IN 1977 the 35th congress of the Communist Party was the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary produced by Granada TV. It was screened in three parts on national television the following year and revealed a party torn apart by ideological divisions about the party programme. It exposed vitriolic hostility in some quarters towards the Soviet Union as it approached the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution.

There is little chance that such disunity will be on display at the upcoming 57th congress of the Communist Party in early November 2023.  

The executive committee’s resolution “For a united front against monopoly capitalism and war” sets out the party’s position on a wide range of international questions, notably the long-running conflict in Ukraine and the emergence of the new cold war against China.   

Lenin emphasised that real internationalism is “working whole-heartedly for the development of the revolutionary movement and the revolutionary struggle in one’s own country.” Lively debates can be expected at congress as comrades share their experiences of working in the British peace and anti-war movements over the past two years.

The Communist Party’s analysis in the immediate aftermath of the Russian Federation’s military intervention in Ukraine has been borne out by events with rapid reactionary shifts in geopolitics such as the militarisation of the European Union, Germany and Japan.

The party’s condemnation of the war and analysis of its complex causes, particularly the eastward expansion of Nato and aggressive militarism of British and US imperialism, has commanded wide support in the party.  

A key challenge before congress is the urgent need to step up campaigning to end military action in Ukraine and efforts by the US, Britain and Nato to fuel the conflict, and for the effective deployment of party cadres in the peace movement.

The resolution notes that the GDP of the Brics has now surpassed the G7. Reflecting on the recent summit of Brics, there has been a significant shift in the balance of power with queues of nations in the global South wanting to join the Brics.

But as the resolution points out, time will tell whether the progress of the Brics can be maintained, especially following the election of Lula in Brazil. It will depend on several things in its future — Russia after the war in Ukraine and India, which is being courted by the US and holds national assembly elections in 2024. While the economies of the major capitalist powers stagnate, there is growth in the Brics economies as a debt-driven financial crisis threatens the post-Covid recovery of the major G7 powers.

The rapid increase in China’s economic and technological growth and rise in global influence poses a serious threat to US global hegemony and the dominance of the Western imperialist system since the 1990s.   

Nato military bases form a vast circle around China and have been supplemented by the Aukus pact between Australia, Britain and the US. The resolution also points out that the US has recruited Australia, Japan and, reluctantly, India into its anti-China Quad security initiative.   

In Britain, the mass media and other mouthpieces for government propaganda are relentless with their anti-China propaganda, with false claims about human rights abuses and the “expansion” or “aggression” of China.

Britain’s Communists will continue to campaign for the withdrawal of Britain from Nato and Aukus and the dismantling of both of these treaties as well as for the abolition of Trident and other nuclear weapons and the closure of US bases, as we have been doing since the 1950s.   

Britain is the world’s sixth-biggest military spender and the seventh-biggest exporter of armaments, and one of only nine states in possession of nuclear weapons. The Communist Party rejects Britain’s involvement in wars around the world as we understand that its imperialist interventions only serve the interests of British monopoly capital and Nato.  

The resolution reaffirms our solidarity with the Palestinian people who face intensifying attacks by the far-right Israeli government on their national, human and civil rights. We must argue in Britain for the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people, step up the campaign for BDS and oppose government attempts to outlaw boycott campaigns.   

In reaffirming support for a two-state solution, the Communist Party will campaign for Britain to join the 138 of 193 United Nations members who recognise Palestine as an independent state.   

The resolution also restates our call for an end to Britain’s oldest colony in the north of Ireland and affirms support for the principle of Irish reunification, the terms of which are matters for the people of Ireland alone.

In the face of a brutal US blockade against Cuba, the Communist Party pledges our solidarity with the people of socialist Cuba in their fight for sovereignty and self-determination.

As a party, we reaffirm our support for the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela and call for unity in the fight against sanctions on Venezuela and imperialism. In the face of this, there must be an end to state persecution of the Communist Party of Venezuela and its cadres.

We welcome the election of progressive governments and presidents across Latin America which shows a continent-wide rejection of US imperialism.  

The Communist Party has long been the backbone of anti-imperialist movements in Britain. On November 5 we will come out of congress united in our determination to oppose monopoly capitalism, stop the war and start the peace.    

Kevan Nelson is international secretary of the Communist Party.