the isisssuuee 1 75:: MMaayy 2200117 8 clarion £1 (unwaged 50p) A socialist magazine by Labour and activists After 3 May,R Labouer musst figtht boack ragaeinst c ouncil cuts every penny!

By Daniel W. Round, Stourbridge CLP ceived around £100m of cuts to funding. In response to austerity, some Labour councils, such as Preston with its local procurement strategy, have been able Whatever the result of the local elections, it is becoming ever more urgent to innovate to aid the local economy. Others have, to a limited extent, cam - for Labour to look at its strategy for local government. The party needs to paigned against cuts. Bristol’s Marvin Rees, for example, called some well-at - start demanding and campaigning for the restoration of every single penny tended demos in the city soon after he was elected mayor in 2016. However, of local funding lost since 2010. one of the main features of the last few years has been the lack of real resis - Councils have found it difficult to cope with the immense pressures on local tance. services from Tory cuts. By 2020, my local authority in Dudley will have re - There is a rich history of Labour Continued on page 5 councils leading local resistance — InsidE: the anti-imperialism of idiots • councils fight • Palestine • India • ukraine france • capitalism, conspiracies and • socialism NOT stalinism • which ? • attleeism is not enough • trade unionists for parliament • drugs policy ISSUE 15 Contents page 3 Issue 15 comes out just before the local elections. We look at what Anti-imperialism of idiots Leila Al-Shami, Rosie Woods Labour could do to better challenge funding cuts, and how Momen - page 4-5 tum groups can play a role in changing thinking around local gov - Local government fight Simon Hannah, John Dunn, ernment. Jumbo Chan, Daniel Round With antisemitism recently coming to the fore again, we also focus page 6 on how pseudo-anti-capitalist politics can lead to antisemitism. We Gaza killings Sacha Ismail counterpose class-struggle socialist politics to the conspiracy-the - Fighting the Hindu far right Nirmala Rajasingam ory politics that has proliferated on the fringes of the left but also Support Arcelomittal workers in Ukraine influenced the left more broadly. Page 7 In addition, Clarion #15 covers the ongoing war in Syria, supporting French workers take on Macron Olivier Delbeke struggles in Palestine, France, Ukraine and India. Plus interviews pages 8-9 with Matt Wrack and Jennifer Forbes, articles on drugs policy, PR, Conspiracy theories, antisemitism and left politics internet culture and more Edd Mustill, Daniel Round, Jill Mountford page 10 WHERE WE STAND For a socialist renaissance Matt Wrack Red London and neo-Stalinism Ana Oppenheim The Labour Party and the country are standing at a crossroads. ’s election as Labour leader in 2015 and re-election PAGe 11 in 2016 opened up a space for socialist politics to re-emerge into the Will the real Owen Jones stand up? Rick Parnet British mainstream. The 2017 General Election result confirmed that McDonnell on Attlee Rida Vaquas there are millions of people in Britain who at least want to see an end page 12 to austerity, neo-liberalism and the worst miseries inflicted by the broken capitalist system. The socialist left of the labour movement Trade unionists for Parliament: Falmouth, Stevenage has a historic opportunity – we must seize it now. page 13 That means an open discussion on politics and principles; assisting The Labour left should support PR Stephen Flaherty the grassroots of the labour movement to develop our own policies Momentum election results for a Labour government to transform society; building on and crit - ically engaging with policies proposed by the leader’s office, the page 14-15 unions, constituency parties and other parts of the movement. Youth pages: Labour must be more radical It means democratising the Labour Party, preventing further coup on drugs; Young Labour and internationalism attempts against the leadership, and preventing further unjust purges, page 16 suspensions, and expulsions. It means facilitating debate on Momen - tum’s purpose, problems and future. Socialism vs antisemitism — Clarion statement The Clarion is a space for and a contribution to those debates. In addition to news and reports from the labour movement, our cover - This issue of The Clarion was printed on 23 April 2018 age will focus on: Printed by Mixam, Watford. Designed by Gemma Short & Simon Hannah • Debate and discussion on class and class struggle today, and how Email: [email protected] we go beyond ‘new politics’ and ‘progressive politics’ to revive work - : www.facebook.com/theclarionmag ing-class politics. : www.twitter.com/clarion_mag • How we make socialism’s task of building a new society based on Website: theclarionmag.org common ownership and need not profit the basic, unifying goal of Address: BM Box 4628, London, WC1N 3XX the left; how we fight for bold socialist policies in the here and now. • Fighting nationalism; building working-class solidarity across borders, and between workers of different backgrounds and from dif - Get involved: ferent communities. • Taking a serious and consistent approach to equality and libera - • I want to contribute content to future editions of tion struggles. The Clarion • Standing up for rational debate and against the cultures of click - bait, conspiracy theory and instant denunciation which have unfor - • I want a 6 month subscription for £6 I want a tunately taken root among certain sections of the left. year’s subscription for £10 We welcome involvement from comrades who are in broad agree - • I want to be a local distributor. I will take 5 issues ment with these above points and aim to critically engage with ideas from across the left. for 6 months for £24 . I will take 10 issues for 6 months for £40 . I will take 5 issues for a year for editorial board £40 . I will take 10 issues for a year for £70 . Name: ...... Edd Mustill, Rida Vaquas, Sacha Ismail, Email: ...... Simon Hannah, Rosie Woods, Daniel Round, Phone: ...... Address: ...... Michael Chessum, Nik Barstow, Dan Jeffery, Send money via PayPal to the email address Sahaya James [email protected] SYRIA The anti-imperialism of idiots

