paper, as it is owned and managed separately by the People's Press Printing Society co-operative. The following year at the PPPS Annual General Meeting in June 1984, a majority of delegates re-elected Chater and Whitfield to the management committee of the newspaper, against the wishes of the CPGB leadership. In November 1984, the North-West District Congress elected an opposition majority to its District Committee, to which the leadership responded by declaring the district election illegitimate. A similar movement was brewing in London, where the CPGB General Secretary Gordon McLennan pre-emptively dissolved the London District Congress and 11 members of the District Committee were suspended. In Scotland, 20 branches were brought under disciplinary sanctions. The CPGB Executive Committee then brought the dispute to a special congress on 18–20 May 1985, with a draft resolution condemning the Morning Star and the group around it. Over 650 amendments were submitted to the resolution, which was eventually passed after a long debate, and followed up by the expulsion of eighteen members.
In June 1985, dissident and expelled members of the CPGB formed the Communist Campaign Group. This group declared itself loyal to the party programme, and stated its aim was to prevent the liquidation of the party. The Campaign Group was provided an office within the premises of the Morning Star. The first post-congress meeting of the new CPGB Executive Committee in July 1985 dropped the commitment for party members to support the Morning Star; it concluded with the dissolution of more branches and further disciplinary measures, such as the expulsion of Ken Gill.
For two years, the Campaign Group organised within the CPGB to defend the party's Marxist-Leninist principles. However, at the 1987 party congress the Campaign Group failed to shift the leadership, and the direction of the CPGB diverted towards transformation into a social-democratic party. Kevin Halpin was invited to Moscow to discuss the possibility that the CPGB would break apart, he was advised by the CPSU that the Campaign Group should continue working within the existing party structures. On 8 January 1988 the Campaign Group called a press conference to announce the formation of the Communist Party. The re-establishment congress took place over the weekend of 23–24 April 1988, where one of the prominent leaders of the Campaign Group, Mike Hicks, was elected to the position of General Secretary. Chater emphasised the continuity with the CPGB at the congress, explaining at the time:
"We are not creating a new Party. We are re-establishing the Party on the basis of its' [sic] rules and programme."
The first party card was issued to Andrew Rothstein, who had also been one of the founding members of the CPGB. The following year the leaders of the CPGB formally declared that they had abandoned its programme, The British Road to Socialism. Many members perceived this as the party turning its back on socialism. The CPGB dissolved itself in 1991 and reformed as the Democratic Left. Many members of the Straight Left faction who had stayed in the CPGB formed a group called "Communist Liaison" which later opted to join the CPB. Others remained in the Democratic Left or joined the Labour Party.
The party still has members who were active in the CPGB, some of whom were active in the Anti-Apartheid Movement and trade union disputes such as the Upper Clyde work-in or the miners' strike of 1984–1985.
Since 1998
In 1998, Hicks was ousted as such in a 17–13 vote moved by John Haylett (who was also editor of the Morning Star) at a meeting of the party's executive committee. Hicks' supporters on the Management Committee of the Morning Star responded by suspending and then sacking Haylett, which led to a prolonged strike at the Morning Star, ending in victory for Haylett and his reinstatement. Some of Hicks' supporters were expelled and others resigned in protest. They formed a discussion group called Marxist Forum, which is now defunct.
Andrew Murray was a Communist Party member until late 2016. Prior to the formation of the Respect – The Unity Coalition, with the support of the Socialist Workers Party, the party engaged in a debate about whether to join an electoral alliance with Respect and George Galloway. Those in favour, including general secretary Rob Griffiths, Andrew Murray and Morning Star editor John Haylett, were, however, defeated at a Special Congress in 2004.
In 2009, the party was one of the founder organisations of the No2EU electoral alliance alongside the RMT and a number of other left parties. The alliance stood in the 2009 and 2014 European Parliament elections on a platform of opposition to the European Union, which it considers undemocratic and neo-liberal. In 2010, the party was part of "Unity for Peace and Socialism". Later the party went on to lead a Left Leave Campaign (which was chaired by the party's General Secretary Robert Griffiths) along with the Socialist Workers Party, advocating the progressive case for a leave vote in the 2016 referendum on EU membership.
The party was a founding member of the People's Assembly Against Austerity in 2013, along with a number of other political and campaign groups, to create a broad organisation in opposition to austerity policies of the major political parties of Britain and of the European Union. The People's Charter, which the Communist Party had helped create several years earlier, was subsequently voted to be incorporated into the People's Assembly.
At the 2017 general election, the party fielded no candidates and gave its support to the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. The CPB said it was the first election at which neither it nor the CPGB had fielded any candidates. In March 2018, Susan Michie, a leading member of the CPB, said that the party would no longer stand against Labour in general elections. CPB members should be "working full tilt" for the election of Corbyn as prime minister, she said. In the 2019 general election, the party again fielded no candidates and gave its support to the Labour Party.
