Unity! November 2022

English devolution discussion Communist Women supplement Havana conference of communist and workers parties reports and documents

Unity!

climate change!

Unity! News Team CLIMATE CHANGE

THE GREENWASHING circus at Cop27 in Egypt exposes government hypocrisy and capitalism’s inability to tackle climate change, the Communist Party said following the first November meeting of the party’s political committee.

Ben Chacko told meeting that eco-protesters taking direct action were right to highlight the lack of progress on reducing emissions — but warned that only uniting climate action with industrial and peace struggles stood a chance of delivering real change.

Their crisis is capitalist Our solution is socialist

THE TORY government is a crisis government living from scandal to mistake, from cock-up to conspiracy. Johnson’s ‘faked up’ levelling up strategy and his self-made disaster-prone administration scared Tory MPs into thinking they would lose their seats.

When the Establishment coup deposed Tory backswoods’ heroine Liz Truss it showed just where the deep power of our bourgeoisie lies and how ruthless our ruling class is when things get out of control.

We now have the Sunak government that big business and the banks, the security establishment and the markets want.

We have had three prime ministers and four chancellors without an election. The transfer of office from one administration to another was carried on in seclusion with the indulgence of two unelected heads of state over the heads of the people.

Rishi Sunak’s government is not only led by parliament's richest man, it is run in the interests of Britain’s super rich.

While the wealth of the few hundred thousand of the richest people balloons, millions of working people and their families face a chill winter of rising prices, runaway energy bills and price inflation.

The unaccountable Bank of England has pushed up interest rates and dashed the housing hopes of millions with a mortgage famine and mounting mortgage rates.

The big business media, the Times, the Telegraph, the Financial Times – backed up by the BBC – tell us that Sunak and Hunt plan spending cuts and tax rises of up to £50 billion year on year.

Of course these measures are presented as inevitable. The blame is placed on the tanglefoot economics of Kwasi Kwarteng and the arrogance of Liz Truss.

But this crisis is capitalism’s long-time crisis made out of austerity, privatisation, NATO’s provocation and a decade of wage freeze. It is rooted in the inherent contradictions of a system that has been in perpetual crisis since the 2008 financial meltdown

Much blame is put on the costs of Covid but the example of China, Cuba, Vietnam and other South East Asian states shows the coronavirus crisis could have been managed without the immense human costs people in the Western capitalist world endured.

Our trade unions are beginning to put up a real fight for pay and are winning big battles. Our demonstration last Saturday 5 November showed solidarity with every worker on strike, the many working families enduring frozen pay and benefit cuts, the

many on NHS waiting lists, the people, young and older trapped in housing insecurity or homeless.

It is not only for democracy that we call for a general election now but for a chance to fight for a better life than that imposed on us by capitalism’s crisis.

The government want cuts in public spending that will degrade our already desperately under-funded public services, social security, health and education services.

It is planning to meet our inevitable resistance with a new batch of repressive laws including legal limits on trade union activity, strikes and protest with new police and public order laws,

With the Tories deeply divided and their 80-seat majority looking rather ragged it should be Labour’s chance to challenge the Tory policies. But Labour’s front bench doesn’t disagree on the essentials of the Tory approach to public finance and stays mostly silent on these attacks on our freedoms and living standards.

The magnificent Peoples Assembly demonstration, many strike movements, the rising tide of community action and protest, the threat of rent strikes and tenants action are signs that the fight back is gaining strength.

“It’s absurd to claim you can reduce emissions without a cheap, comprehensive, reliable public transport network — but politicians are cutting investment and attacking rail workers,” he pointed out.

Britain needed more projects like the Welsh Labour-led government’s Core Valley Lines Transformation scheme, electrifying the valleys for a train-tram network that would reduce emissions, boost connectivity and create jobs.

Equally, relying on companies making super-profits from fossil fuel extraction to deliver a transition to clean energy was hopeless, Ben Chacko pointed out, with nationalisation of the energy sector an essential demand, while cooperation on tackling global issues like climate change depended on opposing the new cold war on China and ending the war in Ukraine through peace talks.

The political committee welcomed new dates for strike action announced by the UCU and the ballots for action across the civil service, education and health sectors, saying only a united working-class mobilisation could defeat the class war on workers.

And it praised the successful 5 November People’s Assembly marc , saying with new laws planned to render effective strike action illegal it was more important than ever that political and street mobilisations are combined with industrial action to ramp up the struggle on all fronts. The party welcomed the call for local People’s Assembly actions on November 19, following the government’s planned “financial event.”

Nick Wright FIGHTBACK

THE RICH, THEN AND NOW

The National Government is not only a rich man’s government, it is a government of rich men. It not only acts for, but consists of leading sections of the ruling class. Chamberlain himself has sprung from a rapacious family of Birmingham capitalists

mine-owners in its aggressive and reckless search for profits.

Five win the 2022 Bread and Roses Poetry award

Mike Quille POETRY

Straight Left Stewart McGill on tax and growth

Truss and Kwarteng have gone: the power of ‘the markets’ also has to go.

Firstly, the basic premise of the doomed mini-budget budget, that tax cuts for rich people lead to economic growth, is garbage.

The rich want tax cuts for theheir usual venal reasonsbut let's bring in the US Congressional Research Service’s report on the matter.

“..changes over the past 65 years in the top marginal tax rate and the top capital gains tax rate do not appear correlated with economic growth. The reduction in the top statutory tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth."

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R42729.pdf

Following the previous Tory administration’s mini-budget the pound collapsed to record lows, but climbed back to its pre-budget levels very quickly on the back of the restoration of the 45% tax rate, despite this representing savings of only around £2 billion. Nothing fundamental had changed, this was just a correction after some market profiteering and overreaction.

Pressure on the gilts markets remained. The markets also don’t buy this idea that tax cuts for the wealthy will give us growth. There is talk of further austerity spending cuts in order to placate these markets and reduce government debt as a percentage of GDP.

Apart from the obscenity of spending cuts to pay for rich people’s tax cuts, we need to put this in context. Government debt as a percentage of GDP is actually around 63% when you strip out that which is owed to wholly government-owned bodies: historically this is low and much less than that which applies in other major economies, see the table below.

Remember that these markets demanding placating are part of the financial sector that took us to the economic brink in 2008: they didn’t object to the spike in government debt necessary to rescue them from the consequences of their incompetent greed, these are not the people that you want to be deciding economic policy.

I don’t often quote Bill Clinton, but when he was told in 1993 that if he pursued his full package of spending commitments, the Federal Reserve would simply raise interest rates to protect the value of government bonds even at the risk of recession, his response was trenchant:

‘You mean to tell me that the success of the programme and my re-election hinges on the Federal Reserve and a bunch of fucking bond traders?’

Don’t let the Tories’ embarrassment, and the folly of Truss’s belief in trickle-down economics, obscure the fact that the financial sector is exercising a veto over government policy; if you want real change, be aware that this sector is an enemy whose power will need to be confronted and destroyed.

FIVE POETS have won the Bread and Roses Poetry Award for 2022. The five are: Jennifer Johnson for Uprising; Steven Taylor for The Red Wall; David Williams for Closed; Nick Allen for After the Conference and Tracey Pearson for Somewhere a Tory Flaps its Wings.

All together 29 poets, including the winners, have their poetry included in the anthology The Shouting Tories available soon at www.culturematters.org.uk

The poems have been selected to showcase the range of topics and poetic skills of entrants. Unsurprisingly, there are many poems about ‘the shouting Tories’, expressing the sadness, anger, contempt and revulsion felt by working people towards the shameful personal behaviours and deliberate oppression of the poor by Tory politicians.

Andy Croft of Smokestack Books who judged the awards commented: “W.H. Auden once said that it is the responsibility of poets ‘to defend language from corruption… When it is corrupted, people lose faith in what they hear.’

UNITY!

READERS KNOW Unity! as the Communist Party’s agitational tabloid appearing monthly and with additional issues for special labour movement events.

The paper owes its origins to the dark days when following the dismantling of socialism in the Soviet Union and Europe and the forced dissolution of the CPGB communists working in the trade unions found a way to bring together the fragmented movement and present a united communist voice at the TUC.

The paper is still produced, often in daily editions for the TUC annual conference and often at the Wales, Women’s and Scottish TUCs and for individual union conferences and big events.

We have produced special editions for civil servants, TUC and Peoples Assembly demos, anti-racist specials, for festivals in Durham, Tolpuddle and at Burston, in Wales, Scotland, for rural communities in East of England and Coventry and continue to do so.

The paper’s main task is to present the party’s position on major questions and showcase the activities of communists in a wide range of movements and organisations.

This month, it is a ten page issue and includes supplements of the International Bulletin and Communist Women which also appears seperately as a print edition. Unity! appears as both digital and print editions.

We are looking to develop ‘Unity!’ and opportunities exist at editorial level and in design production.

If you would like to volunteer to write for Unity! we are especially looking for Scottish, Welsh or English district correspondents, or to help design it ( you would need Quark/In-Design skills and software) then get in touch.

H SEND US your details of name, branch, skillset to info@communistparty.org.uk marked 'Unity!'

“In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, it is hard to hear anything against the continuous white noise and shouting of barefaced political lies – especially from the Tories – through PR, advertising and social media. There are so many words saying nothing, and too many contemporary poets add to this white noise, writing about themselves and their private dramas. “The poets in The Shouting Tories are doing their best to defend the language. This is public art, arguments about society and politics made with clarity, force and precision. These writers avoid sentimentality and rhetoric.”

