There exists no real Communist Party today. There are many so-called ‘parties’ on the left, each claiming to be the vanguard party, the party that will make revolution. In reality they are confessional sects. Our central aim is the organisation of communists, revolutionary socialists and all politically advanced workers into a single mass organisation – one that is worthy of the name Communist Party.
A member is one who joins the party, accepting its rules and programme, works in a party organisation and regularly pays dues.
Programme and democratic centralism
Membership of the CPGB does not rely on so called “red lines” whereby total agreement on a particular subject is a pre-condition, instead we seek to combine the most advanced section of the working class along the basis of principled unity. Therefore a condition of membership is the acceptance of the Draft Programme – allowing for disagreement as long as comrades carry out its tasks and adhere to our basic principles and discipline.
The CPGB is organised on the basis of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism is a form of organisation and a political principle.
Democratic centralism entails the subordination of the minority to the majority when it comes to the actions of the party. That does not mean that the minority should be gagged. Minorities must have the possibility of becoming the majority. As long as they accept in practice the decisions of the majority, groups of comrades have the right to support alternative platforms and form themselves into temporary or permanent factions and express their views publicly.
Democratic centralism allows the members of the Communist Party to unitedly carry out actions, elect and be elected, criticise the mistakes of the party and self-criticise their own failings without fear or favour. In essence then, democratic centralism is a process whereby communists are united around correct aims and principles.
Discipline and commitments
Party discipline consists of the duty to voice differences, complete fulfilment of assigned tasks and not withholding financial resources.
Party members are required to fulfil all tasks assigned to them by the party, to fight for the party’s unity in action and use the party’s material resources in a responsible manner. Party members also have a right and a duty to study Marxism and develop the party’s political positions.