The Communist Party of Britain, which claimed to have 1026 members in 2007, is the largest Communist party in the United Kingdom. The CPB does not organise in Northern Ireland, where the Communist Party of Ireland organises. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its own. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI; Irish: Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann) is a small all-Ireland Marxist party. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist party in the United Kingdom. ... Harry Pollitt (1890 - 1960) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain for more than 20 years. ... John Gollan (April 2, 1911 - 5 September 1977) was a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). ...

History

The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) was formed in 1988 by a disaffected segment of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), including the editorship of the party-controlled newspaper, The Morning Star, largely supporters of the "Communist Campaign Group" (CCG). The founders of the CPB attacked the leadership of the CPGB for allegedly abandoning 'class politics' and the leading role of the working class in the revolutionary process in Britain. The youth wing of the CPGB, the Young Communist League, had collapsed, and The Morning Star was losing circulation. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist party in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Morning Star. ... The Young Communist League (YCL) is the youth wing of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB). ...

The next year, the leaders of CPGB formally declared that they had never been Marxist-Leninists, and abandoned the party's programme "British Road to Socialism". Members of the CPB perceived this as the CPGB turning its back on socialism. Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Socialism is a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ...

Membership of the CPB was boosted after the dissolution of the CPGB in 1991 and its reformation as the "Democratic Left". Many members of the Straight Left faction who had stayed in the CPGB formed a group called "Communist Liaison" which later opted to join the CPB. Others remained in the Democratic Left or joined the Labour Party. In the United Kingdom the Communist Party of Great Britain reformed itself into a left-leaning political multi-issue grassroots campaign group/think-tank called Democratic Left in 1991 based around the CPGBs Manifesto for New Times (1990, Lawrence & Wishart). ... Straight Left was the name of a political group in Britain, and of a newspaper. ...

This split within the Communist Party of Great Britain was not the first. The Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) was established in 1968 by a leading engineering union official, Reg Birch, who had been a prominent member of the CPGB and at that time a supporter of the Beijing line in the Sino-Soviet dispute. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, ideological differences between party members led to the establishment of the New Communist Party (formed in 1977), who also opposed 'eurocommunism' and who have close links to the Workers' Party of Korea. The splitting up of the Communist Party of Great Britain resulted in bitter divisions, and the lack of unity between Communists in Britain has had a detrimental effect on the entire Communist movement. The Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) is a British communist political party. ... Reg Birch (7 June 1914 - 2 June 1994) was a British Maoist trade unionist. ... The New Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Britain. ... Eurocommunism was a new trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties to develop a theory and practice of social transformation that was more relevant in a Western European democracy and less aligned to the partyline of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ... The Workers Party of Korea (WPK) is the ruling party of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. ...

The CPB was largely the creation of the "Communist Campaign Group" and one of its prominent leaders, Mike Hicks, was elected to the post of General Secretary when the CPB was founded in 1988. In January 1998 Mike Hicks was ousted as general secretary in a 17 - 13 vote moved by John Haylett (who was also editor of the Morning Star) at a meeting of the CPB's Executive Committee. Hicks' supporters on the Management Committee of the Morning Star followed by suspending and then sacking Haylett, which led to a prolonged strike at the Morning Star, ending in victory for Haylett and his re-instatement. Some of Hicks' supporters were expelled and others resigned in protest. They formed a discussion group called "Marxist Forum" and continue to hold prominent positions at the Marx Memorial Library in London. The Marx Memorial Library is a library holding books, pamphlets and newspapers on Marxism, Scientific Socialism and Working class history. ...

The Communist Party of Britain remains the largest communist party in Britain, and places more emphasis on its extra-parliamentary than its electoral work. At the general election in 2001 the CPB ran six candidates whose total vote came to 1,003. This went up slightly in the May 2005 election when six CPB candidates polled a total of 1,124 votes (average 0.3 per cent a seat). In the 2004 local elections, however, on one occasion a CPB candidate, Glyn Davies (Shotton, Flintshire), polled just over 21 per cent though his total vote was only 99.

The CPB has always been actively engaged in the labour and trade union movement in Britain. It is part of the Stop the War Coalition, with the movement's chair, Andrew Murray, being a Communist Party of Britain member. Another party member, Kate Hudson, is currently chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Prior to the formation of the Respect - The Unity Coalition, headed by George Galloway MP and supported by the Socialist Workers Party, the CPB engaged in a major debate about whether to join an electoral alliance with Galloway and the SWP. Those in favour, including General Secretary Robert Griffiths, Andrew Murray and Morning Star Editor John Haylett, were however defeated at a Special Congress in 2004. The labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labor relations. ... A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers. ... The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) (informally just Stop the War) is a UK anti-war group set up on 21 September 2001. ... Kathryn Kate Jane Hudson is a UK political activist and campaigner. ... CND redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish politician and author noted for his left-wing views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ... The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) is a political party of the far left in England It sees itself as standing in the revolutionary socialist tradition. ...

