Sum of its parts
Many students are completely inexperienced politically, but are beginning to question the system, write Ted North and Dave Isaacson in Oxford
Members of Communist Students and the Communist Party of Great Britain are currently involved in giving Marxist politics a much needed boost in Oxford. We began by organising a stall outside Oxford University freshers fairs on October 7 and 8.
It was easy to predict the reactions of some of the scions of the traditional upper classes. Yet a few sniggers and bemused looks aside, there were no particularly sharp arguments coming from those that see communism as their worst nightmare. One piped up with “What crisis?” as he scurried on by, not waiting for an answer. But most people were not so stupid as that.
We gave out a large number of Communist Student and material from Hands Off the People of Iran. In all, just over 50 signed our contact sheet. There were perhaps, relative to other universities, somewhat fewer students with some background or prior knowledge of far-left politics. If anyone did display an acquaintance with the left groups, it came in the form of questions like “You’re not anything to do with the SWP, are you?”
Comrades from the Socialist Workers Party were present on the first day, along with Workers Fight and a comrade from the Enverist Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), who was leafleting for a meeting on “democratic renewal”. On the second day, the Socialist Party and the Spartacists were also in town. The point we often repeat - that if the ostensibly Marxist left was joined in a single organisation its strength would be far greater than the sum of its parts - was well demonstrated. Students who are sympathetic to the aims of socialism would have been less confused and more likely to commit themselves if there had been a single Marxist organisation present. And we would be taken a lot more seriously by our enemies too.
The standard economistic ‘Fight for jobs’ type leaflets were being handed out by the SP, one of whom became a touch aggressive when a CS comrade insisted that a workers’ militia is a basic democratic demand and not lunatic posturing. Most of the SPers were friendly enough, though - unlike the comrades of the SWP, who refused even to make eye contact.
Many who spoke to us are completely inexperienced politically, but are beginning to question the system (as are young people in general). We expect a good turnout to our introductory meeting on Tuesday October 20. We have Mike Macnair, leading CPGB member and author of Revolutionary strategy, speaking on the capitalist crisis and the communist alternative. There will, of course, be plenty of time for discussion. Indeed, as we have repeatedly stressed, open debate and democracy are not just good ideas: they are in fact crucial in building both the Communist Party and the wider working class movement. And for us this is about now, not at some hypothetical date in the future.
Unfortunately the first left meeting our Oxford comrades planned to attend - a Stop the War Coalition rally featuring Jeremy Corbyn MP and Tariq Ali on October 12 - was cancelled at the last minute. But we will continue trying to engage with the left as it is currently constituted, as well as building our own organisation and carrying out educational and agitational activities. We will be launching a study group reading David Harvey’s book on Marxist economics - Limits to capital - to begin on Saturday October 31. And before that we are encouraging as many people as possible to attend the Stop the War Coalition demonstration in London on October 24. We are also planning, alongside other comrades, to get a Hopi branch established in Oxford.
Many would not consider what is, on the one hand, a traditional bastion in ensuring the continuity of British capitalism, as fertile ground for communist growth. But on the other hand, Oxford University also attracts many sincere and bright young people who, looking at global poverty, ecological crisis and capitalist greed, want to radically transform things. Our challenge is to equip them with politics, theory and organisation.
To contact us or find out more about local activities, visit our blog at: oxfordcommunists.wordpress.com
Making headway in London
Dave McAllister reports capital progress
With a new issue of Communist Student (our eighth) in hand, members of Communist Students have been organising stalls at campuses around the capital during freshers’ week.
The economic crisis and continuing destructiveness of imperialism is definitely making more students receptive to leftwing ideas. We had many interesting discussions about such varied topics as the nature of the crisis, the Russian Revolution and Stalinism, and the philosophy of materialism. It would be wrong for the left to assume it will automatically benefit from crisis though: bourgeois politicians have many tricks up their sleeve and a revival of working class Conservatism seems quite possible. This makes the task of uniting the left all the more urgent. And quite rightly students are complaining: ‘There are so many of these socialist groups; why are they all divided?’
While left groups continue to plough sectarian furrows, society will simply not take them seriously. The students we met did not want to be used as tools by a self-serving apparatus - they are questioning why the world is in such a mess and asking what can be done to radically transform it. Reheated versions of Labourism - of which we have just endured 10 years - and unthinking activism are not attractive options to thinking youth. For meaningful unity, the left must start taking politics seriously - and our message of a radically democratic Marxism found a good hearing.
At King’s College, CS members organised a stall for Hopi, and over 50 signed up. We are planning to organise a meeting with an Iranian speaker at King’s shortly. After almost two weeks of fairs, with CS stalls at the University of East London, Institute of Education, and Queen Mary’s, CS had a successful stall at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Our comrades leafleted and engaged in discussion outside the union as well as inside. Over 500 copies of Communist Student were distributed, with 25 signing up.
SOAS students were receptive, engaging in worthwhile debate and asking pertinent questions. Not a few expressed interest in our October 17 day school in Manchester, and in becoming more involved. Our members also built for the series of ‘Introduction to Marxism’ meetings taking place in London.
There were also stalls run by the SWP, Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, Respect and Conservative Future inside (the last of which were offering a gin and tonics as an enticement to join), and the Spartacists, Communist League and University of London Marxist Group outside. SOAS seemed to live up to its reputation as a highly politicised campus and we in Communist Students are confident about making headway there.
