The Communist Party of Ireland wants to announce, and welcomes, the establishment of a new branch in the Belfast region. The new branch will be called the Greater Belfast Branch. Its officers and branch members have the full support of the NEC and the membership of the CPI.
This follows a period of sustained disruption of our work, which included the active, deliberate disruption and filibustering at NEC meetings by a small number of individuals who have acted outside the party structure and rules.
This is a very welcome step in stabilising our organisation in the Six Counties. Along with the Betty Sinclair branch, we are once again carrying out a wide range of work, political meetings and involvement in people’s struggles in the North of Ireland.
The establishment of this new branch follows a period of difficulties which resulted in the expulsion of five members from the Belfast region. Their activities, which placed them outside our party structures and constitutional requirements, meant that the NEC had no other option but to take decisive action in expelling these members. Those loyal to this tiny minority refused to re-register with the party, yet they have refused and failed to relinquish the social media platforms and continue to write under the CPI banner within Unity, which includes a postal address and email address for membership.
The CPI want to be clear: a rogue branch which continues to call itself the CPI, Belfast Branch, and its affiliate social media platforms, do not in any way represent the views or opinions of the Communist Party of Ireland. The former Northern Area Committee also does not represent the views or opinions of our party, nor is the newspaper Unity any longer published by our party or members of our party.
Membership of the CPI will only be accepted through the official party channels, via our web site, https://communistparty.ie/en/membership/ or by contacting natoffice@communistparty.ie.
If you are living in the Belfast region and are interested in joining, you will become a member of a new and flourishing Greater Belfast Branch, which will direct the political activities of our membership in the region, helping to develop and strengthen the national character of the Communist Party of Ireland and its revolutionary working-class anti-imperialist character, and strengthen our all-Ireland strategy adopted at our last 25th National Congress, working towards our 26th Congress in 2022.
