[First delivered by Jack Davidson at the March 2026 meeting of the YCL Central Committee, 14th-15th March, with additions from the subsequent discussion]
Since our previous meeting, we have seen a continuation of the decline of Western hegemony. In a fashion which is typical of the previous two years, the acts of naked imperialist desperation have began on the other side of the Atlantic whilst being gladly abetted by Westminster and Holyrood.
In a desperate move to force regime change, Trump and Netanyahu launched “pre-emptive” strikes on Iran under the guise of destroying their “nuclear weapons programme”. It would be remiss not to note the obvious parallels with the manufactured consent for the war in Iraq.
This war marks another milestone in the changing character of the public face of US imperialism. Military operations which would once be presented with a united character seem disorganised. US officials, who by their own admission were surprised by the ferocity of the Iranian response, have publicly cited multiple different and contradictory reasons to justify the unjustifiable. This is a confused façade to cover up the decline of US imperialism. We note in particular the Iranian states threatened undermining of the dollar backed world economy. In a time of emerging multipolarity, this poses an existential threat to the western hegemonic project.
One justification for the war has been the idea that these attacks will aid protestors and critics within the country in overthrowing the existing government. In reality, US and Israeli aggression is only likely to push these divisions to the backburner, with the mass of Iranian people united in opposition to external interference and war. In the face of calls by some in the Iranian diaspora voicing support for this war and to restore the old monarchy, including counter-protesting anti-war demonstrations, it is worth recognising the links between Iranian monarchists, the British far-right, and Zionists.
Since the strikes began, we have seen Starmer bowing to pressure from Trump to allow the US to use Britain’s air bases. This directly drags Britain into the war, a war which our working class do not want nor need. Unsurprisingly, Starmer is unwilling to assert Iran’s right to defend itself, a phrase which he repeated with glee during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
It is noteworthy that many Reform-aligned voters simultaneously oppose British involvement in war, but support the US intervening in Iran.
In Scotland, the First Minister John Swinney has vowed, only after mounting pressure from the anti-war movement, to raise with the Prime Minster the fact that US planes stop off to refuel on the way to kill civilians at the publicly owned Prestwick airport. This is a welcome move, but it does not go far enough. The YCL call for the removal of US military personnel and infrastructure from Britain. We stand side by side with the anti-war movement in Britain, as well as the people of Iran, to demand an end to the barbaric US and Israeli strikes. Now more than ever we recognise the necessity of building a united front against monopoly capitalism and war, including the struggle to achieve a proper anti-war stance across all our unions.
This work must include continued promotion of the Alternative Defence Review, including calls for investment in more job rich industries than arms, providing somewhere for workers currently in the arms industry to go.
In contrast to Western responses, the socialist government of Vietnam has responded to the war by delivering food and medical aid, with China also promising humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Britain joins other European countries including France and Germany in deepening nuclear agreements and cooperation, including willingness to participate in new French nuclear weapons exercises and for Britain to host air bases for French nuclear bombers. Pushing US military bases out of Britain will not be enough if their place is simply taken by French or other European nuclear-capable aircraft sites instead.
In Cuba, the illegal US blockade, which enters its 63rd year in 2026, has intensified to include an embargo on trading oil with the country. The illegal capture of Maduro has wiped out Cuba’s largest source of oil imports, resulting in three months since any fuel entered Cuba. This has caused blackouts, with the Cuban ambassador to the UK declaring it as “economic warfare”. The YCL commend the determination with which the Cuban people have responded to this act of war, ensuring that essential services like education, medical procedures and transport remain the priorities of the Cuban government.
China have played an active role in combatting the blockade by providing Cuba with solar panels, with the aim for the country to increase its renewables capacity to 26% of its national grid by 2036. This is an important stepping stone to decrease Cuba’s reliance on oil imports and thus be immune from future oil blockades from the US.
Our comrades play an active part in the work of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, raising funds to send large shipments of medical and food aid to the island. We welcome the reopening of bilateral talks between the US and Cuban governments, and reaffirm Cuba’s inalienable right to determine it’s own future, independent of the meddling of the United States.
In Britain, this week we have seen the one year anniversary of the all out strike by refuse workers as part of Unite the Union’s dispute with Birmingham city council over a proposed £8000 pay cut. Fighting against a Labour administration who are unwilling even to meet with the striking workers, Unite members have shown remarkable militancy, determination and strength by not caving in to the bullying demands of the council. We note with interest that Unite have decreased their annual donation to the Labour party from £1.45m to £870k, a drop of 40%. Sharon Graham said that “Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far Labour is concerned. Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn’t workers.”
For communists it is important to ensure that, should there ever come a full break between the Labour Party and trade union movement, we are not left with a political void and the stepping back of the trade unions from politics. This requires continued work by comrades to build support across the movement for a left-wing program and raise political consciousness in our unions.
YCL members have been active on the picket lines throughout the dispute, providing refreshments and solidarity to the striking workers. The YCL recognise that this dispute is not an isolated one, and comes amidst a concerted attack on working conditions from the capitalist class, who were unhappy at even the modest reforms contained in the employment rights bill. We demand, along with the Communist Party of Britain and the wider trade union movement, a second employment rights bill complete with the right to sectoral collective bargaining and an end to exploitive fire and rehire. At the same time, we must continue to fight to ensure all the reforms brought in by the first employment rights bill are fully worked out and implemented, such as policies around thresholds.
In other news, Justice Secretary David Lammy has been back out banging the drum for the restriction of jury trials in England and Wales. The threat of the removal of this fundamental right has come amidst a tightening of civil liberties including restrictions on the right to protest and the banning of Palestine Action. Lammy has cynically used the unacceptable waiting times which some rape and sexual assault victims face before their abusers trial to push these measures through. Jury trials function as a partial shield from the repressive nature of the state, allowing a nominally independent collection of jurors to decide criminal liability, as opposed to the whims of the capitalist class. We call on the broad movement to make a concerted effort to oppose the removal of jury trials and campaign for a properly funded public court system to instead alleviate the backlog.
