Weekly Worker
Encyclopedia
The Weekly Worker is a newspaper published by the Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
. The paper is well known on the left for its polemical articles, close attention to Marxist theory and the politics of other Marxist groups. It currently claims an online readership averaging over 20,000 a week but only prints 500 copies per week.
self declared intention is to emulate Iskra
in providing Marxist analysis of politics and organisation to an initial vanguard of the working class. The Weekly Worker is integral to the CPGB-PCC identity given that the party consider, probably dialectically, themselves to not be a Marxist party. They aim instead for the paper to provide a focus for the communist organisation and theory which will be absorbed by a Marxist party that will arrive in a time of greater working class activism.
The paper has a policy of printing a wide variety of viewpoints. Having printed the articles of the Revolutionary Democratic Group
(RDC) over a significant part of the paper's history. The group has also given columns to factions within the party, notably the Red Platform faction during a debate over the CPGB-PCC's stance to the newly founded Respect
. The Weekly Worker is known for its reporting of the activities of other left-wing groups with a particular focus on the activities of the Socialist Workers Party
and the Alliance for Workers Liberty. Critics have denounced this as gossip and amounting to sectarianism, a charge inverted by the CPGB.
The paper has, amongst left wing publications, one of the most open publishing policies. The paper prides itself on publishing a variety of letters, including critical ones. This has often resulted in lengthy debates been conducted through them, leading to a set of familiar names in the letters page. The group has also attracted a John Smithee character, who is eager and determined to relate all topical issues to house prices.
The paper has also attracted many leading activists, but non party members, to write in the paper. Leading UK gay rights activist Peter Tatchell
, former Soviet dissident Boris Kagarlitsky, Marxist scholar Hillel Ticktin (editor of the magazine Critique)
and Graham Bash of Labour Left Briefing are regular contributors. http://www.google.com/custom?q=tatchell&sa=Google+Search&cof=GIMP%3A%23FFFF00%3BT%3A%236699CC%3BLW%3A440%3BBIMG%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fsearch%2F+index.html%3BALC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fimages%2F+m_search.gif%3BGFNT%3A%236699CC%3BLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BLH%3A60%3BBGC%3A%23003366%3BAH%3Aleft%3BVLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2F+www.cpgb.org.uk%3BGALT%3A%23FFFFFF%3BAWFID%3A36e88ff1bc00e9e7%3B&domains=cpgb.org.uk&sitesearch=cpgb.org.uk]George Galloway
has also at one point claimed to be a reader.
The paper runs a weekly section 'What we Fight for' outlining in bullet point the core programme of the CPGB-PCC.
It also has 'Fighting Fund' section where 'Robbie Rix' attempts to cajole readers into donating to the paper whilst providing an update on readership levels. In September 2008 the paper decided to increase its monthly fund raising targets from £500 per month to £1,000. The party is reasonably successful in raising these small, for political party, amounts. The Fighting fund is replaced during the main fund raising drive, the Summer Offensive, with updates on the offensive. Typically the party set themselves the task of raising around £25,000. The paper vigorously denies other sources of funding, priding itself on being solely funded by the membership of the party and readership.
In 2008 the party's press broke irreversibly. After considering stopping print publication altogether the party decided to focus on web publication but attempt to develop the facilities to print an A4 version of the Weekly Worker. The party is currently attempting to update its archive of both the Weekly Worker and The Leninist, whilst modernising and overhauling its website.
leadership of the old CPGB
. The group was defined by their adherence to orthodox Soviet Marxism and their strong opposition to Euro-communism
within the CPGB. This found primary expression in their stance towards the Soviet Union, where they denounced Gorbachev's reforms and the developments within the Warsaw Pact
. The party's position was as rigorous to lead the group to publish denouncements of the Solidarność trade union for agitation against the workers regime. Such positioning was charactured by the nickname 'Tankies.'
