Crisis in the THE CRISIS of the Communist Party took a major new lurch forward last week. First the Communist Party Executive Committee voted that Chater, and his deputy a te. Morning 'ought not to continue to hold' their jobs. They should be replaced by supporters of the present line of the Executive.
Then on Thursday the Morning Star replied publically stating that, 'The shareholders at the annual general meeting held last year in seven centres across the country expressed their confidence in the editor with a massive vote for his re election to the management commitee.' Simultaneously the Morning Star has taken steps to increase its financial from the CPGB by buying a new 2650,000 press with which it can carry out commercial printing work.
Unless the Chater and Whitfield in the People's Press Printing Society - the reader's co-operative which legally owns the Morning Star munist party is on the verge of losing control of its most important public political asset Given that Chater and his supporters won a similar struggle last year the chances of the Party Executive do not seem very bright. The CPGB is today closer to a split than at any time since the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.
What makes a tremendous difference compared to that situation twenty eight years ago however is the quality Communist Party. had 40,000 members. national trade unions. under the impact of the Hungarian events many of those who left went into the left wing of the Labour Party. tions. Out of the splits in the Communist Party was born the whole 'new left' Today ninety per cent of those leaving the Communist Party are going to right -the one thing that unites the different factions is their common view that the working class is not the force which is going to resolve the political crisis either in Britain divisions are over who, other than the working class, are going to strike the decisive blows and give the crucial political leadership.
For old style Stalinists of course the answer is obvious. The Soviet bureaucracy crushing workers in Poland, taking a tough line against Reagan, encouraging or holding back industrial militancy — is the force to back.
For the Eurocommunists of Marxism Today it is the European imperialists of the EEC who have the answer. Hence the need to remain in editor independence CPGB Executive can outvote then the Comof the forces left in the In 1956 the Communist Party It controlled two major When the CP splintered A few joined Trotskyist organisain Britain.
go over to the some very far to the right indeed. In fact For internationally. The whether Launching a dream ticket LAST SUNDAY Neil Kinnock gave an hour interview to ITV's Weekend World'. He took the opportunity to spell out three key policies for Labour.
conventional armaments. It would scrap Polaris. It would not pledge to reduce unemployment below one million. In fact unemployment might still be above two million at the end of a five year Labour government.
JOHN ROSS asseses Neil Kinnock's interview. Neil Kinnock accurately Brian Walden's Weekend World as a big issues man (sic)'. That is to say that politics is not made up of a hundred minor together to make a coherent policy.
•Politics always revolves around two or three cenua ucsons al any luc The task of a politica leadership is to get a firm grip on these Isses organise the rest of the Party's WOlK around them. activity must then be based on the key social forces that are driving towards these goals. All secondary quesElUS DC strictly Labour government would spend more on described himself on questions which can be stitched organised around achieving these primary objectives Neil Kinnock carried out this policy very well with Walden. It is also being implemented in the Labour Party itself. In fact the Walden interview was the most coherent expres sion so far of where Nei Kinnock taking the Labour Party.
No committment to full employment. Less emphasis on nuclear weapons More expenditure on conventional arThis Halicals gramme, down to the small details, is the policy the imperialist powers — the maJor West capitalist states that make up the EEC.
It necessary to specify that what is involved is the European imperialist powers. For Neil Kinnock's policy is not at all the programme of the United States. Indeed it is out of these differences of policy with the US that Neil Kinnock is hoping t generate popular support for Labour.
Directly The US administration today is directly stepping up its military prepara tions for war in areas such MX missile and the nev 'Star Wars anti-missile technology.
But West German, French or Italian capitalism want no such nonsense. They prepared to give open support or if that fails a 'nod and a wink' to United States involvement in the Middle East, . Central America, But the West European powers today do not want risk war with the The 'first weapons which the United States is developing al c not considered necessary Ideas of a nuclear enjoy wide popularity even among capitalists.
Obvious The reasons for that are obvious. Reagan may talk of a imited nuclear war' in Europe. That is fine for United States capitalism But hopeless for West Germanne Waste.
West
powers are theretore mov. ing to a military strategy which relies MUCH HO C heavily on conventional armaments and nuclear weapons. Hence well nuclear defence policy'. ing Arthur Scargill and the union's militants is how to regain the initiative after the so-called moderates the United economy is now far above that of the EEC countries. Conflict In these circumstances Western Europe has no talk 'full employment'. It is austerialtpolises news are attacks on welfare which the order of the day Labour government pledg ed to full employment has no chance whatever making alliances 'progressive West European capitalists Follow Neil Kinnock's speeches carefully the weeks to come. He will attack violently the United States. There will be no such attacks on Western Europ or demands vithdrav from the EEC Not only the campaigning but also the content Labour s policier being moved towards the 'Eurosocialist' •Darlick of Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
The two million who Neil Kinnock now announces WIl be left without jobs under government will just be the first victims of that policy. fillip? The ballot result shows the fight for unity against pit closures has yet to be won.
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