Revolutionary Communist Party

The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) was the forerunner of the libertarian LM network. Led by University of Kent sociologist Frank Furedi, it was created in 1977 after a sizeable minority were expelled from the Revolutionary Communist Group in 1976 and formed a grouping called the Revolutionary Communist Tendency. The RCG itself was formed after a split from the International Socialists (the forerunner of the Socialist Workers' Party). The RCT was renamed the RCP in 1981 and disbanded in 1996. Its activities were continued through its main publication Living Marxism, which in early 1997 changed its name to LM. when it was shut down by a libel action in 2000 many of those associated with the RCP/LM created a range of new organisations centred around Spiked and the Institute of Ideas which form a continuing network described here as the LM network. Though the class politics have gone, much of the position taking, tone and tactics of the deeply sectarian RCP remain.

RCP badge circa 1984.

Preparing for Power: The Programme of the Revolutionary Communist Party, London: Junius Publications, first published July 1983

Activities

1977-1981 - Revolutionary Communist Tendency

See main article Revolutionary Communist Tendency The RCT changed its name to the Revolutionary Communist Party in 1981. Prior to this is has mainly been active in relation to the conflict in Ireland, racism and state violence and in attacking the Labour Party.

1980 Workers Against Racism

See main article Workers Against Racism

1982-1994 Irish Freedom Movement

See main article Irish Freedom Movement

1983 - Preparing for Power

Preparing for Power was the RCP manifesto produced for the 1983 election and subsequently reprinted over the following months.

1987 - The Red Front

The cover of the RCP's The Red Front: A platform for working class unity, their 1987 election manifesto.

See main article The Red Front

1988 - Living Marxism

See main article Living Marxism

1992 - Campaign Against Militarism

See main article Campaign Against Militarism

1996 - Dissolution

Cover of LM No. 93 advertising the 1996 post RCP manifesto minus references to class struggle.

Resources and Publications

Publications

Almost all RCP publications were published with the party publishing company set up in late 1977, Junius Publications. The 'Theoretical journal' of the RCT seems not to have continued and it was not until Summer 1986 that the RCP began producing the short lived Confrontation, described as the Party 'theoretical journal'. In addition to a range of pamphlets the principal publications of the RCP were The next step, its monthly 'review' (later a weekly paper) and later (from November 1988) Living Marxism (later renamed LM magazine). The RCP also produced numerous leaflets, posters, newsletters and other materials for its front groups and election literature.

The logo of LM Magazine after it changed its name from Living Marxism at issue 97 in February 1997.

Revolutionary Communist Pamphlets

This series began with the creation of the Revolutionary Communist Tendency and continued for a short while under the RCP banner. Soon, however, the pamphlets continued without any labelling as part of a series.

1982

• Frank Richards, Poland's black December /​ [Revolutionary Communist Party]. Revolutionary Communist Party (Great Britain) London (BCM, JPLTD, WC1N 3XX) : Junius, c1982. 27 p. : ill. ; 22cm. Revolutionary Communist pamphlets ; no.12
• Mike Freeman, Malvinas Are Argentina's (Revolutionary Communist pamphlets No. 13) [Paperback] Revolutionary Communist Party (Author) Paperback: 32 pages Junius (1982)

RCP pamphlets

1983

• Preparing for Power: The Programme of the Revolutionary Communist Party, London: Junius Publications, first published July 1983, Second ed. November 1983, Third ed, August 1984. ISBN 0 9508404 2 4

1984

• Mick Hume, After the Brighton bomb. London : Junius (Revolutionary Communist Party), 1984. ISBN 0950840475, 19p ; 30 cm

1985

• Charles Longford, Black Blood on British Hands, London, Junius, 1985.
• Mike Freeman, The miners' fight for jobs: Our day will come, London: Junius Publications, March 1985, ISBN 0-9508 404-9-1

1987

• Revolutionary Communist Party, The Red Front: A platform for working class unity, London: Junius, 1987: 7

1988

• Mick Hume and Derek Owen, Is there a Scottish solution?: The working class and the Assembly debate [Paperback], 127 pages, London: Junius (1988) ISBN-10: 0948392096 ISBN-13: 978-0948392092
• Joan Phillips, Policing the Family, 1988, London: Junius Publications

1993

• Mike Freeman, The Empire Strikes Back: Why we need a new Anti-War Movement, London, Junius, 1993.

1996

• The Point is to Change It: A Manifesto for a World Fit for People, London: Junius (1996), x-xiii.

Resources

• Andy Beckett, 'Licence to rile', The Guardian, 15 May 1999.
• Chris Bunting, 'What's a nice Trot doing in a place like this', Times Higher Education Supplement", 28 January 2005 (log-in required).
• Alex Callinicos, 'Politics or Abstract Propagandism', International Socialism no. 11, 1981, pp. 121-2
• Nick Cohen, "The rebels who changed their tune to be pundits", New Statesman, Vol. 15, Issue 719, August 12, 2002, pages 14-15.* James Heartfield 'Dave Hallsworth' Obituary, Guardian, 20 December 2007
• John McVicar, The Scoop that Folded a Magazine Punch, 29 May 2000.
• Don Milligan, Radical Amnesia and the RCP, Reflections of a Renegade, January 8, 2008.
• George Monbiot, 'Invasion of the Entryists', Guardian (UK), Tuesday December 9, 2003.*David Pallister, John Vidal and Kevin Maguire, 'Life after Living Marxism: Fighting for freedom - to offend, outrage and question everything", Guardian (UK), Saturday July 8, 2000.
• Dave Renton Living Marxism, spiked online and the RCP Temporary Hoarding, 4/8 March 2006.
• Andy Rowell, "LobbyWatch: SMC complaint", April 2007. (This is an edited version of a submission made by Andy Rowell to the board of the Science Media Centre).
• Andy Rowell and Bob Burton, “Rising Rhetoric on Genetically Modified Crops, PR Watch, Volume 10 No 1, First quarter 2003.
• Andy Rowell and Jonathan Matthews, "Strange Bedfellows", The Ecologist, May 2003
• Mike Small, 'The Faction That Fools the World' Variant Issue 24, Winter 2005, version placed in web archive 20 April 2007
• George Monbiot, "Freedom for whom?" Times Higher Education Supplement, 11 February 2005.
• Usenet Discussion of RCP/LM front groups, from usenet, April 1998.
• Dave Walker Libertarian Humanism or Critical Utopianism? The Demise of the Revolutionary Communist Party New Interventions, Vol.8 No.3, 1998
• Martin J Walker, "Brave New World of Zero Risk: Covert Strategy in British Science Policy" (book), Slingshot Publications, 2006.
• David Webb, 'Liberalism - Let's Spike It!", Part 2, Thread started on: Apr 16th, 2005, 4:58pm Originally published in the Salisbury Review Vol 21 No 4, June 2003, pp.25-28.
• David Webb, 'Liberalism - Let's Spike It!", Part 2, Thread started on: Apr 16th, 2005, 4:59pm Originally published in the Salisbury Review Vol 21 No 4, June 2003, pp.25-28.
• David Webb, 'Liberalism - Let's Spike It!", Part 3, Thread started on: Apr 16th, 2005, 5:00pm Originally published in the Salisbury Review Vol 21 No 4, June 2003, pp.25-28.