The Leninist had a convoluted path to publication. After a factional confrontation with the then Euro-communist
leaning leadership, a group called the New Communist Party
(NCP) split from the CPGB in 1977. An event later regretted as premature and having been a move away from the real site of class struggle, the CPGB. A part of the NCP
engaged close alliance with the (CPT), which left a lasting influence on the groups philosophy. A result of this contact with an active and intellectually lively communist organisation was disillusionment with the inadequacies of the NCP. Another split followed, leading to six joining the CPT and becoming active members. After a period of years this small grouplet, headed by John Chamberlain, decided that they should refocus on Britain's political situation. The group now numbering four members, began a two year period of Marxist study with the aiming to "reforge the CPGB". These two years of study finally culminated in the publication of the first edition of the Leninist.
After the collapse of the old CPGB, the group around The Leninist declared their intention to reforge the party on what they declared to be "firm Leninist principles". They organised an "emergency conference", at which they claimed the CPGB name, but not its assets. The group are technically named the CPGB-PCC
but commonly known as just the CPGB. They are distinct from the Communist Party of Britain
(CPB), which has the electoral rights to the name 'Communist Party' and the CPGB-Marxist Leninist
. After having made this transition the group began the first publication of the Weekly Worker shortly after in 1993 and began its attempts to 'reforge the CPGB'.
The 90s marked a period of introspection for the group. The nature of the Soviet Union
was reappraised as being Stalinist, however the group reaffirmed their Leninist heritage (as opposed to the Trotskyist heritage of many other left groups). Having decided on the central importance of re-evaluating theory, this debate was primarily conducted through the Weekly Worker.
The Weekly Worker was a faultline during unity negotiations between left groups during the Socialist Alliance
(SA). It was proposed that the groups within the SA produced a single paper. This would have resulted in the loss of the Weekly Worker, something that was contentious within the CPGB, both pro and against. The discussions however became moot after the Socialist Workers Party
decided to leave the SA and join the movement that would result in the formation of Respect.
The formation of Respect marked an upswing in the importance of the Weekly Worker. The CPGB was initially divided whether to embrace the organisation, the PCC initially sided with the pro-affiliation faction led by Ian Donovan. It however reversed this position early in Respect's life to agree retrospectively with the anti-affiliation faction; Red Platform led by Manny Neira. This reversal managed to alienate both factions at different times, resulting initially in Manny Neira breaking away to form the short lived Red Party
, followed by Ian Donovan after the change of position. This early debate though settled into a strong editorial line against Respect, for being an 'unprincipled unpopular front', which followed through to the split resulting in Respect Renewal and Left List
. The paper's commitment to angular debate and reporting on the topic, combined with the lack of coverage from more official sources, led to increase in readership. The paper, at the height of the Respect project, reached 40,000 readers a week. This controversy has refreshed the party, seemingly leading to a new wave of confidence and generation of recruits.
Recently the paper offered to become the paper of the new Campaign for a Marxist Party
. This collapsed after repeated disagreements about Marxist theory and the logistics of running the movement with members of the Democratic Socialist Alliance
. The paper has also been at the forefront over debates between the CPGB-PCC and the AWL over Communist policy towards Iran.
In line with Marxist tradition the actual CPGB-PCC contribtutors write under a variety of assumed names. This explains the multiplicity of authors but familiar sets of prose. The Weekly Worker has been estimated to have as few as 37 members as of 2007 (which is consistent with the £1,000 the party attempts to raise through the paper every month to cover printing costs). This is an increase on the 10 or so who were initially part of The Leninist.
Jack Conrad and Mike Macnair are reasonable indicators of the party position, with both sitting on the council of the CPGB-PCC, writing leading articles on theory and being the only members to have had books published by the party.
Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
. The paper is well known on the left for its polemical articles, close attention to Marxist theory and the politics of other Marxist groups. It currently claims an online readership averaging over 20,000 a week but only prints 500 copies per week.
