Forward into the New Year!

 

Michael Chant at the piano while Hyong Hak Bong speaks

By New Worker correspondent

The turn of the year was heralded in communist style when friends and comrades gathered to welcome the New Year at the London centre of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML). NCP leader Andy Brooks and other London comrades met friends old and new at the annual social organised by the London Region of the RCPB (ML) at the John Buckle Centre in south London last weekend  that included diplomats from the DPR Korea embassy and many active in solidarity work,  the cultural front and anti-fascist struggle.

Progressive musicians provided the entertainment throughout the evening while the militant role of the RCPB (ML) throughout its life was highlighted by two RCPB (ML) leaders during the formal part of the proceedings.  Chris Coleman unveiled a plaque of John Buckle during his tribute to their leader whose life was tragically cut short in a terrible air crash in Madrid in 1983 while on his way to attend an international communist conference in Colombia.

Chris spoke passionately about John Buckle’s commitment to the communist cause and his prominent role in the defeat by mass action of the bourgeosie's attempt to develop a mainstream fascist party, the National Front, to attack the workers' and progressive movement. This was taken up by Michael Chant in a keynote address outlining the RCPB (ML)’s  continuing work to build the resistance to the ruling class offensive and its austerity programme and fight for a working class agenda and an anti-war government.

An essential part of that struggle is proletarian internationalism and this was raised by London’s  DPR Korean ambassador  who thanked everyone for their efforts to build friendship and solidarity with Democratic Korea. Hyong Hak Bong spoke about the resolute response of the Workers Party of Korea to root out the treacherous clique that had been unmasked and dealt with in December and the way forward that Kim Jong Un outlined in his New Year address to the people of the DPRK this year.

Eventually everyone said their goodbyes and made their way home as the evening ended in the spirit of confidence and optimism that always grows whenever comrades meet.