The Cause of All Progressive Humanity

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Message of RCPB(ML) to Friends of Korea Celebration Meeting:
The Cause of All Progressive Humanity
Message of Congratulations

Save Our Heritage!

On April 14, 2007, a public meeting and social was held under the title "Korea Defends Independence". It was organised by Friends of Korea, which unites parties, organisations and individuals in Britain who are in solidarity with the struggle of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to defend its independence and sovereignty against imperialism.

Thanks to its powerful defences, the strong unity of its people, and its diplomatic tactics, the DPRK scored significant victories in the Six Party Talks in Beijing, which will help secure the country’s sovereignty and security and enable it to further develop its national economy. However, US imperialism and other reactionary forces are not resigned to their defeat and continue to threaten socialist Korea and seek to undermine its economy. The meeting was therefore held in the context that Korea’s friends and all anti-imperialists still have a great deal of work to do. The meeting also celebrated the life and work of the great revolutionary leader President Kim Il Sung who was born on April 15, 1912. The DPRK has achieved its successes by remaining faithful to the teachings of Kim Il Sung, and the meeting was very pleased to welcome Jong In Song, counsellor at the Embassy of the DPRK in London. The children of the Embassy diplomats concluded the meeting with a confident and uplifting cultural performance.

We are reproducing below the message to the meeting from the representative of the Revolutionary Community Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist).

Comrades and friends,

I would like to convey to this celebratory meeting, marking the 95th anniversary of the birth of the great leader President Kim Il Sung – Sun’s Day, 2007 – greetings of solidarity from our Party, RCPB(ML).

If it was the case that last year the Korean and world’s people faced great dangers when we last celebrated this anniversary, and pledged to play our part in defence of the independence of the DPRK, as it is our duty to take a stand in defence of the sovereignty of nations and peoples everywhere, then this danger has not receded in the intervening period. Anglo-American imperialism is attempting to impose its social system and values everywhere by aggression, domination and force. Facts and events have shown that the US is an aggressor, and that Britain is its accomplice in their imperialist striving to impose Anglo-American rule over Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and points east.

This being the case, the victory accomplished by the DPRK in the Six-Party talks is very important in countering the Anglo-American empire-building project, specifically in the region from Afghanistan to Korea. The stand of the DPRK over its nuclear programme and its nuclear deterrent have played an important part in neutralising the aggressive stand and intent of the US and Britain.

Under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, implementing and further developing the guidelines laid down by President Kim Il Sung, the Korean people are ever ready to defend the social system they themselves have chosen and are ready to do so with their very lives. This readiness, as well as the progress made towards reunification of the homeland by the Korean people themselves, thwarting the manoeuvres and threats of US imperialism and its British ally, are very much an inspiration.

The chauvinism of the ruling circles in Britain is fuelling their hegemonic policies of declaring illegitimate any other way of life but that of neo-liberal globalisation under the signboard of "universal values". It is no way to conduct modern politics and international relations to demand that there can only be one set of values, one way of life, to define religions and world outlooks in terms of "extremism" or "moderation", or to define as democratic only one political and economic system. This is directly leading to Anglo-American imperialism calling for and acting to carry out interference in the internal affairs of others, regime change and war, occupation and aggression.

The working class and people are the natural allies of the Korean people in their determined struggle against the hostile actions and intent of Anglo-American imperialism and in their aspirations to achieve the peaceful, independent reunification of their nation. This is particularly so at the present time when the anti-war movement is growing in this country, when people are demanding a government that is built on the principle of being anti-war and will not resolve international conflicts through force. The working class and people are the allies of the Korean people in demanding an end to the US military occupation of south Korea, and an end to the threats of war and nuclear blackmail against the DPRK which have the potential to ignite a catastrophic nuclear world war beginning in East Asia. Our own government must end its hostile attitude to the DPRK and stop its unfounded slanders which it has insisted on persisting with despite every act of goodwill on behalf of the DPRK government and people.

I would like to reiterate what our Party said also at the 2006 meeting to celebrate the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung: "As part of our work in the context of the solidarity movement and of developing the people’s struggles, it is very important to oppose the attempts by the ruling elites to criminalise certain ideologies, particularly that of communism. To do so, it is very important to provide information about what is actually the case in the world, and to take a stand for what is just, and to bring into play the human factor. Our conviction, as is that of the people of the DPRK who are upholding the precious legacy of great leader Kim Il Sung, is that socialism is the present and future of humankind, and it is therefore very important to strengthen international friendship and unity with all those forces standing for this socialism and fighting to bring it into being, to strengthen the unity of the forces upholding the banner of socialism, as well as the banner of independence, freedom and democracy."