By Leila Al- Shami Russia has now estab - Once more the western “anti-war” movement has awoken to mobilise lished perma - around Syria. The first was when Obama contemplated striking the nent military Syrian regime’s military capability (but didn’t) following chemical at - bases in the tacks on the Ghouta in 2013. country, and The second time was when Donald Trump ordered a strike which hit been handed an empty regime military base in response to chemical attacks on Khan exclusive Sheikhoun in 2017. And today, as the US, UK and France take limited rights over military action following a chemical weapons attack in Douma which Syria’s oil and killed at least 34 people. gas as a re - The first thing to note from the three major mobilisations of the west - ward for its ern “anti-war” left is that they have little to do with ending the war. More support. than half a million Syrians have been killed since 2011. The vast majority A number Cartoon criticising selective outrage which only applies to of civilian deaths have been through the use of conventional weapons of anti-war chemical attacks, by Yaser Ahmad and 94 per cent of these victims were killed by the Syrian-Russian-Ira - organizations nian alliance. Civilians are expendable; the military capabilities of a geno - have justified their silence on Russian and Iranian interventions by ar - cidal, fascist regime are not. In fact the slogan “Hands off Syria” really guing that ‘the main enemy is at home’. This excuses them from under - means “Hands off Assad”. taking any serious power analysis to determine who the main actors Assad – who inherited a dictatorship from his father and has never driving the war actually are. For Syrians the main enemy is indeed at held, let alone won, a free and fair election. Assad – whose ‘Syrian Arab home – it’s Assad. Without being aware of their own contradictions Army’ can only regain the territory it lost with the backing of mercenar - many of the same voices have been vocally opposed (and rightly so) to ies and supported by foreign bombs, and who are fighting, by and large, Israel’s current assault on peaceful demonstrators in Gaza. Syrian-born rebels and civilians. How many would consider their own There are many valid reasons for opposing external military interven - elected government legitimate if it began carrying out mass rape cam - tion in Syria, whether it be by the US, Russia, Iran or Turkey - they act paigns against dissidents? solely in their own interests. The US, UK and French intervention today It matters little that the Assad regime itself supported the first Gulf is less about protecting Syrians from mass-atrocity and more about en - war, or participated in the US illegal rendition programme. The fact that forcing an international norm that chemical weapons use is unacceptable. this regime probably holds the dubious distinction of slaughtering more More foreign bombs will not bring about peace and stability. Yet in op - Palestinians than the Israeli state is constantly overlooked, as is the fact posing foreign intervention, one needs to come up with an alternative that it’s more intent on using its armed forces to suppress internal dissent to protect Syrians from slaughter. It’s morally objectionable to say the than to liberate the Israeli-occupied Golan. least to expect Syrians to just shut up and die to protect the higher prin - This “anti-imperialism” of idiots is one which equates imperialism with ciple of “anti-imperialism”. the actions of the US alone. They seem unaware that the US has been Assad (and his backers) are determined to thwart any process, pursue bombing Syria since 2014. In its campaign to liberate Raqqa from Daesh. a total military victory and crush any remaining democratic alternative. There were no protests organized by leading “anti-war” organizations Hundreds of Syrians are being killed every week, extremist groups and against this intervention, no calls to ensure that civilians and civilian in - ideologies are thriving in the chaos wrought by the state. Civilians con - frastructure were protected. tinue to flee in their thousands as legal processes are implemented to en - According to the Pentagon there are currently around 2000 American sure they will never return to their homes. troops in Syria. The US has established a number of military bases in It is this desperate situation which causes many Syrians to welcome the Kurdish-controlled north for the first time in Syria’s history. This the US, UK and France’s action and who now see foreign intervention should concern anyone who supports Syrian self-determination yet pales as their only hope, despite the risks they know it entails. in comparison to the tens of thousands of Iranian troops and Iranian • Full article at bit.ly/anti-i. Leila Al-Shami is a British Syrian in - backed Shia militias which are now occupying large parts of the country, volved in human rights and social justice struggles in the Middle East or the murderous bombing raids carried out by the Russian air force. since 2000, co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and Theresa May’s Syrian adventure