MIKE QUILLE IS CHIEF EDITOR OF CULTURE MATTERS

H Ex-teacher and writer Kevin Patrick McCann (mainly but not exclusively poetry) is the Culture Matters Facebook administrator. He invites people to send in articles, poems reports about cultural activities e.g. poetry, writers groups, book launches, art exhibitions, drama groups...and of course critical pieces, and book reviews hello@kevinmccann.co.uk

Ministerial changes raise questions about regional policies

Rob MacDonald LEVELLING UP

COMMUNITIES and local councils across the country will be waiting to see how Levelling-Up, Town Deals and other regional projects fare following the recent government turmoil and cabinet changes at Westminster.

Will the Levelling-Up agenda continue? Will 'red wall' areas see major projects axed? What about English regional devolution and local government reforms? Time will tell.

Various government ministers linked to Levelling-Up have come and gone in appointments, sackings and resignations under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak's leadership.

Under Levelling-Up bidding rules, council applications for Westminster funding must be supported by local MPs and are usually based geographically on parliamentary constituency boundaries rather than official council boundaries.

Westminster has a strong influence throughout the process.

In northern England, a number of Conservative MPs have held important ministerial positions in recent times and been involved in Levelling-Up, Town Deals or other regional projects. But some have come and gone amid prime minister changes. And as economic concerns have risen-up the Westminster agenda, there is now government talk of yet more cuts.

Launch of CP pamphlet The fight of our lives Three meetings have been organised so far to launch this new publication (see page 10 for link to place orders).

Scotland launch with trade union speakers Michael MacNeil, Lyn Marie O’Hara and Gordon Martin with Chair Stephanie Martin Wednesday 30 November 7pm in the Admiral Bar (downstairs), 72a Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 7DA

East of England Two meetings the first by zoom and an in-person in the Bedford/ Luton/Watford area (see Party Organiser)

Zoom Hear author Jonathan White, popular tutor from Marx Memorial Library & Workers School, speak about the pamphlet - its aims and objects.

Thursday 1 December 7pm The Zoom Meeting link is https://tinyurl.com/4w953ehz Meeting ID: 845 7103 5335 Passcode: 344285

The Great Energy Rip-off Zoom Hear Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths speak on why Britain’s energy industry should be nationalised. The meeting is by zoom on Thursday 17 November, 7.30pm Register here https://tinyurl.com/2z4b47cc

Public Ownership

A new CommieCast podcast, with editor Stewart McGill in conversation with Professor John Foster and educator Rob Wilkinson, cover the challenges and issues of public ownershippast, present and future. This will be available in the coming week. To listen to our podcasts go to https://tinyurl.com/4cfmvahm

FLY THE FLAG You can now order your Communist Party flag direct from the Party online store at a reasonable price of £10. After the revolution you will get them free! To order, go to https://tinyurl.com/3e63z774

EVENTSFrom the north-east of England, Middlesbrough South MP Simon Clarke was appointed Secretary of Sate for LevellingUp in September. He was previously chief secretary at The Treasury. But he has now gone in just a matter of weeks. In Mr Clarke's wider Teesside region, a number of major industrial land, railway, airport and freeport projects are underway or planned by Conservative Tees Valley regional Mayor Ben Houchen, as reported in this edition of Unity. North-east communities will be watching closely how those projects develop under Rishi Sunak.

Ben Houchen's profile has risen in recent years as a northern regional Tory mayor in a 'red wall' area. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, whose North Yorkshire constituency borders Teesside, have been keen to associate themselves with Mr Houchen. But this summer, Mr Houchen criticised the Conservative Party leadership contest for failing to discuss regional policy and Levelling-Up. He has also called on candidates to support a five-point Levelling-Up pledge.

Meanwhile in north-west England, Rossendale MP Jake Berry left the cabinet following Liz Truss's departure in October. However, another north-west MP, Pendle's Andrew Stephenson, was given a role the Department for LevellingUp, Housing and Communities.

North-west councils have submitted a range of bids for Levelling-Up funding or had money earmarked for Town Deal projects. Examples include a major plan to build a new Eden Project eco-attraction in Morecambe. It received planning permission earlier this year. Morecambe Conservative MP David Morris is among those involved. A government decision on Eden North was due this autumn but then pushed-back to the winter.

High-profile MP Michael Gove has returned to government. He was previously involved with Levelling-Up roles under Boris Johnson.

In other changes, Jacob Rees-Mogg has left government. With Liz Truss, he had been associated with a potential revival of fracking. Given public hostility to fracking, various northern Tory MPs and Tory-controlled northern councils had distanced themselves recently from government talk of lifting the ban.

Some northern politicians have also expressed caution about the government's new investment zones, which are similar to freeports, and offer incentives such as 'minimised' planning processes and tax and business rates relief for businesses to encourage growth or house-building. Concerns that investment zones could be established in national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty have made some northern Conservatives nervous.

This edition of Unity takes a closer look at some English regional issues including variations in devolution deals. It comes as the Communist Party's new Progressive Federalism Commission is looking at ideas for future federal options for England, Scotland and Wales.

**

– a section of the ruling class that rivals even the Durham

Harry Pollitt Communist Party general secretary’s speech to the Fifteenth Communist Party Congress, September 1938

DEMOCRACY & DEVOLUTION

The public probably does not realise that each freeport can potentially cover multiple locations including inland sites. For example, the Liverpool freeport plan currently covers locations across the wider north-west including Salford in Greater Manchester – more than 30 miles from Liverpool. Rob MacDonald argues that there are distinct regional variations in the popular understanding of devolution.

English devolution

Developments this summer and autumn illustrate important questions about regional policies, democracy, devolution, intervention and decision-making across Britain.

Rob MacDonald compares recent developments in the North East and the North West and reviews the situation in Teesside and Greater Manchester and highlights how regional devolution projects and arrangements can vary.

less able to defend their interests. But the reverse is also true. Enhanced democratic arrangements would allow ordinary people to protect and enhance their interests.

I want to focus on two regions of northern England which have devolution deals with the government.

One is the Tees Valley in the north-east and the other is Greater Manchester in the northwest.These are two regions that I am familiar with. In my view, they illustrate the variety of devolution developments which I believe progressive movements need to be aware of.

Other regions may have other arrangements. I'd encourage people everywhere to consider and compare these with their own regional circumstances. My aim is to enhance our understanding of developments wherever we are. This is not a definitive list. It’s a contribution to the debate we need.

Region under scrutiny Redcar and the Teesside region around Middlesbrough recently featured in a special report in Private Eye that raised questions about regeneration and freeport plans at the huge former Redcar steelworks site, described as the largest industrial site in the UK.

when the old Cleveland County was abolished. Previously, the short-lived Teesside County Borough operated in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, a Tory, was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. He is the chair of the South Tees Development Corporation, the first Mayoral Development Corporation outside London.

As mentioned earlier, he is closely associated with major economic and infrastructure interventions. These have included buying a Teesside Airport near Darlington for £40million from the Peel Group and redeveloping the former Redcar steel works site including creating a freeport. He also has plans to invest in expanding railway stations in Middlesbrough and Darlington.

For clarity, this is not an endorsement of Ben Houchen or his policies. But it is an attempt to show he has captured the public mood for major economic intervention. We need to understand the huge significance of these projects to his region, along with looking at any alleged shortcomings, and try to reflect these in our engagements with the public.

There is no doubt that Ben Houchen has captured the public appetite for major regional interventions. Whether this continues under the new government remains to be seen.

SOME English devolution deals include massive interventions into regional economic and infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, others so far appear focused on arguably lower-profile schemes, such as bus services.

Because of these regional variations, public engagement, resonance, support, opposition or indifference to devolution projects and regional mayors can vary from place to place.

This subtlety and variety is important to appreciate. As I’ve argued in previous Morning Star articles, local circumstances, geographic identities and other nuances need to be fully understood by progressive politics so we can fully engage in public discourse in an informed way and be able to refer to local cases – rather than only applying a general, one-size-fits-all critique of all regional devolution developments.

While general, overall criticisms may ultimately be valid, our campaigns can be much more credible and resonant if we truly reflect what’s happening in the regions and the complexities of public opinion. Society contains many contradictions and certain political traditions, such as Marxism, attempt to acknowledge this. So it may be that there are elements of regional devolution projects which are worth acknowledging carry some public support – while also pointing-out what we believe are the weaknesses or failings.

But first, a quick reminder of some recent events.

The Labour Party is reportedly considering policy recommendations in a report by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to devolve new economic powers, including taxation, to English regions, Scotland and Wales, and to replace the non-elected House of Lords with an elected chamber representation nations and regions. Mr Brown’s constitutional review includes proposals covering future democratic, economic, constitutional and regional mayoral powers, The Guardian recently reported.

Elsewhere, the Conservative Party held its leadership contest and new Prime Minister Liz Truss has formed her government. How this effects government regional policy such as Levelling-Up remains to be seen. (I write this amid the fall-out from the government’s September 2022 mini-budget).

Will the Levelling-Up agenda continue? Time will tell. Elsewhere this autumn, Conservative regional mayor Ben Houchen in the north-east of England is behind the

current demolition of the monumental former Redcar steelworks blast furnace. The vast former Redcar steelworks site has gradually been demolished over the past year or so and is being prepared as part of the UK’s biggest industrial zone complete with freeport plans on sites next to the River Tees and North Sea. Overall, there are 4,500 acres of land and part of it is now branded Tees Works. It includes other plots of land and also the deep-water port of Teesport. A modern port, Teesport is reportedly the third-biggest in the UK and among Europe’s top ten. It handles cargo so the general public is less aware if it because it does not have passenger ferries. The River Tees around Middlesbrough also has other ports, wharfs and jetty facilities serving British, European and global shipping. Cargo can include containers, bulk and raw materials, and manufactured products such as cars.

Debate about standards at lightly-regulated freeports and other associated topics are now under-way and Private Eye magazine recently turned its attention to some Teesside developments. More on this below.

