This past weekend, a hundred comrades from the Wales and West region of the RCP put on their annual Lenin School and it was a resounding success, breaking all records from the previous year. We sold 25 percent more tickets and raised nearly triple the amount of Fighting Fund.
Comrades arrived with a buzz of excitement and enthusiasm. Upon arrival they were able to browse a packed book stall which sold £600 worth of material over the weekend, highlighting the thirst for theory amongst those in attendance.
Day one kicked off with Dialectics: Their ideas vs ours. This explained how studying dialectical materialism is crucial to revolutionaries, how it gives you the ability to understand the complex processes taking place in society and ultimately how to change it. On the flip side, the ideas of the ruling class do the opposite, they divide, distract and conceal the real nature of things in order to prevent change and hold back the working class.
After each talk comrades broke up into eight smaller groups to discuss in more detail, the room was abuzz with questions and comrades wrestling with the ideas. Each group fed back at the end of each session and then spent the entire lunch break discussing further. We had samosas, home baked cakes, tea & coffee, overall we raised £900 from food and drink.
The afternoon began with ‘Why does capitalism go into crisis?’ Understanding the nature of capitalism is crucial to understanding the tariff wars, debt and cost of living crisis. It also helped comrades understand why cuts are not an ideological choice, but a necessity from the point of view of the ruling class in order to maintain profits, service debt and increase military spending.
Day one closed with ‘The history of British Trotskyism’. Our party can trace its roots back to the first and second internationals, the first 4 congresses of the third international, the founding congress of the fourth international, Ted Grant’s RCP and The Militant. The RCP has grown tremendously in the last couple of years, therefore discussing the history of our tendency, the successes and lessons is a crucial part of educating the comrades.
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The day finished with a great social. Comrades practiced giving agitational speeches on a range of different topics, before a good old fashioned karaoke session, luckily our ideas are more powerful than some of our singing voices.
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Day 2 was about perspectives. The second congress of the RCP is less than 2 months away so we began with a discussion on ‘British Perspectives’. The discussion focussed a lot on Reform, why they’re ahead in the polls and how we respond to them. It was explained that they’re managing to tap into this anti-establishment class anger that exists due to a failure of the left to provide an alternative. This has created a vacuum which Reform have stepped into and enabled them to pose themselves as opponents to the liberal establishment. It is important therefore that we can explain this and build an alternative that is so desperately needed.
We then moved onto organisational and regional perspectives. The Wales and West region grew by 39 percent over the last year, but what was clear is the political development of the comrades. We focussed on the need to double down on our study of Marxism, shake off any timidity and build the revolutionary leadership needed to overthrow this rotten capitalist system once and for all.
The weekend concluded with a hugely inspiring financial collection, raising £4000, highlighting the political conviction and determination amongst the comrades. Fiona Lali wrapped up proceedings with an inspiring closing rally that came to a close with The Internationale ringing out around the room.
I think the best way to exemplify the enormous enthusiasm this event created though, is by giving the final word to our newest comrade, who joined off the back of the weekend.
I’ve always wanted to see change and believed in revolution but I hadn’t seen or heard of the RCP as a solution until I met my girlfriend a few months back who is a fellow comrade and speaks very passionately about the RCP. She’s showed me little snippets into the RCP, one of them being a video of Fiona Lali having a discussion with Suella Breverman about the genocide in Palestine which I just thought was badass. With our same interests in revolution I wanted to learn more so I came along to the Lenin School in Bristol and found the weekend very eye opening and not just in learning but realising how much I always knew. I’ve always been a communist at heart and I feel now I am ready to learn and help build the forces with the RCP. “Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary action”. I’m ready to take action.