By Rosie Woods, Harrow West pose all dictatorships, rather than back those friendly to them. Socialists should not necessarily be concerned about international law, The chemical weapons attack almost certainly carried out by the particularly when UN rules give Russia, responsible for mass slaughter armed forces of Bashar al-Assad against civilians in the town of in Syria, a veto. The UN is a thieves’ kitchen. We should be more con - Douma, outside Damascus, was the action of a criminal regime. cerned about the question of democracy in Britain, and the fact that the That does not mean socialists should back the Western bombing government can launch action without parliamentary approval. We which took place a few days before we went to press. We should not should insist that Parliament, the closest thing we have to representatives mourn the destruction of chemical weapons facilities or the degrading of the people in government, decides. of Assad’s military machine, but it is hard to see what positive role such We should oppose attempts to whip up nationalist sentiment and ap - bombing can play more generally. peals to national unity – coming all too strongly from the pro-bombing The decision to bomb looks less like genuine concern, much less a Labour right, but also sometimes from the Labour leadership. worked out strategy for doing anything to improve the situation, but a When we oppose military action by our own government, that is show of strength. If the UK, US, and French governments were serious not the be all and end all of the necessary “anti-war” politics. In the about the humanitarian situation they would open their doors to the case of Syria, there is already a war and the vast majority of the bomb - millions of Syrians living in inhuman conditions in refugee camps. In ing is being done by the Syrian regime and its foreign backers. fact they won’t even take the unaccompanied children. They would op - the clarion : May 2018 Page 3 Labour Reimagining Local ″As a councillor you can still make Government By Simon Hannah, changes in a minority of one″ Tooting CLP John Dunn, former Clay Cross councillor and striking miner , gave a rousing closing speech to the Around 100 people attended the Reimagining Local Government conference in London on 24 March — here is an edited version London Momentum conference, “Reimagining Local Govern - Labour Party membership. I’ve ment: London for the many not been a member for 47 years, the few”. The meeting started with signed up at 19 by Dennis Skin - rousing speeches from John ner. I had a brief interlude when Burgess (Barnet Unison) and Sa - they threw me out, after I had an haya James, from an occupation altercation with one Owen Smith against the University of the Arts who tried to hijack our strike at London’s gentrification plans. Orgreave. They took me back The conference was an excellent cause I was part of the Orgreave forum for Labour left activists from campaign and they were embar - across London to discuss strategies rassed by that. for the elections on 3 May, and What an indictment of our what socialists can do as councillors. party that it would rather throw It was good to have already sitting We are all here because we want refugees are dumped in areas with socialists out of the party than Labour councillors attend to give to change society. As an ex- no back up, no extra facilities, no embrace them and encourage their voice and expertise. miner I have a campaigning role extra doctors with social services them to become councillors or Laura Parker, National Coordi - on behalf of the Orgreave cam - slashed to the bone, so it’s no sur - MPs. nator of Momentum, attended to paign. prise they get scapegoated. give a talk on coordinating left It's been a long lonely struggle We need a massive program of The new left councillors which was well received since our strike was defeated 30 house building but we also need But things have changed. Cor - and showed an openness from Mo - years ago. But now I speak to Labour councillors with convic - byn becoming leader has trans - mentum to engage with events by packed rooms like this. tions, people who don’t just want formed our party. We need to their members that they don’t con - I’ve been talking about Clay to wear a shiny suit — we want keep people involved. We need to trol. Cross, which started 44 years ago. people who can go out and de - make Labour a political party. But it wasn’t just about council These are things that are impor - liver. Let’s make our meetings political. elections, it was also a chance to tant and people are steadily wak - People joined to defend Jeremy hear from activists on the ground ing up. It’s a time to be optimistic. Clay Cross Corbyn and to change society. engaged in anti cuts and housing When I stepped off the train at Now I’m proud of getting sur - You are not going to do that sit - campaigns. One workshop, led by Euston at 10am this morning, I charged in Clay Cross. It is pos - ting in boring meetings talking activists from Lambeth, examined literally had to step over some - sible to make little changes even about procedure. Instead let's the tactics around campaigning in body huddled up in a sleeping if you are in a minority of one. have lively political meetings in Labour controlled boroughs where bag — homeless. A decent society After my disqualification, eight every ward and every con - the councillors have been viciously would build a home for him, years later I went back on North stituency. opposed to anti cuts campaigns — would have community facilities East Derbyshire district council, Let’s make sure that every con - for instance in Lambeth over li - for mental health. We need so - and I eventually became deputy stituency has a campaigner speak - braries. The left were completely cialist councillors who are cam - leader. ing at it - from Orgreave, the carved out of the selection process paigning for these things. We built women’s refuges, we black-list lads, the kind of people for candidates which forced the In our communities, especially fought to keep all services in we as members and activists local left to focus on the kind of in places like Barnsley — the old house, when the government was should be engaging with. policies they would like to see industrial centres where housing forcing people to sell off their I’m no great believer that Labour stand on. is cheap — you have houses housing stock we refused. We still Jeremy Corbyn is the messiah, We also heard from Pamela Fitz - bought up by G4S (the govern - built council houses. We weren’t just cause his initials are JC. The patrick who gave a great speech on ment approved contractor for doing anything revolutionary but thing is, if we are going to change her time on Harrow Council and the handling migrants) who buy a ter - were trying to look after our peo - society it needs a movement be - battle for selection as the PPC for raced house for £60K and put 10 ple. hind him. We need committed Harrow East. John Dunn, sur - people in it, two to a room. They When the FBU went on strike socialists at every level of our charged Clay Cross councillor, gave all share a toilet. in 2002/2003 Blair was happy party. I’m optimistic because of all a rousing speech about the impor - We have a woman with a baby enough to send the troops in to the people who have flooded to tance of sticking to working-class who came in for ESOL lessons. If scab to try and break the FBU. I our party that we are going to do principles in the face of a vicious she gets the right to stay, G4S was the leader of that Fire Au - it. Tory government. aren’t responsible, so they throw thority and my deputy was a lad We are going to change society. There is space for Momentum them out and move them on. So called Chris Williamson from We are not going to tinker groups to come together and coor - people have no continuity. People Derby. We took a decision to sup - around the edges. Let’s face it dinate in a way that Momentum’s who have fled war and hunger port that strike and the fire fight - John McDonnell is right when he HQ currently isn’t facillitating. and famine and all sorts of things ers' pay claim. We were the only says within a few days of a social - Clearly the scale of the task facing and they have ended up living like fire authority to do it. As leader I ist Labour government they will the left in local government will that. Because we don’t build went on strike with the firefight - come for us. grow enormously after 3 May, but council houses! That’s why you ers and gave my councillor's al - The only thing that can de - people want to have those conver - need socialist councillors. lowance to their strike fund. fend us is our movement. sations and get organised now. That is the breeding ground for I never thought I would be racism because migrants and back active, although I kept my The clarion : May 2018 Page 4 Labour Report from the front lines in the fight to save local government