Nearby, environmental concerns have been raised about the deaths of thousands of North Sea crabs and crustaceans along the Teesside and North Yorkshire coast to Whitby. Critics blame dredging of the River Tees for stirringup old industrial waste. The government agency DEFRA has carried out a review and said an algal problem killed the crustaceans. The debate continues.

Local fishing fleets have formed the North East Fishing Collective and commissioned experts at Newcastle, Durham, York and Hull universities to test crustaceans. Their early report, just published, suggests a toxic chemical may have killed the sea creatures.

Meanwhile in another development this autumn, the Communist Party is asking its districts to consider a survey with questions and ideas for a future federal, devolved Britain. This is part of the party’s new Progressive Federalism Commission’s work seeking to identify and assist opportunities for positive change in post-Brexit Britain.

The Communist Party seeks fundamental, revolutionary change. But the path to progress includes engagement in circumstances we find now, including local and national English, Scottish and Welsh constitutional politics. Established local and national government has been weakened, meaning ordinary people are

Questions included national and local democratic scrutiny of decisions concerning the Redcar site, land sales, the awarding of redevelopment contracts to private businesses, and the balance of powers between local councils, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the regional Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen and others.

All parties concerned with the Redcar site say they are following the rules. But Private Eye suggested developments there illustrate the government’s ‘over-promised and illconceived’ ideas for post-Brexit and freeport arrangements.

Freeports are proposed for regions across Britain. Freeports have been debated elsewhere, such the West Lancashire Borough Council debating Liverpool City Region freeport this summer. Concerns were raised about potential fracking, workers rights and business displacement, with firms abandoning existing locations for the new freeport sites. However the Liverpool City Region Mayor made reassurances that good standards would be protected. The Labour group at West Lancashire Council subsequently accepted the reassurances following a full council debate.

The public probably does not realise that each freeport can potentially cover multiple locations including inland sites. For example, the Liverpool freeport plan currently covers locations across the wider north-west including Salford in Greater Manchester – more than 30 miles from Liverpool.

So, many of the questions raised by Private Eye or by West Lancashire Council may be relevant to other English regions too.

Despite such concerns, it is also important to understand that public opinion, interest and goodwill towards some regional schemes may be high.

On Teesside for example, Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen has been elected twice by the region’s voters. Many people want the new combined regional authority and regional mayor to deliver major regeneration and infrastructure projects.

North-East England – Teesside seeing large-scale interventions

In the north-east, Tees Valley Combined Authority was launched in 2016. It represents five local authorities – Middlesbrough, Darlington, Stockton on Tees, Hartlepool and Redcar & Cleveland. The area has a population of around 700,000.

The region had been without a single authority covering all the area since 1996,

This summer, Ben Houchen criticised the Conservative Party leadership contest for failing to discuss regional policy and levellingup. He has also called on candidates to support a five-point levelling-up pledge. Former chancellor and Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak visited him at Teesworks. (Similar type of calls for levellingup and greater devolution were made by some other regional mayors too during this summer’s Conservative leadership contest.)

At the former Redcar steelworks site, the new Teesworks site is being developed. This is described a s the UK’s largest industrial zone at 4,500 acres. It is located next to the North Sea and River Tees estuary, ports, railways and roads. Plans include a mix of industries including carbon capture, low carbon and green energy developments.

But these have also raised unexpected issues too. Dredging of silt from the River Tees to deepen ports near Teesworks has been blamed for the deaths of thousands of crabs and crustaceans which were washed-up along the east coast of Teesside and North Yorkshire in the past year.

The issue has raised alarm, debate and some protests across the region, from people on Teesside to fishing fleets in Whitby. This issue highlights the complexity of these big developments and public opinion. Many local people felt something environmentally was seriously wrong yet also want to see industrial regeneration and new jobs.

There was also some public unhappiness with the demolition of old industrial landmarks, such as a Brutalist-style 1950s coal tower built by the Dorman Long steel firm. The tower was seen as historically and architecturally important and was listed. Former government culture secretary Nadine Dorries was involved in the events too. But it was demolished last autumn (2021).

Campaigners felt it was important to retain some historical landmarks alongside regeneration. There was a feeling that local history is important and aspects of it need to be protected.

Elsewhere on the Redcar site is an important building called Steel House. This was built in the 1977 and was the former headquarters for the British Steel Corporation on Teeside and a centre of reseacrh and development. It still stands and hopefully has a future ahead of it. Its surrounding area is earmarked for a park-and-ride site.

Also nearby but on separate land is the former ICI headquarters at Wilton. Built in 1976, the Wilton Centre is another important example of important office architecture and another symbol that Teesside grew significantly throughout the 1970s. These places were centres for blue and white collar jobs. Science, research and development roles aswell as steelworkers in blast furnaces and rolling mills.

Its important to emphasise the presence of high-skill research and development employment on Teesside because national media portrayals often present the region in cliches. as a sad rust-belt with only unemployed former steelworkers. The reality is much-more complex.

Yes, there are problems. But significant expertise and facilities remain. The ecomomy has diversified. Human ingenuity and spirit remains, individually and collectively. Social, economic and political change is constant. Positive change can come in the future, if our politics enables it. This is the case with other regions too.

Teesside airport and DoncasterSheffield airport

Teesside International Airport, near Darlington, had been a small but longestablished regional airport. But in recent years it was threatened with closure and there were claims that a major northern private land and property developer, Peel Group, wanted to, in effect, run it down so the land could be developed for housing or some other use.

But Ben Houchen bought the airport with public money, which has since seen airlines and services starting to return, invested further in facilities and has attracted other air industry businesses. But these are still early days and events can change quickly.

Regional airports elsewhere in the north have made the news recently with DoncasterSheffield Airport, where Peel has again been involved, as previously with Teesside Airport.

Teesside Mayor Ben Houchen has spokenout about this too. For clarity, this is a north-east Conservative politician criticising a major private business operating across the north but based in the north-west.

By the way, South Yorkshire, trade unions, civic leaders and the public have protested about Doncaster Sheffield Airport’s current threat of closure. Over 70,000 people signed a petition against the closure. Peel recently announced in autumn 2022 its intention to close the airport, saying it is unviable. A protest campaign is underway in South Yorkshire.

Of course, there is some political debate on Teesside too about devolution.

For example, Councillor Sue Jeffrey, a former Labour Tees Valley Mayor candidate and former leader of Redcar & Cleveland Council, is a keen advocate of regional devolution but has also raised concerns about democracy, public engagement, complexity and transparency of current arrangements.

She is an excellent speaker on regional affairs. She spoke at an event called Tees Politics, History & Ideas in Middlesbrough last November. Other speakers included Teesside University researchers, political activists, north-east journalists and writers. One of them charted Westminster government regional steel industry policies over the decades under Labour and Conservative governments. That story in itself highlighted the huge power of Westminster decisionmaking on the regions of England, Scotland and Wales since the Second World War, for good or bad.

Manchester’s dominance and the wider North

As part of regional awareness and debate we need to question some dominant narratives and rcase studies which have tended to dominate English devolution news and debate.

For example. we need to be cautious about the tendency for national media and national politics to present Manchester, Manchester politicians and Greater Manchester devolution arrangements as the desired models and solutions for English devolution, regional democracy and regeneration.

Manchester does not represent other places. It cannot ‘speak’ for the wider north. And there is much to be done to address

multiple problems in Manchester itself and Greater Manchester.. The region has gross inequalities and its own north-south divide.

Furthermore, Manchester is not typical of other northern towns and cities. It has less reliance on manufacturing and heavy industries. It also has northern bases for London-based institutions such as the BBC and the British Council. Its population also has close links with London, partly through business and education, with many London students at Manchester universities. Manchester and London have multiple links.

London’s influence is arguably much lesser in other northern regions. And those regions have much-lower profiles in the national conversation than Manchester.

Manchester’s dominance of the regional devolution and regeneration narrative includes the dominance of Manchester City Council, its long-ruling Labour Party leaderships, and its narratives about propertyled regeneration and being a devolution pioneer.

For decades, the city council, led by former long-serving Labour leader Sir Richard Leese and former chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, set the tone for Manchester politics and messages to the rest of Britain. The council’s property-led focus seemed unchallenged for decades, with a few exceptions. The Labour Party in Manchester, both councillors and local party members, collectively supported the consensus for years.

Occasionally, the media has raised some serious questions about this property-led approach, especially the lack of affordable homes. Real progressives should make themselves aware of the wider debate.

Greater Manchester outer boroughs Arguably, central Manchester’s huge growth has weakened outlying borough’s economies, political life, council leadership, local pride and confidence.

There are often feelings in the poorer boroughs of being left behind, of resentment, powerlessness and embarrassment about the state of their home towns. Too many young people refer to their unfashionable home towns as ‘crap’, ‘shit-holes’ or ‘dead'.

Greater Manchester tram lines offer greener transport. Clearly the tram network is important in many ways and an achievement. But there are also fears that the tram network assists the economic power of the city centre by moving people, jobs and businesses into central Manchester. I’ve heard stories about the loss of staff and local professional services – such as solicitors, accountants or architects –relocating from outlying boroughs into central Manchester.

Is this what we aspire to with regional development? Surely not. This illustrated the complexity of regional developments and public opinion. One the one hand, most welcome a modern tram network. On the other hand, people see local life, pride and ecomomies suffering.

The sheer power of Manchester has, I believe, had serious consequences at many levels. Yet progressive voices of friendly criticism or alternative proposals seem rare. Unravelling public support for the good aspects of Greater Manchester from the bad is very difficult. The city council narrative that Manchester is a buzzing, tolerant, liberal metropolis of equality and opportunity is really strong. Business and alternative counter-culture is often combined.

