The Partisan Editorial Board introduce Partisan! #11.
This month’s edition of Partisan! centres around the concept of broad left unity.
Broad left unity describes an approach to political unity which rejects the centrality of a coherent political program for such unity, accepted and democratically constructed by all involved. The expansion of Victorian Socialists – now The Socialists – has placed the question and concept of broad left unity back in the political spotlight, with the establishment of the Communist Caucus within The Socialists expressly opposing such a strategy for organisation building. Partyists believe that a broad left unity approach is detrimental to the critical project of building a mass communist party. The lack of a central, revolutionary and democratic minimum-maximum program which allows for the emergence and development of multitendency factions within the party, and binds them to the principles of democratic centralism, leaves projects like The Socialists susceptible to opportunism, political incoherence, and potential splits.
It is exciting to witness the nascent potential of political projects like The Socialists to become a mass, revolutionary party. But for this potential to be realised, we as communists must seek to propogate and win a clear strategy – a partyist strategy – within such political projects. We must openly state our views and aims and seize the opportunity to build something more than what currently exists by agitating for a communist orientation and organisation. We must conduct this work as a staunch minority until, through a strategy of revolutionary patience, we become the democratic majority. We aim for political hegemony, and for the establishment of a dual society in which scientific socialism and internationalism are the centre of political life.
Time and time again, the various sects of the contemporary left have made attempts to ‘go
straight to the masses’ and to ‘meet the workers where they’re at’, by going around the existing (fractured and disparate) communist and socialist movement. As partyists, we seek to bring an end to the sect cycle through conscious unification under the single banner of the communist party – a party merged with the workers movement. A broad left unity approach will not provide the principled and democratic foundation necessary for such a party.
The question of Edition 11 is what sort of party do we need, and what sort of party do we want? We oppose a broad left unity approach and its contemporary consequences to an alternative, partyist strategy for the contemporary communist and socialist movement.
In May 2025, the Revolutionary Communist Organisation (RCO) held an emergency plenary session to discuss our orientation and strategy for involvement in The Socialists. This engagement is primarily through the Communist Caucus of The Socialists, whose composition, strategy and political orientation are outlined by Anthony Furia In What is the communist caucus? Ryan M discusses the relationship between Daniel Lopez and Lukács, and Alice reports on the Communist Caucus’ engagement within their 2025 Members’ Conference which followed this expansion in Inside the 2025 Victorian Socialists conference. Edith Fischer pens a sharp critique of the Broad Party approach to left organising, and Maya Kauffman critiques Socialist Alternative’s recent ‘anti-raunch culture’ articles in Broad or Mass? and Woman’s Worst Friend, respectively. Also in this edition is a reprint of an article by Sylvia Ruhl on Black deaths in custody.
PARTISAN! 