The leadership of Kim Il Sung was very important in building the unity of all patriotic and democratic forces so as to forge the unity of the Korean nation. In this way, it was Korea’s enemies who were isolated. Today, under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, the dignity of the Korean nation is being defended, a powerful socialist country built, and the sentiment of the Korean people north and south is to reunify the Korean Peninsula to give concrete expression to the reality that Korea is One! This method of building the maximum unity against the enemy while not departing from a principled stand – while the prevailing wisdom of our own ruling circles calls it "extremism" – is surely applicable in our own work also. It is in this context very important to combat the hysteria generated by our government over every kind of issue, including the DPRK, and engage in calm discussion among all sections of the people and the working class and progressive movements. This implies we have much work to do in combating this disinformation, in providing information about the DPRK and in merging the people’s struggles into one torrent against reaction and to plant an alternative to this reaction and war. It remains of crucial importance to be vigilant against the ploys and manoeuvres of our own government. This is only underlined by the recent events regarding the provocations against Iran, which show that the government, in conjunction with the US, will try and use any pretext to achieve their aggressive aims, unless outmanoeuvred by those they wish to dominate.

In today's world the imperialist powers are stopping at nothing, they are casting aside all established international norms, in their efforts to impose on the peoples of the world their "free market" economy, political pluralism and concept of human rights based on private property. They are waging an unprecedented assault not only on socialism and communism but on everything progressive, attempting to turn the clock backwards to medieval ways. That the DPRK continues to refuse to bow the knee to such unrelenting pressures is both a great inspiration and an immense contribution to the struggles of the peoples of the world against imperialism, for their national and social rights and freedoms. For their part, the British working class and people have the responsibility to contribute to ensuring that neither Britain nor the US, Japan or any other force negate the gains that have been made. Building unity with the Korean people is a very important part of strengthening our own struggle as part of the global struggles of the world’s people. This is summed up in the slogan: One Humanity, One Struggle!

The cause in which the DPRK takes so heroic a stand is the cause of all progressive humanity, the cause of the independence and sovereignty of the people, the cause of socialism which is the future of humankind. On this historic day, Sun’s Day, we declare again that we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Korean people in this cause. We profoundly honour the memory and legacy of President Kim Il Sung, and pledge that his cause is our cause, and the cause of all who aspire to open the path to a new and different world.

Thank you very much.

Adopted at the Friends of Korea Celebration Meeting, April 14, 2007 (Juche 96)

Saklatvala Hall, Southall, UK

To Kim Jong Il
General Secretary, Workers’ Party of Korea
Chairman of the National Defence Commission
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il

On the auspicious occasion of Sun’s Day, marking the birthday of the great leader President Kim Il Sung, we would like to convey to you personally and through you to the Korean people, heartfelt greetings and congratulations.

President Kim Il Sung was not only the great leader of the Korean people. He was respected throughout the world wherever the people are in struggle to defend their sovereignty and independence, are striving to build a new society, or are resisting exploitation, oppression and imperialist war. The lofty cause to which he devoted his entire life and energies, and for which he is cherished and loved by working people everywhere, was no less than the complete emancipation of humanity.

Today, in circumstances no less complicated and dangerous than those faced by President Kim Il Sung, your own leadership is building on the legacy bequeathed by him. Under your leadership, the Korean people are achieving unprecedented victories in strengthening the social system of their choice, defending its independence against all the hostile threats of the imperialist powers. In so doing, the Korean people are inspired by your will and desire to serve humanity by building a strong and powerful nation, which is an indispensable and decisive force in the context of the people’s struggles worldwide to bring an end to war and aggression and to liberate humanity.

This meeting reaffirms its firm support of your leadership, and takes this opportunity to express its conviction that the unanimous wish of the Korean people to peacefully reunify their homeland will come to fruition in the not-too-distant future.

May we wish you on this occasion good health and long life, and assure you that we stand shoulder to shoulder with you in our common cause of building a new and different world.

Workers’ Weekly Youth Group

A joyous celebration was held last month at the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow to mark the anniversary of the birth of William Morris in March, 1834. William Morris was a designer, craftsman, writer and socialist. As well as enjoying the birthday celebrations, people were there to protest against planned cutbacks to the William Morris Gallery and Vestry House.

Roger Taylor, a leader of the campaign, said of the plans: "The cut backs are part and parcel of the general cutbacks in Walthamstow, and the plan is to cut £56,000 off the Museum and Vestry House, which essentially means that they will lose staff. That’s why they are making the cuts, so they don’t have to pay wages. They will close (the museum) down and open it at weekends only. The curator has been forced to either accept it, or go. This is the same for the archivists at Vestry House. It looks at the moment that both will go, which means the gallery will be only open at weekends with just a porter, who will not be able to curate. Which means the collection will not be added to or subtracted from, and research facilities will be no good for students, and schoolchildren come here ever such a lot, and now they won’t be coming. They say at the weekends more people will come, but if they think it’s just people coming through the door, that’s not what an art gallery is."