Cllr Jumbo Chan, Brent Whether this has meant oppos - (sadly often outsourced) engineers reserving from judging others who Central CLP ing the academisation of a local to repair faulty lights and fallen- I may disagreeing with, and being authority school, persuading the off signs, or helping an elderly res - mindful to be positive and respect - Labour Group to reject the so- ident renew their Freedom Pass, I ful to all (even if I do try always to I was elected in a by-election just called Sustainability and Transfor - think it is very important that one say what I mean and mean what I over two years ago, and there are mation Plans, or arguing for the has the patience and resolve to see say). Such an approach, I believe, several lessons I would like to re - Labour Group leader to be se - things through. has often allowed proper political flect on as a left Labour councillor. lected by members, I am proud to This has often meant navigating debate to come to the forefront, Perhaps my biggest source of have represented the best I can the a web of bureaucracy – often all enabling many different groups to inspiration, support and encour - views of local members. After all, symptoms of neo-liberal outsourc - coalesce around issues important agement over the past few years I am not here because I am ex - ing and inefficacy – with very little to them. has emanated from local grass - traordinarily remarkable, but help provided to you, and can As I hopefully move into my roots Labour Party and Momen - rather, because people believe I can often be taxing on the soul. But if second election win, I will be tum members. All my power has represent the views of those who one is unable to solve small local seeking to work with other left come from them lending their have put me here. issues for their residents then there Labour councillors to form a trust to me, and selecting me to be really is little hope for socialism. community of best practice, so their Labour Party representative. Bread and butter As once observed, that we can inspire one another – I have taken the view that I have But of course, local politics is politics is not a question of per - as well as most importantly of all, a sacred duty to properly represent not always glamorous. There are sonalities, but of issues. I have grassroots members – with left their views and aspirations. This countless “bread and butter” issues, tried my best to keep how I ‘do’ policies which have worked. has meant arguing to the best of often seemingly apolitical in na - politics open and public, focusing my ability for any views mandated ture, which one must deal with. on the issues of any given situa - • To find out more about this, to me by members – best epito - Whether this means reporting tion, rather than engage in any sort please contact me on Twitter via mised by branch and constituency broken potholes and pavements, of personality politics. This has @JumboChan – I look forward to motions – even when this has meeting with residents who are meant being stubbornly protective working with many more left meant sometimes disagreeing with fed up with littering, chasing of my political principles, but also Labour councillors after May. others.

