Scottish Committee of the Communist Party of Britain

Saturday 4 July 2009

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European Election June 4th

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Our Flag Stays RED - 50th Communist Congress Videos

What now for Labour?

The lesson of the Glasgow East by-election defeat.

New Labour policies are absolute poison to working class people and their communities - that's the lesson of the Glasgow East by-election defeat.

In May of this year, the Communist Party of Britain held its fiftieth national congress. Once again, we characterised 'New Labour' as "the open representatives of monopoly capital in the Labour Party". In practice, this has meant the pursuit of pro-big business policies at government level, and a concerted attempt to utilise the trade union movement to that end. While there is nothing new in this, what is striking is the single minded determination with which Blair, and now Brown, have pursued their right-wing programme in the interests of big business.....

Read more of this statement here...

New Pamphlet: Scotland's Future

"May 2007 saw Scottish politics enter new territory. For the first time in half a century Labour slipped into 2nd place electorally... a major change in political horizons. Electors have shown that they want something better than New Labour's neo-liberal policies ... Scotland's future has become the subject of active debate."

This new pamphlet puts the detailed position of the Communist Party on modern Scotland. Only the united force of working people across all the nations of Britain will be able to roll back, and eventually break, the power of big business and its state apparatus. Scotland's future depends on building this wider unity.

Order by Post: Contact us including payment of £3.10 (2.50 + 0.60 p&p)

Order Online Soon

As part of building Communist understanding, Unity Books & Parxis Press will soon be offering ONLINE Scotland's Future and a wide range of new & secondhand Marxist books.

Check back soon for details.

Labour must change course - say Scottish communists

The refusal of Labour governments under Blair and Brown to pursue pro-working class policies is paving the way for the return of the Tories.
Let no one be in any doubt about that.
The inability of the Scottish end of New Labour any longer to hold its own is further confirmation of the rejection of New Labour in the rest of Britain - so starkly revealed in last year's elections to the Scottish Parliament.

Wendy Alexander's resignation as Scottish Labour leader should be seen against that backdrop. The turmoil in Labour's ranks is a direct result of the systematic pursuit of reactionary policies at home and abroad......

Read the Communist Party in Scotland statement

STUC 2008 Annual Congress: recorded Fringe meetings

Inverness April 2008

Every April, trade unions & trade councils come together to formulate progressive policies for working people.
Outwith congress business, fringe meetings take place which explore progressive issues which impact on workers. Below are a selection of informative meetings which were recorded.

Communist Party 50th Congress

Scottish delegation

Congratulations to delegates, fraternal visitors & participants who took part in a successful 50th Congress of the Communist Party in Britain (24 May - 26 May).

We are also grateful to staff and friends at the Morning Star, the daily paper of the left, who covered the wide ranging debates, speakers & events.

Soon there will be available video footage from a range of international guests reporting on the Communist worker's movement across the world, and also the analysis and democracy in action from British communists.

A World in Turmoil - current shifts in the world balance of forces

John Foster on the Communist Party of Britain's international resolution

In the lead-up to its 50th congress, JOHN FOSTER runs through the Communist Party of Britain's international resolution.

CURRENT shifts in the world balance of forces will provide a central focus of discussion at the forthcoming 50th congress of the Communist Party.

The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) executive committee's international resolution has four main themes ....

The dominant international position of US imperialism has received a significant check over the past two years and the general crisis of the capitalist system has deepened and become more complex.

Read more the Communist Party's international analysis.....

Free market fatality - exposing the myth of the free market, and their obituary

Robert Griffiths exposes the myth of the free market

THE myth of the "free market" is finally dead and not before time. Its pulse ceased - it didn't have a heart - on Monday April 21.This was the day that the Bank of England, at the behest of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling, announced its willingness to hand Britain's banks at least £50 billion in Treasury bills.

This bail-out to save the money and housing markets is the biggest in British history.
Read more

Venezuela Students Fringe Meeting

Video now on line

September's Scottish Morning Star Conference was on the theme of "Rebuilding the Movement". In Latin America, Venezuela is directly involved in this same struggle, and making massive progress.

So a fringe meeting was held, with Venezuelan students studying in Scotland giving first hand accounts of the building of a better world in Latin America, often in the face of US interference.

Watch video from the Students Fringe here

The revival of socialist ideas, socialist policies and the vision of a socialist society.

Rob Griffiths, General Secretary of the CPB

ROB GRIFFITHS looks at the possibility of an upturn in fortunes for the left.

In 2008, only men and women over 45 might have some memory of the miners' strikes of 1972 and 1974. Many millions of younger people today have no such memories. Moreover, they have had little or no opportunity to learn about socialism, about its ideas or the policies which embody them.

They know that something is deeply rotten about our society. But they neither see capitalism as the root of the problem nor socialism as the root of the solution.

Where's the possibility of an upturn? Read on to find out.....

5 years on: Thousands turn out for Glasgow Anti War protest

15 March 2008

THOUSANDS of peace protesters in Glasgow heard Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon call for troops to be withdrawn and the perpetrators of the Iraq war to be held to account at the weekend.

Ms Sturgeon was speaking at Saturday's rally on Glasgow Green organised by the Stop the War Coalition and supported by the STUC, Scottish CND and the Muslim Association of Britain.

Organisers estimated that around 5,000 people joined the march through Glasgow city centre, which saw representatives from trade unions EIS and UNISON, Communist Party of Britain, Solidarity and the Scottish Socialist Party taking part.

Read more in our news section
Also you can read BBC Scotland News article here [opens new window/tab].

MORNING STAR: the only socialist daily newspaper

On the day Socialist News from 3rd March - subscribe today!

After a period of 5 years, the people of Scotland finally have the people's paper delivered on the day of publication!

MPs, MSPs, trade unionists & leading voices of the progressive & working class movement issued the following:

We welcome the re-launch of the Morning Star as a daily paper in Scotland. It makes a major contribution to the plurality and balance of the Scottish press

The Morning Star has the support of all major trade unions & the Scottish Trades Union Congress.

  • It reports the news that other papers don't print - especially news which reflects the demands and victories of the trade union movement and of working people generally.
  • It is the one paper that constantly supports CND and the peace movement and opposes wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • It fights for public services and opposes privatisation and the threat posed by unfettered big business to the climate of our planet.
  • For 78 years it has carried the proud subtitle "for peace and socialism"

It will be on open display in every RS McColl shop across Scotland and also other major newsagents.

Latest Marxist Education Resources

Friends & New Members school

Over 30 people attended and contributed to the great success of this Spring session of Marxist education.
We'd like to thank everyone who took part in these meetings, which featured excellent discussion following on from outstanding presentations.

Two of these sessions were recorded & are now on line:
An Introduction to Communist Party History
With unique clarity & focus, Jim Whyte charts the history of the Communist movement in Britain and its role in the British working class movement.

Britain's Road to Socialism: An Introduction
Far from being just a set of election promises or future predictions, Simon Steel explains how our program sees the vital role of the Communist Party in the wider British labour movement.

Iraqi Communist Party - the fight against Saddam

Meeting recorded November 2007

Iraqi Communists & partisans fought an amazing & heroic campaign against Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime through much of the 70's & 80's, a movement which is proudly remembered in Iraqi Kurdistan to this day.

Comrade Abdul, who took part in this fight, gave Scottish Communists & friends an insight into this struggle for freedom against Saddam Hussein's internationally backed regime.

Our profound thanks go to Comrades Abdul & Amer for bringing alive this period of struggle. It is humbling to be faced with the facts of this struggle, not least the chemical weapons attacks on Communists & Kurdish villages during the Anfal campaign. Yet it is encouraging to hear just how much was achieved & won against all the odds.

Watch this meeting online here.

Communist University 2007

Videos completely online

If you couldn't attend the events in Croydon, then we hope that video recordings of these leading national and international speakers from the labour and anti-imperialist movements will be the next best thing.

More avaiable in our media, education & documents sections.

Unite Union backs the Morning Star - only real voice of the labour and trade union movement

TONY BURKE explains why Unite is calling on members to play an active role in the Morning Star's future.

UNITE has taken a substantial share in the co-operative Peoples Press Printing Society Ltd, which runs the Morning Star newspaper. And I, as Unite assistant general secretary, have also joined the Morning Star's management committee.

..it is still the only daily paper of the left and the only real voice of the labour and trade union movement.

Read more....

Working people are set to pay the price

Robert Griffiths on looming Capitalist crisis

From crunch to crisis - the greed of financial fantasy threatens the real world

The greed of financial fantasy threatens the real world.

Who's going to pay? - working people are set to pay the price for a society run for the rich.

ROBERT GRIFFITHS warns that working people are set to pay the price for a society run for the rich.

Financing the future - why the Scottish Parliament needs a new set of teeth

TWENTY years ago, when leftwingers were asked what kind of Scottish Parliament they wanted, they would reply: "A parliament with teeth."

It was a clumsy phrase, but they knew what they meant - a parliament with powers to intervene economically, particularly on jobs and industry. The teeth were for taking bites out of the corporate fat cats.

Read more....have most SNP promises been scaled down or abandoned?

Young Communists in Scotland - build a better future!

*Updated - YCL Section*. We have a number of young members and interested people in branches across Scotland. You can meet some of our members as we hold a Communist Party and YCL stall from around 1-3pm EVERY SATURDAY outside Border's Book Shop on Buchanan Street, Glasgow.

If you would like to know more, get in touch with us or if you see our stall then introduce yourself! Our members are often at political events and demos with Communist Party flags.

Communist Party in Scotland

This is a compilation of images from campaigning work of Communists in Scotland - from peace work to Pride Scotia!

In short....

Our rules state that ‘this necessitates a revolutionary transformation of society, ending the existing capitalist system of exploitation and replacing it with a socialist society in which each will contribute according to ability and receive according to work done. Socialist society creates the conditions for advance to a fully communist society’.

We welcome all those who wish to join our party or simply wish to know more about us. Contact us by clicking here.