Here is an e-mail exchange between a comrade in the UK and a comrade in Canada:

Hi Pat
I am forwarding our exchange of views. I’ll be talking to the branch on
Sunday and to other comrades at the Tolpuddle festival. I am coming around
to your view of your party’s leadership and if Greece, Mexico, Canada and
now Spain feel the same way then that isolates the Webbs.
I think the campaign to get rid of the anti-communist laws should continue
and should form a base of either an alliance within the party or the
re-founding of the party. If the USA party is only 200 it is time for a
rethink.
all the best
Gerrard

Editor’s note: Don’t forget that the German CP has also been very critical of the CPUSA
—– Original Message —–
From: A comrade in Canada
To: “Gerrard Sables” gerrard.sables@phonecoop.coop
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 4:53 AM
Subject: Re: Re:

Hi Gerrard,

I share your opinion on the CPUSA. Yes, the party is probably
infiltrated as the actions taken by the Webb leadership are outright
sabotage: shutting down the print publications, not running candidates,
ect.. It is so bad that 3 communist parties have issued open statements
critisizing the CPUSA leadership : the CP of Canada, CP of Mexico and CP
of Greece. The Spanish CP liked the CPC statement so much that they
translated it into Spanish and posted it on their website. I agree with
you that the CPUSA needs to change its policies or a new CP needs to be
formed in the US. However, Webb and his cronies are firmly entrenched
and will not allow contending candidates to threaten them. My CP friend
in New York who tried to run at a nomination meeting to be a delegate at
the last Party convention told me that the leadership rigged the vote so
he would lose. Only candidates on the official list of delegates
submitted at the meeting by the Webb leadership were allowed to win.
The only alternative l see is for Houston and other dissident clubs to
form a new CP, as difficult as that maybe. In the meantime, l think our
comrades in Houston and elsewhere in the US need all our support and
solidarity.

Take care,
A comrade in Canada

On 12-Jul-12, at 11:29 PM, Gerrard Sables gerrard.sables@phonecoop.coop wrote:

Dear Comrade in Canada
The paper probably hasn’t had time to get to you. If you haven’t had it
by Wed 18 July let me know and I’ll send you a copy. CR publishes
articles from all over the world – sometimes Castro puts in an article.

You ask me what I think about pat’s situation and the CPUSA. Officially
I must not be seen to “interfere in the affairs of a sister party” and
so have told Pat that we can’t any longer be twinned but if you look at
www.northdevoncommunists.org.uk  you will see I have forgotten to take
Houston Club off our site and I doubt if I will get round to it.
Personally I think the leadership of the CPUSA is a disgrace. It has
given no support to our campaign to lift the anti-communist laws. It has
not said ‘thank you!’ to me for my work in solidarity which tells me a
lot. The leadership of the Communist Party of Texas has misbehaved in
the same way. I suspect that the security forces of the American
government has something to do with what is going on. James told me the
CPUSA is down to about 200 members. One can join by filling in a form
and paying the dues. If you want to join our party you apply and the
party decides whether or not to accept. Any nutter could join the CPUSA
it seems. No newspaper so nothing to sell on the street. No leaflets so
nothing to hand out on demos and nothing to distribute door to door.
Seemingly precious little industrial work. On the other hand very little
electoral work. Go to any of the world’s communist websites and you will
see a picture of people carrying banners but on the CPUSA’s – nothing.

The CPUSA should be pestering every senator and congressman to get the
Miami 5’s sentences quashed. They should be leading the fight to get
America’s prison population reduced, to get out of Afghanistan, to
hugely increase the minimum wage, to strengthen the trade union
movement, to obtain women’s rights, to outlaw the KKK and other fascist
bodies, to get rights for migrant workers, to end discrimination. The
USA is the most heavily armed country and the most aqggressive; it jails
more people than any other country and permits private companies to use
them as slaves; it humiliates the poor with food stamps rather than
cash; it is aggressively pro- religion and yet still has the death
penalty. Its media is supine; its culture is anti-culture. There is
plenty for a communist party to do in the USA. I think the CPUSA is not
only betraying its founding principles but also its unique
responsibility to the toiling masses of the whole world. Either there
should be a change of direction in the CPUSA or a new American communist
party.
I can’t say that to James but there is nothing to stop my views being
forwarded. In solidarity
Gerrard

—– Original Message —– From: A comrade in Canada
To: “Gerrard Sables” gerrard.sables@phonecoop.coop
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 3:43 AM

Hi Gerrard,

l am also distraught that James got expelled from the CPUSA. Most
probably the comrades who remain in the club with James will also get
turfed. Mind you, to tell you the truth, l don’t know what can be
done to save the CPUSA at this point while the Party is lead by Sam
Webb. James told me that the party is down to several hundred dues
paying members for a country with 300 million people. He was
impressed when l told him that the CPC has 5-600 members. What do
you think of the situation ?

A comrade in Canada