The Dictatorship of the Proletariat: what does it mean?

Paris Commune 1871 -- the first workers state

by John Maryon

The qualitative transfer of society from obsolete capitalism to progressive socialism is the historical mission of the working class. Karl Marx, Frederick Engels and Vladimir Lenin developed an essential and powerful ideological theory to achieve scientific communism.  A cornerstone of Marxism-Leninism is the need for a revolutionary change to bring about the dictatorship of the proletariat.  Those opposed to Marxism-Leninism are at pains to deny this essential process and foster an illusion of gradual transformation using the bourgeois state apparatus. In effect tinkering with a collapsing system and incorrectly assuming that the working class will grow in terms of knowledge and understanding. In practice the power of the bourgeoisie needs to be challenged by the united efforts of all sections of the working class.
To fully understand the dictatorship of the proletariat it is important to be aware that it does not imply the use of force or threats against others. In Marx and Engel’s days the term "dictatorship" didn’t mean autocratic one-man rule in the way we understand it today. They used the term to mean class rule. In the capitalist era we live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The dictatorship of the proletariat means the working class taking power to establish a new type of democracy.  To organise the economy to benefit the former exploited classes.  To raise political and social awareness of the masses.  And to stimulate progressive cultural developments. This would see an end to identity politics, elevation of trivial diversions above matters of substance, the greed and corruption of lobby groups and the politics of hate, blame and exclusion that we experience in Britain today. The Paris Commune gave a first glimpse of the dictatorship of the proletariat in action. Tinkering with the bourgeois machinery of the state will achieve nothing. It must be replaced with a new management apparatus as an essential prerequisite for building true sustainable socialism. 
The basis of the dictatorship of the proletariat lies in the creative organisational activity in leading the masses towards building a new form of society. Lenin emphasised that it is the rule of the working class through strength of organisation and discipline using all the achievements of culture, science and technology.  Also to develop proletarian affinity with all working people to develop prestige and respect.  It may take different forms and methods depending on the nature of the socialist revolution, the existing social structure, the level of economic development and cultural background.  Proletarian democracy systemically creates a state of the whole people with the working class playing the leading role.
 Lenin said that capitalism condemns the masses to a downtrodden, crushed, anxious existence. A gigantic apparatus of falsehood and deception hoodwinks the workers sowing confusion, fostering ignorance and stultifying their minds. We see this in Britain today. It is obvious that we have reached a great watershed in our political system. As the capitalist crisis has developed the establishment is no longer able to govern in in the traditional manner.  There is an increasing risk of neo-fascists gaining power and influence. Today the population of Britain is largely politically ignorant, is incapable of critical or analytical thinking and has sadly becoming brainwashed by continuing propaganda.  Multiple colour leaflets issued by Reform reflected the politics of blame and hostility but ignored austerity, affordable housing, crumbling infrastructure, a collapsing health service or job security. 
So what political forces are there left in Britain today that can defend workers rights, educate and enthuse the masses for something better? The Labour party has for the past century been the main political party for workers in Britain forming an essential component of the labour movement.  Sadly it has always been dominated by its right wing with affinity to social democracy. It has a long history of betrayal.  Ramsay Macdonald, the first Labour prime minister, started progressively by recognising the Soviet Union shortly after Lenin's death and by opposing imperialist wars but was to later betray the party by forming a National Government with the Conservatives. The tremendous social progress made immediately following the Second World War was implemented only because of the pressure of the people who demanded change. Sadly the party has gone downhill since those halcyon times. With the abandonment of clause four and the establishment of New Labour the Labour Party abandoned any pretence of socialism.
We have always gritted our teeth and supported Labour because of its link to the trade unions. Today we face unprecedented changes which may forge new alliances in a totally different political landscape. If they can get their act together Your Party may play an important role for the left in Britain but will be limited in what it can achieve if it becomes just another hopeless social- democratic institution. Keir Starmer is on the way out but will his successor be any different? I very much doubt it.
One thing becomes immediately obvious. The urgent need is to build unity among all progressive forces to put forward the case for socialism. This is where a vanguard party like the New Communist Party of Britain has an important role to play.  We must grow to be more effective in motivation of the working class.  Don't delay join us today and help put Britain on the road to socialism. 

Strategy for the class struggle

back in the day

by John Maryon

For the working class to successfully advance towards socialism it requires an understanding of most effective tactics for the class struggle. It is important to learn from the lessons of past generations but also we must adapt  to the reality of today's modern world. Arguments that took place over a century ago should not hold back the formation of joint actions and alliances. We must look at the world through the eyes of a new generation.
The victory of the 1917 Russian revolution was followed by the active promotion of a Communist International. Initially the strategy aimed to ride the revolutionary wave by building communist parties worldwide. In Britain the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was established in 1920. Following the First World War the revolutionary wave abated and the strategy was changed to reflect the new conditions. It was an initiative that aimed to encourage joint action with other working class parties. It was going to be a lengthy process to overcome the reformism and class collaboration of the social-democrats. This tactic became known as the United Front. By 1928 a new strategy was adopted to advance a more revolutionary struggle to take advantage of the severe capitalist crisis by advocating a more militant approach. It encouraged the formation of strong trade unions. There was an attempt to expose the treachery of social democracy which had betrayed the workers and had  increasingly co-operated with imperialism.
With the rise of fascism it was the communists who led the struggle against the new menace and it doing so gained great respect. The Bulgarian communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov, realised the seriousness of the situation and proposed the creation of a new alliance, which he called the Popular Front. It reflected the new situation in which a number of communist parties had become mass movements. Communists with both right-wing and left wing social democrats now often shared the same prisons. Unfortunately a number of communist parties now saw their role as taking the  parliamentary option and the revolutionary road was abandoned. In Britain the CPGB  was to adopt this approach and in doing so abandoned its revolutionary vanguard role. It adopted an increasingly revisionist position under the illusion that participation in bourgeois democracy offered a way forward. It effectively denied a revolutionary approach in which the working class would seize power and take control of its own destiny. 
As Western European communist parties, following the Second World War, adopted a left social-democratic position they started to lose respect and purpose. They failed to learn the lessons of history in which it had been the great revolutionary leaders like Lenin, Mao and Kim Il Sung who had successfully led their people to socialism.
For today we may look back at the strategies that have succeeded and those that have not. We cannot stick to one fixed tactic but must adapt and change as conditions alter. Social democracy no longer pretends to be socialist and in practice presents itself today as yet another bourgeois bandwagon that in practice cannot achieve anything. 
No revolution can succeed without working class support.  But the working class in Britain is demoralised and confused with limited aspirations. They have been conditioned into meekly accepting a few crumbs from the rich man’s table. They vote for liberals, social democrats and reactionary populist parties. 
The anomalous named 'Your Party' is left social-democratic and contains many sincere well-meaning people who are opposed to imperialist wars and see the need for a more fairer society. However they are not revolutionary, have not embraced the scientific teachings of Marxism and not grasped the essential concept that a class struggle is necessary to defeat the forces of reaction that blight all of our lives. 
A so called Popular Front alliance is full of dangers. There cannot be a successful alliance between communists and social democrats in a bourgeois parliament. History shows that communists may be used by the bourgeoisie and then dumped when it suits them. Bourgeois democracy is a cruel illusion. When the inevitable break comes it splits the working class. The Popular Front transfers the class battle from the streets and workplaces to a bourgeois parliament that is totally ineffective.
It is important to note that a popular front government may be in government but not in power. Lenin pointed out that an alliance implies that the bourgeoisie no longer have the ability to rule alone and that then is the time for revolutionary change. Social democracy offers only tinkering with a failed system, based upon exploitation, that is well past its sell-by date. We need a radical change to challenge the power and oppression of Imperialism. 
A true communist party is always to be found where the battle is the hardest. One that is committed striving for unity of the workers in the class struggle to achieve full state power rather that a sham bourgeois parliament. A United Front alliance between revolutionary and reformist parties remains the only viable policy until a revolutionary situation develops.

