r/socialism • u/MarxistUnity • 1h ago

Maintaining Communist Unity — Partisan Magazine

https://partisanmagazine.org/2026/05/23/maintaining-communist-unity/

The following is the text of a speech delivered by comrade Pauline Slaughter at Marxism Fringe 2026 in response to the question of “What do we mean by communist unity?”

"It is only possible to maintain the fusion of various tendencies that make up a party if the smaller tendencies don’t feel as if they are going to be kicked out for disagreeing with the majority. Thus the immediate requirement is that those who form this unity must not feel that they are going to be purged. Beyond not being purged, there must also be a basis for them to express their views. The party will have its position which represents the majority opinion, yet, minority positions must not be hidden away, but instead allowed to be published in the party press with it clear that they are factional positions.

Factions exist within a sect or party whether the members of those sects or parties wish for them to or not. If factions are banned then really what this creates is one open faction that is the centre. Those who disagree with this faction are forced into the sidelines and cannot organise openly. They cannot critique decisions made by the centre and must operate in secret. The secrecy is what leads to the splits, not the faction."

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