In the middle

The May 18 London Communist Forum discussed section 3.17 of our Draft programme, ‘Small businesses and farms’.

Programmes published by the ‘official’ CPGB in the seven decades of its existence failed to deal adequately with this question. Earliest versions ignored the middle classes in the simplistic call for workers to vote for a government which would tax the rich to improve benefits for the working class. Later programmes mentioned in passing that small businesses would not be included in the sweeping nationalisation envisaged.

In the last, 1977, versionof The British road to socialism  published by the CPGB, a “broad democratic alliance” of all social groups except the monopoly bourgeoisie was suggested, in which specifically working class interests would be secondary to the goal of unity at all costs. The Eurocommunists were never strong enough to make real such a popular front, but the Socialist Workers Party discovered in Respect what a disastrous dead end it leads to.

The petty bourgeoisie is a small but diverse group in the British economy. Owners of small businesses, farmers, families running corner shops, market traders and the self-employed, they vary enormously in their income and mode of life. But they all own at least part of their means of production, have a stake in the capitalist economy, and are less likely than other workers to be members of trade unions. In periods of intensified class struggle they may be drawn to either the left or the right.

In order to ensure it is the former, the working class has a political interest in defending the petty bourgeoisie from the ravages of capitalism.

Therefore we demand: secure rights of tenure for owner-occupiers, small farmers and small businesses, with low rents. Cancellation of debts to banks arising from disproportionately high interest rates. Provision of low interest rates for small businesses. Guaranteed prompt payment of bills by big business to small businesses. And encouragement of the formation of producers’ cooperatives through the provision of scientific and technical advice, research facilities, administrative machinery and grants for capital improvements.

Comrades debated whether the abolition of VAT should be included, since VAT is one tax the self-employed find most burdensome. It was felt, however, that this would be too specific for a document designed to be relevant until the working class takes state power, possibly through decades of changing social conditions. It was agreed that a more general demand to abolish all indirect taxation would be better, as this would also benefit the working class.

All demands we make for the benefit of the petty bourgeoisie must be at the expense of the capitalist class, not of the workers. Small businesses are often among the worst employers. Taking advantage of family and personal links to their employees, they often pay low wages and impose bad terms and conditions. Communists fight for improved wages and conditions for all employees, of small capitalists as well as large ones.