Being Green is Not Enough

by John Maryon

One must applaud the principled stand taken by those caring and concerned people who are determined to defend the delicate balance of nature on our home world. People who recognise the importance of restricting carbon emissions, preventing pollution and the destruction of vital habitats.  Urgent action is necessary to preserve the rich eco-system of plant and animal life, including ourselves.  Sadly there are others, who through greed and ignorance, blindly carry on along a road that can only lead to the possible extinction of the human race leaving  a dead and toxic planet to drift in space. 
There are many important battles to be won, but in order to  achieve a lasting effectiveness it is necessary to understand the reasons for and deeper implications of any course of action.  Under a socialist system there is no reason or excuse to destroy the environment.  However with capitalism, where quick profits and market forces dominate, the well-being of the people is frequently of lower priority than the need to make more money.  Hence  the polluted rivers, deforestation, dumped rubbish, radioactive discharges and poor air quality in many places today.
Many energy systems still rely upon fossil fuel, presenting a difficult problem that will take time and investment to overcome.  In Britain and other countries we face particular challenges for both domestic heating and transport. To cut carbon dioxide emissions it is desirable to replace home heating boilers fired with natural gas with a green alternative which could be electricity, heat pumps or green hydrogen.  Essentially all three alternatives require green electricity as the primary energy source. Carbon free electricity can be produced by wind turbines, solar panels, hydro power, tidal power or nuclear. All come with their own challenges. Wind turbines won't work if there is no wind. Solar panels are unproductive during the night. Hydro and tidal opportunities are limited and nuclear power has its own risks.  A major question is could the national electricity grid cope with the new demands without enormous investment?
 So the solution is not simply a question of banning this or that.  It requires long term investment and planning as opposed to the operation of market forces. It requires socialism. 
Similar problems are encountered with transport. We are encouraged to buy electric cars, but preferably not the cheaper and technically advanced Chinese ones.  Again how will the national grid and local networks cope with the big new demand for electricity.  If you live in a house with room to charge the car on your driveway an electric car offers a good choice. If, however, you live in a flat or congested urban area you have to find a charging station which could be a more expensive option. The government dithers and has put the target date for fossil furled cars back again.  Contrast our situation with that of socialist China.  They have an integrated transport system with  over 50 km of high speed rail and are the largest producer of electric vehicles.  The infrastructure necessary to support their ambitious plans is being built now as an investment for the future and to meet their objective of hitting carbon neutrality before 2060. Clean energy, high-tech innovation including AI and committed leadership from the Communist Party of China will combine to achieve these goals. 
In Britain today the disastrous privatisation of the electricity industry has created serious challenges and  resulted in some extraordinary situations.  Drax power station near Selby was built to burn Yorkshire coal. Today a power company receives billions in subsidies for the burning of wood pellets sourced from the United States and Canada. The process is classified as a renewable one but documents show that some of the wood was obtained from old woods that were rich in wildlife habitats.  In another example of farce, wind turbines connected to the national grid are able to supply electricity when the wind  blows. The problem is that for approximately one third of the time that power is not required and the grid struggles to cope. It is estimated that £1.3 million was paid by the government to temporarily switch them off.  Such occurrences cost the taxpayer dearly and when taken alongside the imperialist sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines contribute to making Britain's energy costs soar.
It is the policy of the New Communist Party of Britain (NCP) to take both the gas and electricity utilities back under full state ownership. To be owned and operated for the benefit of the people and also to expand their scope to cover the production of green hydrogen.  The  planning, construction, and operation of energy systems would be placed into the hands of engineers who could plan long term for future needs free from short term get rich quick scams. A return to sanity would soon see energy costs start to fall. Workers would be represented on the Energy Board and lots of apprenticeships created.
Energy cannot be considered in isolation.  A fully integrated public transport system fully owned by the people is essential along  with more investment into high speed railways. Only a state owned system can look ahead to balance needs with resources and avoid a short term approach that does not build for the future. It is also the aim of the NCP to restore water supply and storage to full public ownership. Jeremy Corbyn's proposals for free broadband to all homes and business by 2023 could be achieved with public ownership of essential parts of the Telecom industry.  Banking and financial services need a shake up. Whole communities are often left without a bank as local closures continue.  We need a secure state owned bank  to provide a full range of services, at competitive rates rates for domestic customers and small businesses.
There are many people in the green and conservation movements who see the problems that we all face today as single simple issues. The threats and challenges are appreciated but they may only have a vague idea of why things are going wrong and what can be achieved to move forward.  Only a socialist approach that tackles the root causes of a growing crisis can provide a lasting solution.  We have to rid society of greed, disrespect and an obsession with profits. The dreams of those who seek a sustainable future within a caring society are values that we share.  Their struggle requires a political element to enable society to move forward.  Come and join the NCP and help us in the class struggle to turn those visions of a beautiful new world into reality.

Clean Energy for a Greener World

China's independently developed 30-megawatt pure hydrogen gas turbine

by John Maryon

Before the Industrial Revolution got underway the demand for energy was modest. Humans lived within the limits of nature to replenish what they had consumed.  Intrepid sailors were able to sail on their long journeys round the world, without consuming any fuel for propulsion by using the energy of wild and unpredictable winds. Windmills were a common sight grinding corn for their local communities and the new growing towns. Waterwheels had by 1500 become the principal source of motive power and were to make a significant contribution to the coming great era of factory expansion.
Two great inventions however were to lead unprecedented  changes. First the perfection of the steam engine in the 18th century followed by the internal combustion engine at the end of the 19th. The arrival of steam saw coal production rise by 500 per cent between 1750 and 1850. And so began an age of dark mills, blackened buildings, thick fog and congested lungs. With the arrival of petrol and diesel even greater pollution was placed into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels began to climb and the planet slowly started to become warmer. The greenhouse effect has become a subject of great concern. It is very real and the evidence is there for all to see. However there are those who through ignorance deny reality and still others who know but keep quiet to appease the fossil fuel lobby. 
Today we do have many answers to the great challenge of the age. If greed, profiteering and selfish indulgence, all symptoms of acute capitalism by the way, can be overcome we may face the future with more confidence. People’s China with its 1.4 billion population and enormous industrial capacity has an urgent need to prioritise carbon reduction. Importantly it has responded with impressive actions in stark contrast to those who preach and condemn while achieving nothing.  China  is able to produce electric vehicles that are superbly innovative, of top quality and at a third of the cost of Western products.  Their impressive high speed rail network continues to expand rapidly and become technically more advanced. China produces solar panels and wind turbines on a vast scale. Impressive dams have tamed surging rivers to provide an abundance of cheap hydro-electric power. 
China is investing heavily in scientific research with the aim of providing practically unlimited amounts of low cost, carbon free electricity, safety and without pollution.  Two of those important areas are worthy of merit. The first is fusion in which energy is released when atoms are fused together, like a miniature sun. In 1958 the Soviet Union became the first country to build a small experimental Tokamak reactor using confinement technology.  The challenge is to contain very high temperature plasma using powerful magnetic fields and to sustain it for an extended period of time.  The fuels for the process are isotopes of hydrogen which occur in abundance and the waste products consist of the inert gas helium, plus tritium. The latter is radioactive but has a much shorter half life than the heavy elements resulting from fission. Compared to conventional fission processes fusion is much less hazardous to the environment and human health. Today China is building a prototype 20MW reactor and is closely collaborating with a number of European states. 
Secondly an intrinsically more safe type of fission device, the Thorium Based Molten Salt Reactor, is being developed.  With thousands of years of fuel supply the technology will be in great demand worldwide. Basically the process works on the Thorium cycle. The safe primary fuel, Thorium232, is bombarded with neutrons to transform it via two beta decays  into fissionable Uranium233. The system can breed more fission fuel than consumed. This fuel is contained in a  molten salt liquid which can be easily drained out in an emergency.  The liquid fuel mixture also  expands as it heats reducing the fission strength of the reactor fuel which reduces the heat output contributing to ensuring greater safety. The technology makes small and portable reactors possible. The United States has considerable technical experience but it is China that is putting the technology to good use. Currently a large container ship with such a power source is being constructed. It will be able to sail the seven seas for decades without refuelling, saving vast amounts of fossil fuel consumption. It would also be able to economically travel greater distances so avoiding sea areas that an adversary could easily block. 
Hydrogen is an excellent fuel that is green and clean at the point of use and can be used for domestic heating, internal combustion engines and industrial processes.  However up to now unless it was produced by electrolysis of water to make oxygen and hydrogen using green electricity most commercial output was achieved by the cheaper process of steam reforming of natural gas.  This method releases emissions of the greenhouse gas Carbon Dioxide.  A new technology plant built in China's Jilin province is hailed  as the world's largest integrated green, Hydrogen-Ammonia-Methonal project. The first phase of the state owned enterprise plant will produce 450,000 metric tons of green hydrogen each year representing 20 % of China's requirement in addition to other green chemicals.  It will save over 600,000 tons of coal annually. The plant makes excellent use solar and wind energy reinforcing an integrated approach that contributes to China's transition to a modern industrial structure.
People's China has shown the way forward towards a world of shared abundance that remains green, sustainable and affordable.  Without vested interests to lobby for denial or a short term approach that neglects essential infrastructure investment the country forges ahead.  In the Western economies people remain cold in fear of facing expensive heating costs while factories close when faced with prohibitive energy prices they become uncompetitive .  A lack of forward planning, years of neglect and under investment within a capitalist market driven by the obsession for maximum quick profits has been fatal.  Matters have been made much worse in Europe due to their sanctions on cheap Russian energy which has created the highest gas prices in the world.  And we should not forget, or forgive, the tragedy of imperialist wars and conflicts that leave desperate families huddled together cold and hungry in their tents while an uncaring elite pretend that they cannot hear the children cry. 
The world needs to wake up before it's too late. Before the rich diversity of plant and animal life is destroyed, crops fail, severe weather events increase and a run away greenhouse effect overheats our planet.  China has been able to demonstrate that socialism can provide both the technical means and  necessary conditions for overcoming the challenges that lie ahead.  We need socialism and we need it now.  So let's step up the class struggle, as we enter 2026, and work together for a better world!