For example. An apartment block is named after The Hacienda nightclub. An office block is called No 1 Tony Wilson Place. A major new £168 million arts and concert venue is called Factory International after Factory Records. Sited within the new First Street property development is an arts centre and a statue of Friederich Engels, brought to Manchester from Ukraine. And the opening of the new 6.5acre Mayfield Play Park (arguably a green drop in an ocean of property development) is met with almost universal aclaim. Some might argue this mish-mash of developments and references is typical of Manchester. Perhaps. But it also makes a progressive critique of contemporary Manchester regeneration and politics challenging.

To question the property-led regeneration consensus risks being seen as a kill-joy. To

query the dozens of skyscrapers and apartment blocks rising in the city centre risks being seenas anti-modern or anti-change.

Yes, high buildings and modern architecture can be exciting and beautiful. But we need to consider multiple factors including affordable housing, the value of old and new architecture, the need for public spaces and other facilities. There are other approaches to architecture, planning, cities, towns and regional development in northern Europe which do not replicate New York, Dubai or Shanghai models. Progressives need to engage in debates about planning and architecture.

In so many ways, Greater Manchester politics is crying-out for knowledgable, alternative, progressive voices.

There may be similar cases of big-city domination in other regions too? Does Birmingham dominate Walsall and Wolverhampton, help or hinder the wider Midlands? What about Nottingham and Derby? Bristol and the west? London and Manchester’s dual dominance seems to drownout all other regional discussions.

So, for many reasons, alternative models for regional progress, democracy and regeneration need to raised.

Where does economic power lie in Manchester?

In Greater Manchester, the Labour regional mayor, Andy Burnham, has been associated with attempts to re-regulate bus services, tackle homelessness and with his anger at the Westminster government’s pandemic lockdown system of local tiers last winter. But he is lessassociated with economic intervention. His remit includes police, fire and planning responsibilities. But not the economy.

Interestingly, the economic and business role at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which consists of ten borough council leaders, lies with to Bev Craig, the new Leader of Manchester City Council. Again, Manchester City Council arguably continues to dominate the economic debate at Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

The national media often portrays Andy Burnham as ‘King of the North’. But his really major achievements are, arguably, debatable. His regular high profile is significantly linked to his past role as an Westminster MP and ongoing debate that he might one day lead the national Labour Party.

Although public support for him has generally been high, it may be superficial. His popularity is partly-based on factors such as his affable personality and that, so far, he has mainly been associated with uncontentious issues, such as bus regulation or finding shelter for the homeless. Who would argue with these types of topics?

But public support is not as strong as it may seem. Unpopular issues, such as plans to introduce Clean Air Zone road traffic charges, have led to public opinion backlashes. To be fair, it was the Westminster government which wanted local authorities to draw-up clean air systems. But in their implementation, Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Combined Authority were exposed to public disapproval which included complaints about a lack of public consultation, especially with neighbouring northern regions outside Greater Manchester such as Lancashire.

These events challenged the narrative that Greater Manchester is a benign city-region acting in the interests of the whole north. It suggested a large, bureaucratic, enforcing administration rather than a creative political project which aspires to enable people.

Manchester was among the ‘core cities’ focused on under David Cameron and George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse era. But times have changed. More-recent Westminster projects under Boris Johnson brought new regional mayors and devolution deals elsewhere, and new projects such as Freeports, Levelling-Up and Town Deals.

Devolution alternatives including progressive federalism

There are some networks of smaller cities and local councils which are alternatives to the ‘core cities’ approach focused on the very biggest cities, which has dominated much mainstream English regional debate in recent years.

Examples include Key Cities, which has 25 local authorities including many smaller cities with a focus on urban innovation, and the UK100, which aims for local activity on climate change.

Elsewhere, the Communist Party has created a Progressive Federalism Commission to consider ideas for future democratic arrangements for England, Scotland and Wales. The Communist Party seeks fundamental, revolutionary change. It advocates a range of actions over time. The path to progress includes engagement in circumstances we find now, including established local and national constitutional politics. This forms the basis for the party’s programme, Britain’s Road To Socialism.

But the party advocates meaningful, significant change within established arrangements, including proportional representation in elections, scrapping the House of Lords, creating regional assemblies and enabling ‘popular sovereignty’ – where decision-making genuinely lies with the people, nations and regions.

Communist Party district organisations and branches are being asked to consider a range of questions and ideas this autumn. Feedback will then be used to further-shape the Communist Party’s work regarding future options for England, Scotland and Ireland.

This includes ideas on local government services, powers and democracy, scrapping the House of Lords, creating elected English regional assemblies using proportional representation, and genuinely bringing powers to people in localities and regions rather than Westminster government or other structures which are remote from popular pressure.

The party’s East of England District has recently created a fascinating report called ‘Eastern Rising'. This looks at topics in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. It attempts to take the core principles of Britain’s Road To Socialism and apply them to life in eastern England now and how it might be in the future. It is an excellent document and wellworth reading. The hope is that other regions will look in detail at their own circumstances and attempt to set-out aspirations for the future.

Democracy in post-Brexit Britain is at the centre of the Progressive Federalism Commission’s project – not bureaucratic tinkering or dry, constitutional debates.

Democracy includes key questions of national sovereignty, public political participation, elected regional assemblies, new democratic powers to intervene in national and regional matters, and new regional taxand-spending powers. Perhaps even a highly topical debate about the monarchy?

But more-detailed proposals are needed for these topics rather than relying on vague ideas and wishes. This is especially the case for regional assemblies. Some people have suggested new English regional assemblies could be based on current TUC regions? English assembly powers, structures, systems and boundaries need some serious thought. In Cornwall, there are also questions being raised about nationhood, a national parliament, Cornish language and culture, and other issues. There is plenty to consider.

Progressives must give consideration to new regional and federal options. There are many urgent issues at the moment, such as the costof-living crisis and industrial militancy. But other matters will need attention too.

We must have ideas for systems and structures. We already understand different types of organisations at local, regional and national levels – political parties, unions, trades councils, the TUC, co-operatives, district, county and metropolitan councils; regional combined authorities, national parliaments and governments, communes, soviets, worker-councils, syndicalism etc. Therefore, we must be capable of putting together some serious ideas for a future federal, devolved England, Scotland and Wales. These tasks cannot be ignored.

England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland face ongoing changes, risks, challenges and opportunities. Progressive politics, especially in England, must push for new regional and national arrangements. H

INTERNATIONAL

United we are stronger

fascist forces in various parts of the world, which intensify violence, xenophobia, racism and political, ideological, social, ethnic, religious and gender intolerance, and promote ethnic-national conflicts.

To strengthen solidarity with the peoples who withstand the interference and aggressions of imperialism and reject the policy of blockades, sanctions, unilateral coercive measures and double standards, as an instrument of pressure and blackmail against governments and peoples.

To defend and promote Marxism and Leninism to confront the ideological, cultural and symbolic offensive of imperialism, aimed at legitimizing the injustices of the capitalist system, disqualifying socialism and communism and eroding or destroying the cultural identity of our nations.

22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties Plan of Action

The 145 representatives of 78 Communist and Workers’ Parties of 60 countries, present at this 22nd IMCWP, held in Havana, Cuba, on October 27-29, 2022, warn about the dangerous situation in which humanity finds itself.

The current predominance of imperialism imposes an unjust and unsustainable international order, intensifies exploitation and worsens the conditions of the working class and the peoples, causes growing conflicts, antagonisms and wars, and hinders the solution of global problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which socialist countries historically, and Cuba today in particular, with its public health system and scientific development, have effectively confronted and where the superiority of socialism is manifested. We communists defend a new world order, based on the abolition of the exploitation of man by man, on relations of mutual benefit between states and the peoples, peace, sustainable development for the satisfaction of social needs, social justice and solidarity.

As a consequence of the growing aggressiveness of imperialism and the geopolitical recomposition underway, we face a new escalation of the arms race, the strengthening and expansion of NATO, the emergence of new military alliances, the aggravation of tensions and military conflicts, such as the one in Ukraine, the resurgence of fascism in various parts of the world and the "cold war" and the threat of a nuclear conflict, which we must reject.

We denounce that the predatory nature of capitalism leads to increasing inequality, polarization of wealth, exclusion and migratory flows. It causes the intensification of the food crisis and the aggravation of the environmental crisis, while we are rapidly nearing a point of "no return".

The bourgeois political system, which defends the interests of monopolies and corporations, manages the systemic crisis of capitalism for its own benefit, attempts to control the growing social discontent of workers and peoples through pressure and violence.

The gradual decline of the power of the United States of America and its allies, as a result of its internal crises and in the face of its

competitors, has reinforced the indiscriminate use of double standard and threatening blockade policies, illegal coercive measures, military interventions, and the interference in the internal affairs of States. Imperialism deploys a vast arsenal of subversive actions in the context of unconventional warfare, particularly media-related actions, as destabilizing tools to disrupt governments that do not align themselves with its interests.

The battle of the world working class against the capitalist system of exploitation requires, in the first place, the unity of the Communist and Workers Movement together with the social and popular, peasant and indigenous movements, to strengthen the class struggle against the bourgeois and imperialist plans and for the construction of a world of peace, justice and social equity.

In the face of the attempts by the imperialism to contain the workers and peoples struggle and to undermine the unity and solidarity of the anti-imperialist and revolutionary forces, the Communist and Workers’ Parties, participants in the 22nd IMCWP in Havana, agree as follows:

To join efforts to strengthen the struggle against imperialism, to contribute to transforming the current unjust and undemocratic international order in which capitalist interests prevail, for an international order based on peace, sustainable development, social justice and solidarity, to pave the way for the construction of the socialist society.

