Merry Stalintime Address 2025: On The Contentious Debates Around Vanguardism and Communism

18 December 2025.

A Merry Stalintime again to our comrades of the various tendencies and ideologies which comprise the Left and the sphere of proletarians' and peasants' power. Salutations and glad wishes most especially to all Marxist-Leninists, Bolshevik-Leninists, and fellow Reform-Leninists, of every sect, party, and school.

Let us not forget the significance of this day: to-day is a holiday of happy and spirited remembrance. This is the day when comrades abstain from further division, and unite as friends in this sacred tradition we call socialism and communism. We must remember that we want blissful socialism, not bitter schismatism, as Comrade Stalin the steel-edged unifier of our movement helped us to discover, following the wise lessons of Comrade Lenin.

As comrades may know, there have been two inter-connected debates which have begun to emerge in the efforts at Reform of late. The first debate was regarding the supposed 'backwards and dogmatic shortcomings' of vanguardism, rather than the correct initial critiques of currently existing vanguard parties' failings. The second debate, which arose from the logic of this one, demands that the transition towards communism must begin immediately after the successful attainment of a socialist state. These are the two debates which we must have a word about this Merry Stalintime.

Far from seeking to nail shut these serious and important debates with the hammer of orthodoxy, we wish to develop the full potential of these debates. Intellectual development such as this may not seem like any manner of advance, but we believe that these kinds of development do eventually lead to tangible improvements in theory, organisation, and strategy, or the 'material realities of politic', if put somewhat crudely. To retreat into dogmatic orthodoxy is to admit ideological weakness on the battle-front, even if it does happen to be the correct option in a given scenario. This action itself, it ought to be held in mind, weakens the strength of the ideological force.

What is it, then, that we are advocating? We are advocating for nothing more than a deep study of these questions and continuous discussion regarding them. It is too early, howbeit, to make a learned judgement on these debates, too soon for a summation of their ultimate destination.

It is well to recall the slogan of the previous Merry Stalintime, that we ought to be 'advocating comradery, moderation, and care in Reform'. The very first post which ignited the project of Reform-Leninism was posted on the 22 October of last year, officially marking the end of the first year in the struggle for Reform. Yet, far have we to go in this endeavour, but we will go into that this February, the fifth anniversary of Thoughts of a Comrade.

On the birth-day of Comrade Stalin, every comrade ought to give some pause in quiet introspection. That such a hero has not been seen since the 50s of the last century is a testament to the state of which conditions have degenerated. Have a Merry Stalintime, comrades. To Comrade Koba, cheers!

—Thoughts of a Comrade