Dramatic Developments in People’s China

by John Maryon 

China's plan to double Per Capita GDP and reach the personal income level of a moderately developed nation in 10 years is a remarkable ambition. The success of the current 14th  Five Year Plan has raised technical excellence to a level that will lay the basis for China's progress.  Currently the average people’s income is equivalent to approximately £13,500.  However a direct comparison is difficult because prices for most things are much lower in the Asian nation. In meeting its goals China has had to face difficult challenges which have included Covid and trade wars imposed by the United States. It has however managed to exceed a yearly five per cent target.  Under the wise leadership of the Communist Party of China the people can look forward with confidence to the future.
China has the second largest world economy in terms of GDP but in reality when measured in real industrial output it is way ahead.  China has comprehensive trading relations with over 150 countries. It has developed its infrastructure and is able to employ advanced logistics to achieve great efficiency. To avoid threats by imperialists to contain China the  People’s Republic has started seasonal operations on the Arctic sea route and each year thousands of cargo trains transverse between Asia and Europe. Stable development with its partners and friends is enhanced through the Belt & Road Initiative. Education continues to play an important role in China's development with the number of university graduates exceeding 12 million each year. The number of engineers trained each year exceeds that of Germany, Japan and the USA combined. 
China takes a long term approach to investments by supporting projects which will achieve great potential in the future rather than a short term get rich quick project of little lasting value. No wonder they are able to play such a major role in Green and sustainable development.  In the USA today companies are more likely to use their profits to buy back share stock rather than to invest in the future. 
The American response to China's rise has not been to invest, embark upon joint development projects or talk constructively about co-operation. It has  been one of aggressive attempts to cripple and destroy China – or anyone else who in their panic mode they may regard as a threat. The new Comac 919 Chinese commercial aircraft  has been a major target in the West's trade war against competition from Asia. The aeroplane is seen as a direct competitor to Boeing and Airbus. Currently the plane uses Western LEAP 1C engines but with threats to restrict supplies Chinese engineers are now developing their own alternatives. The biggest obstacle however to its success is the refusal to quickly certify the aircraft to fly on important international routes by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.   Attempts to hold back progress are doomed to failure as China is responding by developing its own engines and control systems and is all ready selling to non-Western markets. Development work on an advanced larger long range aircraft, such as the Comac 929, which will have Chinese engines and avoid Western supply chain threats, is well underway. 
On 23rd October recommendation documents for the 15th Five Year Plan were adopted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The proposals focus on high quality development, rather than just economic expansion, as a step towards achieving a leading position in modernisation by 2035. Particular emphasis will be given to sustainability, green growth and technological innovation. 
The documents recognise the demographic challenges that lie ahead and makes provision for health care and social support for an ageing population with increased  investment. The impact of artificial intelligence and further automation upon the job market is taken into account.  In the early stages of building socialism the basic needs include more tons of steel and greater electricity generation. As the economy develops and industry expands, the new phase of socialist progress demands quality development with limited carbon emissions and full respect for the environment.  For society to advance progressive evolving social policies that  reinforce a true socialist ethos are also absolutely essential. 
Efforts by the imperialist states to stifle China's economic, technical and industrial growth are increasing every day. Under American pressure the craven politicians of many leading Western nations, without thought, respect or accountability rush to find favour with their masters in Washington. They replace mutually beneficial trade, diplomacy and co-operation with insulting, ill-conceived and often illegal actions that harm trade, destroy trust and make the world a more dangerous place.  I can imagine future history students being shocked as they learn how Europe's second-rate imperialist states collapsed from self-inflicted stupidity.  The banning of quality and trusted Huawei equipment and its replacement with more expensive Western alternatives is justified by claiming, without convincing evidence, that it is a security risk. The very recent debacle in Holland in which the Dutch government was forced to hand back Xperia to its Chinese owner shows how nasty little schemes can come unstuck. 
People's China has grown from being a poverty-stricken country humiliated by colonial forces to become a powerful modern socialist state. This has been made possible by the leadership of its Communist Party. With the aid of its successful Belt & Road Initiative it is now helping others to throw off their own colonial legacy and advance forward.  The lies of the Western media are shown for what they are with every success that is achieved. 

The Battle for a Socialist Britain

 by John Maryon

During the summer of 1951 around 8.5 million people visited the Festival of Britain held on the south bank of the Thames in London. It's aim was to celebrate Britain's achievements in culture, architecture , science and industry. It also sought to encourage recovery from the horrors of the Second World War and foster national pride. Remembered for the iconic images of the Skylon and Dome of Discovery the exhibits were colourful and contemporary. People were encouraged to look forward to a brave new world marking a bright new future for Britain. I was there.
Britain still had a strong industrial base and the thriving co-operative movement played an important role in the lives of working class people. We believed that socialism was just round the corner as people were starting to benefit from new social and health care benefits. The NHS had been established three years earlier and new state industries starting to rebuild and modernise our neglected infrastructure. A powerful trade union movement was fighting for better pay, shorter hours, safer working conditions and good pensions. The slums were being replaced by beautiful new council houses. Villages still had their own butchers, bakers, post office and rural people grew all their vegetables. Most people could not afford a motor car but with cheap buses everywhere that did not matter.
We naively believed that with scientific advances and developing technology things could only get better. We envisaged a great future without wars, all sickness would be cured and unemployment become a thing of the past. In many ways the period represented a high point for the socialist ethos in Britain. Since those halcyon days the rich have much more wealthy. Medical advances have failed to conquer many terrible diseases. Imperialism has carried out forever wars. Our economy is failing, our infrastructure is falling to pieces and years of austerity have brought suffering to millions.
Communists recognise the prime cause of Britain's decline is the terminal crisis of capitalism with its irreconcilable contradictions. A crisis made worse by the greed, incompetence and detachment from reality of our so-called leaders. Most Western nations suffer the same malign affliction. The Tories sold all the family silver in a great orgy of capitalist excess when they privatised essential public services. Governments have failed to engage in long term infrastructure investment and many companies have failed to invest in Britain. Essential high tech investment has been neglected in favour of paying workers an appalling basic minimum wage to continue working obsolete systems without innovation.
The debacle has been possible because the working class has not mobilised. The mass media, including the British Brainwashing Corporation (BBC) have been able to anaesthetise people's critical thinking with lies and crude propaganda. We need an effective fightback through class struggle. Labour having abandoned it's socialist values is not in a position to introduce radical policies for change. Many small left wing parties in Britain today are mostly sectarian and prefer to talk among themselves rather than engage in alliances with others. ‘Your Party’ with the respected and trusted Jeremy Corbyn will sadly be unable to tackle the underlying causes of the crisis with a social democratic platform. And then there is the fake left that hover round the Morning Star, who claim to be communist, make a lot of noise, damage working class unity, weaken the struggle against imperialism and achieve very little of substance.
It is essential for a vanguard party committed to Marxism-Leninism to show the way forward and encourage a renewed class struggle. The chief policies of the New Communist Party of Britain are as follows:

* Tax the Rich: More money is needed to properly fund our vital public services, repair the collapsing infrastructure and to invest in green energy, sustainable development and transport for future generations. And it is the wealthy who must pay more. For decades they have amassed huge fortunes by the exploitation of working people. We believe that progressive taxation measures should be introduced to disgorge their vast wealth. Increases in top rates could shift the burden of taxation away from the workers onto the capitalists. Tax evasion by companies should be made illegal and be enforced.

*Public Ownership: Full red:blooded socialist measures are absolutely necessary. Key strategic industries, investment bodies and utilities must be owned and controlled by the people. Within the framework of a planned economy short termism, market anarchy, pollution and cyclical crisis would be avoided. And the surplus value generated spread fairly between the workers and the requirements for new public investment. By public ownership we mean full ownership rather than a loose arrangement in which many functions are out sourced and some assets remain in private hands.

*Independence: Britain needs to free itself from American hegemony and the pretence that it has a special relationship . We must say no way to their obscene demands for increasing war expenditure to five per cent of GDP. We would make peace a major policy and work with diplomacy to build trust and understanding. The war mongers who have governed our country seek forever wars that guarantee huge profits for arms manufacturers. None of the US lackeys ever talk about peace. Of course any nation should have the right to defend itself. We have no obvious natural enemies who would have any interest whatsoever in starting a war against us so expenditure should be measured and adapted to real needs. We oppose warmongering weather from politicians or the BBC who appear to have changed their stated aim of nation speaks peace to nation with the promotion of fear and mistrust.

*Freedom: Socialism with its foundations of equality and fair distribution of wealth in intrinsically more democratic than Capitalism can ever be. But we should always be on our guard against corruption and excesses in the early stages of building socialism. In Britain today many people have been conditioned into being unable to think critically. We would take back the BBC and turn it into a real voice for the people by allowing it to reflect all points of opinion and so enrich our social and cultural development. To achieve real freedom we have to struggle for it through the class struggle and the New Communist Party of Britain will always stand tall in that endeavour.

To learn more about our policies I urge you to become a regular subscriber to the New Worker and join the struggle by joining the NCP today.

An Introduction to Marxism-Leninism

By John Maryon

For anyone, especially new comrades, wishing to understand the dynamic philosophy of Marxism-Leninism there is in my view no better insight than to study Dialectical and Historical Materialism by J V Stalin.  A concise and clear work, written in 1938, that outlines the essential theory of Marxism-Leninism.  Its founders were Karl Marx and Frederick Engels with further development by Vladimir Lenin as he applied the philosophy to build socialism in the Soviet Union. It is an important philosophy that guides communist parties in their vanguard role and in the building of socialism.  Stalin had the ability to explain complex ideas without simplification or being patronising to his audience. 
Dialectical materialism is a major component of Marxism-Leninism.   It is called dialectical because it studies changes that are interconnected with other things that may also change.  The theory is materialistic because it accepts that physical processes are governed by specific laws. Historical materialism is the extension of the principles of dialectical materialism to the study of social life. It is an application of the principles of dialectical materialism to the phenomena of the study of the life of society, to the study of society and of its history.
Human history reflects a complex struggle for survival. There is a fundamental difference in the way society and natural processes develop. There are no conscious forces in the purely physical world but social development is influenced by thought and the actions of people.  People have the ability to shape their own destinies and forge progressive trends in a society .  Historical materialism is a core component of the philosophy developed by Marx and Engels.   It is only when grasped and understood by the masses can it become a motive force for the development of society.   Scientific communism is also an important part of Marxist theory which studies the laws, forms and methods of the class struggle.  
It is important to understand what is meant by productive forces and production relations and how they relate to each other under both capitalism and socialism.  The productive forces are the means of production including the workers.  Production relations are the relations existing between people in the process of production, exchange and distribution of wealth.  Historical materialism shows that under capitalism contradictions will exist between productive forces and production relations and that they can only be resolved through class struggle. A struggle to break-up the old system of production relations and replace it with new ones to ensure a more fairer distribution of wealth within a more stable framework. 
Marxist-Leninist philosophy challenges that of fatalism which is promoted by those who are afraid of change and want to keep things as they are.  Fatalists believe that what will happen is fated and can make no difference to the outcome.  Marxists maintain that we make our own history by our actions. We have heard people say 'what will be will be' but they are stuck in a rut and will be cut off from human progress. 
The building of socialism is far more than raising production or economic indicators.  It is concerned with the evolution of human thought along with social and cultural progress.  The failure of comrades in the past to recognise this fact has led to serious setbacks. 'You can't change human nature' is a hackneyed old cliche trotted out by the bourgeoisie who don't want change and the unthinking who don't understand it.  In reality things are changing all the time. Change however is not uniform. In some parts of the world women are still regarded as second-rate citizens to be abused and treated with cruelty.  In the Soviet Union Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to enter space.
A politically planned economy with public ownership and control of major and strategic industry, utilities, transport and financial institutions is a core requirement of Marxism – Leninism.  Public ownership ensures that the value created by workers is used to pay direct and social wages while creating funds for future investment.  Money, the life=blood of capitalism and mechanism for exploitation, will cease to dominate and to control society. Wealthy capitalists would no longer be able to dictate political and economic policy.  Power would be exercised by the Communist Party on behalf of the people which it serves.  This is the system employed by the socialist countries today. 
Proletarian internationalism is one of the basic principles of Marxism Leninism.  It stems from an awareness that the class struggle has a vital international component and stresses the need for effective worldwide solidarity. Proletarian internationalism governs relations between all peoples of the international working class and between communist parties. Lenin wrote. 'There is one, and only one, kind of real internationalism and that is working wholeheartedly for the revolutionary movement and revolutionary struggle in one's own country and supporting in all ways possible every other country without exception'.  
Utopian socialists had a dream of an ideal society. Engels was able to show how socialism could be achieved by turning that utopian vision into a science that led to an understanding of the laws of development of society, of the contradictions of capitalism and the role of the working class in class struggle.  Communists should not just criticise the injustices of capitalist society but to examine and explain the nature of the capitalist mode of production and its laws of development.  Such an approach exposes the raw nature of capitalism that is essentially based upon the theft of surplus value created by workers by an upper class of parasites. 
 