Continued from front page waste rather than savage central government Councillors should put forward a motion to cuts. coincide with the launch of the new campaign Poplar in the 1920s, Clay Cross in the 1970s group, calling for the full restoration of fund - and various councils at different points in the Ideas for combative Labour councils ing lost since 2010 (at least!). Motions should 1980s. But we haven’t seen anywhere near Labour councils willing to engage should set also strongly state our movement’s opposition these levels of resistance since 2010, despite up democratic committees to oversee a re-en - to outsourcing and academisation; the precise the unprecedented pressures. This is partly due ergised and dynamic anti-cuts campaign. wording would be discussed and agreed to by to the threat of the Tories imposing unelected These committees could be formed of some the campaign committee. administrators if councils, for example, set il - Labour councillors plus representatives from A radical motion in the council chamber legal budgets. It is also due to the timid politics each of the CLPs, local Momentum groups, would — in conjunction with a new locally fo - of many Labour councillors. Young Labour groups and women’s forums, cused campaign - signal that the Labour lead - Lack of active resistance has been more pro - and from each of the main local union ership on the council (or, if unwilling, nounced since 2015 when there was an expec - branches. Representatives from various local left-wing councillors) have resolved to do tation that Corbyn would shake things up. civil society organisations and charity groups things differently. Well publicised, it would Soon after his election, however, Corbyn in - that do work on, e.g. homelessness and mental demonstrate serious intent. sisted Labour councils should not set illegal health, could also join to share their expertise budgets. This may have been a strategically when organising campaigns on specific issues. Pressure on the leadership wise move at that time given the position we This committee would do the work of or - If such campaigns sprung up across the were in. But with Labour’s success at the 2017 ganising demos and other campaign events country among Labour councils, it would not election, the strengthened position of Corbyn (e.g. street stalls, public forums), writing press only put pressure on the Tories and build sup - and the left, rising dissatisfaction as the cuts releases, arranging leafleting sessions, dis - port for anti-austerity campaigns; it would also bite even harder (some councils are now strug - cussing strategy, composing model motions, put pressure on the Labour leadership to co - gling to meet even the basic statutory require - etc. ordinate a proper challenge to local cuts in the ments), and more cuts to come, Labour now Demos would bring together Labour ac - here-and-now. has the opportunity to be much bolder. The tivists from across the local authority, trade We strongly agree with John McDonnell’s NEC’s intervention on the Haringey Devel - unionists from inside and outside of the call for "an urgent change of direction in local opment Vehicle earlier in the year hopefully Labour Party, and other activists and members government funding". Labour should be for opens up a space for further positive interven - of the public. The location of demos should al - the full restoration of funding and the re-em - tions from the party on local government. ternate between the big towns in the authority powerment of local government when it Ideally this requires the leadership to coor - and would be held on a regular basis. Coun - comes to power. dinate regionally or, better, nationally. How - cillors could speak, as could activists from the But we need to do more now — we can’t ever, Labour councillors and council leaders CLPs and community groups. Demos should simply wait for the election of a Labour gov - can and should do more. Lack of action gives be organised around specific issues — so, for ernment. It’s time to step up our efforts after the Tories the chance to argue that poor local example, the impact of local government cuts the local elections. services are the result of mismanagement and on education, social care, women, etc. The clarion : May 2018 Page 5 international solidarity Support Palestinians and Israeli internationalists!

