It’s a sunny Saturday morning in Birmingham and two young men approach a stall on the high street. A red flag flutters behind it and a young woman holding a copy of The Communist asks if they’re sick of billionaires and want to change the world.
In South London a group of young people join a demonstration for affordable housing. They’re carrying a communist banner, chanting anti-capitalist slogans, and brimming with optimism. Several people stop to ask them about their slogans and what Party they’re from, and they swap contact details.
A group of students and young workers gather under clear blue skies in a park in Cardiff. They’re sitting on the grass talking about the British establishment, the monarchy, the state, and how to overthrow it. Between sandwiches and drinks, a few new people come over to join the discussion.
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All over the country, these scenes have been replicated hundreds of times over the last seven weeks. From Falmouth to Farringdon, and Edinburgh to Exeter, the Communists have been on a recruitment campaign.
As of today, we’ve recruited over 100 new members of the RCP since our Congress last month. This is halfway towards our campaign target the fastest period of growth the Party has ever had.
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We know why we’re recruiting
The key to a good campaign, and this one is no exception, is to make sure everyone understands why it’s necessary.
The world is on fire. Capitalism and imperialism stand exposed in the eyes of millions. People are desperately looking for answers and an alternative. And yet the so-called ‘left’ has never been weaker, or had less to offer.
What’s missing is something that does offer a coherent, revolutionary answer. That’s what we need to build. That’s why we have to recruit to the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP).
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We know how to recruit
The next thing any campaign needs is people who know how to get it done.
We’ve got hundreds of well-trained communists who know how to talk to people about the world, life, and politics. Understanding how to explain, debate, and discuss our ideas with workers and young people is a skill that RCP members are beginning to master.
Recruiting communists is not just about shouting the word “communism”, reciting chunks of the Communist Manifesto, or arguing in the comments on social media. It’s about talking to real people about the things they’re interested in, and linking that to the fight against capitalism and for socialist revolution.
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Over the last seven weeks some people have applied to join the Party because they’re already convinced communists. Others have been radicalised by specific events like the genocide in Palestine or climate change. And others have found us because they’re just generally angry with the world and are trying to understand it.
We’ve been able to recruit them all because our members know what they’re doing when it comes to winning people over. Marxist ideas are a powerful weapon, but it takes trained soldiers to understand that weapon and use it properly. That’s what the RCP has got.
We’re well organised
The final thing a strong campaign needs is discipline and organisation.
Every branch of the RCP has the recruitment campaign on its agenda every week. Events and stalls are being meticulously planned, phone banking is being organised, and meetings are being arranged with urgency.
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Every member – from the newest recruit to the most experienced member of the Central Committee – knows what part they need to play in this recruitment campaign. We all have a responsibility to grow the Party. No one else is going to do it for us.
On to the next 100
If anyone needs convincing about the potential for recruiting another 100 people over the next several weeks, all you need to do is read some of the applications we’ve had over the last few days.
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“I want to join the RCP because I’m sick of watching this country rot under a rigged system” says one person from Birmingham.
“I’m tired of the same old politics. I’m disgusted by Labour on their stance on Palestine and abandoning the working class.” writes someone from Perth.
An optimistic application from Birkenhead reads: “The world can be better and I’m fed up with political self interest coming before the people. I want a better future for my daughter and I want to be part of the movement.”
“I’m tired of the wealthy destroying everything” says someone from Manchester. While from Sheffield we get someone who wants to join “for the freedom of Palestine!”
What we’re reading in these applications is the same thing we’re seeing every day on our street stalls, demonstrations, and meetings. It’s the anger at the system, and desire for fundamental change, among hundreds and thousands of people.
To those people we say: the Revolutionary Communist Party is your party. We can’t wait to welcome you on board.
