End the Tory Nightmare!
Pete Firmin for Socialist Outlook The Tories have spent the last 18 years launching massive attacks on the working class. They have wreaked havoc on the trade unions, taking on and defeating section after section of workers, taking advantage of the weakness of the union leaders. They have privatised and contracted out the public sector to the benetit of their fat cat triends and the detriment of services, working conditions and jobs. They have undermined the National Health Service, education and every other part of the welfare state. They have grossly increased poverty, homelessness and used unemployment as a deliberate weapon to discipline workers. They have weakened workers' ability to resist all these by introducing eight packages of anti-trade union legislation stripping away almost every right which previously existed and making a legal fightback almost impossible. And they plan more of the same - total privatisation of pensions and the London Underground system, and further curbs on the right to strike. It has to be time to end the Tory nightmare.
The vast majority of workers recognise that the Tories represent the open class interests of the bosses and want to see them out. They will do that by voting Labour and hope that Labour will be at least a little better. They are crying out for a government which tackles unemployment and the deterioration of the welfare state. Socialist Outlook knows that a Labour government led by Blair will not do any of these things of its own free will, but it has never been more important that a Labour government is elected, despite the extent to which Blair has taken it to the right. A fifth Tory term would create widespread despair while a Labour victory would create higher expectations and new conditions for a fightback.
If elected, Labour leader Tony Blair would immediately face hard choices, such
Britain * as whether to go into the single currency. A Labour government is committed to building on the Tories' achievements for British capitalism. Gordon Brown, due to be Chancellor if Labour takes government, is committed to carrying out the limits on public spending set out by the Tories, including the limit on public sector pay increases. Labour will continue with much of the Tory programme, its anti-union laws, its attacks on the welfare state, no reversal of privatisations. Even where Labour is committed to better policies, like the statutory national minimum wage, it will take a fight to ensure that it is implemented, and at a level which significantly improves the living standards of the lowest paid.
Whether we like it or not, the vast majority of class conscious workers will vote Labour in the general election (unfortunately, a significant minority will vote Tory or Liberal Democrat). Those who doubt that this is a "class against class" election should consider what the effect of the election of the Tories for another term would be on the morale of militants. Labour not winning the election would be seen as an endorsement of the Tories, who would feel they could continue their attacks on the working class with impunity, and whole layers of the working class would feel they had no defence against these attacks. The modest increase in struggle in the last year in the expectation that the Tories are on their way out would be set back to a considerable extent.
While it is the case that Blair has moved Labour's programme considerably further to the right than ever before, the basic nature of
A new mood on the left A modest increase in worker mili- ment are important ways of uniting tancy has occurred in the form of the long running Dockers Strike, the Magnet Strike and Hillingdon hospital dispute, along with action across the public sector such as in the Post Office, on the London Underground, in Higher Education and in the Civil Service. There is now a concerted effort to unite these developments in worker combatitivity on the issue of how to fight Labour's austerity programme. One such initiative is the national March for Social Justice on 12th April which has been called by the Dockers Support Committee in London and the accompanying Peoples Charter for Social Justice. This demonstration also heralds the start of the British leg of the European Marches Against Unempoyment which is backed by many trades unions across Britain.
The Peoples Charter and the European Marches Against Unemployworkers and the oppressed in a struggle to fight Labour in government and for defence of the welfare state. It is crucial that they become a focus for working class activity in the weeks before the election. * The People's Charter for Social Justice was drawn up by 500 sacked Liverpool Dockers and their partners' group Women of the Waterfront. It will be launched in London on Saturday 12th April. The Charter includes 10 demands for Social Justice, including • the immediate reinstatement with full trade union rights of the 500 Liverpool dockers, the Magnet strikers, the Hillingdon hospital strikers and all other unjustly sacked workers • full trade union rights and the repeal of all anti-union legislation • the right to work • democratic planning to secure full employment • equal pay for work of equal value • repeal of the Criminal Jus tice Act • defence of the welfare state • abolition of the Job Seekers Allowance • the right to a home (including emergency measures to house the homeless) • repeal of all discriminatory legislation on race, gender, and sexuality • abolition of the un-elected House of Lords • emergency action on the environment • abolition of both the nuclear power and nuclear weapon industry.
the Labour Party has not changed. Despite Blair's worst intentions, the affiliation of the trade unions means the Labour Party is in essence a workers party, even though it has always had a pro-capitalist programme.
We would take issue with those socialists who believe that what is necessary in order to break the working class from its support for Blair is to simply denounce Labour and stand candidates critical of New Labour. While that might make us feel good and attract a small layer who totally reject New Labour, it will have little effect on the vast majority who will see such candidacies as marginal to the central question in the election. That is what happened when they stood in the Hemsworth, Barnsley East and Wirral South byeelections. Far more productive and likely to gain a hearing in most areas is for socialists to link a call for a Labour vote with both a critique of Labour's policies and building struggles which place demands on Labour around key policies and fights to force a Labour government to carry them out. Workers who, despite all the evidence. expect Labour to deliver something, will relate to that much more than simple
April 1997#287 5
Radical left candidates Socialist Campaign Group
This 28 member group of MPs includes Tony Benn, Ken Livingstone. Alan Simpson, Dennis Skinner and even front bench spokesperson Dawn Primarolo. In practice this group does little outside of parliament, It has distanced itself from the Campaign Group Supporters Network which was originally set up in its image. The Campaign Group is sometimes a useful platform for struggle. But the Group fails to unite or lead the struggles in the wider workers movement. A monthly paper is produced but not very widely sold. The Campaign Group is currently focusing on the need to avoid a coalition with the (Centre) Liberal Democrats. A few parliamentary candidates are potential new Campaign Group members, but, like the current Campaign Group MPs, they are generally "keeping their heads down". Socialist Alliances
Also to the left of Labour, Socialist Alliance groups are based on estabdenunciation of Labour.
By and large, the job of creating an alternative to New Labour with serious support is ahead of us. There are very few places where candidates to the Left of Labour in the election represent serious forces. Whilst calling for an overall vote for Labour we would support some of the most credible and well-placed candidates of the left parties and organisations. We support Dave Nellist in Coventry (standing for the Socialist Party (ex-Militant Labour)), Tommy Sheridan in Glasgow (Socialist Party/Scottish Socialist Alliance) and Arthur Scargill standing in Newport East for the Socialist Labour Party. Although these organisations are different, and the SLP problematic in the way it was established and has functioned since, this is a recognition both of the base of support these individuals have in the workers' movement and of the importance of the torces developing to the Left of the Labour Party. The SSA comes out of the radical political situation in Scotland, and the SLP emerges from the rightward march of Blairism.
If Labour wins the election. we can expect conflict between the government and those who elected it expecting Labour to be
Portugal better than the Tories. Brown's commitment to keeping down public sector pay will not go down well with those workers who have already experienced several years of pay restraint from the Tories. Blair's desire to prevent the trade unions having any real say in Labour Party policy is already causing upset, and is likely to be one of the major issues of debate at this year's trade union conferences.