From 19-22 July, over 200 communists from the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) – as well as a delegation from the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland – gathered in the Peak District for our annual summer camp.
With a system in crisis and new political features emerging, from the new Corbyn-Sultana party to Reform UK, it was necessary to arm ourselves to soberly and concretely analyse these events, and orient ourselves correctly towards them.
School of Ted Grant
The focus on both theory and our traditions flowed perfectly from the theme of this year’s camp: The School of Ted Grant.
By studying his ideas and legacy as one of the founding members of our organisation and the sole defender of genuine Marxism following the Second World War, comrades were able to understand the world situation at the time he was writing, and apply his method to the situation unfolding in front of us now.
Grant’s method was drawn out in almost every discussion during the talks: seeing Marxism not as a set of dogmas and formulas that can be unthinkingly imposed upon events, but using Marx’s dialectical method to draw new conclusions during unprecedented and unstable times.
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This was what set Ted apart from the other leaders of the Fourth International, whose failure to apply the Marxist method led them to make blunder after blunder. Comparing these two methods was the focus of Executive Committee member Rob Sewell’s opening talk on the rise and fall of the Fourth International.
With over 170 (and counting!) new joiners to the RCP since our National Congress in May, we have a fresh layer of communists in our ranks who are unfamiliar with the crucial role Ted played in preserving genuine Marxism. New comrades noted that having this link to history inspired them massively.
But even for those who have been around a few years, the interest in Ted’s ideas was evident – not only by the fact that tickets to the camp sold out extremely quickly, but that our best selling book of the camp, Ted’s newly-republished History of British Trotskyism, was purchased 45 times!
“I learnt so much from all the talks and I left feeling inspired to learn even more!” – Dan, Newcastle
Impressively, comrades bought over £3,400 worth of books, magazines, and pamphlets from the Wellred Books stall over the course of the event. This represents an increase of more than 40 percent compared to last year.
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Marxist education
14 talks were held across the camp, each one accompanied by a high level political discussion that demonstrated the qualitative growth of our party in the last period.
We covered a range of topics: economics and the post-war boom; Bonapartism and the state; the class nature of the Soviet Union; the importance of materialist philosophy for the sciences, the Spanish Revolution of the 1930s; the Marxist approach to war, and more.
Each talk explained the role that Ted Grant played in preserving and developing the Marxist position on all these questions, but also linking these topics to the situation now, and the tasks ahead of us.
Fiona Lali’s talk on fascism and Bonapartism explored Trotsky’s and Ted’s analysis of the rise of fascism in the 1930s, providing comrades with important historical understanding. This was then tied to important political questions of today, such as the nature of Trump’s regime, and the far-right riots in 2024.
On Sunday evening, all comrades attended an extended session on world perspectives, which was important not only because of the tumultuous and contradictory world situation, but to prepare and inspire comrades ahead of the RCI’s World Congress in two weeks.
Will Collins, Yorkshire regional organiser and Central Committee member, opened the session by detailing the dire state of world capitalism – and importantly the reasons why it has become so dire.
This introduction delved into the rise of militarism and protectionism, and the tensions between capitalist nations. Contributions covered global debt, military spending, imperialism, the crisis of the European Union, and the strength of the working class today.
As unstable as capitalism is right now, one comrade remarked, there will be no final economic crisis of capitalism. It has to be consciously fought, and put out of its misery by world socialist revolution.
Camaraderie
This Summer Camp would not have been possible without every comrade chipping in, whether that was assisting with catering, cleaning, staffing the bar, or running the book and merch stalls, and all comrades rolled their sleeves up and got stuck in.
“There was an unparalleled sense of community, with comrades enthusiastic to serve food or sweep the floor or chat to newcomers. This is the spirit of revolution; you could feel that every attendee had a common goal bigger than themselves.” – Adam, Liverpool
The venue was brimming with optimism and camaraderie the entire length of the camp – and for those getting the train, the pub afterwards as well!) – with new comrades being welcomed into the Party with open arms.
At any time, you could enter the main room and find comrades from different branches and regions excitedly discussing the talks and the work in their own cities and towns – sharing perspectives and lessons across the country.
It was a great environment to be in: politically serious during the talks and discussions, but with plenty of comradely bonding in between.
As well as activities run by the venue on Sunday, including zipwire, quarry climbing, and archery tag; Sunday evening featured musical performances and singing.
Most importantly of all, Monday evening’s pub quiz was jointly won by teams Ralph Leeds and Londongrad! This resulted in a very successful financial collection brought in as a ‘surprise round’ for extra points. Across all of the teams, over £9,200 was raised for the Party’s fighting fund!
As is now a tradition, comrades rambled along the hillsides on Monday afternoon, led by Kevin Ramage of the Cornwall branch.
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Between the impromptu agitational speeches and quick-fire quizzes on local industrial history and the radical poetry of William Blake, comrades learned almost as much in the great outdoors as they did in the talks. And more than one leading comrade found themselves put to the test by Kevin’s shrewd questioning!
The tasks ahead
The final day of the camp linked all of the theoretical questions we had explored into our concrete perspectives and tasks.
Beginning with an introduction by Executive Committee member Adam Booth on sectarianism, consciousness, and tactics, we discussed the role of the party and its relationship to the working class.
Comrades were very keen to hear this talk, especially in light of the announcement of Corbyn and Sultana’s new left party.
We discussed how Marxism is not just a science, but an art: it is the ability to work flexibly while staying firm on principles, and skillfully connect with consciousness in a range of contexts.
The final talk was a report of our ‘Revolution Against the Billionaires’ recruitment campaign by RCP national organiser Lotta Angantyr.
We celebrated the successes of the campaign, outlined the main lessons so far, and felt motivated for the final push to reach our recruitment goal by the RCI World Congress.
“To hear that the party has grown so rapidly was very inspiring and charged me up for the work ahead. The friendships and gorgeous location were huge bonuses. It was simply unforgettable and I’m so grateful to have been in attendance!” – Shelby, West London
The final rendition of the Internationale was the loudest yet, and the mood upon leaving was clear: we were all ready to return to our branches and put our ideas into practice.
The stormy seas ahead will be at times difficult to navigate, but the tools we forge now with our political preparation will prove decisive in the end. Forward to 200 new RCP members by the World Congress, and forward to 2,000 organised communists in Britain!
