Re: M-TH: CPGB archives

[Chris Burford]

At 07:29 06/05/00 -0700, you wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Barry Buitekant <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: Michael Pugliese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000 10:43 PM
>Subject: Re: M-TH: CPGB archives
>
>
> > Michael
> >
> > The CPGB archives are held in the National Museum of Labour History.
>Address
> > is 103 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6DD.
> >
> > Two odd things ie I cannot find a website for them.


> > Regards
> >
> > Barry


There is not a CPGB website, because the CPGB legally transformed itself 
into Democratic Left. (Because of the size of the assets this was tested in 
the courts and found to be consitutionally valid.)

A new organisation has taken on the name of CPGB but is criticised by its 
enemies as Trotskyist. Although no doubt it claims it is morally and 
ideologically the descendant of the founding spirit of the CPGB there is no 
organisational continuous line of descent.

Democratic left at a conference at the end of last year committed itself to 
transform into the "New Times Network".

The politics are not explicitly marxist. They are explicitly pluralist.

The organisation has lost core size and very possibly viability, but has 
spread in influence in the 90's. It helped to shape the politics of New 
Labour, as did Marxism Today, the defunct journal of the Eurocommunists. 
The General Secretary of the Trades Union Council, John Monks, has attended 
a number of meetings sponsored by Democratic Left, together with other 
organisations (joint sponsorship was part of DL's style.) The person who is 
the formost Labour spokesperson on the new Greater London Assembly, the 
black journalist Trevor Philips, who is likely to become chair of the 
Assembly, has also attended a number of functions organised by Democratic Left.

DL has no democratic centralist structure. Members are not obliged to 
follow the decisions of the central body. Marxists are not excluded as 
such, but are expected to subscribe to pluralist politics. As I do.

The post of general secretary has been replaced I think by a co-ordinator. 
The new person who is taking over from Nina Temple, starts work this month.

The URL for Democratic Left UK is http://www.democratic-left.org.uk/

This page states that the New Times page was last updated in Febraury 2000.

I hope this information is transparently clear.

I am glad to hear the archives of the CPGB are in Manchester.

Chris Burford

London





     --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---