IBRP name change

name changes are fun...

Not all left communists call their org's bureaus or currents or tendencies, Vlad, so I, as one left communist, feel no offense at all at what you write. In fact, I fully agree with you. How can one not think of bureaucracy and bureaucrats when one sees "bureau"? I think the IBRP finally came to realize that after 25 years, thus the name change. Also, it never really was much of a bureau anyway, was it? Even more, bureau for the party? Doesn't really make any sense, does it?

Given there's already a stunning lack of originality regarding names of communist organisations, things can only get worse if we get rid of "bureau", "tendency" and "current"!

Thanks to Devrim for posting this news and Vlad for his critical good wishes. But Rowntree, in what way is the announcement sectarian? We have announced that our orientation it as ever to the working class as a a whole. This is not a form of words since until all revolutionary tendencies have a deeper presence in the working class we are going nowhere. Our perspective towards other groups remains the same and is based on that of the Communist Manifesto that we are not in competition with other genuinely working class organisations but we have out own project and it is an open one for those who wish to discuss it.

Oh and all the comments about the lack of imagination re. names were all made in our discussions (Monty Python Tendency was even suggested by some by way of taking the piss out of the whole issue) but we are Internationalists and Communists and we are haeding towards that goal so "tendency" it was...

All this means is that for the moment we have no new initiative to pronounce. It does not mean we will not continue to discuss and debate (and cooperate where practicable) with other organisations. At the moment there is little so far emerging from the financial meltdown to create a new class movement but in the year ahead the real costs of the crisis will hit home and we expect to see struggles which go beyond each section of the class defending itself. In relating to this revolutionaries will be forced to move on (only those who do nothing or have a conception that real political work is just the debate between groups will not).

I don't know, apart from ICT already being, an acronym for information and communication technology, I've always felt the word "tendency" in groups names is just a little half-hearted really...

I'm expecting that its not just a changing of name but also of seriously evaluating its practice for the past decades in relation to other internationalist forces around the world...

As what the former IBRP said: "it is not the party".

Thanks to all contributors (well nearly all) on this thread (and many of the points you raise - which I can assure you were all made at various times in the discussions leading up to the change of name).

Thanks to internasyionalista for noting that the name also comes with a change of structure which will allow us to respond better and more coherently to other internationalist forces.

As to Shug, your reading of my words seems to be a deliberate attempt to prejudge them. All communist groups (including ours) are dominated by intellectuals and if there is a sneer then it also includes the ICT. We are just facing up to current reality and think that we need to not just to closer cooperation between communists but a deeper penetration of communist ideas inside the working class. That is one reason why we keep saying that we are not only NOT the party but we are not even its prefiguration. We hope to play a major role in its establishment but that will depend on many factors, some of which we will not necessarily be in control of.

I also don't understand why we are not ready to call an international conference just now but are prepared to make contact with other groups makes us sectarian. But then I do not undertand the whole tenor of this exchange which has left me quite shocked.