REVOLUTION International Council response to the formation of "Independent Revolution" tendency

//WORLD REVOLUTION //International Coordination Comittee //
The REVOLUTION International Council notes that at the joint Czech-German-Swiss RevoCamp the “Independent Revolution” (IR) tendency was formed by a grouping of Swiss, German and Czech comrades that included the four that had walked out of the international conference.

• The IR do not recognise the legitimacy of the Prague Conference, its decisions nor the leadership it elected
• The IR call for a ‘provisional RIC' made up of one delegate from each section appointed by the section
• The IR claim to have no disagreement with international democratic centralism in REVOLUTION
• The IR call for the reinstatement of Australian REVOLUTION as a section of REVOLUTION

The REVOLUTION international council also notes that, following the Prague Conference, the leadership of German REVOLUTION expelled two members of the League within its ranks solely because of the political criticisms they expressed of the REVOLUTION Germany leadership at the conference.

The REVOLUTION International Council rejects this piece of bureaucratic intimidation and immediately reinstates the two expelled League members into German REVOLUTION. It calls on all its members and local groups to recognise this restoration of the two comrades basic rights.

We believe as we outlined in the statement to Revo Camp that our organisation must now unite in struggle against the class enemy. The Zionist assault on Lebanon and Gaza, the wider imperialist war drive in the Middle East and the neoliberal attacks in Europe and beyond mean we have serious work to do.

Of course, we can still discuss our disagreements but we must implement together our commonly agreed tasks. This is the ABC of what democratic centralism means for Marxists. To claim to be in favour of it while rejecting this simply demonstrates that in practice the comrades of the IR are not in favour of it

We would remind the IR comrades that the international conference brought together delegations elected by national organisations in proportion to their size. Again this is the most basic element of democracy: a majority - irrespective of nationality - should decide. It was the most broadly and accurately representative gathering our international organisation has ever held. Its decisions should be accepted.

The arguments about the League and the decision of the conference regarding REVOLUTION Australia do not need to be rehearsed again at length. The League is no “secret faction”: the identity of its members and the politics they argue for could not be more open or honest. The conference did not “expel” REVOLUTION Australia or any of its members: it refused to recognise it as a section until it clarified its attitude to REVOLUTION and showed in practice its will build it in Australia. By walking out it expressed a decisive “no” to these questions.

In order to go forward we must unite around our democratic structures and policies agreed by a majority of delegates at the international conference. The existence of a tendency is a democratic right. But it is one that comes with a responsibility: to loyally and actively implement the tasks agreed by the majority. Only in this way can the correctness or otherwise of these policies be demonstrated in the struggle to implement them.

To form a tendency that declares a priori that it does not respect the organisations basic democratic structures or decisions is simply absurd. It is to ask for a right with out any corresponding duty. It could never be granted by a serious working class organisation.

We do not reject the IR comrades right to form a tendency. Their tendency status will be recognised the moment they agree to implement the majority decisions of the conference and the leadership it elected. Furthermore, we propose that, if they do this, the RIC should in these exceptional circumstances use its power of co-option to bring a representative of the tendency in the Czech, German and Swiss REVOLUTION into its ranks.

If any individual comrades or a section feels unable or unwilling to work under the discipline of our democratic centralist organisation but is sincere and serious about their support for our programme and wishes to work alongside us in a comradely manner then they could become official and public sympathisers of REVOLUTION. We for our part will do all in our power to patiently and honestly build up the trust that can lay the basis for their return to it.