The following resolution was carried overwhelmingly at our party’s ninth congress in October.
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This congress notes how myriad conspiracy theories spring up in the wake of every disaster mishandled by the ruling class, or crime committed by them, and that their general effect is to mislead and confuse the working class.
This congress believes that conspiracy theories set workers into an unscientific way of thinking, encouraging the use of circular reasoning, uncritical ignorance of evidence, and misunderstanding or misappropriation of scientific studies, which may be themselves of dubious quality due to imperialism’s deleterious influence on academia.
Congress notes that conspiracy theories are useful to the bourgeoisie because they can tie up inquisitive workers, who may otherwise be useful to the working-class movement, in hunting down non-existent evidence to prove impossible theories. They can also be used to tar investigations into legitimate conspiracies – questions that the working classes should be asking about our rulers and media – as crackpot and to be ignored.
This congress believes that, for example, the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic and its handling can be used to expose the very real conspiracy to privatise the NHS and make megaprofits from pharmaceuticals; to demonstrate the inability of the market to provide effective healthcare to workers; and to expose the corruption and cronyism of government ministers. The avarice, corruption and incompetence of the bourgeoisie and its lackeys, however, did not make the virus a fiction nor facemasks part of some sinister plot.
This congress recognises that many workers find conspiracy theories appealing because the media and government do lie to them on a regular basis to advance the interests of the bourgeoisie, or often just to save face.
This congress therefore resolves that our members and party publications shall redouble their efforts to guide such workers into a scientific, Marxist-Leninist approach to understanding these issues.