It received 1,124 votes in the last general election, approximately 0.55 percent of the vote in the six seats it contested.^[1] Wikinews has news related to: Results of 2005 United Kingdom General Election Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005. ...

The Party's stance on existing socialist states and the USSR

The CPB's stance on the former Soviet Union is summed up in their manifesto, Britain's Road to Socialism; Britains Road to Socialism (BRS) is the programme of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and is adhered to by the Young Communist League (YCL) and the editorship of the British daily newspaper The Morning Star. ...

In accordance to what is said above, the general consensus throughout the CPB is that the positive features of the Soviet Union and what the party continues to call the 'former socialist countries' outweighed the negative ones.

The CPB stands in solidarity with existing socialist states and has close ties with the Cuban, Chinese, North Korean and Vietnamese Communist Parties.^{[citation needed]}

Symbology

Under the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998, which regulated the use of symbols on ballot slips and electoral material, the Communist Party of Britain is the only British political party entitled to use a stand-alone hammer and sickle in such cases. The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), which is also registered, uses a hammer and sickle within a five pointed star. The CPB tends to use the hammer and dove (adopted when the party was established in 1988) in conjunction with the hammer and sickle in publications and on other material, with the hammer and dove normally taking primacy. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998, or An Act to make provision about the registration of political parties was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to set up a register of political parties in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Hammer and sickle (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hammer and sickle (disambiguation). ...

The Party's official flag consists of a golden-outlined, five-pointed red star above and slighty to the left of a hammer and sickle design in red with a golden outline in the flag's canton. The words "Communist Party" appear in gold along the bottom of the flag.

Organisation

The Communist Party of Britain describes itself as a "disciplined and democratic organisation" and operates on a model of democratic centralism. A highly simplified diagram for illustrative purposes showing the organisation of the Party appears to the right, with lower bodies electing higher ones. This image has been released into the public domain by its creator and original copyright holder. ... Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party. ...

The basic party body is the branch. These are normally localities (towns or counties, for example), although workplace branches also exist. In England, branches are grouped into coherent geographical areas and send delegates to a biennial District Congress which elects a District Committee for its area. Similarly, the Welsh and Scottish branches send delegates to their own national congresses where each elects a National Committee. These congresses also decide the broad perspectives for Party activity within their districts and nations.

The all-Britain national congress is also held biennially. Delegates from districts, nations and branches themselves decide the Party's policy as a whole and elect an Executive Committee (EC) that carries out a praesidium-like function, including decision-making and policy-formation whilst congress is not in session. The Presidium or Praesidium (from Latin praesidium meaning protection or defense so plural presidia or praesidia) is the name for the executive committee of various legislative and organizational bodies. ...

The EC also elects a Political Committee (PC) to provide leadership when the EC is not meeting. Advisory Committees also exist to provide in-depth information on an array of subjects, including committees dedicated to women, industrial workers, pensions, public services, education workers, economics, housing, rails, science technology and the environment, transport, Marxist-Leninist education, LGB rights, anti-racism/anti-fascism, civil service and international affairs.

The current general-secretary is Robert Griffiths. According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission in the year ending December 31, 2004, it had an income of £75,692 (of which over half was membership dues) and expenditure of £72,150. It spent £37,871 on salaries. [2] Robert Griffiths is the general-secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB). ... The Electorial Commission is an independent body with powers in the United Kingdom, which was created by an Act of Parliament, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Party's ideology and main policies

The CPB describes itself as a Marxist-Leninist organisation, whose main policies are set out in the Alternative Economic and Political Strategy, the third section in the party's manifesto, Britain's Road to Socialism. Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ...

Within this document the party calls for:

• An economy based on a combination of workers' co-operatives and state-owned enterprises run on behalf of the people.
• The nationalisation of industry in order to boost the economy and raise general standard of living.
• Massive investment by the state into key areas of the economy with the aim of ending unemployment and increasing production.
• A substantial increase in social welfare spending in education, healthcare and recreational facilities.
• A planned economy, designed to increase the standard of living of working people.
• The tax burden to be shifted onto the rich, with direct taxes on working people's incomes reduced.
• The confiscation of wealth from the rich and windfall taxes on company profits.
• The eventual 'withering away' of the socialist state, and the complete emancipation of the working class through to the higher phase of communism.
• The importance of democracy and freedom in everyday life, and the placement of particular emphasis on the freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

World communism has a meaning close in meaning to ‘international communism’, which has usually been equated to the Comintern (Communist International). ...

Publications

The CPB and the Morning Star (the only daily English-language socialist newspaper in the world) are not organisationally linked, as the paper is owned by a co-operative of its readers and other groups including many trade union organisations. A few years ago an internal dispute within the CPB spilled over into the Morning Star, whose journalists went on strike against "management". The editorial line of the Morning Star must, however, reflect Britain's Road to Socialism, the CPB's programme endorsed by the co-operative's annual general meetings, although considerable latitude exists in relation to the Morning Star's coverage of parties other than the Communist Party and the Labour Party. In particular, the paper reflects a wide range of left and progressive views in its features and letters pages. CPB members of the are expected to abide by one of the party's rules that Party members must read and do all they can to increase the circulation of the newspaper. This is a magazine cover. ... For other uses, see Morning Star. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) comprises a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members, with no passive shareholders. ...