Ukraine: A Search for Identity and Freedom

October 1944 - Red Army liberates Kiev

 by John Maryon

Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are predominantly from the East Slav sub-group of the Slavic people.  Crimean Tatars form an important ethnic group of the population of Crimea.  The fertile lands of mineral rich Ukraine were for centuries shared between the Poles and the Mongols.  By 1500 the Ottoman empire had expanded and taken over South East Ukraine and Crimea.  In 1654, following years of conflict with the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Cossack leader of Ukraine pledged allegiance to the Czardom of Russia in exchange of protection. Russian influence increased and in 1797 Catherine the Great established the port city of Odessa and the region became an important part of the Russian Empire. 
Today most people have heard of the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale, Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade.   It was an imperialist conflict for Middle East influence between Russia and an alliance of France, Britain and Turkey.  Russia lost the war and with it influence in the region and now had only a limited access to the Black Sea. However there were two other significant impacts.  One saw the break up of European alliances and the other was that it forced Russia to become modernised. 
Following the 1917 Great October Revolution in Russia Ukraine became a Soviet Republic, the Ukrainian SSR.  A majority of those in Eastern Ukraine spoke Russian while in the western areas the people spoke Ukrainian.  The  Ukrainian language is very similar to Russian and considered by some to be a dialect. In the Crimea, Tatar and other ethnic languages were secured by decree. A devious  Kruschchev was to later cede Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR. 
To understand the Ukraine of today it is important to consider some developments during the pre World War 2 period. The Congress of Soviets had proclaimed Soviet Power in 1917 and elected Soviets were established in the towns, villages, work places and military units. The new young republic started on the road to building socialism. But the peaceful life was soon to be shattered.  Counter-revolutionary forces led by former Czarist officers and the feudal lords of Central Asia waged a civil war against the Soviet republic. They were to be supported by forces of intervention. British, French, American and Japanese forces in the Far East invaded the Soviet Union. An undeclared war of intervention was underway and Britain occupied Odessa while Germany took control of a large part of western Ukraine. 
The Soviet forces were united and soon built an alliance with workers and peasants and established the Red Army. A war economy was established. The counter-revolutionary military superiority was short lived as conflicting interests emerged. The White Guards, as the alliance of foreign backed fighters was known, depended upon foreign finance and was essentially a mercenary army.  When the money stopped during the major capitalist economic crisis they fell apart. The imperialist powers however continued to occupy western parts of the country.  The imperialist powers used former Soviet territory to establish a cordon sanitaire from which they could carry out attacks on the young republic. 
Collectivisation of agriculture enabled farms to be modernised. The days of the horse-drawn wooden plough were over and Ukraine started to become an important grain growing area.  The process of change was not an easy one. The years 1932-1934 saw the worst drought in living memory.  A typhoid epidemic ravaged the Caucasus.  Many agriculture experts and cadres sent from Moscow were murdered by fascist gangs.  Some kulaks slaughtered all their animals and invading forces burned crops. Many people died of starvation. However by the late 1930s Ukraine had become the bread-basket of the Soviet Union while the industrial regions of Eastern Ukraine became known as the Soviet Ruhr. 
At 0400 on 22 June 1941 Hitler attacked the Soviet Union. Of the 27 million Russians who were killed during the war, five million were from Ukraine plus 1.5 million Jewish people who lived in the region.  Nationalists from the former ruling class in Western Ukraine supported Hitler and the Nazis. The leader of the Halychyn SS Division , Stefan Bandera, was held responsible for many atrocities.  Jews, communists, socialists, the mentally ill and the disabled were slaughtered in the death camps. Under the leadership of Joseph Stalin the Soviet Union fought courageously  and was able to smash the Nazi war machine. The battle of Stalingrad is considered to be the turning  point of the Second World War which ended in victory in 1945, But after the war many Ukrainian Nazis were made welcome in the USA and Britain. 
During the post-war era industry quickly developed and agriculture flourished. Then came the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oligarchs took over in Russia and Ukraine grabbing the wealth that had been created during people's rule with former officials changing sides to get their noses in the trough. Living standards fell and unemployment reappeared after an absence of 50 years. With the fall of the Soviet Union the Russians were promised that NATO would not expand eastwards.  The gullible Russian leadership believed this but the imperialists saw it as an opportunity to expand their malignant influence, gain access to Russia's rich resources and to threaten China. 
The United States is notorious for its never-ending wars and coups for regime change. The long list includes Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chile.  In February 2014 it was Ukraine's turn. In a coup planned, financed and supported by the USA, the democratically elected government of Yanukovych was overthrown. Opposition parties were banned, politicians arrested and demonstrators murdered in Odessa by being driven into the trade union building which was then set on fire. The new pro-Nato and pro-European Union puppet regime embarked on widespread repressive measures against Russian speakers, including a ban on the Russian language. Strong resistance in Eastern Ukraine led to the establishment of independent states which were recognised by Russia and later along with Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation. Between 2014 and 2022 some 8,000 civilians were killed by shelling from regime held areas.
In 2022 Russia commenced its special military operation to defend those regions under attack, prevent the expansion of Nato eastwards and rid the Ukraine government of supporters of the infamous Nazi collaborator, Stefan Bandera. The civil war became a proxy one as the Americans and their Western allies poured in money and weapons. Negotiations, such as the Minsk agreements to end the conflict have been repeatedly sabotaged by Western leaders. The Western powers are losing their war and Ukraine is tragically being destroyed in scenes similar to those left in Vietnam and Korea. Instead of bringing the tragedy to an end Western leaders, including, Macron of France, Merz of Germany and Starmer of Britain, have become obsessed with keeping the war going. They continue to pour in money to keep the conflict going while their own economies face collapse. 

Our future is communist!

By John Maryon

From the first glimpses of primitive communism in Stone Age family groupings to the growth of feudalism and the emergence of capitalism into imperialism , now in terminal decline, humankind has passed through a number of historical epochs. Today a new stage of development is underway in certain countries to build socialism which will in turn make the qualitative advance to communism.
Change is very necessary. Everywhere we look in the imperialist world we see crisis. Its symptoms are economic stagnation, industrial decline, inflationary pressures, job losses and stock market volatility.  Workers with falling standards of living are being made to carry the burden of its failure.  
Full socialism means the public ownership of of the means of production, transport, financial institutions and the land.  All would be owned and utilised by the people for the people. Then, as full masters of their own destiny, their work and creativity would be employed for the common good. The greed, speculation, exploitation and corruption of the bourgeoisie would be relegated to the history books. 
Monopoly capitalism, the final phase of capitalist failure, is no longer competitive.  Increasingly it adopts economic warfare and physical threats to maintain its hegemony.  It is a system based upon exploitation of the masses while the rich become more wealthy every day.  According to the Office of National Statistics the top one per cent of families, with an average wealth of £3.6m own over 230 times, that of the poorest 10 per cent.
Following the Second World War many people thought that socialism was just round the corner. Inspired by the achievements of the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin's leadership they were no longer prepared to put up with the conditions that had existed in the 1930s. The mood was for change. A Labour government, led by Clement Attlee was elected in 1945.  Basic industries and public transport were nationalised, the NHS established and a full programme of social care initiated. The slums were replaced with magnificent new council houses; homes for the people.
One may well ask what has gone so badly wrong and what can be done about it.  Looking back we can see that the socialist programme did not go far enough. Those industries and utilities taken over were in a poor financial position and required heavy investment.  Profitable companies should have been added to the list to provide funds. The NHS should have been allowed to make its own drugs and equipment. The banks and financial institutions were left untouched. On balance the steps taken were half hearted social-democratic measures that left bourgeois state power unchallenged.  
Over the following years the Tories sold off and privatised everything they could lay their hands on. Industry, utilities, council houses and local authority care homes were all sold off.  Brainwashed by the mass media, people were conditioned to accept these moves.  And Labour, firmly in the hands of the right wing, did almost nothing about it. Now, of course, they have all gone and we are left to pay through the nose for falling standards of service. The Labour Party had again betrayed the working class allowing those early gains to be lost. 
This betrayal was not the only one that set back the first stages of building socialism in Britain. The political line of the Communist Party of Great Britain, at a time when it should have been adopting a vanguard role to inspire the masses, degenerated into a revisionist party replacing real socialist objectives with a social democratic approach. In relation to the world class struggle they also abandoned proletarian internationalism. 
Setbacks within the UK  were matched by the collapse of revisionism in the Soviet Union which led to its fall and along with it the hopes and aspirations of millions of workers worldwide. One of the basic causes of the breakdown of the socialist system in the Soviet Union was the failure to appreciate the importance of moral incentives, as opposed to personal gain, as the fundamental lever for building socialism in human society. Another was the widespread belief that once socialism was achieved it was irreversible. This led to complacency and a failure to address important issues. Since 1955 Stalin, who had played a major role in building and defending the Soviet Union, was never mentioned in text books.  Thus his warnings in relation to the market and private property were ignored.
For the sake of peace, justice, equality and a sustainable future we need socialism and we need it now.  A vanguard party equipped with a Marxist-Leninist understanding is an essential feature for this to be achieved.  Lenin said that for a revolutionary situation to be transferred in to a full revolution the following factors are necessary:

First: an acute crisis situation with widespread discontent with the ruling class being unable to manage in the old way. 
Second: when the suffering of the oppressed classes have grown acute.
Third: when there is a considerable increase in the awareness and activity of the masses. 

