Squeaky clean?
For a communist party to be able to even start taking on the task of promoting and convincing people of the merits of socialism, it first must be squeaky clean. Otherwise, the arguments will be lost in a haze of organised diversions generated by its opponents.
In the normal course of events, a barrage of lies and disinformation will be generated to create a different focus from the message a communist party is trying to get out and get accepted. This can be very difficult to deal with even if the party starts from a squeaky clean position.
However, if that party presents real and provable evidence of its shortcomings to its opponents, it stands no chance of getting anywhere. If those instances of malfunction are long-standing, uncorrected or defended, then such a party is doomed. The problem is not so much that a particular party is doomed, the problem is that the working class who depended on that party is doomed. That’s an entirely different matter but that is how high the stakes are.
Opponents cannot win an argument against rational proposals/policies in a straight fight. As we already know, they know better than to get into a straight fight thus the resort to lies and disinformation – and to exploiting chinks in the armour of the communists.
We already know that this is how the battle will be conducted, so it is, therefore, not just imperative that communists start from a squeaky clean position, it is just stupid and reckless to imagine that it can be any other way. To think otherwise displays an exceptional complacency that only impudence can account for.
In an earlier post we stated that the most recent Party Congress provided an ideal opportunity to ditch some of its past and move into a new phase. Instead, it retained its exceptionalism (“The Communist Party of Ireland is a voluntary organisation of the most politically advanced members of the working class and other sections of the people exploited by the capitalist system…….”) and failed to grasp the opportunity to correct some longstanding nefarious practices and decisions.
A closer observation exposes why such an opportunity was not grasped with both hands: most of the members of the new leadership are responsible for the failures and transgressions of the past and instead of facing their responsibilities, they opted instead to dig in their heels and hope for the best.
As a consequence, the Party is trapped in its own operational web. It has forfeited its requirement to think and act rationally opting instead to protect the leadership from any accountability. Of course, in doing so it has condemned itself to repeating the same errors thereby further exacerbating the already toxic and unsustainable situation.
Its failure to respond to the charges set out against it does not reflect, as it appears to think, a passive strategy of no comment. Its failure to defend itself, to correct or clarify or deny the accusations against it reflects a very clear defence of its position.
Therein lies the crux of the matter: for as long as that operational ‘strategy’ remains in place the Party cannot go anywhere other than deeper into itself. Until it corrects its position it will remain an easy target for attack from any angle. What a stupid self-inflicted position to put itself into. And, the longer it goes on the harder it will be to rectify.
It has failed to learn how to cope with the new environment in which it is being publicly challenged just as it failed to learn how to deal with any challenges within the party. The latter strategy drove members out of the party – voluntarily and involuntarily – and turned the remaining members into obedient vassals. The former strategy, if you can call it that, has condemned the Party to increasing paralysis, unable to defend itself and/or make any political or organisational progress.
Of course, these are only our views – and we may be wrong. The CPI alone can bring any clarity to the situation.
Worst of all, its brashness, its disregard for even the most basic standards of behaviour by the leadership and the timidity and disciple-like subservience of the membership led inevitably to actions and positions that directly contradicted the values they themselves declare as fundamental elements of a just society.
Our next post will ask the CPI to respond to some long-unanswered questions.