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Communist League
Founded1969
Split fromCommunist Party of New Zealand
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism-Leninism
Political positionFar-left
Colours  Red

The Communist League is or was a New Zealand communist party.

History

The party was founded in 1969 by students from Victoria University of Wellington, and was originally named the Socialist Action League. The new party rejected the more established groups such as the Communist Party as too authoritarian, conservative, and unimaginative, but at the same time, rejected many of the newer communist groups in New Zealand as disorganised and unfocused. It was aligned with the Fourth International (FI), an international grouping of Trotskyist parties. The party achieved a certain amount of public recognition for its role in protests against the Vietnam War,[1] and regularly engaged in protests against adventurist United States foreign policy, South African apartheid,[2] in defence of the pro-choice side of the abortion debate, as well as supporting LGBT rights in New Zealand, during the 1970s and 1980s.[3] During those decades, the SAL maintained a newspaper of its own, Socialist Action. According to the National Library of New Zealand serials catalogue, it ran from 1969 to 1988.

In the 1980s, the Socialist Workers Party in the United States broke away from Trotskyism, and left the FI. A number of other parties in FI also chose to leave, including the Socialist Action League in New Zealand. Those members of the Socialist Action League who did not agree with this departure from Trotskyism and the FI were expelled or resigned. Later, the Socialist Action League renamed itself the Communist League, following the pattern of the other pro-SWP parties that had left the FI. Today, the party is still associated with the Socialist Workers Party's so-called Pathfinder tendency.

The League has held public meetings called Militant Labour Forums.[4] The Militant newspaper and books published by Pathfinder Press have been distributed from the Pathfinder Bookshop in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga.[5]

Candidacy for parliament

In every general election between 1990 and 2020, at least two candidates have sought election to parliament under the Communist League name. None have been successful, with each candidate only receiving a few dozen votes each time.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Candidates have also stood at multiple city council elections and at least one by-election, also without success.[15][16][17] The Communist League is not running any candidates in the 2023 general election.[18]

Electoral results (1990–2020)

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Election candidates seats won votes % of vote
1990 9 0 210 0.01
1993 2 0 84 0.00
1996 2 0 99 0.00
1999 2 0 89 0.00
2002 2 0 171 0.01
2005 2 0 107 0.00
2008 2 0 74 0.00
2011 2 0 95 0.00
2014 2 0 135 0.00
2017 2 0 109 0.00
2020 2 0 109[19][20] 0.00

Auckland mayor (1990–2019)

Election Candidate votes % of vote position
1990 Peter Bradley 189 0.15 20th
1992 Brigid Rotherham 310 0.36 7th
1995 James Robb 228 0.22 11th
1998 Felicity Coggan 312 0.26 13th
2001 Felicity Coggan 610 0.56 9th
2004 Felicity Coggan 452 0.35 7th
2007 Felicity Coggan 735 0.65 10th
2010 Annalucia Vermunt 451 0.09 21st
2013 Annalucia Vermunt 856 0.25 17th
2016 Patrick Brown 1,817 0.46 11th
2019 Annalucia Vermunt 1,055 19th[21]

The Communist League did not contest the 2022 Auckland mayoral election.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Protest Committee Formed". The Press. 13 April 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 1 March 2023 – via Papers Past.
  2. ^ "Protest march by 76". The Press. 22 March 1973. p. 2. Retrieved 1 March 2023 – via Papers Past.
  3. ^ McCulloch, Allison (2013). Fighting to Choose: The Abortion Rights Struggle in New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-0-86473-886-8. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Militant Labour Forums". The Militant. 80 (38). 10 October 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Directory of Distributors". The Militant. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Summary of overall results -2002 general election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Summary of overall results - 2005 general election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Communist League announces candidates for 2008". Scoop Media. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Official Count Results -- Maungakiekie". New Zealand Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  10. ^ "Official Count Results -- Manukau East". New Zealand Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  11. ^ "Communist League announces candidates". Scoop. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Official Count Results -- Maungakiekie". www.electionresults.govt.nz. New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Official Count Results -- Manukau East". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  14. ^ "2017 Summary of Overall Results". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  15. ^ "SuperCity: Communist candidates spread word". New Zealand Herald. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  16. ^ "21 October 2013 - Declaration of result of election for Auckland Council 2013 elections". Auckland Council. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  17. ^ "2017 Mt Albert by-election - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Electorate candidates". Vote NZ. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Manurewa - Official Result". Electoral Commission.
  20. ^ "Panmure-Ōtāhuhu - Official Result". Electoral Commission.
  21. ^ "2019 local elections final results – Mayor, ward councillors, local board members" (PDF).
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