The first two conditions exist in Britain today.  It is the task of communists to explain what is wrong and show that it is the bourgeoisie who are the villains. Not poor immigrants.
Today socialism in various forms, suited to specific local  conditions, is again on the march. The social progress and economic might of People's China has been amazing.  Measured in terms of what I would call 'Real GDP'  (the real value of goods and services without such American features as exorbitant medical fees, high rents and legal costs) is on a par with the USA.  Its mixed economy does have certain risks but it is a cardinal task for the Communist Party of China to ensure that no one is left behind.  A prosperous society is being created for everyone to enjoy.
The other socialist countries are in the face of threats and harsh sanctions are all making excellent progress.  Cuba has endured a blockade by the USA for over 60 years and Democratic Korea, Laos and Vietnam, who took on and defeated the might of American imperialism in their fight for freedom, have all recovered from almost total destruction.  
As socialism rises to become communism everyone’s needs will be fully met. Money, the lifeblood of capitalism and its mechanism for exploitation, will disappear. Under capitalism, income dominates people's existence. When  communism arrives in Britain it will transform society. Socialism, the first stage of advancement, implements the principle 'from each according to his ability to each according to his work'. Communism, the higher phase of socialist development, adopts the greater principle, ‘from each according to his ability to each according to his needs'.
Anxiety and fear will be replaced with harmony and mutual cooperation. Everyone will have an equal chance of opportunity to develop to their full potential. Human civilisation will flourish as never before. 
If we want a better tomorrow within a new and beautiful society we have to struggle for it.  With communism class and race discrimination, bigotry and sects will disappear. Women will be able to play a full role in society. Communists, socialists and all progressive people need to come together for an essential class struggle.  
The Labour Party continues to betray the working class as do other so called communists who are in reality a fake left. We need to be on our guard. We need to build the New Communist Party of Britain, a party that has stuck to it's principles, as a vanguard party for true social and economic progress.

Rise and Shine!

 By John Maryon

Originally forming part of a biblical verse from the book of Isaiah that calls for God's light to shine, today it has become an idem to encourage anyone to get up and achieve something. And in the context of the working class to stand up for their rights through class struggle. An essential time to take the path of building socialism and lay the foundations of a beautiful communist society. The New Communist Party of Britain (NCP) is part of that struggle and recognises that complete emancipation from capitalism and imperialism can only be achieved by a revolutionary change.
Our chosen route and rate of progress will be influenced by both internal social and economic conditions and also the international threat from imperialist aggression.  We may face trade sanctions, attempts to cause political instability and “colour revolutions” or direct military aggression.  The British road would have been much quicker when the spirit of revolution was in the air immediately following the Second World War. and before Mrs Thatcher sold off the family silver. These events are history so let us examine the prospects for building socialism in Britain today.
We must through our political work overcome the apathy and servile acceptance by the masses to their deteriorating social and economic conditions. Within a socialist society people would not be left to shiver in the cold, too afraid to turn on their expensive heating.  Bringing back the Electricity and Gas Boards would provide a mechanism to control prices and allow for long term strategic planning that would provide secure and affordable supplies.  Engineers, not marketing men, would decide how to invest and provide the best possible service to their consumers.  Events such as the Heathrow outage would become impossible and energy costs would be a fraction of today's inflated values. State owned utilities are much more efficient and accountable than rip off get rich quick outfits.
Water, fresh air, shelter and food are all basic human requirements. Water and sewage systems were once upon a time in England provided by local councils and paid for through the rates. Public ownership of these essential public services ensured affordable services that were the envy of the world. Millions of pounds wasted on water meters could have been spent fixing leaks. In the good old days we could water our favourite flowers and vegetables with confidence. 
Socialist housing would mean a roof over their head for everyone with rough sleeping just a horrible nightmare from the capitalist past. A National Housing Board should be established to build enough wonderful council houses  for all who need them.  In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea housing is now becoming a free vital service paid for from the profits of State enterprises. This is the power of true socialism.  How unlike Britain where rents are becoming unaffordable and homeowners struggle all their lives to pay the mortgage on a home which may then have to be sold, to pay extortionate fees for private care homes, when they become elderly. 
Education is an investment for the future. A proper socialist government would make education free up to university level and create trade apprenticeships for all those that need them. Every one would reach their full potential and society would flourish.  In Britain today the children of deprived or broken families are not encouraged by the system to make an effort. They remain destined to live a dull, hard life in some dead end job on minimum wage.  To build a successful socialist society we have to enable these children to rise and shine. A full socialist society would overcome the social barriers between so called manual workers and those who occupy white collar professions.  It is important to note that the so called middle class are just better off members of the working class itself. They also serve the super rich capitalists who run their world. 
Those who are fortunate enough to live in a low stress caring socialist society are starting to become more healthy and live longer than we are.  Rebuilding the NHS to the body it was intended to be would provide free full dental treatment, free podiatry care and free prescriptions and full medical and social care for long term sick and elderly. And importantly proper loving care for those mentally ill. Rapid referral would avoid waiting for years in pain for treatment.
We seek a return to a fully funded aftercare service to allow patients to stay in convalescent homes before being returned home to an often cold bleak house without proper food. And of course under socialism, doctors, nurses, ambulance staff and all ancillary workers would be paid properly with secure defined benefit pensions.  New hospitals would be planned well in advance of need and steps taken for proper full funding. No PFI would be allowed. When the NHS was founded in the 1940s it should have been allowed to manufacture its own drugs and equipment, which would have saved a fortune. 
People's China has demonstrated how its people's have been able to rise and shine under socialism.  What, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, it has managed to achieve is amazing, improving the quality of life for over a billion people with infrastructure development and a dynamic expanding economy.  A socialist Britain would recreate a national public owned integrated bus and train network for a safe, green and stress free environment. Socialism would make available large amounts of cheap renewable energy to power a new transport system. 
Socialism is far more than just improving people's standards of living and welfare. Under it's benevolent wing the arts, music, books and films are able to flourish, stimulate, enrich and nurture an ethos of comradeship, harmony and cooperation in opposition to the selfish individualism of western society that leads to conflict and aggression.  The working class may create and enjoy its own culture, one without elitism. 
One may well ask where all the money is coming from to construct and develop our brave new world.  I have a little list.  Major fiscal changes to tax the wealthy and use the money to help the less fortunate in our society. Modest profits from the nationalised utilities and industries would be ploughed back to improve and expand services.  An end to outsourcing by the NHS and other public services would lead to impressive savings. Slashing the obscene levels of military expenditure, and the funding of neo-fascists, would enable billions of pounds to be directed to peaceful construction and building a better life for everyone.  As the economy expands under socialism greater public income would be generated to make tax cuts a reality. We would quit NATO, forget the European Union and join BRICS for expanded trade.  And finally we could join China's Belt & Road Initiative to benefit from infrastructure investment projects. 
Socialism offers a bright future in which we all can excel. With it would come a new spirit of fraternity and comradeship.  Capitalism has little left to offer apart from continued recession, economic decline and endless warmongering.  I know who I am batting for.  Support the NCP and hasten the day we can all rejoice!

Wakey, Wakey!