By Sacha Ismail

At the time of writing at least 30 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army at the Gaza border since the end of March, and many hundreds injured. More bloodshed is surely on the way. As Jeremy Corbyn said in his statement to the 7 April London protest demonstration, this is “an outrage” which “cannot be tolerated”. This is not the first such killing by the Israeli state in recent times. In December, in response to protests over Donald Trump’s announcement that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli fire killed eight people, including a double-amputee in a wheelchair. The Palestinians need international solidarity to break out of the years-long impasse in which such outrages are increasingly normalised. Justice for them is crucial to opposing the growing threat of war in the titude to the Israeli Jews. Hamas’ leaders will not be at all sorry if the Is - Middle East, as the Trump regime appears to gear up towards confronta - raeli state kills more Palestinians. That will suit their purposes. tion with Iran’s rulers. War-dangers are looming. Hamas and the like exist in a reactionary vicious circle with the in - Here, immediately, we should push for the Labour Party, unions and creasingly virulent and aggressive nationalist right that dominates in Is - Momentum groups to organise meetings and protests against Israel’s vi - rael. But many on the British left, including in Labour, are ignorant or olence and in support of the Palestinians. indifferent about these realities. Such demonstrations should also be in solidarity with anti-war On 7 April Corbyn also argued, and I agree with him, that the funda - protests and the left opposition in Israel, as Corbyn argued for in his 7 mental demand that can unlock the situation in Israel-Palestine is a “vi - April statement. More broadly, active solidarity with the Iranian workers able two-state settlement that delivers peace, justice and security to both and left is also vital. Palestinians and Israelis”. Our sympathy with the Palestinian demonstrators is not invalidated At present such a settlement is a long way off. But it is the most vi - by, but also does not change, the reality that the dominant political force ably democratic demand to mobilise around, one that can win majority in Gaza is the clerical-fascist movement Hamas – which combines vio - support among both Israelis and Palestinians and thus help break the lent repression in the territory it controls with an utterly chauvinist at - cycle. Oppose Modi and Hindu nationalism

By Nirmala Rajasingam, Harrow West CLP cially women from minority and dait communities, with impunity The rape of a 16 year old girl by a BJP parliamentarian in Unnao, UP and London is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of government meet - the subsequent murder of her father for seeking justice, and the gang ings, from 16-20 April. Theresa May had at first refused to meet the rape and murder of an eight year old from the nomadic Bakarwal Mus - leaders of the 12 Caribbean nations who wanted an explanation of the lim community in Kashmir, as punishment for not allowing the BJP and racist treatment of Caribbeans who came here half a century ago. Hindutva stalwarts to take away their land, is being publicly defended She is meeting Narendra Modi, prime minister of India at 10 Down - by BJP Ministers. Hindutva activists and lawyers in Kashmir have defi - ing Street tomorrow ahead of the meetings, and immigration of “edu - antly protested the prosecution of the accused, have blocked court houses, cated skilled Indian migrants” could be on the table. India’s insatiable and defended the rapists. appetite for weapons systems and arms and its large markets for trade Modi was deathly silent until mass protests broke out. Modi is pre - penetration by UK, especially post-Brexit, also could be discussed. India siding over this reign of rightwing Hindutva terrorwhich is laying out is being viewed as an emerging superpower in the south Asian subcon - with total impunity against Muslims, Dalits, dissenters and women, at a tinent and a counter to China’s dominance. level never seen before. And therefore this Hindu fascist leader, avowed admirer of Hitler, is The Hindutva movement has taken root within the Indian-origin now being feted in European capitals. For Tory Britain, Modi’s full en - Hindu community in the UK, with the full backing of Tory politicians dorsement of the Trump administration and the special links he has such as Priti Patel and Bob Blackman of Harrow East, who wishes the made with Israel, abandoning India’s traditional support for the Pales - anticaste legislation now in the statute books in the UK, to be re - tinian cause, are significant factors. India is the largest purchaser of Israeli moved. Labour activists must mobilise to oppose such politics. arms. Modi, whose political career began within the RSS, a 2 million strong Hindu fascist movement, is still beholden to them, as the ruling party Support Arcelomittal workers in Ukraine the BJP also came out of the womb of the RSS. Under his reign, mob lynchings and mass killings of religious minorities, especially Muslims, A major dispute is developing in the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih have been set in motion. The Hindutva ideology that the BJP espouses, in South East Ukraine. also targets Dalits (“untouchables”), who were already marginalised but Workers employed by Arcelomittal, part of the giant world-wide are now being murdered by “sacred cow” vigilantes. Mittal Steel corporation, are fighting to raise wages, win safe working Journalists have been silenced, indeed murdered, and prominent conditions, stop lay offs and end the persecution of trade unionists. human rights defenders, hunted. University and school text books are The UK Ukraine Solidarity Campaign is mobilising to support being altered to reflect a Hindutva view of Indian history, with indepen - their struggle. USC was set up by Labour left activists and has strong dent academics and students being targeted. The latest is that the judi - support from Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. ciary is being heavily leaned on to acquit Hinduta perpetrators of terror. For extensive reports and information from the struggle, as well One of the biggest targets of this rising Hindu fascist movement are as campaign resources, see the USC website ukrainesolidarity.org. women, where BJP and RSS politicians rape and assault women, espe - For more information email [email protected]