However following the resignation of Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party and the election of Keir Starmer as his successor, the CPB again decided to field candidates in elections. In February 2021, the party's executive committee decided to mount one of the biggest electoral campaigns since the early 1980s.
In 2021, the party contested parliamentary seats in the Scottish parliamentary election, all regional lists in the Welsh Senedd election and seats across England in the May local elections.
The party briefly had a Councillor on Barrow Borough Council, after he left the Labour Party in February 2023, until the council was abolished in April the same year.
In 2024, the party contested 14 parliamentary seats at the general election, the most it has fought since its formation in 1988. In the 1987 election the CPGB, its predecessor, fielded candidates in 19 seats, and the CPB split from it the year after. It won none of the 14 seats fought in 2024 but won 2,622 votes, its best result at a general election.
Ideology
Main article: Britain's Road to SocialismThe party's ideology is Marxism–Leninism. It is anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, pro-trade union and supports "progressive federalism". Its programme is called Britain's Road to Socialism.
Attitudes towards capitalism
The party takes the traditional Marxist approach to capitalism, saying that it is at fault for wars, climate change, and corruption. It claims that 'capitalism must be overthrown in the interests of the working class and humanity.'
Attitudes towards imperialism
The party believes that the First World War was a war between imperialists, caused by competition between monopolies.
As monopolisation and the over-accumulation of capital began to depress profitability, the finance capitalists increasingly turned to potential sources of super-profits abroad. Thus, capitalism expanded into its imperialist stage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As competition intensified between rival monopolies backed by their respective states, so the scene was set for the inter-imperialist 'Great War' of 1914–18.
— The development of capitalism and imperialism
They criticise US imperialism, and US involvement in regime change. They also hold that the World Trade Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and European Union work to push a neoliberal, imperialist agenda.
New and existing international agencies and mechanisms such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), GATT, the IMF, the World Bank and bilateral so called free trade and investment agreements are utilised to enforce neoliberal policies. The European Union (EU) has played a leading role in this process, confirming its character as an alliance led by the most powerful state-monopoly capitalist powers. It strives to overcome internal contradictions and transform itself into an imperialist 'United States of Europe', complete with its own foreign and military policies aligned with NATO.
— The development of capitalism and imperialism
Capitalism and inequality
The party claims that inequality in the UK can be traced back to capitalism, with workers providing the country with goods and not being properly paid for it, with workers' pay coming under pressure in the recent decades.
As exploitation intensified, so the gap between working people and the superrich has widened enormously. In Britain today, the richest 10 per cent of the population own around half of all declared personal wealth, while the poorer 50 per cent of the population own less than one-tenth of it. Moreover, capitalism has always utilised differences of sex, ethnicity, education, skill, employment status and mental and physical disability to divide the labour force and drive down wage levels.
— Social inequality and oppression
Attitudes towards socialist states
Soviet Union
The party's attitude towards the Soviet Union is positive, with criticism of Nikolai Yezhov's actions during the late 1930s as 'violations of socialist democracy'. Both the party and the Morning Star approved of perestroika and processes of reform in the late 1980s, believing that these would pave the way to a more humane socialism. The final assessment of the Soviet Union is summed up in Britain's Road to Socialism:
Russia and the other countries of the Soviet Union were transformed from semi-feudal, semi-capitalist monarchist dictatorships into modern societies with near-full employment, universally free education and healthcare, affordable housing for all, extensive and cheap public transport, impressive scientific and cultural facilities, rights for women and degrees of self-government for formerly oppressed nationalities. This was achieved through a world historic break with capitalist ownership and social relations, on the basis of social ownership of industry and centralised economic planning.
— Socialism – the lessons so far
North Korea
The Communist Party of Britain and Workers' Party of Korea are both members of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, and so have positive relations. Thus, the Young Communist League has fraternal relations with the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. Challenge, the magazine of the YCL, have published articles in support of the DPRK.
Attitudes towards social issues
Transgender rights
The party states that it supports transgender rights, stating that "The Communist Party supports the right of trans people to live free from discrimination and prejudice", and that "Communists are clear that efforts must continue to improve the resourcing of the current system for transgender people to access services and to transition legally, not just in Scotland but across Britain. Together with the defence and improvement of women's sex-based services and facilities, this is part of the broader struggle for democratic rights, social justice and socialism."
In a March 2023 statement opposing the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill, the party stated that
"The Communist Party is the only political party with a coherent political analysis of sex and gender. Gender as an ideological construct should not be confused or conflated with the material reality of biological sex. Gender is the vehicle through which misogyny is enacted and normalised. Gender identity ideology is well-suited to the needs of the capitalist class, focusing as it does on individual as opposed to collective rights, enabling and supporting the super-exploitation of women."
