‘My Dis-agreement with The Communist Party’

My involvement with the Communist Party was twofold.  I wanted to learn as much as I could politically and at the same time become active in the struggle for the freedom of Africa, which I saw as the Mother of the black people throughout the world, and believed if Africa was not free, the other black peoples of the world could not hope to achieve freedom.

I  now realised I was robbed of my African heritage, and denied any knowledge of the land of my forefathers.  My disillusionment on my arrival to England as stated earlier in other articles, had left me embittered as to how I and other people from the West Indies were deceived by the teaching of our white Master’s, therefore I was determined to familiarize myself with Africans, to learn about Africa and to work with them in their struggle for independence. 

This was not difficult because the ‘West African Student Union’  Marylebone, London was a breeding ground for future black African leaders.  I was soon to be accepted by them, all I needed was the confidence to establish myself with the knowledge and understanding which would enable me to assert myself that I would be worthy to take part in their struggle.   I was very light in complexion which was a handicap to me.  How can you  talk about Africa with your complexion?  You are not black, Africans are black people!  This question was asked not only by Africans, but by West Indians also.  Deep within me it was not my colour it was the way I felt about what was happening in the world, the injustices we suffer, all of us whether we were Africans or West Indians.  It took me sometime to convince the Africans of the sincerity in my belief, the West Indians did not careless about themselves much less me.   

I soon began to learn the Communitist Party was not all it made itself out to be.  They taught only of the working class struggle and the ideology of Karl Marx.

Although I could equate the struggle of the British working class with that of the black people throughout the world, I realised that the struggle of the working class of Britain and Europe differed from that of the African people.

To begin with, the European working class was mainly proletariat while the vast majority of the black people throughout the world were peasants.

At the same time although I could accept there were many black petty bourgeois, one could not escape the fact that all fully fledged bourgeois were white. 

I  contended that one has to become a nationalist in order to gain National independence before one can speak of International Solidarity, this school of thought was not accepted by the Communist Party.

The other issue was the organisation of a black working class movement in England, in support of the African struggle and at the same time demanding recognition of our equality within the white society.

The Communist Party saw the organisation of black people in England as an invalid exercise.  There were many black people within the party who disagreed with my analogy of our political perspective and as a result a rift between myself and the Communist Party developed.  Before long I was called reactionary and Trotskite.

I also contended the British working class movement was so steeped in racism and at the same time so loyal to their country’s oppression of the people of Africa, with their belief in their inherent superiority, that they would never accept the equal rights of the black man within their midst.

Furthermore, I accused the Communist Party in their efforts to rally British working class solidarity and gain support, they instituted racist policies within the party.

This was the last straw, I was then accused of being anti-working class, because I refused to accept the dictates of the Communist Party.

I for one am not sorry I joined the Communist Party , because by doing so, I have learnt a lot which leads me to believe that although the path to equality of all mankind can only be within the boundaries of international socialism, as far as England is concerned this will be the last country in the world to establish a true Socialist policy, let alone a true Socialist government.

Lest we have forgotten the term Socialism is synonymous with Communism.

I mention this because the dividers and the confusers of politics try to declare that both titles have a different meaning.

I then decided the Communitist Party did not care about the suffering of the black people, their intention was to tighten the bondage by governing us through their dictates, so I resigned.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia