The United Front characterised the relationship between the revolutionary and reformist wings of the Russian working class movement between 1902 and 1917, during which time the relationship was variously one of unity, semi-unity or outright split. The relationship maintained the ideological and organisational unity of the Bolsheviks and independence from the opportunist theory and practice of the Mensheviks, whilst co-operating to build mass campaigns on specific issues and winning support for communists.

Today, however, the question of the United Front of Communists is not that of work between an established communist movement and workers who have to be won over from the leadership of the reformists. Rather, it concerns the unity of the communists themselves.

At present scattered in diverse, small organisations and divided by sectarian differences, British communists have yet to achieve organisational and ideological unity.

In such conditions, it is imperative that communists of all organisations, or of no organisation, should put political differences aside and unite around specific political issues central to the common cause.

In this country, the decisive element which distinguishes the communist world view from that of the reformists and opportunists, is the stand taken on imperialism, in particular that of our "own" bourgeoisie. The present epoch is characterised by the domination of a handful of imperialist countries, including Great Britain. The extraction of superprofits from the rest of the world makes possible a high standard of living in the imperialist countries, whilst the majority of countries remain impoverished, their development held back by the imperialist economic system; it funds a labour aristocracy at home and creates the material basis for opportunism. Great Britain is an imperialist country, and the relationship between Britain and Ireland, the war with Argentina, the paradoxical policies on Kuwait and Palestine are evidence of British imperialism today. Historically, the wealth of imperialism also succeeded in isolating the economy of the Soviet Union and forced it into a "cold war" in order to negate the gains of the socialist mode of production. This, despite the waste and outdated nature of the capitalist mode of production.

The United Front of Communists should have as its central issue anti-imperialism, in particular opposition to our "own" imperialists, and along with this, the struggle against the opportunist ideology which justifies imperialism within the working class.