1398 im argument has developed in the columns of liargiam Today which appears to reflect the world divisions in the Stalinist movement. The issue is a dooument which wes approved by the CP leadership.Jast year, and which outlined en anti=-monopoly campaign,
Briefly, this document oslls for an enlarged and more powerful Monopoliss Commission; the setting up of a House of Commons Selest Committ -eo "to roview all aspects of the question of monopolies", and also, the setting up of a national Consumers! Council and a national Housing Committ -ea to investigete complaints in tim fields, These measures it is claim -od "will strengthen the hand of the people and temporarily weaken to some extent the power of ths monopolies", In-¢he December issue lfobaéi .~ += MieCreeny criticised this programme in article from which tha following qxtracts are taken: "Whatever may be the prospects for Wipnin,;concassions from the capitalists in the 1960's we should nut equate such concessions with the weakening of monopolies and their politioul powerses.." and teehit we focus attention upon the 'monopolies' thon inevitably wa tond to see tho struggle in economic terms — restriction of the economic powur. of the monopolists @ tho main immediate task. ind from this position we can all too easily slide into regarding the removal of the munopolies frum the economic scone via nationalisation, as the way in which the working class will transfer Political Power into its own handssees+." it continuas .."but parliamentary and economic massures in themselves will mover break the power of monopoly capital, To achieve this the capitalist state, with the armad forces at its centre, mst Be taken up,smashed", Developing this argument ue contimnes "...Micero direst etion against monopaly capital is proposed in this document. #fgonef¥al line is clear. It is. for the maintenance and resturation ofeompagition, This backward looking programe represents the wishful thinking of the potty bourgeoisia and the competit-— ive capitalists, not the interests of the working-classes." It concludes: ",.e- it becomss cloarer cach year that what stands in the way of r-alising saver these democratic aims is the political power of monopoly—capital their share in the machinery of the State — and that until this political power is smashec, and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat ostablished, NO democratic aim is socure."
In the current(Jan) ise of Marxism Today J.R. Campbell defends the official policy:— “the aim of tho campaign is to promote struggle, to challenges the might of capitalist firme tc push people around, to deny their right to make changes which would affect the mass of the pecple eand.in the. course of agitation and strugglo to raisa the question of nationalisation of monopolies".- The concept of the contimous developmont of the workers! anti-monopoly fight is involved: "It is this conception which separates us from the liberals on the one-hand and the seotarians on the other."