During the 2024 United Kingdom general election, J. K. Rowling endorsed the party for its views on transgender issues, but the endorsement was rejected by the Communist Party of Britain, due to the party's opposition to transphobia.
Organisation
The Communist Party describes itself as a "disciplined and democratic organisation" and operates on a model of democratic centralism.
The basic party body is the branch. These are normally localities (towns or counties, for example), although workplace branches also exist. In England, branches are grouped into coherent geographical areas and send delegates to a biennial District Congress which elects a District Committee for its area. Similarly, the Welsh and Scottish branches send delegates to their own national congresses where each elects an executive committee. These congresses also decide the broad perspectives for party activity within their districts and nations.
The all-Britain national congress is also held biennially. Delegates from districts, nations and branches themselves decide the party's policy as a whole and elect an executive committee (EC) that carries out a presidium-like function, including decision-making and policy-formation whilst congress is not in session.
The EC also elects a Political Committee (PC) to provide leadership when the EC is not meeting. Advisory Committees also exist to provide in-depth information on an array of subjects, including committees dedicated to women, industrial workers, pensions, public services, education workers, economics, housing, rails, science technology and the environment, transport, Marxist-Leninist education, LGBT rights, anti-racism, anti-fascism, civil service and international affairs.
Young Communist League
Main article: Young Communist League
The YCL is the autonomous youth group of the Communist Party, with its own internal organisation. It carries out work alongside the party, while maintaining its own branches, activities, and events such as an annual summer camp. Young members of the party are automatically enrolled into the youth wing, however membership of both organisations is not synonymous, as it is possible to independently join the YCL without joining the party. The league, like its party, operates on a model of democratic centralism.
Coordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain
The Coordinating Committee is a bureau within the Communist Party which meets with communist parties that have significant memberships in Britain. These include parties from Bangladesh, Britain, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Guyana, India, Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan.
Electoral information
See also: Communist Party of Britain election resultsGeneral election results
| Election year | # of candidates | % of overall vote | # of total votes | # of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 | 0.0% | 911 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0.0% |  1,003
|
 0
|
| 2005 | 6 | 0.0% | 1,124
|
0
|
| 2010 | 6 | 0.0% |  947
|
0
|
| 2015 | 9 | 0.0% | 1,229
|
0
|
| 2017 | Supported Labour | |||
| 2019 | Supported Labour | |||
| 2024 | 14 | 0.0% | 2,622
|
0
|
Symbolism on ballot slips
Under the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998, which regulated the use of symbols on ballot slips and electoral material, the Communist Party is the only British political party entitled to use a stand-alone hammer and sickle in such cases. The party tends to use the hammer and dove (adopted when the party was re-established in 1988) in conjunction with the hammer and sickle in publications and on other material, with the hammer and dove normally taking primacy.
Membership
Former members include Bob Crow of the RMT union, Ken Gill of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance (MSF) union and Kate Hudson of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Current members include Susan Michie, a member of the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Independent SAGE advising on behavioural science measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Size
From 2006 to 2014, the party held a membership of over 900 members. In 2015, this figure dropped to below 800 members, although it has since recovered with growth in the Young Communist League. In 2018, there were 915 members of the CPB and YCL combined, and by 2019 it had increased to 1,011 members, At the 56th party congress in 2021 it was reported that the party had grown to over 1,200 members. As of 2022, the party maintains branches in most major cities. General Secretary, Robert Griffiths said in 2017 that CPB is organised in "just about every part of Britain".
By December 2023 the party had grown to 1,308 members, along with 500 members of the YCL (some of whom also hold party membership). In July 2023, the party claimed via Twitter that it had a membership number not seen since the 1980s.
The statement of accounts submitted to the Electoral Commission in 2023 reported a total annual income of £171,755.
Application
In order to join the party, applicants must pay a registration fee of £6. After this they will be contacted by the membership officer of their local branch to arrange an interview. Applicants must be 16 or over.
Publications
The party publishes a wide variety of literature and material.
- Communist Review
- A theoretical and discussion journal published on a quarterly basis. It takes its name from the old journal published by the CPGB and is edited by Martin Levy. The content of the journal covers book reviews, feature articles, letters and sometimes poetry.
- Challenge
- Main article: Challenge (Communist journal)
- The magazine of the Young Communist League. It mainly covers news, feature articles and political reports. Each issue typically features 'Back 2 Basics', a series which explains the basic foundations of Marxism-Leninism in an accessible way. Occasionally it publishes music, film or video game reviews alongside other light content such as comic strips. It is aimed at young people and so is intended to be easier to read than Communist Review.
- Communist Women
- The bulletin of the Women's Commission, edited by the Women's Officer of the party. It features some content from SISTERS – the quarterly journal of the National Assembly of Women.
- Communist News & Views
- An irregular email bulletin which summarises the party's recent statements, resolutions, reports and policies. It also brings attention to campaigns and events being promoted by the party. The name is a reference to World News & Views – the internal newsletter of the CPGB.
- Country Standard
- A newspaper for rural communities, produced since March 1936. It is run by an editorial collective of Communist and Labour members, environmentalists and trade unionists. The paper supports the Countryside Charter. It is published annually, often to coincide with distribution at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival. Otherwise it appears as an insert in the Morning Star.
- Manifesto Press
- The party publishes books under the Manifesto Press imprint. As of June 2019, it has a total catalogue of 25 titles and also sells 2 titles which are published separately by Hetherington Press. The books cover historical, political and social topics and are edited by Nick Wright. The party maintains another book publisher in Scotland called Praxis Press, which operates out of the Unity Books office in Glasgow.
- Unity! and Solidarity
- Unity! is a short booklet focused around labour issues and often distributed for free at trade union events. Solidarity is a bulletin published by the international department of the party, it covers the party's foreign policy and the activities of the Co-ordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain. The editor is Anita Halpin.
In addition to this the party publishes many pamphlets under its own name. The Classics of Communism series are reprints of classic works such as The Communist Manifesto or "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder. The Our History series aims to re-tell 'history from below' and covers historical events from a working class perspective. This series is a continuation of the work of the Communist Party Historians Group The party also publishes congress reports, the party programme, briefing notes and other documents.
Headquarters
At the beginning of November 2004, the party and its youth organisation, the YCL, moved out of its temporary headquarters in Camden, North London after receiving notice to quit because of redevelopment. The building was owned by AKEL, the Cypriot communist party. Ruskin House in Croydon was chosen as the new party headquarters, with its long history in the progressive movement as centre of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and also local Labour Party and co-operative groups. The party rents the top floor of four offices at Ruskin House which also allows it plenty of room to hold its congresses and other important meetings, including an annual industrial cadre school and the Communist University of Britain. In Scotland, the party also makes use of an office in Glasgow.
Conferences and festivals
Congress
The party holds a biennial congress with delegates from districts, nations and branches. The last congress as the Communist Party of Great Britain was the 43rd congress and was held in 1991. The 44th congress, as the Communist Party of Britain, was held in 1997. Since 2000 the congress has been held every two years apart from a special congress held in February 2004. The 29 member governing Executive Committee (EC) of the party is elected at congress.
Events
In November 2004 the party organised Communist University events in Wales and England, these were further developed to form a national three-day event which ran annually from 2005 to 2010. This was accompanied by regional weekend universities in Wales, Scotland and the Midlands. Among the speakers at the Communist University at Ruskin House in November 2006 were Labour MP John McDonnell, RMT general secretary Bob Crow, CND chair Kate Hudson, Communist Party USA vice-president Jarvis Tyner, French Communist Party economist Paul Boccara and Palestine Liberation Organization ambassador Dr Noha Khalef.
21st Century Marxism
In 2011, the national Communist University event was renamed to "21st Century Marxism" and the format was changed slightly from a festival to a conference. The style of the event has changed widely over the years as the organisers experiment with different venues and speakers.
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 26 to 27 November 2011 | Bishopsgate Institute |
| 21 to 22 July 2012 | Bishopsgate Institute |
| 2 to 3 November 2013 | Marx Memorial Library |
| 26 to 27 July 2014 | Marx Memorial Library |
The party's political education strategy also includes trade union and political cadre schools, party-building schools and dayschools.
General secretaries
| General Secretary | Took office | Left office |
| Mike Hicks | 1988 | 1998 |
| Robert Griffiths | 1998 |
Notable current and former members
- Susan Michie (1955), clinical psychologist, and professor of health psychology
- George Michael (1963–2016), English singer, songwriter and record producer and one of the best-selling musicians of all time was a member of the Young Communist League in the 1980s
- Bob Crow (1961–2014), former General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
- Anita Halpin (1944), former President of the National Union of Journalists
- Graham Stevenson (1950–2020), former National secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union
- Gawain Little (1980), current General-Secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions
- Paul Cockshott (1952) Economist
- Maxine Peake (1974), actor and narrator was both a member of the Young Communist League and of the Communist Party in her youth
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A period of intense factional struggle saw the Party's membership drop astronomically over the period from 1984. A phase of mass expulsions of many hundreds of Morning Star supporters saw many of them 're-establish' the Communist Party in 1988, taking the name Communist Party of Britain (CPB).
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The Communist Party remains the only political party affiliated to the Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign
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the main body of the London recruits were members of the British Young Communist League... a few of them in the Communist Party as well
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When I was much younger I used to be a member of the Communist Party although nowadays I don't really have a political affiliation to any party.
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