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| Volume 56 Number 1, January 24, 2026 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
Michael Chant, General Secretary of RCPB(ML), gave the
Party's New Year message
The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) held its New Year social on January 10, attended by around 30 invited guests. The social had the theme of fighting for the alternative in answering the call of history in the here and now. The event was dedicated to the Palestinian people, their resistance and their right to be. All ages were represented in this festive political event, full of life and vigour, symbolic of the new world striving to come into being.
The venue in London had been prepared well for the occasion, reflecting the determination of the Party activists to ensure the success of the Party's work in organising and facilitating the New and the authority of the working class in 2026.
Michael Chant's toast giving the call of RCPB(ML) to
fight for the alternative, to respond to the call of history, the call of the
times!
After a well-planned and varied buffet meal, a chorus came to the front of the hall to sing "The Party Is the Most Precious Thing". The MC for the evening then announced the rest of the proceedings, beginning with two songs from a comrade, veteran of the struggle of the Irish people for their sovereignty and a united Ireland. His first song, Palestine, was in solidarity with the courageous prisoners on hunger strike in English prisons. The second, Galtee Mountain Boy, expressed support for Palestine and solidarity with all the peoples fighting for their liberty and self-determination.
Then the social was very pleased to welcome Paul Heron, solicitor at the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), who spoke firstly on the legal battle, as a front of the mass movement, against those forces representing Israeli-Zionism trying to wipe out any and all expression of opposition to Israeli genocide, a battle which is still ongoing. In doing so, he paid tribute to the spark that Party comrades had given to this battle and the faith that RCPB(ML) had placed in the PILC. Secondly, Paul Heron spoke on the significance of the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI), in which he had been instructed by Michael Chant and RCPB(ML) in representing them at the Inquiry. Paul stressed that these actions by the undercover police officers have been political and come from the state, with the aim of blocking a better world from coming into being and attempting to obliterate revolutionary politics and the fight for justice. He particularly paid tribute to the women who had been deceived into long- term relationships with undercover officers and who had then tracked down these officers and exposed them. This is what gave rise to the UCPI, and not the benevolence of the state, Paul said. There must be justice and redress for all those wronged, and an end to the state's interference in the political affairs of the working class and people.
Michael Chant, General Secretary of RCPB(ML), then gave the Party's New Year message, on taking forward the fight for the alternative in 2026. He stressed that this is a period of transition, the destruction of the old forms, the restructuring of the state, the strengthening of police powers, a new phase in counter-revolution in which the fight of the people for the alternative is an historical imperative. He characterised the alternative, arising out of this period of transition, as a condition in which the working people themselves constitute the authority and decide matters directly. The alternative is taking shape as people resist, speak in their own name and reject the existing conception of authority. The alternative is in the course of being created as working people themselves constitute the authority at each turn of events and decide directly how to intervene to make sure whatever the ruling class is implementing at their expense cannot succeed.
The speaker reviewed the Party's activities over the past year, particularly the role of Workers' Weekly, the newspaper of RCPB(ML), stressing that the independent working class press has never been more important than it is at this time, and neither has the need to expand the voice of the working class ever more creatively. This provides a guideline for 2026. He also reviewed the participation and intervention of the Party and its activists in the important movements of the working class and people, such as the anti-war movement, with the perspective of bringing into being an Anti-War Government, the Party's efforts to mobilise the youth, and to support the struggles in defence of the rights of all.
RCPB(ML), he said, is calling on all to take up the fight for the alternative. The people, Michael Chant said as he raised his glass in a toast to the work in 2026, will never agree with coming under the dictate of the most counter-revolutionary forces. That is as certain as day follows night. This is why RCPB(ML) gives the call to fight for the alternative, to respond to the call of history, the call of the times!
The New Year social continued with a lively and inclusive cultural programme of songs, instrumentals and poems, in which many comrades and friends participated. The social went on long after the formal closing time, with many discussions, exchanging experiences, and renewing the bonds of social friendship taking place. The event unquestionably marked a step forward in the work of the Party as it strengthens its leadership and works out its programme meeting the needs of the times, drawing new strength as it moves from success to success, until, as Marx said, "a situation has been created which makes all turning back impossible".
Forward into 2026! Fight for the Alternative!