Revolutionary Communist Party Britain (Marxist-Leninist)

170 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LA Tel: 020 7627 0599
To contact the Party by e-mail : office@rcpbml.org.uk

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6th National Consultative Conference of RCPB(ML):

The Work to Intervene in the Political Life of the Country

The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) held its 6th National Consultative Conference in Birmingham over the weekend of March 31 – April 1. With an agenda of approving the line and policy for the work and plan to intervene in the political life of the country, the Conference was indeed an important landmark in the line of march of the working class on the road to a socialist Britain.

The National Consultative Conference 2000 last December had resolved to open up this front of work, together with the work to build and consolidate the Mass Party Press, in the run up to the Party’s 4th Congress scheduled for March 2002. With these sentiments the Conference participants were in a mood of anticipation to hear and deliberate on the papers presented by the Central Committee on the investigation and analysis it had been instructed to carry out in preparation for the Conference.

Four important papers – Against the Third Way – the Need for Practical Politics; The Party’s Stand on Participating in the Election; The Need to Establish Unity on the New Historical Basis; and Renewing the Political Process and Providing it with Modern Content – gave the whole logic of the Party’s stand and positions on the question of participating in the impending election campaign, its tactical line, and the Party’s political objectives in participating in the political life of the country. The presentations set the context for contributions and interventions of the members, supporters and activists of the Party which elaborated and clarified the issues. In the course of the discussions, the participants spoke from their own experience, conscious that the National Consultative Conference had the important responsibility of adopting the line and policy of RCPB(ML) on this crucial front of work.

An important theme which underpinned the debate was that whilst the election campaign is time limited, it does presents an important opportunity for the working class and people to build up the opposition to the reactionary "Third Way" programme. The Party’s plan to intervene in the political life, however, is not restricted to the period in which the election campaign is waged but is part of the whole campaign to build the opposition, led by the working class, to the notion that there is no alternative to the current economic and political arrangements. In this respect, the Conference focused on the tactical line and programme for the working class and the progressive and democratic forces taking into account the objective situation, the stage of the movements of the working class and people and the requirements of consolidating the Mass Communist Party.

The presentations, contributions and discussions highlighted the Party’s willingness to put the full weight of the collective behind anyone who wished to stand in the election on the basis that the prevailing political arrangements require complete renewal to empower the people and that the retrogressive "Third Way" programme of the rich must not be allowed to pass, and that the workers’ opposition must be built to this programme with its independent programme of the working class.

The conference unanimously adopted the following resolution:

That this conference resolves to adopt the line and policy of intervening in the political life of the country on the New Historical Basis. It resolves to adopt the tactical programme of implanting the alternative on the soil of Britain, with its call to the working class to take up its role of leading the broad masses of the people in ensuring that Tony Blair’s reactionary "Third Way" programme is not carried through.

Conference resolves that the Party should put its full weight behind candidates in the general election who embody this opposition and the need to break with the political process which keeps the people away from political power.

The two days over which the Conference took place entailed many discussions, formal and informal, in an enthusiastic and militant atmosphere exemplified by a determination to advance along the path guided by a Party becoming increasingly revolutionised, experienced and determined to carry out its tasks effectively. It was assessed as indeed historic by the participants.

Hosted by the West Midlands Regional Forum on the Mass Party Press, the 6th NCC also heard a message of greetings from the Indian Workers Association (G.B.) and concluded with the singing of The Internationale and the shouting of the slogans:

Long Live the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)!

Plant the Alternative on the Soil of Britain!

Build the Workers’ Opposition!

Workers of All Countries, Unite!

WDIE, Year 2001 No. 61, April 9, 2001

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