The clarion : May 2018 Page 6 international solidarity Workers and students against Macron

Clarion supporters are visiting France for the mobilisations the week we go to press: we hope to carry more reports on our website and in the next issue. By Olivier Delbeke, French socialist, trade unionist, and writer for Arguments pour la lutte sociale

President Emmanuel Macron – who owes his election to the elimina - tion of left or labour movement candidates in the first round of the Presidential election, against a backdrop of massive abstentionism – was able to force through his law against the Labour Code in Autumn 2017. That gave Macron the impression that if he carried on in this vein, he 4) The attack on the SNCF and the railway workers. could complete his anti-social transformation of France before the end The government wants to undertake a "great reform" of the SNCF of his term in 2022. state railway company on a pretext of paving the way for competition on And so Macron has undertaken a whole raft of counter-reforms, the rails. The project aims to undermine railworkers' special employment which is slowly but surely creating a rising wave of mobilisation. conditions, in particular their "special regime" for retirement, which al - 1) Increasing CSG social security contributions levied on old age pen - lows them to retire at 51 or 55; their career progression programme; their sions as of 1 January 2018. holidays and rest periods; and several other advantages like free tickets In France, since 1945 and the creation of the Social Security, social for railworkers and their families. It also aims to close branch lines, so as protection is financed from contributions paid by workers and bosses, to favour the big lines that run TVG trains. assessed on the basis of their basic salary. Since the creation of the CSG The attack on their special status will take the form of recruiting new by Rocard [leader of the French Socialist Party] in 1993, a movement workers who won't benefit from it, to work alongside existing staff. started which allowed bosses to get off paying their share, and this prac - All the federations have agreed a timetable of mobilisation, involving tice has become widespread. That means that retired workers' pensions a series of two-day, and then three-day strikes, running from 3 April to are taxed in a way that they weren't before the CSG came in. June. On 1 January this year, Macron increased the CSG charge applied to The Sud Rail union, for its part, has tried to maintain a strategy based pensions by 1.7%. Mainly hitting small and medium pensions, this mea - on "reconductible" [repeated] strikes based on daily decisions in work - sure saw a united response from all the pensioners' trade union organi - place assemblies, but for the time being it has signed up to the joint cal - sations (except the CFDT trade union federation, which is in favour of endar of action, while Sud Rail activists try to get workplace assemblies the CSG in principle, and supports Macron), which led to the big going to vote to extend the action. demonstrations of pensioners on 15 March. 5) The movement of students against the ORE law 2) The movement of workers in [sheltered accommodation system] The Education Minister wants to limit access to universities for stu - EPHAD broke out into an unprecedented wave of strikes and demon - dents who have passed the baccalaureate exam. Currently any student strations on 15 March. who has passed their "bac", including those with a "bac pro" or vocational Budget cuts are turning these hospices into sinister places of death qualification, can sign up to the university course of their choice. where there is no longer any guarantee of care or minimum respect for A pernicious form of selection has been implemented which relies on patients. The – mostly female – workforce suffers from precarious con - a rather dubious evaluation of the abilities and preferences of lycée stu - tracts. They are weakly organised, but enough is enough. dents who want to apply to university. This movement, with pensioners' demonstrations on the same day, This law has provoked the occupation of around 20 universities by gave a sign of the depth of the rejection of Macron and his policies, their students so far. which is shared even by previously-little-organised groups of workers. 6) The movement against school class cuts in rural areas. 3) Attacks on public services In rural areas the government is giving primary school classes the In early March, the government opened "negotiations" with the public chop. Local campaigns have mounted occupations of schools by hun - sector trade union federations by sending an incendiary message which dreds of parents, in areas unused to big movements. proposed four big attacks on public service terms and conditions: Everywhere, the logic is the same: civilisation, public service, and rights a) the fusion of CTs (Technical Committees, elected at the level of for all, against market society and untrammelled competition. Ministries and local services to discuss organisation of work and services) As with Thatcher and the miners, so with Macron and the SNCF rail - with CHSCTs (Health and Safety and Work Conditions Committees), workers: it's a race. Will battle be joined on the railways fast enough that with the aim of greatly reducing trade union representation among state the railworkers aren't isolated and weakened? The speed with which the employees, and cutting the money spent on facility time for trade union battle spreads depends above all on political conditions. reps attending those meetings. Since the electoral defeat in 2017, there is no political representation b) undermining in-house public servant employment status, to pro - of workers, and no political perspectives. La France Insoumise, far from mote the recruitment of contractors who don't have the same legal em - being a solution to the problem, is becoming an important part of the ployment rights, or job protections. problem: Mélenchon's perspective, when you strip away the verbal rad - c) introducing performance-based pay with a system of individualised icalism and soapbox bombast, is all about respecting the electoral calen - bonuses, undercutting general wage increases. dar: European elections in 2019, municipal elections in 2020, Presidential d) voluntary redundancies as a means of hitting the target of cutting election in 2022. 120,000 public servant jobs. Workers and young people have no time to waste: they need a plan This attack led to a huge turnout from public sector workers from all for the struggle based on a desire to beat Macron, here and now, and trade union confederations on the 22 March day of action, alongside the drive him from office. railworkers who were coming out for the first time.