William Morris was born in Walthamstow on March 24, 1834, and died at Hammersmith in 1896. The eighteenth-century Water House, which was Morris’s family home from 1848 to 1856, is now the William Morris Gallery, the only public museum devoted to one of this country’s best known, most versatile, and ground-breaking designers. As well as practising art, craft and design, Morris was first and foremost a socialist. Of art, Morris stated: "I do not want art for a few, anymore than education for a few, or freedom for a few." Morris believed that everyone could create but that "profit grinding" society stood in the way of this potential: "In a world made whole, we can all be creators." Morris states in The History of Pattern Designing, 1882: "… I love art, and I love history; but it is living art and living history that I love. If we have no hope for the future, I do not see how we can look back on the past with pleasure."

Trade unions, staff and supporters attended the gathering. Banners included "Save our Heritage" and "Don’t Lose our Experience and Loyal Staff". These threatened cut backs are part of the whole government agenda to cut back on the people’s local and national cultural institutions.

Roger Taylor states, "They say people are not interested in culture or that William Morris is just about wallpaper, but the beauty of going into the museum and seeing these things in front of you is, that because they’re made, it’s applied art, so there is furnishing, plates and glass, it’s a completely different feeling in there. And that tradition should be there if people want it."

The people of Walthamstow are standing firm in their defence of this important part of their history. For an on-line petition, see http://www.petitiononline.com/savewmg.

They are not the only ones fighting back for the right to the people’s history, culture and identity in England. Other local museums under threat include the Theatre Museum. Set up after a 50-year campaign, the museum held one of the finest collections of material on Performing Arts. The Theatre Museum’s parent body, the Victoria and Albert Museum, unilaterally decided to close down the Russell Street site without public debate. To counter this decision the theatre community, both individuals and representative bodies, have come together to create "The Guardians of the Theatre Museum". Their short-term aim is to force the Victoria and Albert Museum to withdraw its notice of closure for the Russell Street site on the grounds that it has been inadequately debated without the participation of staff. Also closed or under threat of closure are The Museum of the Moving Image, and Wandsworth Museum. Graham Fisher chief executive of the MLA London (museums libraries and archives) states: "The latest concerns about the effects of the 2012 Games on national lottery funding for culture have only added to peoples worries. Without statutory protection, cultural services will always be first in line for cuts by boroughs under financial pressure." Petitions bearing almost 20,000 signatures opposing the Wandsworth Museum's closure have been submitted to Wandsworth Council, and it now appears that a charitable foundation is to finance a rescue package, though the museum’s future seems far from guaranteed.

These smaller local museums have to fight to stay afloat and don’t get enough council funding, so cannot exist solely on this funding. That they have to rely on rich philanthropists to guarantee their existence cannot be just. They are vital resources which national and local government has a duty to preserve.

There are other parts of our heritage, which we are now in threat of losing, for example London’s array of specialised independent bookshops. One such bookshop is Gay’s the Word, the only lesbian and gay bookshop in the UK. It opened its doors in 1979 and has acted as a social centre, information service, and advice shop. Jake Arnott, 45, the author of The Long Firm and Johnny Come Home said it would be the advisory function as much as the literary one that would be missed. "Given the current circumstances for independent bookshops, it might be gone forever, and there aren’t any solely gay and lesbian bookshops in the country," he stated. He goes on to say, "But it’s so much more important than just a retail outlet in terms of people having somewhere they can go to find out about (lesbian and gay matters). Sometimes going into a bar isn’t a very warm and friendly experience. The social act of going into a bookshop and finding a book about oneself can be important." For Arnott's generation, Gays the Word acted as an important political focus given that they grew up in the time when gay rights were under attack from such measures as the section 28 legislation. Without support and respect for people’s heritage this bookshop cannot flourish. This can be said for other bookshops facing the threat of impending closure, such as Bookmarks which is one of Britain’s leading socialist bookshops, and which has launched a solidarity appeal. Located in Bloomsbury, the store has been described by Tony Benn as a "university for activists". The bookshop is struggling to compete against large supermarkets, chain bookstores, and high rent fees. Housmans is another example. Located in Kings Cross, this shop specialises in books and periodicals of radical interest and progressive politics. It also is struggling with chain store competition. Also an important people’s resource is John Buckle Books. John Buckle Books, founded in 1970 and now established in Wandsworth Road in Vauxhall, is a centre for communism and communist and progressive literature.

These institutions, local museums, bookshops and other such forms have been built and sustained by the people to protect our history and culture, a history and culture that serves the working people, and they are part of the struggle to make history a living phenomenon, on which we can base today’s struggle. It is this kind of history that the ruling elite want to destroy, with cutbacks, and the building of private consumer-based enterprises. This is part of the whole attack on culture, in which any person or any institution that goes towards celebrating, cultivating and analysing the history or culture of the people are met with blocks, in order to maintain the status quo’s imposed values and norms. This is the same motivation behind the colonialists’ approach of destroying culture and heritage, mutilating languages and so on, that we now see in the imperialist war in Iraq.

Let us stand up to these cut backs on the William Morris Gallery and others with the principle of Stop Paying The Rich, Increase Investment In Social Programmes. We must affirm our right to culture, and create pathways to express it.