By John Maryon

A humorous exclamation from the 1940s. The catch-phrase of Billy Cotton’s band in the 1950s. A gentle expression softly whispered into the ear of a sleepy recruit by a benevolent Sergeant-Major.  Such a call is needed today and it is the working class that needs to wake up.  To start to think and become aware of the true reality of the modern world. 
It is important to overcome the anaesthetising effects of constant bourgeois propaganda, lies and half truths pushed every day by TV, popular internet sources and newspapers.  All made palatable with a diet that includes bland trivia, affordable alcohol and an excessive dose of big money sport.
The reality is that Britain has a prime minister who is one of the worst warmongers in Europe and the country is heading towards becoming a failed state.  Decades of government incompetence, a lack of long term investment and planning and also an eager role of playing lackey to the USA have all taken their toll.  Faced with irreconcilable contradictions imperialism is in its terminal crisis.  And there can be no doubt that it is the workers who are intended to carry the burdens of it's failure.
Continued austerity, collapsing public services, inflation, a  falling value of wages and benefits, increasing taxation and job losses are the symptoms of the crisis that has created poverty and anxiety in Britain. Ways must be found to make workers aware of their exploitation and the reasons behind it.  To wake up and come to realise that fundamental change is necessary.  Marxist philosophy, enriched and adapted to suit specific conditions, has enabled workers and peasants to achieve real freedom and growing prosperity in many parts of the world.  It has demonstrated that ordinary people from a humble background can reach for the stars.  Socialism has allowed formally down-trodden workers to flourish and reach their full potential without the exploitation of and subjugation to a parasitic elite ruling class.  The guiding principles of Marxism, with adjustments to reflect the history and culture of Britain, can bring socialist values to enable everyone to become masters of their own destiny. 
Socialism made possible Sputnik 1,  put the first man and woman into space and made it possible for the Soviet Union, the world's first workers’ state, to grow into a powerful force for peace. The USSR was able to play a major role in assisting countries break free from colonialism.  Socialism in People's China facilitated the transformation of a poverty-ridden largely peasant society into an industrial powerhouse on a scale that the world has never seen.  Socialism in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has enabled its people, against overwhelming odds, to build a successful modern industrial state. Socialism has given hope to oppressed peoples everywhere. It's what we need in Britain today. 
A cross-party alliance of UK politicians remain in denial about the seriousness of the country’s economic position.  They still exist within a colonial mindset. A Rule Britannia day dream in which they imagine Britain is still all-powerful, remains influential and continues to rule the waves. Any problems are blamed on others, which the media then demonise.  The UK Parliament, which they regard as the 'mother of parliaments' and a model for the world to copy, has become little more than a chamber for the living dead. 
Long gone are the days of stimulating debates resounding in the House as after the shouting the whips then tell anxious members what to vote for. It is no wonder that a majority support keeping the Ukraine tragedy going with no genuine proposals for peace. 
To tackle Britain's economic problems fundamental action for change is required.  Not ineffective half measures or tinkering by social democrats of a system well past its sell by date.  We need decisive action to put forward a real socialist alternative based upon a full Marxist analysis. The New Communist Party of Britain has clear policies for the peaceful, sustainable and stable development of Britain. A number of it's proposals now follows. 

Defence: It is said that the British army now has more horses than working tanks.  If this is the case anyone who wanted to attack the UK would already have done so while a significant response would have been limited to a slow motion charge of the light brigade.  Defence spending serves the military industrial complex creating huge profits for companies and associated warmongers.  Defence spending, £53.9 billion in 2023/24, will increase massively under proposals by Sir Keir Starmer with his commitment to increase the amount to 2.5 per cent of nominal GDP in an obvious attempt to appease Washington.  The NCP's priorities include drastically cutting military expenditure and using the money saved to secure the future of the NHS, investing in Britain's future and  increasing social welfare spending to eliminate poverty.  And importantly to work tirelessly for peace with sincere diplomacy. 

Nationalisation: Old photographs taken in the late 1940s say it all.  Miners are shown standing outside a pit admiring a new sign.  "This Colliery is now managed by the National Coal Board on Behalf of the People".  Winston Churchill, at the onset of World War One, had recognised that for a secure and reliable source of oil without being ripped off he needed to take a majority stake in the Anglo Persian Oil Company.  Full public ownership of energy companies and utilities is still essential today.  While private companies focus on profits to announce at the next AGM, public institutions can look ahead to plan and invest long term for an affordable and secure future.  Privatisation has been a disaster for Britain.  The NCP is fully committed to full democratic public ownership. Not state capitalism in which temporary ownership enables public money to be spent bailing out a failing industry.   We seek worker participation on the governing boards to protect their interests and promote good service above profits.  I believe also that it would be a good idea to establish a National Housing Board to oversee the building of badly needed council houses which could be financed by the issue of government bonds. 

Taxation: It is the working class, the ordinary people, who are being made to carry the can for the failure of capitalism.  Cuts to welfare benefits and vital public services have contributed to growing poverty in Britain today. Young families are turning to foodbanks for support while the elderly fear for their future. Meanwhile the wealthy elite who control our lives are laughing all the way to their tax havens.  The NCP would tax the rich with hard hitting fiscal policies that would redistribute wealth to the workers who with their hands and brains created it. 

In conclusion as capitalism fails it is time for the working class to turn off their televisions and start to think freely for themselves.  To wake up to reality and start to fight back. To organise, become involved, join a trade union and support a genuine political party committed to Socialism based upon Marxist philosophy.  We cannot rely on the Labour Party with its long history of betrayal and class collaboration to achieve success.  Building Socialism requires the vanguard role of a proper Communist Party such as the New Communist Party of Britain with its full commitment to Marxism.  

Arise ye starvelings from your slumbers!

The socialist answer to the energy crisis

Electric cars: China leads the way!

by John Maryon

The discovery of fire by our ancestors and it's use for keeping warm, cooking food and deterring wild beasts marked a deceive step for the human race.  Since those early days our increasing dependency upon accessible, affordable energy supplies has grown sharply.  Today no advanced civilisation could survive without access to abundant supplies of energy.
A colossal demand for energy during the industrial revolution saw coal become the key source of energy to produce steam to power the factories and trains. Whole families, including grubby children clothed in rags, toiled in the dark, damp and dangerous mines.  For the pit owners vast profits. For the workers harsh working conditions that led to an increased mortality rate.  Both the new gas street lamps, first installed in Pall Mall in 1807 and the first electric trains of the 1890s required the burning of fossil fuel as the primary energy source.  Today in Britain, electricity, a refined energy source, easy to use and clean at the point of use still relies on fossil fuel for over a third of its generation. 
Drax Power Station, located in Yorkshire in an area or rich coal seams, was designed to operate using British coal.  Future plans were based upon carbon entrapment technology.  Today public funding is used to support its operation using biomass fuel – wood-burning.   The wood is imported from America.  It is claimed that CO2 is recycled when new trees are planted to replace those consumed.  The station remains as a large emitter of greenhouse gas.  Opponents claim that a better long term option would be to invest in wind and solar power in conjunction with energy storage systems. Britain has been left dependent upon the USA for its vital needs. 
Under capitalism decision-making is driven by the requirement for maximum profit in the shortest time possible at minimum risk and with the lowest investment. A recipe for disaster.  Responsible and sustainable green development requires a long term approach that is both innovative and ethical and is supported by public investment and control.
Nuclear power is considered necessary as part of a secure energy strategy to provide a constant base load. Early government enthusiasm was influenced by the ability to produce fissionable materials for nuclear weapons. The high risks of nuclear power were exposed in a number of serious accidents which resulted in radioactive contamination. Modern reactors are safer but there is the serious risk from terrorism.  By their obvious complicity in blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines we have to look no further than certain Western powers to see who the main supporters of terrorism are. For the future, electricity production by fusion offers great prospects for abundant energy without the problems of nuclear waste disposal. 
A major green initiative has seen the arrival of Electric Vehicles.  In People's China electric car sales now exceed 50 per cent of total sales. By contrast Britain lags in this field with many drivers preferring petrol engines. The main reason for this is the lack of a suitable charging point infrastructure. For those who can charge up on their driveways and who do not undertake long journeys electric is fine but if you live in a flat or high density development the search for affordable and available charging points can be a problem.  Hydrogen, a viable contender for motive power, has not been seriously considered. With either its use with a fuel cell or by combustion with the only by-product being water it has many advantages. The problems are again a total lack of infrastructure in addition to how its made (from gas or the green electrolysis method).  The socialist countries are in a good position to make a responsible long term approach. China is looking at wireless charging with electric coils beneath the road surface. 
Given the rapid progress in science and technology, the whole world should soon be able to benefit from an abundance of cheap energy. So why are German factories closing due to high energy costs and rationing.  And why are people freezing in their homes afraid to turn up the heating.  Europe is on the verge of a self-inflicted energy crisis. A bizarre and dangerous situation totally of their own making. Future generations may look back in amazement at the incompetence and betrayal of its leaders. Bismark must be turning in his grave as Germany, once the powerhouse of Europe, faces de-industrialisation and recession. 
Europe's enthusiastic endorsement of Project Ukraine, led by the US and coordinated through NATO, has ended to disaster and tragedy. When the Soviet Union collapsed Western nations promised not to expand NATO to the east. Of course preparations were immediately made to break this promise with a military build-up carried out on Russia's borders. Ukraine formed one piece of the jigsaw but it's voters had elected a government that sought to remain neutral.  Western response was to engineer the notorious Maidan coup that overthrew the democratically elected government in 2014.The new regime, which included neo-nazis harshly repressed the Russian speakers and committed atrocities such as the Odessa massacre and shelling of civilians in Donbas.  Russia had the courage to respond with it's Special Military Operation.
The proxy war quickly turned into a war of attrition that the imperialists have lost. Sanctions imposed against Russia with the ultimate aim of regime change in Moscow have failed and dramatically backfired. Following the shutting off of gas pipelines from Russia and their complicity in blowing up Nord Stream, Europe now faces a severe gas shortage with soaring prices. Secure long term contracts for cheap Russian gas have been replaced with a reliance on a limited supply of much more expensive LNG from US shale gas deposits. As a result German industry, once a world leader, has become uncompetitive and is being forced to flee overseas. Inflation and unemployment are rising in Germany and European GDP rates are falling. The people are being forced to pay a high price for government incompetence.
The problems for Germany has been made far worse by it's decision to close all its nuclear power stations. The situation has been made worse still by the decision of the Ukraine regime to stop the flow of gas from Russia across its territory.  This will reduce imports of gas by at least another 5 per cent and pose particular hardships for Slovakia, Austria, Serbia and Hungary. Turkstream remains, in spite of failed attempts to blow it up, the last source for Russian gas supplies apart from Russian LNG.  Recently a tanker, believed to be carrying Russian gas, was mysteriously blown up in the Mediterranean. Ironically, at a touch of a button, supplies could be restored via the remaining Nord Stream link and via Poland. 
Blinded by arrogant illusions of elitism carried over from the colonial era, Western leaders double down on one disaster after another.  With no thought of peace talks they continue to stoke the flames of war. And it is the ordinary people who continue to suffer from the greed and warmongering of Western leaders. 
Whatever the conditions prevailing capitalism cannot undertake a sustainable and coherent policy for energy. A balanced long term energy policy is eclipsed by profiteering. It's time for the people to wake up to reality and say enough is enough. Bring on Socialism! Bring on the Revolution! 

