On the last weekend of August, the leadership of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) met to sharpen our weapons before our autumn offensive, in which we will embark upon our largest recruitment campaign yet.
Adam Booth, editor of The Communist, began by outlining what the recent far–right riots represented. The impact it has had on consciousness is a significant turning point, with tens of thousands of workers and youth mobilising to sweep the fascists off our streets.
He ended by saying that these events should be a wake-up call for all comrades: the old order is decaying and dying, and a new one is struggling to be born. There will be no return to some ‘golden age’ of capitalism.
These events have shaken the consciousness of wide layers of young people, who will have concluded that something more needs to be done to get rid of the far-right menace, and the system which breeds it.
Our task is to find these people, and organise them into a fighting force that can offer a clear revolutionary alternative.
In the next session, Will Collins – the RCP’s Yorkshire organiser, and author of The 1971 War of Liberation and Bangladesh’s unfinished revolution – introduced an illuminating discussion on the revolutionary history of Bangladesh and South Asia as a whole.
This provided crucial context for grasping the on–going revolution in Bangladesh.
To use an analogy with the 1917 Russian Revolution, Bangladesh has had its February Revolution, but it still requires its October. This once again underscored the vital need for a steeled Bolshevik party, capable of guiding the masses to the complete seizure of power.
Sharpening our swords
On Sunday, RCP general secretary Ben Gliniecki outlined the Party’s plans for our autumn offensive – a campaign to grow the RCP unlike any we’ve seen before.
We’ll be at schools, universities, workplaces and neighbourhoods winning people over to communist ideas and recruiting them to the party.
The essential criteria required for the recruitment campaign is to strengthen the cells that make up our party – the branches.
Over the summer, branches have been tightening their nuts and bolts, preparing for this offensive. Comrade Anthony from Cambridge reported that:
“Preparation for the autumn recruitment offensive has chiefly meant strengthening our branches. Last year’s autumn offensive saw us grow the district from two, to now four branches in the city.
“Our efforts culminated in a recent day school, where we generalised the lessons of the Palestine encampments, and elected a new district leadership. In the coming weeks, the Cambridge district will mobilise at four schools and two universities.
“All comrades are confident we will find dozens of new class fighters and empower them to make communism an inescapable force on the streets of Cambridge!”
In the North East, comrade Grace Dee reported how enthusiastic branch meetings – driven by a collective endeavour to master the fundamentals of Marxist theory – has led to sizable growth of eight new comrades in one month.
Books not bombs
As part of our efforts to grow the Party, we are also launching a national ‘Books Not Bombs’ campaign into schools, universities, and workplaces across Britain – as part of the Revolutionary Communist International’s worldwide anti–militarist campaign.
Militarism is on the rise across the world. Starmer’s Labour government is lavishing billions on bombs, whilst schools, universities, the NHS, and other public services crumble.
This campaign has the opportunity to strike a chord with a large layer disgusted by the imperialist drive to war.
Ben gave examples for the kind of work that branches could carry out: campus petitions to highlight universities’ criminal role investing in the arms trade; holding rallies and open meetings on imperialism and how to fight it; stalls outside of schools and colleges; and workplace discussion groups.
This campaign will culminate in mid-November with an anti–imperialist conference at the 2024 Revolution Festival.
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‘Learn to think’
Ben summed up the Central Committee meeting by emphasising the key to our success: branch leaderships must learn to think for themselves; assess what opportunities exist in their areas; and exploit them to the full to build the Party.
For example, comrades from University of East London have created a tailored ‘Books Not Bombs’ leaflet.
They highlight university course cuts and exorbitant international fees, whilst management invests in Israeli weapons companies alongside their vice-chancellor being paid a whopping £350,000.
In the North East, regular stalls outside colleges are planned in the coming weeks, with the aim of setting up communist reading circles.
In Gloucester and Cheltenham, the comrades are planning a meeting on how to fight the far right, which they are advertising outside local schools.
And in Manchester, the branches are building for open meetings on communism during freshers’ week, alongside an anti-imperialist day school.
The discussion illustrated that the Party is brimming with well thought-out plans and initiatives. Now we need to turn those plans into results!
Raising the sights
Despite being only a few months old, our Party has already begun to achieve name recognition. Our profile has never been larger.
In particular, Fiona Lali – who has become a popular figure amongst the radical youth in Britain – has been able to reach millions with the ideas of revolutionary communism and internationalism.
In East London, the local RCP has been able to spread our message to thousands inspired by the revolutionary events in Bangladesh.
The political vacuum on the ‘left’ is a chasm waiting to be filled. The deep crisis of the system is driving large sections of workers and youth towards radical conclusions.
The RCP is a political home waiting for them. But first we must find them! Forward to 1,500 members!
Party building reports
Woolwich
In the last few months four new comrades have joined the branch and we have a strong periphery of contacts. We are planning to split into two branches very soon which means our new joiners are being trained in branch leadership roles .
We have found that paper sales are the best way for us to meet new people we regularly, sell 7-8 papers and make 3-4 contacts.We have done this by prioritising education; the classics of Marxism are covered by the branch, we regularly have one to one conversations and new joiners have also benefited from London wide “new joiners sessions”.
Everyone in the branch is included in recruitment and contact meetings, new comrades will even shadow a more experienced comrade.
Edinburgh — Books Not Bombs
In the past week, Edinburgh Central branch set up outside a local school with our “Books not Bombs” flyers in hand. Students stopped to ask us “what we’re about” and what our campaign stands for. They returned day after day to ask questions about communism, and agreed with our ideas!
One student bought a paper, saying “it’s worth spending the money to read this” to his friends, and explained to his friends how capitalism steals wealth from ordinary people. Another group came back to ask about Stalinism, China and what communism would look like.
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Others were interested in our support for Palestine and anti-militarism. Many took more flyers to give to their friends, no doubt the RCP will be the talk of the school’s corridors this week!
We sold a further two papers, and many expressed interest in reading more about our ideas. We are certain a consistent presence will build the students’ trust and draw them in.
Cardiff
We have seen excellent results from our recruitment lately by prioritising longer political discussions with our contacts to fully win them to our ideas. This means first and foremost being confident in the ideas ourselves.
Our most recent recruit put us through our paces, as we had a lengthy discussion on differences between our programme and Maoism. After a very lengthy conversation he was more than happy to join the party.
We must of course remain flexible with when and how joining is raised, without losing sight of the need to build the party.
Finsbury Park
We have had two new comrades join in the last two months and have immediately included new comrades and contacts in branch activity, from social media to helping with recruitment stalls and postering.
Even with contacts we let them come up with their own initiatives and we dedicate time in the branch to discuss who they can interview for the paper, what they can write and how we can grow and organise in their places of work and study.
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The boldness of our newest members has been inspiring. Together they sold nine papers between them on their first ever sale and made four contacts.
Everyone (including contacts) leaves the branch meeting knowing which material either from the paper or website they will read that week and knowing when they will be catching up with another comrade to discuss it.
