This is the last in the current series of Internationalist Communist. It was created to act as the central organ of the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party when it was set up. At that time there were only two affiliated organisations, the Communist Workers’ Organisation in the UK and Il Partito Comunista Internazionalista in Italy. At that time it was relatively easy to coordinate the work of the two groups particularly given the contribution and energy of Mauro Stefanini. However the growth of the Bureau and the establishment of Bilan & Perspectives in France and the International Workers Organisation in Canada and the USA means that the need for wider internal debate has become a greater priority. Added to this is the new reality of the internet. The fact that international statements are now translated into all the Bureau languages and put on the internet immediately and the fact that all our local publications carry our basic statements more often has led the role of Internationalist Communist to change. In future the effort put into IC will now be put into an internal bulletin which will circulate as issues arise in order to develop greater cohesion amongst Bureau affiliates. Ironically this last edition includes a text on our basic position on the question of decadence which has been agreed through a thorough-going discussion amongst the entire Bureau (and hence why we are able to present it as unsigned) for over a year. This discussion, and the death of Mauro, are the two main reasons why the gestation of this issue has taken longer than scheduled.

We would like to thank all our subscribers for their patience and support in awaiting this issue and if any have outstanding subscriptions to future issues these will now be transferred to Revolutionary Perspectives (unless we hear to the contrary).