The Communist Party of Britain: Scottish Committee

The Role of the Communist Party
An outline statement for new members

The Communists are distinguished from the other working-class parties by this only:

What are the essential aspects of the role of the Communist Party?

to give the labour movement a socialist consciousness, a scientific socialist theory, a perspective to advance to socialism.

This will never happen spontaneously. Socialist understanding does not arise by itself from immediate struggle, no matter how hard or successful these struggles may be. The Communist Party, by showing the line of advance and pointing out the socialist goal, gives purpose to the daily struggles, and in so doing, strengthens these struggles, linking them with and showing their place in the fight for political power.

To lead the workers and their allies in all the struggles which confront them - from the immediate struggles under capitalism right up to the struggles for political power and the building of socialism.

Conversely, no amount of socialist propaganda and education, is sufficient by itself to lead to socialist advance. The Communist Party is deeply concerned with the defence and improvement of the immediate conditions of people within capitalism: it regards the fight on these issues as an essential aspect of the class struggle against capitalism without which the fight for socialism is impossible. Communists recognise the importance of all the forms of organisation developed by working people to advance their interests - the trade unions, trades councils, cooperative organisations, womens’ organisations, peace organisations, the pensioners’ movement etc - and they work to strengthen and promote these.

Communists are involved in the active leadership of the immediate struggles, always working for the greatest possible unity both within the working class, and between the working class and all other sections of society who are attacked by capitalism. But leadership has to be won, and can be won only if it is deserved. Recognition of the value of communist leadership comes as the direct result of action, when workers are able to experience communist leadership in actual events.

Communist Party members not only work actively side by side with other workers in these mass organisations but always attempt to explain their long term socialist aims and perspectives, linking these to the immediate issues. They help to select the most effective issues of struggle, and the most effective forms of struggle. They work to lift up, step by step, the level of struggle from the most everyday issues to the more vital political issues. Step by step the Party’s aim is to spread the ideas and perspectives of socialism until it can win a decisive majority of the people to take the road of achieving political power and building socialism.

To provide the organisation for the most politically advanced sections of working people capable of carrying out these tasks.

The capitalist ruling class appears to have all the trump cards. It has the state, the media, the money, and 200 years of experience. But the working class and working people have one weapon which the ruling class never has – their numbers and their power as being the people that actually staff manufacturing industry, transport and communications, public services, and many aspects of the state itself. For their numbers to be effective, organisation and discipline are necessary, and the vanguard of the working class need a revolutionary organisation which can enable them to lead the people to socialism. The form of organisation must be one that meets the organisation’s aims, that is to give leadership and direction to working class struggles.

The organisational form of the Communist Party has two main and connected purposes. First, to enable Communists to take a leading part in working class struggle and to enable them to maintain the closest possible contact with working people. Second, to mobilise the united force of the Communist Party for the struggle for socialism. This means unity of will, outlook and action, and voluntary selfdiscipline on the part of Communist Party members.

The foundation of communist organisation is democratic centralism, the system of organisation characteristic of every revolutionary Marxist party. The two main principles of which are firstly, democracy from the bottom up, and secondly, centralism, the coordination of the activity of the whole Party from top to bottom along agreed lines of policy.

Democratic centralism therefore means:

• the right of all members to take part in discussion and formation of policy and the duty of all members to fight for that policy when it has been decided.
• The right of all members to elect and to be elected to the collective leaderships of the party at all levels, and to be represented at the National Congress, the highest authority of the Party.
• The right of the elected higher organisations to make, between Congresses, decisions which are binding on lower organisations. The duty of the higher organisations to consult to the maximum possible before making such decisions, and to fully explain the reasons for them. The duty of the lower organisations to express their views before the decisions are taken by the higher body and to carry them out when made.
• The right of all members to contribute to the democratic life of the Party and the duty of all members to safeguard the unity of the Party. While carrying out the policy and decisions of the Party, members who disagree with a decision have a right to reserve their opinions and to express their views through the proper channels open to them as laid down in the Party rules.

Group Discussion Questions

How can Communists transform trade union consciousness be into revolutionary political consciousness?

In practical terms what are the ‘immediate struggles’ in Scotland that Communist Party branches should be involved in?