Communist Organisation in the British Isles

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The Communist Organisation in the British Isles (COBI) was a Marxist-Leninist political party in Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1974 by members of the British and Irish Communist Organisation who disagreed with that group's policy initiatives, which at the time included support for the Ulster Workers Council Strike.

The new group had already begun studying the work of the De Leonist Socialist Labour Party, also taking its arm and hammer logo as its own. They rapidly published a series of publications all bearing the name of their journal "Proletarian", of which at least four issues were published, variously described as texts, broadsides or simply as pamphlets.

It was known for its strict entry conditions, which included knowledge of at least one language other than English as well as the development of theoretical work to a standrd satisfactory to the organisation as described in the groups Platform published in September 1976.

In 1977, the party was officially renamed Communist Formation. Always small it disbanded a few years later, some of its last remnants joining the Socialist Unity coalition.

[edit] References

• Peter Barberis, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations
• David Widgery, The Left in Britain (1976)