| From Unity, 23 May 2009 |
What other party?by Mel CorryFrom time to time we as communists must surely evaluate where we are politically and why we are what we are.We are all products of our time and circumstances, and many events during the course of our lives shape what we become. People are influenced by a variety of factors: family, peers, church, education, the media, and so on. When we find ourselves in the Communist Party we have accepted that the world around us needs change, and that change can come only through collective struggle. Of course when we come eventually to that conclusion, that’s when the real work begins. As a tutor training shop stewards I used to hear cynical comments about “fighting losing battles” and “there’s nothing we can do.” I always tried to show that every action on behalf of a fellow-worker could be a revolutionary act. These attitudes among rank-and-file trade unionists were often fostered by the bureaucratic nature of the unions and their officials and the cosy consensus that had developed with capitalism; but how many times have shop stewards changed someone’s life by saving them from the sack, or put money in their pockets by negotiating a decent pay rise from the boss? Recent events in the world economy should have us all once again re-evaluating where we are. Capitalism has been proved to be the monster we all knew it was; but we need to move beyond T-shirt and badge socialism and dedicate ourselves to real struggle on behalf of our class. We will never have a better opportunity to raise class consciousness and articulate the absolute need for socialism as our way forward. Workers at Visteon, Waterford Crystal and others across Europe have shown that unity of purpose, a willingness to fight and the confidence to say enough is enough are not a pipe dream but a necessary element to ensure our place in this world. What other movement can offer the prospect of democratic control of industry and finance, the emancipation of women, the elimination of serfdom, the removal of hunger and poverty, health care and education as of right, and the ability to shape our own destiny in this world? During the recent visit to Cuba our guide was asked what perks one could expect from membership of the Communist Party. He replied: “Only great sacrifice.” There is no easy way, only continued struggle. The twentieth century was the century of anti-communism. Let us make the twenty-first century our time of victory. |
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