Outlook
The CPGB-PCC'sCommunist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
self declared intention is to emulate Iskra
Iskra
Iskra was a political newspaper of Russian socialist emigrants established as the official organ of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Initially, it was managed by Vladimir Lenin, moving as he moved. The first edition was published in Stuttgart on December 1, 1900. Other editions were...
in providing Marxist analysis of politics and organisation to an initial vanguard of the working class. The Weekly Worker is integral to the CPGB-PCC identity given that the party consider, probably dialectically, themselves to not be a Marxist party. They aim instead for the paper to provide a focus for the communist organisation and theory which will be absorbed by a Marxist party that will arrive in a time of greater working class activism.
The paper has a policy of printing a wide variety of viewpoints. Having printed the articles of the Revolutionary Democratic Group
Revolutionary Democratic Group
The Revolutionary Democratic Group is a socialist organisation in the United Kingdom. They were founded in the early 1980s as a split from London and Scottish branches of the Socialist Workers Party, of which, for many years, they considered themselves an "external faction".The ideological centre...
(RDC) over a significant part of the paper's history. The group has also given columns to factions within the party, notably the Red Platform faction during a debate over the CPGB-PCC's stance to the newly founded Respect
Respect
Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity , and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected...
. The Weekly Worker is known for its reporting of the activities of other left-wing groups with a particular focus on the activities of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
and the Alliance for Workers Liberty. Critics have denounced this as gossip and amounting to sectarianism, a charge inverted by the CPGB.
The paper has, amongst left wing publications, one of the most open publishing policies. The paper prides itself on publishing a variety of letters, including critical ones. This has often resulted in lengthy debates been conducted through them, leading to a set of familiar names in the letters page. The group has also attracted a John Smithee character, who is eager and determined to relate all topical issues to house prices.
The paper has also attracted many leading activists, but non party members, to write in the paper. Leading UK gay rights activist Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
, former Soviet dissident Boris Kagarlitsky, Marxist scholar Hillel Ticktin (editor of the magazine Critique)
Critique (Journal of Socialist Theory)
Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory is a Marxist academic journal published by the Centre for the Study of Socialist Theory and Movements . The journal was established in May 1973 by founding editor Hillel H...
and Graham Bash of Labour Left Briefing are regular contributors. http://www.google.com/custom?q=tatchell&sa=Google+Search&cof=GIMP%3A%23FFFF00%3BT%3A%236699CC%3BLW%3A440%3BBIMG%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fsearch%2F+index.html%3BALC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fimages%2F+m_search.gif%3BGFNT%3A%236699CC%3BLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BLH%3A60%3BBGC%3A%23003366%3BAH%3Aleft%3BVLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2F+www.cpgb.org.uk%3BGALT%3A%23FFFFFF%3BAWFID%3A36e88ff1bc00e9e7%3B&domains=cpgb.org.uk&sitesearch=cpgb.org.uk]George Galloway
![http://www.google.com/custom?q=tatchell&sa=Google+Search&cof=GIMP%3A%23FFFF00%3BT%3A%236699CC%3BLW%3A440%3BBIMG%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fsearch%2F+index.html%3BALC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fimages%2F+m_search.gif%3BGFNT%3A%236699CC%3BLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BLH%3A60%3BBGC%3A%23003366%3BAH%3Aleft%3BVLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2F+www.cpgb.org.uk%3BGALT%3A%23FFFFFF%3BAWFID%3A36e88ff1bc00e9e7%3B&domains=cpgb.org.uk&sitesearch=cpgb.org.uk]](http://www.google.com/custom?q=tatchell&sa=Google+Search&cof=GIMP%3A%23FFFF00%3BT%3A%236699CC%3BLW%3A440%3BBIMG%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fsearch%2F+index.html%3BALC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpgb.org.uk%2Fimages%2F+m_search.gif%3BGFNT%3A%236699CC%3BLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BLH%3A60%3BBGC%3A%23003366%3BAH%3Aleft%3BVLC%3A%23FFFFFF%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2F+www.cpgb.org.uk%3BGALT%3A%23FFFFFF%3BAWFID%3A36e88ff1bc00e9e7%3B&domains=cpgb.org.uk&sitesearch=cpgb.org.uk]){kind=link}
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
has also at one point claimed to be a reader.
Structure
The paper is typically around sixteen pages long (after having been eight till the mid 90s). Rarely it incorporates publications by other attached groups such as Communist Students. The basic structure is:- Front Page: typically of magazine format, with large striking image and overlaid text. The image tends to be artistic, examples include Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly delights to a picture of Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
titled 'World's No 1' Terrorist' - Letters Page: one or two pages of letters sent to the paper during the week.
- Action Column: a column containing upcoming events
- News: the next few pages typically contain Marxist interpretation of World News
- Left Politics: this tends to be followed by articles outlining developments with the left-wing political sphere
- Theory and Reviews: towards the end of the paper there are articles dealing theoretical issues in Marxism, historical points and reviews of recent plays books etc.
- Final News Item: the paper typically ends with a Marxist interpretation and response to a world event.
The paper runs a weekly section 'What we Fight for' outlining in bullet point the core programme of the CPGB-PCC.
It also has 'Fighting Fund' section where 'Robbie Rix' attempts to cajole readers into donating to the paper whilst providing an update on readership levels. In September 2008 the paper decided to increase its monthly fund raising targets from £500 per month to £1,000. The party is reasonably successful in raising these small, for political party, amounts. The Fighting fund is replaced during the main fund raising drive, the Summer Offensive, with updates on the offensive. Typically the party set themselves the task of raising around £25,000. The paper vigorously denies other sources of funding, priding itself on being solely funded by the membership of the party and readership.
Production
The Weekly Worker developed out of The Leninist, this tended to be a A-4 sized short publication. Upon transition to becoming the Weekly Worker the party succeeded in buying its own printing press. The machine was also operated by a party member, Phil Kent, giving the party complete control over publishing, something it considered integral to its independence. The paper was for the '90s a large broadsheet printed in black and red, although towards the end of the decade the paper started to develop a web presence. As the new millennium moved on the online version of the Weekly Worker became more important, till print readership became a small fraction of the total readership.In 2008 the party's press broke irreversibly. After considering stopping print publication altogether the party decided to focus on web publication but attempt to develop the facilities to print an A4 version of the Weekly Worker. The party is currently attempting to update its archive of both the Weekly Worker and The Leninist, whilst modernising and overhauling its website.
History
The paper was first published in 1993, having developed out of The Leninist, the eponymous underground publication of the hard-left group opposed to the Euro-communistEurocommunism
Eurocommunism was a 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 influence or control of the Communist Party of the Soviet...
leadership of the old CPGB
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. The group was defined by their adherence to orthodox Soviet Marxism and their strong opposition to Euro-communism
Eurocommunism
Eurocommunism was a 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 influence or control of the Communist Party of the Soviet...
within the CPGB. This found primary expression in their stance towards the Soviet Union, where they denounced Gorbachev's reforms and the developments within the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. The party's position was as rigorous to lead the group to publish denouncements of the Solidarność trade union for agitation against the workers regime. Such positioning was charactured by the nickname 'Tankies.'
The Leninist had a convoluted path to publication. After a factional confrontation with the then Euro-communist
Eurocommunism
Eurocommunism was a 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 influence or control of the Communist Party of the Soviet...
leaning leadership, a group called the New Communist Party
New Communist Party of Britain
The New Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Britain. The origins of the NCP lie in the Communist Party of Great Britain from which it split in 1977.-Formation:...
(NCP) split from the CPGB in 1977. An event later regretted as premature and having been a move away from the real site of class struggle, the CPGB. A part of the NCP
New Communist Party of Britain
The New Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Britain. The origins of the NCP lie in the Communist Party of Great Britain from which it split in 1977.-Formation:...
engaged close alliance with the (CPT), which left a lasting influence on the groups philosophy. A result of this contact with an active and intellectually lively communist organisation was disillusionment with the inadequacies of the NCP. Another split followed, leading to six joining the CPT and becoming active members. After a period of years this small grouplet, headed by John Chamberlain, decided that they should refocus on Britain's political situation. The group now numbering four members, began a two year period of Marxist study with the aiming to "reforge the CPGB". These two years of study finally culminated in the publication of the first edition of the Leninist.
