Trade Unions and the CPI
Part 5
(and final, for now)
“As part of the James Connolly Festival, …a packed Theatre last night for the start of the yearly James Connolly Festival and a very enjoyable discussion on Trade Unions Radical or Redundant.”
The June issue of Socialist Voice also addressed this issue in an article “Radical or redundant? But what is radical?” According to its author, being radical would be to “listen to the members” and has nothing to say on the issue of being redundant.
The phrase “radical or redundant” in relation to the trade unions has been chanted for many years by the CPI. It’s like a non-practising Catholic constantly repeating the Hail Mary. Neither amounts to anything.
So, what does it mean to be radical? It’s not just an issue of political or economic or social policies based on Marxism, for instance. That is just part of the formula and, while it is a very important part, it amounts to nothing if not pursued by radical organisation, radical leadership, radical planning, and radical strategies, backed up with principle and integrity.
What does it mean to be redundant? You need look no further than the CPI to understand what it is to be redundant: no organisation, no plans, no strategy, no principles, no leadership, no influence and no future (in its current and past states).
If the CPI adopted that chant and used it to look at itself, it would be one of the best moves the Party had made in a very long time.