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From: The Socialist issue 936, 15 February 2017: March to save our NHS

Search site for keywords: CWI - Workers - Meetings - Marxist - Socialist Party - Venezuela - Spain - Mexico - Marxism

Committee for a Workers' International and Izquierda Revolucionaria - towards unification

IR general secretary Juan Ignacio Ramos at Socialism 2016, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

Joint statement from the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI - the international organisation the Socialist Party is affiliated to) and Izquierda Revolucionaria (IR - a Marxist organisation with presence in the Spanish state, Mexico and Venezuela; also known by the name of its newspaper, el Militante).

In September 2016, we published a brief declaration after holding an initial meeting between our two organisations - a very fruitful meeting which revealed a broad agreement, politically and in terms of our methods of building a revolutionary party. In this meeting, we agreed to begin a process of political dialogue and debate, as well as of practical collaboration.

Since then, the collaboration between our organisations has been regular, close and intense. Comrades from the CWI's international secretariat and from numerous CWI sections have visited Spain to participate in IR meetings, as well as attending the congress of the Sindicato de Estudiantes (student union).

Representatives of IR have also participated in various important meetings both of the CWI and of the Socialist Party, including the successful Socialism 2016 event in London, as well as the Socialist Party national committee. IR representatives also attended in the CWI's international executive committee.

This exchange and debate will continue in the course of various important events and meetings in the next few months.

In both Venezuela and Spain, where both the CWI and IR have organised forces, a very encouraging process of practical collaboration and political coming together is underway.

There has also been an important exchange of articles, documents and publications. Key materials have been translated and published in our respective papers, websites and theoretical magazines, and internal documents have been discussed and debated.

This experience has only confirmed, widened and strengthened the political, programmatic and methodological agreement between our organisations. We believe that the principled agreement between our organisations means that there is the basis for concrete steps to be taken towards the unification of our forces.

Therefore, the international executive committees of the CWI and IR agree:

To discuss this declaration in the democratic structures and leading bodies of the CWI and IR
To elaborate a programmatic document about our unification to be published around April/May 2017. This document will be debated in all the democratic structures and leading bodies of the CWI and IR
To hold a unification conference in 2017

25 years ago there was a painful separation between our organisations, in the context of a period of great challenges and setbacks for the revolutionary Marxist left around the world. However, we held firm and managed to maintain our forces and contribute to the class struggle, albeit via separate paths. The opening of this new period of structural crisis of capitalism and enormous opportunities for revolutionary Marxists has served to bring our paths together again.

2017 - the centenary year of the immortal Russian revolution - can also be a decisive year for our organisations. Our unification on a principled basis will strengthen us both politically and in our ability to build a Marxist international to arm the working class with the revolutionary leadership it deserves. It can also be an inspiring example for the whole of the left, workers' movement and all revolutionaries.

We make a joint appeal to the workers, youth and revolutionaries of the world, for dialogue and debate, in search of the greatest possible collaboration and unity on the principled basis of revolutionary Marxism.

See full statement at socialistworld.net

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.