stay in that position.
membership at the beginning of this year.
socialist ideas, reduce its left 'activist' profile.
longer.
Why did you join the YCL?
Martin: Because the YCL is more LA DONT Young Socialists it is often the first organisation People think of communists as having a tradition of struggle and only hear of the Communist Party.
At first you just don't hear about oner tell organisanons.
But it is only in name. When I joined the YCL I knew I wasn't goTHE YOUNG Communist League, the youth section of the Communist Party, is the largest youth organisation to the left of the Labour Party. It is not finding it easy to Its membership in November 1976 was 1,976. A year later it had fallen to 1,663, and it fell again to 1,282 in 1978. Little over five hundred people re registered for Assessing that this decline in membership simply proves that young people in Britain are not interested in the YCL's response was to still further Diluting its class politics, however, has not retrieved the YCL's falling membership. Two members of Revolution, NIGEL WILSON and MARTIN WRIGHT, used to be members of the YCL. They explained why they aren't any Wing to join the Labour Party, like Party my mum and dad. something Cold the YCL would be sometning delter.
NIGEL: My reasons for joining were sullar. 1 tougnt ine YcL would be more active and political.
There is another quite common reason wa / young people join the YCL, which is that their parents are members of the Communist Party.
Malet Street, London WC1 (5 mins from Euston Station)
Guest speakers; discussions; workshops; films; gig and disco; and much more besides. Did the YCL live up to your expectations?
Martin: Once you are in you find unal it cives vou no bonucal eauca tion the meetings organisational. There's lots of talk about acuon but notning ever nappened.
The sions were after the meetings. The meetings never discussed Ireland or things like that.
You really that a lot of YCLers are just asham. ed of their politics. Many of them don't take Holscuse aboul acmoclausu, luc police and forging alliances Guides and Boy won't talk about it.
Why do you think the YCL is so inactive?
politics are so It. had to be dynamic. For example thought that out, so it hasn't got anything to get out and fight for.
lam to get our now. basis we organise demos, pickets of army recruitment centres, YCL ignored when the rest of the left was mar ching in places like Lewisham and Brick Lane Leicester they with the Church and MPs while the rest of us staved to fight Also they politics malvalal peopie, ratner tnan getting out on the streets and involved in struggles -really change their ideas.
Nigel: They have the conception of building allance chumming up to people establishment.
girl guides, Young Liberals and the Church by tant arill lascisi spend all your time running around after these people instead of getting across to working class youth.
The YCL are all really mOTO are purely "ultra-left' tion and Rebel political discusinherently get the impression seriously democratic alliance'.
WILT
Scouts, so they sucialist Nigel:
Martin: The main reason is that its • boring and unon Ireland, LOODS do things now.
Martin: Youth In Revolution we fight for Brimilitant answers one 20 on tea!
sent clear Or again on anti-fascism, the they demos pushed off When youth they increasingly see Icading attempts as a matter or convincing Nanona which is how people Students.
'broad Martin: It
aemoc ac ane unis reav means DOLLIC.
the that You won't get an alliance with the time.
getting involved in milipeople, achos is active and thinks that Young Liberals, and even young fories at heart. In fact they think they can people ene 'right' than from what they call the groups like RevoluThey don't think anyone to the left of them has anything to say at Martin: The YCL's kind of politics boring. The thing they say is that you can't have the working class seizing power because it will annoy everyone else • nence me neea lor tne broac Instead of fighting for a real alternative you compromise with people like small capitalists so that they can get uniEverything has to be 'gradual' and 'slow change'.
Dul youl aren i altracted ic everything being slow, they want to aren't inspired by CHoose. you want dermite way or the - it the let aoesnt pre uncompromising attitudes some will turn to the fascist:
Lots of older people think tha Cwu l get socialism lifetime. But us youth think that we will, and we want to fight for it the YCL apec lead something it has to hold back the alc they sabotaged organise actions, demos, and so on when they led the Union School it e nationalist Comsomol Why did you leave the YCL?
wasn't so much the effect the connected politics, although I didn't see it at Also the YCL is full of older whereas Revolution • a youll orcallisation. I joined Revolution because it militant and I got ponnically caucated once i Joined. the YCL? Photo: JUDE WOODWARD (Socialist Challenge)
Nigel: The reasons are similar for Sney said Iney were • inter and had links (the Soviet Ine. weren't really interested in what was happening there.
Take Afghanistan - they look at what's going on with interest but they don't think it will affect them We've had a real discussion abou Argnanistan in kevolution Revolution approaches things from a completely different angle.
What should Revolution do about E Martin: We should fight for u Against the Tories. Too often ge away saying they things without doing anythin It is in united action tha best to discuss our political terences we have to wait for a general tion to kick out the Tories wait say years, Union leaders organise a general strike to them out now members to come along to our ference to see how we appr
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Saturday/Sunday 17-18 May CONFERENCE The University of London Students Union