The Struggle for Peace

YCL meeting Sunday 27 August 2006

The whole world is crying out for peace! Young Communists have a role to play in shaping and demanding a better future. The following is from a Scottish YCL peace meeting which laid bare the facts which big business owned media currently avoids, but which ordinary people have an increasingly gut instinct about.

Communists need to equip people with the plain facts - so that they can cut through the spin and hype of a sophisticated media machine which is in the lap of governmental influence.

Alan MacKinnon, Scottish CND.

Alan began by highlighting Imperialism being in crisis and the challenges that it faces from its own actions and self-interests. These challenges are growing: Palestine, Afghanistan, the Lebanon and the fiasco in Iraq. US oil addiction means that 5% of the world uses 20% of the oil, and the US really needs to wean its population from this large addiction, yet seems unable to do so.

In this light, US interests in Latin America are easy to explain. Huge oil and gas fields exist in these countries, and the aspirations and way of life of indigenous peoples has not benefited from these massive energy reserves. Local indigenous interests are not shared by a US giant scared of massive oil withdrawal symptoms. Similarly, economic challenges from India and especially China loom large on the US horizon.

Facing all these challenges, the US spends more than the rest of the world put together in military might. It controls every ocean in the world. It has the biggest stockpiles of nuclear WMD. It even seeks to dominate space for a unique military advantage on the rest of the human race below.

Yet the US does not stand visibly alone. The UK lends valuable credibility via a "special relationship". This relationship is weak and were the UK to detach itself from the US politically, the likes of the outrageous Iraq war would have been impossible. The UK population can in these terms strike a blow for peace.

The Trident Nuclear missile system is such an embodiment of the UK and US relationship. Here CND and Labour MPs who are increasingly isolated from Blairism have a crucial role. The British people are similarly a powerful factor, which is perhaps why our media will not highlight our government's nuclear hypocrisy?

To have a mobilised and politically educated people is certainly not in the interests of maintaining such hypocrisy. Communists have an important role in building up confidence, strength and unity in the left and winning this argument! For this we need to raise our profile and for our supporters to take roles in building up the local area and our organisations.

Youth has a unique part to play in this work in this time of Imperial crisis. We need a strong and effective YCL!

Gawain Little (outgoing general secretary of the Young Communist League)

Peace is today a vital issue and remains at the heart of communism. Communists also have the benefit of a constructive, unifying, and non-sectarian way of working.

Both the YCL and the Party must continue to give a clear political education and hence give people the tools to understand what is happening around them, the root of which is constantly expanding Capitalism.

From Yugoslavia to Iraq, reasons of "humanitarian intervention" have been used as a justification for anything in Capitalist interests. NATO has celebrated this fact in updating its charter in 90's to include "out of area operations" (such as Afghanistan) and that nuclear weapons are essential to maintain peace! In their logic, "counter proliferation" justifies the underhand development of new and more powerful nukes for themselves, while demanding that other nations simply sit back and watch.

For countries wishing to join the EU, part of the deal is that they re-arm using western weapons, leading to huge spending to US and UK arms manufacturers. Western Capitalist interests are served in such lucrative trading and props up the economy at home. War is to Capitalism what peace is to Socialism.

In short, we must build unity, project clear analysis and thereby attack Capitalism most effectively. We must be seen out amongst the people, help them understand the roots of problems and empower them with the knowledge that together they have the power to change the world.

Ben Chacko (editor of YCL magazine "Challenge")

Communists have a good history in the peace movement, so today we need a YCL who can carry on this work. Branches need to be built up locally. There are many single issue campaigns which lack analysis and guidance, especially to show that many of these "separate" issues are in fact linked. Therefore we need to convince many of these single issue political activists of socialism!

An effective method of working politically is to expose hypocrisy. The wasting of massive amounts of money and resources on weapons is a major issue of the moment, when it is claimed that there isn't money for funding medical supplies etc. Communists have a major role to play at this time.