To demand respect for the principles of self-determination of the peoples, independence, sovereign equality, and noninterference in the internal affairs of States, as well as for the legitimate right of peoples to peace and to choose their own path of development.

To strongly reject imperialist wars, the threat and use of force in international relations, and promote the struggle for peace.

To strengthen internationalist action and solidarity in defense of the common interests of the peoples, against the bourgeois classes.

To mobilize the masses to denounce and reject the arms race and the large cuts on social spending caused by it, the existence and modernization of nuclear weapons, foreign military bases; against NATO and its project to expand and become a global military organization.

To fight against the reemergence of anticommunist, reactionary, ultra-nationalist and

To redouble the struggle in favor of all just and emancipatory causes of the peoples and to increase solidarity with workers, peasants, indigenous peoples, youth and women's organizations, in defense of their rights and against capitalism. To stand by the side of refugees and victims of wars.

To increase the denouncement of and fight against the development model based on capitalist profit that destroys the environment and endangers the survival of ecosystems and the human species.

To comply with the Plan of Action approved at the 22nd Meeting in order to strengthen the unity of the International Communist and Workers Movement, jointly with social and popular movements against imperialist domination, aiming to intensify the struggle in defense of the interests of the workers and the peoples, for revolutionary transformations for the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of Socialism.

With the coordinated effort carried out by the vanguard of the working class, jointly with social, popular and democratic organizations, forces and movements and those in defense of the emancipation of women’s rights, we will be able to defeat capitalism as a dominant, destructive and futureless world system and achieve a true revolutionary transformation.

We thank the Communist Party of Cuba, its revolutionary government and its people for their contribution to the organization of 22nd IMCWP, and for the warm welcome extended to the participants

We reaffirm our solidarity and support for the just cause of the Cuban people and their struggle for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the unjust, criminal and tightened economic, commercial and financial blockade to which they have been subjected for more than 60 years and demand that the U.S. government remove Cuba from the spurious State Sponsors of Terrorism List.

We pay tribute to the legacy of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, who together with the teachings of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the succeeding generation headed by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, are a constant inspiration for the struggle of the peoples for their true and definitive emancipation on the road towards the construction of a socialist, independent and solidary society.

United in the struggle against imperialism and capitalism!

Long live Socialism! H Havana, October 29, 2022

To carry out mobilizations in defense of peace and in rejection of the imperialist war, belligerent interventions, nuclear weapons and others of mass destruction, foreign military bases, as well as against NATO and other imperialist alliances like AUKUS.

To celebrate September 21, International Day of Peace, with a great worldwide mobilization to denounce war.

To ensure the success of the World Peace Council Assembly.

To advocate for a serious, constructive and realist resolution to the conflict in Ukraine through dialogue and negotiation.

To encourage the political and active participation of the youth to ensure the continuity of the ideas and principles that we defend. To preserve and transmit to the new generations the historical memory of the international communist and workers' movement.

To celebrate International Youth Day on August 12.

To celebrate International Student Day on November 17.

To organize in person and virtual workshops and seminars that contribute to the exchange, analysis and dissemination of the theoretical and practical concepts of Marxism and Leninism and the values of socialism, as the only system that responds to the just demands and legitimate rights of the peoples. To this end, the following activities and commemorations may be considered:

l Centenary of the creation of the USSR.

l The 140th Anniversary of the death of Karl Marx (March 14, 1883).

l The 175th Anniversary of the publication of the Communist Manifesto (February 21, 1848).

l The First International Meeting of Theoretical Publications of Parties and Movements of the Left, to be held in Cuba, (February 10-12, 2023).

To denounce anticommunism and fascism, as well as the misrepresentation of the historical contribution of the USSR and socialism, in the context of the centenary of the creation of the USSR and the fiftieth anniversary of the fascist coup d'état to the President Salvador Allende government of Unidad Popularin Chile.

To express solidarity with the just causes of the peoples, with the communists who face persecution and prohibitions on their free exercise of their political rights; to stand against dictatorial regimes, repression and discrimination in terms of democratic rights and freedoms.

To carry out international campaigns in solidarity and support of the struggle of the working and peasant classes, women and immigrants in their just demand for their right to unionization, better wages and working conditions, and their democratic rights.

To increasemobilizations on March 8th, International Women’s Day and May 1st, International Workers' Day.

To carry out activities in defense of the culture and identity of the peoples in the face of the imperialist cultural neo-colonization project.

To actively participate in popular mobilizations to demand the care and protection of the environment and reject the capitalist model of production and consumption.

To express solidarity with all peoples struggling against foreign occupation, blockades, sanctions, and imperialist aggression.

To participate in days of solidarity with the Cuban people for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the tightened economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S.; against the inclusion of Cuba on the arbitrary and unilateral list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism", the interference in its internal affairs and the attempts to subvert its constitutional order.

To achieve a greater and more active participation of IMCWP member parties in the World Days of Solidarity with Cuba, to be held on the last weekend of each month.

22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties Final Declaration

The 22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties held on October 27-29, 2022 in Havana, Cuba defined the following main guidelines and actions to be developed ahead of the next Meeting:

Solidarity with Cuba and all the struggling peoples. United we are stronger in the anti-imperialist struggle, together with social and popular movements, in the face of capitalism and its policies, the threat of fascism and war; in defense of peace, the environment, workers' rights, solidarity and socialism’

WINNING POWER

Antonio Gramsci Prison Notebooks

22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties Havana, Cuba 2022

Speech by Ruth Styles Chair of the Communist Party of Britain

The Communist Party of Britain wel comes this 22nd international meeting of Communist and Workers Parties in Havana. We salute our hosts, the Communist Party of Cuba. We pledge our profound soli darity with Cuba and its fight for self-deter mination and sovereignty.

Our meeting takes place at a time when world peace is under immediate threat from economic, military, and political tensions arising from the situation in Ukraine, notably the intervention of US led imperialist forces seeking to escalate, prolong and widen the conflict.

The escalation of the conflict threatens a nuclear conflagration with Zelensky now calling for a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Russia. The US, NATO and the EU have – by a massive escalation in arms supplies – changed the battlefield geometry and further reduced the chances of a negotiated resolution based on the principles agreed at Minsk. This option is even further reduced by Russia’s incorporation of Ukrainian territory while Putin’s barely veiled threat of nuclear escalation has diminished the credibility of Russia’s raison d’etre in violating Ukrainian sovereignty.

Beyond the legitimate defence of linguistic and political rights for significant sections of the Ukrainian people – and the countervailing defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty – this conflict is a struggle over territory, mineral wealth, energy and its transit routes, markets, and natural resources.

The sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline exactly fits the US strategy in opening up Europe to fracked gas exports from a newly energy-sufficient North America.

The US has largely succeeded in subordinating European states to its global strategy, diminishing capitalist Russia’s regional influence and security and – with Britain and the US client Baltic states as instruments – reducing Europe as a potential commercial, financial, and military rival. This is an essential component of its wider aim of containing China.

Sanctions against Russia are a multi-use weapon that both weakens European, especially German, and French capital, depresses living standards, productive capacity, and demand.

The OPEC decision to limit oil production is a challenge to the US and is both a function of reduced demand in the East and of the unwillingness of states outside the western imperialist alliance to go along with the US global strategy. This is expressed both by the failure of the US to gain a majority at the UN and the relative success of Russia in aligning its energy policy with major oil producers including direct US allies.

The OPEC move undermines the scheme by the major imperialist powers in the G7 to constrain Russian energy prices.

The domestic consequence of the western imperialist strategy is inflation, rising interest rates, increasing impoverishment and political crises in several states.

We can measure the relative and recent success of the US strategy in Europe against the relative failure of its global strategy where the balance of forces is changing and is reflected in the sclerosis and atrophy of productive capacity in the developed capitalist countries and a growth of the productive forces most particularly in China and the Eurasian

landmass.

We must not lose sight of the reality that wherever the productive forces develop along capitalist lines it results in an aggregation of capital which constantly seeks further outlets.

Where capitalist relations of production develop there develops the working class and the essential antagonism between capital and labour inevitably arises.

These contradictions arise independently of the wishes or desires of particular states and leaders and themselves are the motor of history and the precondition for a transition from capitalist hegemony to working class power.

The circumstance in which we find ourselves – following the world historical defeat of socialism at the end of the last century – are pregnant with new possibilities for revolutionary change that were unimaginable in the decades in which capital was able to absorb into the capitalist system of wage labour vast millions of working people from the countries where socialism was dismantled with brutal consequences.

In every continent we see the developing contradiction between popular power and capitalism in crisis. In a global dimension there are renewed threats to agreements to ameliorate the climate crisis which increasingly expresses a profound contradiction between capitalism and life itself.

In these circumstances it is particularly important for the working class movement in general, the trade unions in particular and most essentially the communist movement to find the greatest political, ideological, and organisational unity.

This, of necessity precludes formulaic and mechanical approaches based on old realities. It compels us to learn from experience, particularly new experience. It compels us to consider every facet of the class struggle in its concrete, national, material reality and its movement and development.

I would like to refer to recent developments in my own country – what was, until India replaced it a few weeks ago, the fifth largest economy. But one gripped by a profound political and economic crisis and today a crisis of government.

The divisions in our ruling class, with the most powerful, dominant, monopoly sections wedded to the capitalist entity of the European union but with a subordinate section, rooted in a section of predatory finance capitalism, seeking new opportunities outside the EU, were temporarily resolved with a deal that the EU bureaucracy and the major EU powers were more than happy to agree.

But this did not resolve the economic problems of what is the world’s second most powerful imperial power nor resolve the internal divisions in our ruling class.

The reflection of this in politics is the deep division in the Tory Party as it jettisoned its populist figurehead who surfed a wave of working class opposition to the EU to Make Brexit Happen and defeat the Labour Party.