The CPB publishes the free Communist News, a regular newsletter for its members and Communist Review, a theoretical and discussion journal for members and non-members, costing £2. The International Department of the CPB also publishes Solidarity.

In addition to this, it has also published numerous pamphlets and booklets, including but not limited to:

• A World to Save - the Party's response to environmental issues
• Defeat New Labour - the Party's aims at defeating New Labour policies within the labour movement
• No to the Euro - the Party's reasoning against the introduction of the single European currency in Britain
• Women & Class - the Party's attitudes towards female issues
• Britain's Road to Socialism - the Party's complete programme (see above)
• What We Stand For - the Party's basic introduction to its principles
• Wages, Price & Profit - one of Karl Marx's works, published by the party's Economic Committee
• Halting the Decline of Britain's Manufacturing Industry by the Morning Star's economic expert, Jerry Jones, published by the party's Economic Committee
• Manifesto of the Communist Party - one of Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels works, published by the party's Political Committee
• Case for Communism - by the Party's International Secretary John Foster, covering the rise of Anti-Communism and the record of socialist countries
• Education for the People - the Party's attitudes towards developments in the Education system
• The Future of Pensions - How we can ensure a decent retirement for all by the Morning Star's economic expert, Jerry Jones, published by the party's Economic Committee

New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ... The Communist Party of Britain, which claims to have around 900 members, is the largest Communist party in the United Kingdom. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a 19th century philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Engels redirects here. ...

Size

The CPB claimed that it had some 830 members at its Congress in 2004, at its congress in May 2006 said this number had risen to 902 and by the end of the year (in its annual statement of accounts) it had 923.At november 2007,membership had risen to 1026. As with most left organisations, the CPB's small size is disproportionate to much of its influence particularly in the trade union movement, and organisations such as the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) (informally just Stop the War) is a UK anti-war group set up on 21 September 2001. ... CND redirects here. ...

According to the party's accounts for the year 2005 [3], it had income and expenditure around the £100,000 mark, of which £34,000 is spent on staff salaries.

Headquarters

At the beginning of November 2004, the CPB and its youth organisation, the YCL, moved out of its temporary headquarters in Camden, North London after receiving notice to quit because of redevelopment. The building was owned by AKEL, the Cypriot communist party. Ruskin House in Croydon was chosen as the new Party headquarters, with its long history in the progressive movement as centre of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and also local Labour Party and co-operative groups. The CPB rents the top floor of four offices at Ruskin House which also allows it plenty of room to hold its congresses and other important meetings, including an annual industrial cadre school and the Communist University of Britain. The London Borough of Camden is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. ... North London is that part of London which is north of the River Thames. ... The Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) (Greek: Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού) is a socialist party in Cyprus. ... Ruskin House, situated in its own grounds on Coombe Road, Croydon, South London, has been an important centre of Britains progressive movements for a century. ... Anti-Apartheid Movement, originally known as the Boycott Movement, was a British organization that was at the center of the international movement opposing South Africas system of apartheid and supporting South Africas Blacks. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) comprises a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members, with no passive shareholders. ...

Communist University

The CPB's Communist University movement has developed since the Welsh and British communist university events in 2004. The Communist University of Britain has become an annual three-day event from 2005, joined by weekend universities in Scotland and Wales in 2006 and with plans for a Communist University of the Midlands - to be organised jointly with the Association of Indian Communists (Marxist) - in 2007. Among the speakers at the Communist University of Britain at Ruskin House in November 2006 were Labour MP John McDonnell, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers general secretary Bob Crow, CND chair Kate Hudson, Communist Party USA vice-president Jarvis Tyner, French Communist Party economist Paul Boccara and Palestine Liberation Organization ambassador Dr Noha Khalef. This article is about the country. ... This article is about the country. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is a trade union in the United Kingdom which unionises transport workers. ... Bob Crow (born 13 June 1961) is the general secretary of the British trade union RMT. A staunch communist, he is one of the founder members of the so-called Awkward Squad - the loose grouping of left-wing union leaders who came to power in a series of electoral victories... CND logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ... Kathryn Kate Jane Hudson is a UK political activist and campaigner. ... The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States. ... Jarvis Tyner is the executive vice chair of the American Communist Party. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic: ;   or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a multi-party confederation and is the organization regarded since 1974 as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. ...

Articles

• The crisis at the Morning Star (1998) [4]
• The Morning Star and the CPB's special congress[5]
• Why the new unity coalition must be considered -- John Haylett[6]
• Why the communists won't join Respect[7]
• CPB decides against Respect [8]

References

External links

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• Communist Party of Britain Main Homepage
• Party Programme - Britain's Road to Socialism
• Communist Party of Britain Wales Homepage
• Communist Party of Britain Scotland Homepage
• CPB International Department, links to CPs around the world
• Morning Star
• Ruskin House
• Communist University 2005