75 years of outstanding progress.

by John Maryon

People's China has been celebrating with its friends around the world, its foundation on 1st October 1949.  Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the new republic in Tienanmen Square 75 years ago. It has enabled the Chinese people to embark upon an epic road that has led from extreme poverty and enormous hardships to rising prosperity in a powerful modern industrial state. Chinese society has been transformed under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Peasants formed the greater part of Chinese society in those early days.  Serfdom still existed in Tibet and other areas.  With grinding poverty life expectancy in those part of China was less than 35 years.  The impact of colonisation by Japanese and European imperialism had seen a long period of brutal foreign domination and intensive exploitation that plundered the country.  China’s economy had been left in tatters and society in turmoil with any thoughts of a better life little more than an impossible dream.
Mao Zedong's revolutionary leadership enabled the Chinese nation’s rebirth. The Communist leader’s political theories were based upon Marxism-Leninism adapted to Chinese conditions. His achievements transformed China into a major world power and with it came the benefits of basic health care for the masses, education to the countryside, guaranteed women's rights and illiteracy a thing of the past.  Mao is widely regarded as the national hero who defeated foreign domination and secured freedom for his people. He led China from 1949 until his death in1976.
With the foundation of a new China firmly established new policies were introduced in 1978 to take the nation forward.  President Xi Jinping has described this path of development as Chinese Modernisation. This dynamic policy changes to suit new conditions as they arise and in addition to economic matter includes measures to boost social and cultural development. The new policy included an opening-up reform that allowed private investment, including foreign capital, to boost the economy. There is no doubt that the measures have been hugely successful allowing China to grow stronger and be in a position to resist US domination.
Certain aspects of the new policies have caused apprehension among China's friends.  The country now has a mixed economy with a private sector, a stock exchange and what's described as a socialist market economy. Does this mean a partial return to capitalism or does it mirror the New Economic Policy introduced by Lenin in the USSR between 1921 and 1928?
China's leadership is mature and wise so being fully aware of any risks involved. The dialectical philosophy of Marxism examines the development of things and phenomenon that are universally interconnected. In simple terms, as changes take place they will affect other things that may also change. As China's economy grows many changes will occur presenting new challenges and opportunities. What is OK for today may not be so tomorrow.  In the future when science, technology and human endeavour have created an abundance of everything we could possibly require, then money will cease to be important eventually becoming obsolete as Communism is achieved. With the end of money the last chains that bind the working class will be gone for ever. 
For many years China was seen as just a source of cheap labour which, with its raw materials, were to be exploited by the imperialists. Things are very different today. The USA has become alarmed by the People's Republic's rapid progress in developing its economy, its scientific and technical achievements and amazing engineering projects. The American see China not only as a serious competitor but also as a direct threat to its world hegemony.  China, on the other hand would like to cooperate and trade fairly with everyone. 
China's impressive progress is well illustrated by its space exploration projects. With plans to return soil samples from Mars, bring back an extraction of atmosphere from Venus, search for life on Jupiter's moons, develop its new Haolong space shuttle and establish a manned research station on the lunar south pole, it has ambitious plans.  It would like to cooperate with the USA but is prevented from doing so by the notorious Wolf amendment that prevents NASA from from any contact with China. 
Manned space flight is associated with high risk.  It is inevitable that one day someone will become marooned and require rescue. For this reason a joint lifeboat project would make sense.  People's China is firmly opposed to the militarisation of Outer Space.
China produces innovative high quality products at an affordable price.  In the early days of competitive capitalism any competition would be met by an innovative response.  Today in the era of state monopoly capitalism for any challenge the answer is to ban, sabotage, sanction and disrupt supply chains and embark upon an economic war. Attempts to strangle Huawei have failed as the company has been stimulated to develop its own better and cheaper components. Following the implication of trade sanctions against Chinese electric vehicles drivers in the USA and EU will have to pay a lot more for their cars.  However by trading with BRICS and the Global South China will find other partners for honest trade. 
China is a vast country similar in size to the whole of Europe.  In the past it could take many days to travel to more remote regions. Today with China's remarkable transport infrastructure being constructed rapidly both citizens and an increasing number of visitors may within a short period of time experience sublime views, taste new regional dishes and become familiar with vibrant new cultures within the motherland.  Above all to meet different people and to make new friends.  Breathtaking bridges in the clouds carry high-speed trains over wild gorges between rugged mountains. Hundreds of thousands of new roads make driving easy for the growing fleet of green electric vehicles taking advantage of an ample charging network. Assisted by a growing number of their own developed commercial aircraft, the country is becoming more unified. China is alive, dynamic and on the move.  While the capitalist West is in decline the Chinese people are able to enjoy a higher standard of stress free living as a new harmonious society is built. 
China has grown in strength and can no longer be bullied into submission.  It is now able to assist smaller nations facing imperialist threats.  It's development exceeds purely economic attainment and is not only a powerful force for peace but also combines effective governance with cultural and ethical progress.  China's democracy works very differently from the Western models where sham elections achieve very little. It has adopted ‘whole-process people's democracy' which combines elections, consultations, decision making and an overview through a legal constitution. The Chinese Communist Party represents ordinary working people, not big business supported through lobby groups as in America.  Chinese modernisation is based upon harmony and nature. 
People's China's glorious 75 years has seen great advances in all fields under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It is probable that within the next 75 years the great nation will not only achieve all it's development goals within a prosperous socialist society but also will have created communism.  A beautiful new form of society that is based upon full equality and guarantees a level of freedom impossible under exploitative capitalism.