Has the working class a future? If we do nothing we do not have one. We have a choice: decline as an unproductive island off the coast of Europe, with a bit of tourism and a pool of cannon fodder for European military adventures, or re-build a productive Britain. In other words, we either die as a national working class or live as a working class nation. Life or death.
Nation and class are now synonymous as the ruling class abandons Britain. But they have not left it to us – parts of our sovereignty have already been ceded to the European Union.
So how do we establish this nation with a real economy based on industry and agriculture? We need to liberate our nation from the grip of finance capital. We need to go on the offensive. Our trade unions were born as defensive organisations. They may attack as a tactic but, strategically, they cannot do the job that is now needed.
Think back to when workers as a class have challenged the ruling class, when we refused to allow their government to govern. We did defeat the Social Contract and the Industrial Relations Acts in the 1970s. But we were not in a position to terminate their rule, we lacked a developed enough class organisation that we could deploy offensively; and the class was not convinced that we could successfully carry the fight.
Our retreat led to the Thatcher counter revolution. When you start a fight, finish it or get your head kicked in. So we ended up with the systematic destruction of our manufacturing capacity, our means to produce wealth.
Of course, conviction and organisation are related. They grow together as and when the practice enables that – i.e when there is forward movement within a winning strategy.
In Britain there are two classes only and working class progress depends entirely on their desire so to do – and workers developed a strategy of living with capitalism (forget that it no longer wants to live with us). But others of our class internationally were, within their nation states, showing how a ruling class could be toppled in favour of a working class. Literally all political life since 1917 has pivoted on the need for capital to destroy that advance. And just as we have gone backwards in Britain, so we have internationally.
To advance, the working class needs its Communist Party – something it has resisted up to now. As a party we in the CPBML do not offer to do anything for anyone. We are only part of the process of the class taking power for itself. As the conviction of the need for revolutionary change develops, so do we as a party. As the party develops, so does the class conviction of both need and ability.
We seek to take all our class experience and use it to develop our ideas. These ideas are then tested in class struggle. It is a continuous process. Each member of the working class in struggle brings more experience from themselves and their fellow workers.
How else can we make progress? If we are honest, we know there is no saviour of any sort that we can turn to. We have to do this ourselves for ourselves.
So, if we wish to continue as a British working class, take back what resources are left and re-build a productive economy, then we have to be prepared to help build the Party. Feed in your class experiences to us. Read Workers. Come to meetings for an exchange of mind. Do the same with your fellow workers.
Best of all, join. ■