It's essential we take the road to unity

Such groups are "incapable of building a broad inclusive campaigns" which is why Britain's Road to Socialism places such emphasis on the unity of the left as an essential prerequisite to revolutionary change.

Unity is not just a theory, principle or tactic for communists but a practice that demands constant vigilance.

Many great working-class leaders and theoreticians have slipped from the path of working-class unity into the deep dark chasm of sectarianism.

Lenin dedicated much time to this topic, applying a dialectical materialist analysis.

His conclusion was that communists must apply themselves to tirelessly working within the mainstream working-class organisations.

At times this would mean that communists might be in right-wing trade unions or in ultra-left campaigns but always arguing for unity.

This process of arguing for unity exposes right or left opportunism and wins workers to a principled position of progressive unity.

It is this apparent contradiction that is the dialectic within the practice.

It may be tempting to form "red-only," more progressive campaigns or even unions but ultimately you will only form one more sectarian group, just as irrelevant as the last.

Let's resist the urge to set up alternatives to the working class in motion and just be communists working together wherever the working class strive and organise.

Rob Rodgers

Nottingham