In recent weeks, the new leadership of the main party of bourgeois power, the Tories, swiftly discovered that the price it pays for departing from capitalist orthodoxy is the mobilisation of the markets and the permanent instruments of monopoly rule – including the ‘independent’ Bank of England – to limit its freedom of movement. In a few days it lost its credibility and opinion polls showed a deep erosion of its support.

This new Conservative government of Liz Truss indeed did not last the course – she resigned as Prime Minister after only 44 days in office, making her the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history. Her successor will offer no respite to the working class only more of the poisoned pill of capitalist austerity, inequality and racism. Even at the next General

Election due in 2024, the Labour Party – with membership losses in the hundreds of thousands and its parliamentary left reduced to silence and impotence – represents only the possibility of cosmetic change.

Britain’s Labour Party, born in the late 19th century crisis of imperialism, reflects the contradictory trends in the British working class. At the same time the repository of millions of working class votes and the expression of class collaborationist ideas in the working class its parliamentary cohort is insulated from pressure exerted by both party members and voters.

When less than a decade ago, a maladroit manoeuvre by the party establishment to open up its leadership election to US-style primary votes, hundreds of thousands of people joined the party to elect Jeremy Corbyn. He is a veteran leader of the anti war movement that put two million people on the streets against Tony Blair’s Iraq War. This totally transformed the life of the party everywhere except in parliament where Labour MPs, in their great majority, tried three times to depose Corbyn.

Their efforts were subverted when, in 2017, a radical manifesto based on extending workers rights and social protection, industrial development and progressive social measures resulted in the largest increase in Labour votes since the Second World War with a 40 per cent plurality.

This completely destroyed ruling class confidence that Labour could be periodically entrusted to take its turn in office and an intensive two-year programme of slander and mass media attacks combined with a subversion – by Keir Starmer – of Corbyn’s pledge to respect the vote to leave the European Union diminished working class confidence in Labour. A pledge by the new Tory leader Boris Johnson to Get Brexit Done ensured a shift in working class votes to give the Conservatives victory.

Our experiences in this period – in which our party threw its modest resources in influencing the revived Labour left – confirm our view that it only possible to open up the road to working class power and socialism on the basis of the massive mobilisation of the working class and its allies around a programme which cannot be met by capitalism in crisis.

Experience, realism, and revolutionary ideology convince us that the objective situation always provides both limits to advance and new opportunities.

No defeat such as the one we suffered is ever permanent.

Today millions of workers in Britain are on the move in a strike movement of unprecedented scale and intensity.

What is distinctive in the present movement of the working class is the clear articulation –by the main leaders of this strike movement –that the issue is the contradiction between the interests of wage earners and the employers. The repeated positing of wages against profits is giving a new and more class conscious dimension to a popular movement in which overwhelming majorities – even of conservative voters – back public ownership of energy, utilities, transport and even banks and, even in the face of Europe’s most restrictive employments rights, workers are piling up massive majorities for strike action in ballots.

In this situation the recent growth and revitalisation of our Party and Young Communist League are factors which compel optimism that, along with the growing influence of the Morning Star daily newspaper, revolutionary Marxist Leninist ideas are finding new audiences.

Long live our Communist unity for Peace and Socialism Long live the international unity of Communist and Workers Parties

Continued from page 5

To strengthen the solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle. Todemand by all means possible the immediate end of the Israeli occupation and the right of the Palestinian people to exercise their free determination and to have an independent and sovereign state with its capital in East Jerusalem. To demandthe refugees’ right of return, in accordance with the relevantUN Resolutions. To condemn the so-called “Deal of the Century” and the US and Israel criminal policy of colonizing and apartheid practices, including the construction and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

To launch an international campaign on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29.

To demand a just and lasting solution to the question of Western Sahara, as well as to seek a peaceful and negotiated solution to the still unresolved conflicts, within the framework of the United Nations and in adherence to International Law rules.

To hold a general mobilization in solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for the exercise of their legitimate rights on May 10, Foundation of the POLISARIO Front.

To promote solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the face of the aggressions and sanctions illegally imposed by the US and European imperialism. To carry out actions demanding the immediate lifting of the illegal coercive measures and the return of the assets owned by Venezuela that have been appropriated by the imperialist powers.

To support the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence.

To support the International Day of Solidarity with Puerto Rico that is celebrated every October 30 to commemorate the first armed uprising against U.S. colonialism.

To support the actions and activities carried out by the political member parties of IMCWP in Latin America and the Caribbean to observe the following historical events: l Bicentennial of the independence of Central American countries.

l 170th anniversary of the birth of José Martí, National Hero of Cuba.

l 70th anniversary of the Assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks.

To denounce imperialist interference in Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of the Bicentennial of the Proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine and the 40th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

To achieve greater action by the communist and workers' parties and their related social organizations with the objective of achieving a better articulation and strengthening of the international antiimperialist organizations, in particular, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), the World Peace Council (WPC), the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF).

To strengthen unity, interaction and cooperation among the Communist and Workers’ Parties of all regions of the world to successfully celebrate the 23rd IMCWP in Turkey.

A social group can, indeed must, already exercise ‘leadership’ before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning of such power); it subsequently becomes dominant when it exercises power, but even if it holds it firmly in its grasp, it must continue to ‘lead’ as well.

COMMUNIST WOMEN

and a woman from England and Wales. There is nothing to prevent cross-border ‘tourism’ to obtain a GRC.

The government has also ignored the warnings around safeguarding. The bill creates a loophole for dangerous men to change their legal identities and gain access to women and children – and particularly to the most vulnerable groups.

Issues facing women today

Elle Zwandahl

Stage 1 down in the Gender Reform Bill

Reporter SCOTLAND

THE INTRODUCTION of ‘Self-ID’ of legal sex looks inevitable in Scotland by spring 2023 with all the predictable consequences that will follow. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill completed Stage 1 on 27 October, as expected.

However the grassroots feminist campaign against the bill successfully brought about the first backbench revolt and the first ministerial resignation over policy in the SNP’s 15 year term in office. Unfortunately the SNP rebels were not joined by any Labour MSPs, who were whipped to vote in favour. Public opinion is firmly against the bill. Even the short consultation survey conducted by the parliament’s Equalities Committee found that 59% of people disagreed with the purpose of the bill.

This is a class issue, with working class women and girls already the most exposed to risk and experiencing harm as women’s spaces are opened to men. It is also about sexuality; self-ID of legal sex affects the rights

of everyone who is same-sex attracted. Lesbian women speaking out about this have suffered the worst abuse and ostracism.   What’s the problem? The original GRA was intended to benefit the tiny number of people who have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and undergo gender reassignment surgery as a medical intervention. However the bill will allow anyone to change their legal sex based on self-declaration only (self-ID). Applicants simply need to make a declaration that they have lived in “their acquired gender” for 3 months (reduced from 2 years), and intend to do so permanently.  Making a false declaration will be an offence. However as the bill does not define “acquired gender” or what it means to “live” in it, it will be impossible to know if a declaration is false.

The Scottish Government has ignored the EHRC’s warnings about how GRA reform interacts with the 2010 Equality Act and with legal protections against sex based discrimination e.g. equal pay, maternity.  But also about the cross-border implications within the UK. When the Act passes Scotland will have a different legal definition of a man

The unintended consequences of lowering the minimum age from 18 to 16 years have also not been addressed. Scottish Government education policy has been captured by government funded trans rights lobby groups.  Scottish schools guidance promotes the social transitioning of children based on affirmation. The interim report of the Cass Review is clear that the social transitioning of children is not a neutral act. Social and medical transitioning predominantly involves adolescent girls, with an over-representation of young lesbians, those with care experience, and with autism spectrum disorder. Despite the closure of the Tavistock, the Scottish Govt has announced no changes to gender identity services in Scotland. The new model of care in England is holistic and child-centred. In Scotland the government is increasing investment in a service model now known to fail children.  It also plans to introduce a bill banning conversion therapy for transgender people, which would in effect criminalise the new model of care in England.

The Communist Party’s Scottish Committee submitted a response to the bill consultation (see link) and Edinburgh Communists and the YCL joined the Women’s Protest outside the Scottish Parliament on 6 October.

But the Reform Act will almost certainly end up in the courts. In November 2022 the Scottish Government returns to court for the second judicial review of its guidance on the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act. This contravenes the Equality Act by changing the legal definition of sex in Scotland. It is shameful that the donations of thousands of ordinary women are needed to fund legal action to defend their rights against their own government.

This fight will go all the way.

More information:

H CPB response: https://tinyurl.com/49bb2m5r

H Murray Hunter Blackburn Briefing: https://tinyurl.com/57n3v3ke

H For Women Scotland briefing https://tinyurl.com/y39hsrtz

No government has been able to change women’s condition in society. The normalisation of prostitution, pornography, women’s barriers to the workforce… only contribute to the dichotomy between the traditional role of women and the sexualisation of our bodies.

The Young Communist League’s women’s conference takes place on 26 November in Ruskin House, London.

THE ISSUES FACING women in 2022 were those facing women in 1982 so in 40 years, little has changed. I can remember back in the 1980s speaking at Marxism workshops about class and women’s oppression being interlinked indeed, an essential component for the capitalist class to function, is to keep women oppressed and super- exploited by participation of the labour force as well as having reproductive means to bear children.

The so called ‘women’s movement’ has always been a part of my activism; however, as we all know, it is not one homogenous entity. After four ‘waves of feminism’ we still need to address the issues around women’s oppression and class exploitation. We can only do this by being actively involved as communist party members linking up with progressive alliances and including the dual oppression of our Black and other ethnic sisters. Racist and sexist exploitation is part of the capitalist agenda that continues to subordinate us internationally. EG: Cheaper Black and female labour that means we form part of the exploited working class.

Rising rates of misogyny, violence and racism is the highest it has ever been; (UN Secretary General).

I have spent my life campaigning, attending protests from Greenham Common to the anti-war marches in the late 1990’s.

I was a ‘real Labour’ councillor in a Conservative town in the East of England, whilst bringing up a baby as a lone parent, working and fighting the institutionalised sexism within the council.

The obstacles are still there; trade unions should play an integral role in help eradicating this, progressive campaigns should always have on the agenda the Woman Question, not as an aside, but as part of the class struggle. We must organise and actively support our younger comrades in the YCL and beyond to become the future voice and leaders of our revolutionary movement as well as collectively giving a voice and solidarity to our sisters all over the world.

An old newspaper clipping of my first strike action as a 12 -year- old in school; strike action against an increase in bus fares. We need a new Women’s Liberation Movement as part of the Communist Party of Britain’s new agenda

WOMEN NOW account for 72.2% of the workforce in the United Kingdom. However, we are still in charge of care duties and are subjected to the double burden of capitalism and patriarchy, which condemns us to a life in worsened conditions.

Young women in All-Britain are the most affected between the union of capitalism and patriarchy. The expense of the cost of the living crisis onslaught against women and girls has resulted in the normalisation of prostitution and pornography among us. Sexual exploitation has become a way for

young women to make more money and pay for their studies or obligations.

All around the world reproductive rights are under attack. The revoke of Roe v. Wade in the United States, Italy's new far right president Georgia Meloni defending Law 194 in Italy, which aims to "protect life from its inception," the harassment of women at abortion clinics in Britain and so on are just a few examples of how capitalism threats women’s own health on behalf their benefits- more workforce, difficult assistance for women’s workers…

We will discuss the topics mentioned previously, our role in the trade union movement, the situation of women internationally such as Cuba or Vietnam, etc… We are setting up a member-only gender-based workshop and a wider discussion about sex and gender only for members of the YCL and CPB.

The Women’s Conference aims the discussion and advance in our political positions on women’s liberation. If you are interested in attending, contact women@ycl.org.uk.

Unity

“Much depends on us, the women’s workers. The days are passed when the success of the workers depends only in the organisation of men.”

Alexandra Kollontai.

FELICIA BROWNE

Felicia Mary Browne (18 February 1904 – 25 August 1936) was an English artist and member of the Communist Party. She was the first British volunteer to die in the Spanish Civil War. Her militia attempted to sabotage an Aragon railway line. In a surprise attack by fascist forces that greatly outnumbered them, an Italian miliciano was wounded. Felicia went to his rescue and both were cut down by machine-gun fire and killed, probably on 22 August 1936.

Communism and Christianity

M. Ruskin

RELIGION

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth show-cased what might be called the unacceptable face of Christianity, the unholy alliance of Church and State. Throughout 19 September, we witnessed the established church attempting to provide a veneer of divine sanction on class, money, power and - perhaps worst of all – the military. It was not always thus. Socialism and Christianity were once close allies and should be once more

In its earliest years, Christianity was a protest religion, with – in the words of Liberation Theology – a preferential option for the poor. Throughout the Gospels, Christ himself repeatedly showed himself on the side of the marginalized and oppressed. This was a stance taken up with gusto by the early Church. In its first three centuries, Christianity was very much the champion of the poor.

There is crucial evidence in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles to prove that the first generation of believers practised a protocommunism in which everything was held in common. This was an ideal later developed by monastic communities.

Christianity was also, and this is extremely important, a broadly pacifist religion. This is again following in the footsteps of its founder, who explicitly cautioned against the use of violence. Very often, the early Christians refused to serve in the army. There are many second and third century martyrs who forfeited their lives because of their pacifism. St Martin of Tour is perhaps the first conscientious objector, still celebrated as such by the Peace Movement.

Everything changed with the Conversion of Constantine in the fourth century and the adoption of Christianity as a state religion. Faith could then be used to prop up the most repressive regimes and the most malignant of policies, from the colonization of South America to criminalization of homosexuality.

There have, of course, been pockets of resistance to this dominant narrative, particularly with the rise of the Peace Churches (the Quakers and the Mennonites) in the 17th century, the influence of Christian Socialism in 19th century Britain and, as has already been mentioned, Liberation Theology in 20th century South America.

It is the purpose of this essay to rally Christians to return to their roots, to the fundamentals of their faith, and to Communists, woman and men, to welcome this powerful ally.

On overcoming the inequalities of life

Jean Turner LIBERATION

AT AGE 93, and reliant on carers for everything has fortified my views on the vital contribution made by women to our very existence.

While, as communists we recognise the importance of the class struggle in the achievement of socialism, this is sometimes defined as the industrial struggle only. But there are several strands to this struggle. Overcoming the existence of inequalities in the life of workers is also vitally important.

The fight for decent wages must include equal rights for women and BAME people.

My carers come into the latter categories and despite the efforts of trade unions for fair wages for a fair day’s work I can see how women have been brain-washed into accepting lower wages per hour for the punishing work they do as carers. The fact is that whole families and especially children are dependent on their income per week and without a second income, which is rare, to boost their earnings the families could starve and lose their home. This means that without the industrial struggle embracing their case they have no choice but to accept lower wages.

It is a dilemma faced by millions of women workers every day and is not a unique one within the labour force. It

has been at the root of family life for centuries.

From an early age. I was conscious of how class distinction affected our family and how badly my parents were treated. This meant that I paused my education at 19 and found work to help them out of the humiliating dependence they had on greedy and selfish employers. And I’ve fought their case and others ever since while holding down a full-time job, rearing three children and completing my studies. The Communist Party has been my inspiration in this for over 70 years.

Study notes on Women and Class

Elle Zwandahl WORKSHOP REPORT

I’m not going to discuss the historical position of women’s oppression, we should be aware of this by having read Engels Origin of the Family, Private Property and The State, or Mary Davis Women and Class. We know that it wasn’t until the ownership of private property and class society that women were then considered oppressed and the ‘weaker sex’. Prior to this, societies were largely matrilineal.

Patriarchal society appeared at the same juncture as private property, with the purpose of passing on wealth via the male line. It was then that working women became oppressed in their roles in the workplace as well as in the family home.

We know that Lenin was an advocate of equality for women, he stressed the need to understand the real material conditions and circumstances of women and highlighted the importance of freeing women from domestic work in order to bring them into the political struggle, as well as the need to educate and challenge patriarchal attitudes of male comrades.

Marxist-feminist analysis is a scientific one. It isn’t a special interest, if you have a commitment to structural and economic change, then you have to be committed to Marxist feminism.

In what ways are women exploited through the capitalist system? How does patriarchy fit into this?

Women constitute over 70 per cent of the workforce, over 54 per cen t of trade union membership, but are twice as likely to be poor, known as the feminisation of poverty, they earn 47 per cent of the National Minimum Wage.

Zero contract hours, insecure employment, the gig economy, housing, healthcare- and black women and women of colour suffer more than dual oppression known as misogynoir; their position as women and being black means they experience both misogyny and racism.

Half the world’s population are women who sell their labour, yet receive the worst oppressive wages and conditions. Wages are the product of labour; surplus value is the unpaid wage of the labour women have made; this is then the profit of the capitalist.

Women’s position in regard to the means of production- the material interest in earning money results in higher levels of profit to the capitalist class.

We also have the added exploitation of unpaid labour and reproduction. Women contribute to unpaid labour, housework, childcare, and as carers, results in a disproportionately deeper entrenchment of oppression.

I was listening to Radio 4 the other day the term ‘destitution’ was used several times; the true meaning of this word is; ‘poverty so extreme that one lacks the means to provide for oneself’.

Over five million children are living in food poverty, over 17 million families in deep poverty-we are living in the most difficult of times; end stage capitalism is both exacerbating inequality, intensifying poverty and perpetuating instability. This is no accident, it is deliberate. It is deliberately divisive; men earn more than women despite the Equal Pay Act of 1979; the figures are that women earn just 41 per cent of male earners. And this is despite any women’s rights legislation arising from the trade unions, guided by the Communist Party, women’s organisations and Left activists.

The Secretary General of the UN has recently commented that misogyny and violence towards women is at the highest rates ever. In 28 weeks in early 2021, we all know about the murder of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, but how many women were murdered by men? Over 80 women and counting.

l Women are used as a weapon of warrape.

l Covid; increased levels of domestic abuse ever; and latest football championships increase the levels of DA.

JEAN TURNER IS FORMER CHAIR OF THE LONDON COMMUNIST PARTY

Women and Class by Mary Davis https://shop.communistparty.org.uk

Communist Party 2021 Congress Report £2

The political life and times of Claudia Jones by David Horsley

A CHARTER FOR WOMEN

The Charter for Women does not offer new policy but instead seeks to bring together the key demands for which progressive women are fighting in various arenas. The charter covers three broad areas, social policy, the labour market and the labour movement.

WOMEN constitute half the work ing population in Britain and yet the gap between men’s and women’s earnings is widening despite the fact that girls perform better than boys in public examinations. (55% of girls gain five or more A-C grades at GCSE compared with 44% of boys.)

Women over 21 have had the right to vote since 1928 and yet only 27% of local authority councillors are women, 18% of all MPs and 24% of MEPs are women. In the home, up to one in 10 women experience domestic violence each year, one in four will experience this type of abuse at some point in their lifetime. An incident of domestic violence takes place in Britain every six to 20 seconds.

The oppression of women is consistently denied or trivialised by the mass media and the state. New Labour claims that they have made great progress to equalise opportunity for women – the facts do not bear this out. On the left, there is a tendency to subsume women’s issues within the general class struggle, or to relegate them to a secondary position. The right have always trivialised or ignored our concerns.

