ALAN RYAN, a member of the AUEW[TASS] in Darlington, recently left the Communist Party after six years to join International Group. We asked him what prompted this decision.
Why did you join the Communist Party six years ago?
At that time I had been working with the IMG, but when I came to Darlington there was no IMG branch at the time. I began attending CP meetings and helped In forming a Tenants Association: eventuallv thev asked me to join. Feeling the need to belong to a political organisation, I joined. Since my repon to vou on ne curs being planned by the Norfolk Area Health Authority (Red Weekly 19 August), a meeting has taken oace between ne ana. ine nades Council and all unions discuss the redundancy notices served on DOUrGeOIS nurses at ine eccen- Hospital and 11 at St Andrews Hospital. As a result it was decided to give all nurses ons as Start or SEN nurses'. other man othe AHASIr Annuoun. sale ne was happy about the decision, but it would us in the of COSE CAVOOD would mean that we ao further in the red There has also been a meeting of the Committee of which I'm a member. It was decided there to abolis! the management-sponsored Joint consul tative Committee' *District Shop Stewards Committee, with but ine aim or ouncine a committee coverno all Norfolk. The unions concerned so far are the National Union of plovees, me conederation or heat oer vice employees, and the General & Municipal Workers (Secretary. NUPE Norwich Health Distric Committee).
Did joining the CP in fact help you to develop politically?
Not at all, there was a total lack of Marxist education. In the six years of my party membership there was one course neo in ectures. revecree on nice occasiolo The discussions that took place at meetings were purely theoretical. actual action came out of them. This resulted in a stagnation of the branch, in that the format of the became completely predictable.
What about democracy in the party?
Well, the CP maintains that it is a democratic centralist body, inasmuch as policy can be argued branch level, and all abide by ine position adopted. What this effectMarxist ively means •is that organisational taclities available ir order to contact other like-minded people, and therefore build an opposition within the CP to its line.
Those who do oppose the party despite the work they have done Hine party, mended for either the Branch Executive or the District Committee, accepted. never actually illustrated at the last National cress. when members of the Surre District were publicly informed that they would not be included because a What initially caused me to stay on was the advent of the internal party this programme, first complete discussion since it was adopted 20 years ago. I decided to IMG? await the outcome of this, to see if there would be any real opportunity to voice genuine opposition Since the outcome appears to be at best the ratification of the British Road' as it now stands, or to make it even more reformist, I felt that now was the time to leave.
Why did you decide to join the Mainly because in my opinion it has changed from an ultra-left, militaristic organisation into a serious worker: political organisation, based on the principles of revolutionary Marxism
RED WEEKLY
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I left the CP
LIPLOMENT HE CUTS