After the collapse of the old CPGB, the group around The Leninist declared their intention to reforge the party on what they declared to be "firm Leninist principles". They organised an "emergency conference", at which they claimed the CPGB name, but not its assets. The group are technically named the CPGB-PCC
Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
but commonly known as just the CPGB. They are distinct from the Communist Party of Britain
Communist Party of Britain
The Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. 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...
(CPB), which has the electoral rights to the name 'Communist Party' and the CPGB-Marxist Leninist
Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
The Communist Party of Great Britain is a British communist party which has a close relationship with the Workers' Party of Korea.-History:The party was founded on July 3, 2004 in London...
. After having made this transition the group began the first publication of the Weekly Worker shortly after in 1993 and began its attempts to 'reforge the CPGB'.
The 90s marked a period of introspection for the group. The nature of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was reappraised as being Stalinist, however the group reaffirmed their Leninist heritage (as opposed to the Trotskyist heritage of many other left groups). Having decided on the central importance of re-evaluating theory, this debate was primarily conducted through the Weekly Worker.
The Weekly Worker was a faultline during unity negotiations between left groups during the Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (England)
The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England between 1992 and 2005.In late 2005, a small group reformed with the name "Socialist Alliance", with a mutual affiliation with the larger Alliance for Green Socialism.-Origins:...
(SA). It was proposed that the groups within the SA produced a single paper. This would have resulted in the loss of the Weekly Worker, something that was contentious within the CPGB, both pro and against. The discussions however became moot after the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
decided to leave the SA and join the movement that would result in the formation of Respect.
The formation of Respect marked an upswing in the importance of the Weekly Worker. The CPGB was initially divided whether to embrace the organisation, the PCC initially sided with the pro-affiliation faction led by Ian Donovan. It however reversed this position early in Respect's life to agree retrospectively with the anti-affiliation faction; Red Platform led by Manny Neira. This reversal managed to alienate both factions at different times, resulting initially in Manny Neira breaking away to form the short lived Red Party
Red Party (UK)
Red Star is a revolutionary socialist organisation in Britain formed by former members of the Communist Party of Great Britain , the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, and the Peace Party...
, followed by Ian Donovan after the change of position. This early debate though settled into a strong editorial line against Respect, for being an 'unprincipled unpopular front', which followed through to the split resulting in Respect Renewal and Left List
Left List
Left Alternative was a UK political party resulting from the split within Respect – The Unity Coalition in late 2007. It operated in England and Wales. It was backed by the Socialist Workers Party...
. The paper's commitment to angular debate and reporting on the topic, combined with the lack of coverage from more official sources, led to increase in readership. The paper, at the height of the Respect project, reached 40,000 readers a week. This controversy has refreshed the party, seemingly leading to a new wave of confidence and generation of recruits.
Recently the paper offered to become the paper of the new Campaign for a Marxist Party
Campaign for a Marxist Party
The Campaign for a Marxist Party was a campaign of several organisations on the British left for a political party with explicitly Marxist goals as part of a rebuilt workers' international .-Principles:...
. This collapsed after repeated disagreements about Marxist theory and the logistics of running the movement with members of the Democratic Socialist Alliance
Democratic Socialist Alliance
The Democratic Socialist Alliance is a left-wing political organisation in the UK.The DSA name was adopted for public political work, in June 2005, by a group of members of the Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform who declared an intention to continue the SADP against what the DSA claims was a...
. The paper has also been at the forefront over debates between the CPGB-PCC and the AWL over Communist policy towards Iran.
In line with Marxist tradition the actual CPGB-PCC contribtutors write under a variety of assumed names. This explains the multiplicity of authors but familiar sets of prose. The Weekly Worker has been estimated to have as few as 37 members as of 2007 (which is consistent with the £1,000 the party attempts to raise through the paper every month to cover printing costs). This is an increase on the 10 or so who were initially part of The Leninist.
Jack Conrad and Mike Macnair are reasonable indicators of the party position, with both sitting on the council of the CPGB-PCC, writing leading articles on theory and being the only members to have had books published by the party.