Women’s membership of trade unions is rising. However, women are not represented in proportion to their numbers within the trade unions. The position for black women is even worse.

Women have always fought for their longdenied rights; we must do so again.

We hope to inspire a new and inclusive socialist feminist theory and practice that will motivate a new generation of women activists and revitalise the fight for women’s s liberation. One of the ways of doing this is to unite around a campaigning programme. This is the purpose of the Charter for Women. It does not offer new policy but instead seeks to bring together the key demands for which progressive women are fighting in various arenas. The charter covers three broad areas, social policy, the labour market and the labour movement. It raises the main progressive

l Police recorded a 7 per cent increase from the previous year in domestic abuse offences, between March and June 2020 in England. Figures rose each month compared to less than 15 per cent in the previous two years.

There were 64 domestic murders in England and Wales recorded by the police between January and June 2020, this then increased further see below, end of report; (81 murdered women’s names).

There was also an increase in demand for domestic abuse services during the pandemic, women faced increasing difficulties in seeking safety, the reality is that the Tory governments over the years have reduced any funding to Women’s Aid.

Military, NATO, Media, Weapons, history of war, pornography, sex work, medically controlling women’s bodies, over 60% of women needing gynae appts are still on a waiting list two years post covid, housing, diminishing and undermining sex-based rights of women = all created by men.

There is casual condescension towards women, on a daily basis there is mansplaining, hepeating, manspreading, man slamming. A male comrade stressed that the speaker refrain from using acronyms; may I politely request that if male comrades do not know the terms, then look them up.

Over 300 decades of oppression for women and it is divide and rule; why? It benefits capitalism.

Women bear the biggest burden of austerity, the cost-of-living crisis, yet we play a vital role in regard to the means of production. Capitalists benefit from us.

concerns/campaigning points under each heading. We want it to be discussed, adopted and promoted by all progressive women’s s groups and organisations.

For us the price of progress is eternal vigilance – we must ensure that women’s s demands are heard and acted on

In society

l Highlight the feminisation of poverty and campaign to reverse cuts in welfare state and public services.

l Expose the ideologies that are used to perpetuate women’s inequality (for example, the notion of family values and the family wages).

l Draw attention to the role of the media and other cultural agencies in shaping gender identities that reinforce the unequal relationships between men and women.

l Campaign for greater support for lone mothers, carers and women subjected to domestic and other violence.

l End the oppression of Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans women

l Improve access and rights to abortion.

l Ensure that women and girls are entitled to the full range of free and high quality educational provision (from nursery to university) and subject choice.

l End women pensioner poverty by paying men and women equal State Pensions and restoring the link to average earnings or prices, whichever is the higher to at least twothirds of male median earnings.

l Demand statutory pay audits.

l Equalise opportunities and improve conditions for women workers.

l Demand full-time right for part time workers.

l Root out bullying and sexual harassment.

l End casualisation and especially zero hours contracts.

l Reduce job segregation by providing training opportunities for women in nontraditional areas.

This also means that this creates the material conditions towards revolution and system change. Capitalism doesn’t hate women because we’re weak, they hate us because we’re powerful.

What can be done?

l Trade unions need to step up.

l The Morning Star needs to keep to its commitment of making it more ‘female friendly’. (As per CP Women Workplan).

l All communist men to read Women and Class; given a copy on membership?

l Women’s input in every campaign; eg; local campaigns that put women’s issues at the top of the agenda.

l Monitor progress and membership levels of women in the CPB- currently only 21%this is not good enough.

l Strategic vision; use the Charter for Women as a campaigning tool.

l Roles of women within the party.

l Regular reports from branches and districts from women.

Questions for group discussion;

l What is the biggest concern for lack of women’s participation in the cpb?

l What can we do as communists to eradicate inequality and misogyny?

l What can we all do to ensure women’s voices are heard?

l How can we make women’s rights and sex based materialism a priority?

Feedback report from the contributors who attended the college

l Campaign for affordable child care including pre-, after-school and holiday provision.

l Campaign for a shorter working week for all.

l Improve maternity leave and pay, including paid paternity leave.

l Campaign for a change in the qualification criteria in the Industrial Injuries/Disability Benefit scheme, to end discrimination against women and in particular to extend the list of disorders in the prescribed disease schedules

At work

l Campaign to end institutional and other forms of racism and ensure that the status and pay of Black women workers is a bargaining priority.

l Campaign to reduce the gender pay gap and highlight its causes

l End job segregation by improving training and opportunities for women.

l Ensure that unions fight more equal value claims.

l Campaign to change equal pay law to permit class actions (group claims) and remove employer get out clauses.

l Campaign to raise the level of national minimum wage to at least half, and rising

In the labour movement

l Tackle the under-representation of women in the labour and trade union movement structures by proportionality and other measures.

l Ensure the accountability of women’s s structures to women.

l Maintain and extend women’s committees, women’s s courses and other measures to ensure that women’s issues/concerns are collectively articulated and actioned.

l Campaign to raise the profile of the TUC, STUC and Welsh TUC’s women’s conferences as the parliaments of working women.

National Assembly of Women 72 Beaconsfield Road, Coventry CV2 4AR

Email – naw@sisters.org.uk

congress members involved in the congress workshop; An afternoon of debate and challenge on the topic of women and the Communist Party.

I collated the post-it notes from all the participants; (5 women and over 25 men). Having read through the responses from an afternoon of sharing ideas to help improve the position of women, male comrades proved themselves to be allies, although much more education is needed in order to prevent ‘the woman question’ not appearing as an aside or tagged on the end of each agenda.

*Inequality in society is to some extent reflected in the Party. It is self-replicating. Sadly, the Party at grassroots level has normalised this.

l The Party lacks a strong women’s voice to raise ‘women’s concerns.’ It therefore presents itself as intimidating, unwelcoming and inconvenient to women. (EG: times of meetings, men engaging in ‘traditional female roles’ such as childcare to support attendance).

l Men dominate public and private space as well as dominating the conversation, men want authority, it is exclusive and off putting for women. Political engagement has to be worthwhile for women.

l Women have to bear the physical day to day tasks and also bear the intellectual labour of responsibility; EG; appointments for doctors/dentists/inoculations/homework, alongside bringing up children, there is the added insecurity and stress of low wage, part time, zero hours contracts in work, this

makes them/us time poor.

l We have to name it; in fighting inequality, call it out. Use language that is inclusive and challenge discrimination from men. Women are 51% of the class we’re trying to organise and lead. There has to be a shift in this power imbalance.

l Class nature of language is authoritarian, used specifically to oppress women. The Party needs to use language that matches the material reality of women’s class position.

l Men have to recognise that they must cede their power and actively plan to ‘feminise’ the party. Women’s empowerment will have a cost on men, but this will rebalance and address stereotypes.

l ‘Feminise The Demands’.

l Male allies in the Party and in the workplace need to acknowledge and reflect upon the class position of women and be vocal, in the office, in the pub. Actively acknowledge women’s skills.

l The Women’s Commission is an active tool that all districts should be consulting with.

l All male comrades should be given a copy of Women and Class by Mary Davis. Everyone should be cognisant of this book, along with the Charter for Women.

l The Trades Union Movement needs to step up. Male trade unionists need to be vocal about the inequality of women on all levels of the capitalist system. Challenge liberal, gender stereotypes, challenge through education, challenge entrenched ideas and liberal ideologies that pervade society and normalise Communist thinking.

NATO WAR ON GERMANS

The programme of the Communist Party Britain’s Road to Socialism is now available as an audiobook. The first instalment was launched at the TUC on 20 October.

The audiobook is free, though donations to cover the cost and future productions are welcome and is available at https://www.communistparty.org.uk/listentosocialism and on the Communist Party YouTube channel.

The audiobook is voiced in a ful range of accents and dialects and plans are in hand to produce a Welsh language version. You can now listen to socialism, on the bus, in a train, in your car, while on your way to work or even while doing the shopping!

The audiobook isin a format that works effortlessly with all mobile devices and computers.

Stop violence against women

Jade Welburn CAMPAIGNING

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organistions around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

In support of this civil society initiative, the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations. The global theme this year is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.

Unions and the capitalist crisis

The present strike wave is reviving militant trade unionism in new and innovative ways. Communist trade unionists are in the thick of these struggles and drawing on their experience and the history of the working class movement have set out the Communist Party’s ideas on building and rebuilding the trade union movement.

This new pamphlet tackles the position of unions in Britain today and focusses on the battle for leadership and how left unity and organisation be built.

Giving priority to building unity in the workplace and the unions the pamphlet tackles the issues faced by Broad Left organisations. Drawing on more than 100 years of deep involvement in the working class movement and in particular, the 1970s class battles the pamphlet sets out the role of the Communist Party and argues the case for socialism and working class state power.

https://tinyurl.com/7m8rd2jp

s The pamphlet is £2.50 from www.manifestopress.coop. Get it with the original book now available for a knockdown price of £8

Communist Party theory and discussion journal

NEW SERIES NUMBER 105 • Autumn 2022

£2.50 at www.communistparty.org.uk

Editorial Martin Levy

Lessons from the Kenya Underground Shiraz Durrani

Is Russia Imperialist? Andrew Murray Travellers of the World Revolution

A Preview John Green

FROM THE ARCHIVES The Marxist Theory of Crisis Josef Winternitz

SOUL FOOD Climate Change, Capitalism, and Poetic Resistance

Fran Lock

War is not the answer to deep planetary insecurity Vijay Prashad

“The idea that we are punishing Putin by impoverishing millions of families in Germany and destroying our industry while Gazprom is making record profits – how stupid is that?”

Sahra Wagenknecht Bundestag deputy and former co-chair of Die Linke