The clarion : May 2018 Page 7 The Central issue Antisemitism and the lef

What kind of political issues underlie the controversies around antisemitism in the Labour Party and on the left? Edd Mustill and Daniel Roun capitalist politics are linked to antisemitism, while former Momentum Steering Committee member Jill Mountford reports on the debate (or la Capitalism is not a conspiracy

By Edd Mustill, Sheffield Heeley of a world view in which RT, the propagandists too many years ago, the country was taken into CLP formerly known as Russia Today , come to be seen a disastrous war on the basis of fabricated intel - as speaking truth to power even while BBC jour - ligence that was pretty much unquestioningly re - nalists are denounced as state lackeys. Likewise, ported as fact at the time. There is a real and damaging tendency towards conspiracists like Alex Jones of Infowars or the A longer-term cause of conspiracism has been conspiracism in largely internet-based 'left - infamous David Icke, who do little but repeat the political atomisation, over decades, of many wing' circles. bigoted prejudices, somehow transform into tri - of those holding leftwing views. The all-but dis - Most recently, this has been applied to official bunes of the people and their material is shared appearance of organised labour as a significant explanations for events in Salisbury and Douma. around by self-defined socialists. social force in the lives of most people, following In the plethora of groups and pages that com - Of course, the presence of reactionary conspir - the defeats of the 1980s, took with it a culture of prise the online milieu, videos and links are acist attitudes on the left is not new, as the recent collective discussion, political education, pam - posted questioning the official versions of these debates around left antisemitism have reminded phleteering and quality socialist journalism that events. In the case of Douma, the Putinist myth us. It is, however, worthwhile examining their has not been rebuilt. that the rebels have gassed their own in order to latest manifestation that has such a bearing on In the last decade social media, including its spur a more strident Western intervention into the political climate in which we are operating. worst aspects, has rushed into the resultant vac - the Syrian war appears to have some purchase in As alluded to, one contributory factor is an ab - uum. Many leftwingers are proud of not getting parts of the milieu. solute distrust of any official source, about almost their information from “the MSM”. Examine a Healthy scepticism is a must for anyone on the anything. This is perhaps the easiest to under - lot of the content, however, and you'll see that it left, but it must be married to an ability to use stand, particularly in the field of foreign policy; isn't socially-produced citizen journalism, but reason and discern facts. It is right to question centrists with short memories who express puz - merely old fashioned news or propaganda from official versions of events and to attempt to de - zlement at the rise of the sorts of attitudes we different state/corporate sources, like RT , or a termine the real motives of our governments, but are examining appear to have forgotten that, not relatively small number of websites. The Russian some people appear to abandon reason in favour What is the “socialism of fools”?

By Daniel W. Round, Stourbridge century was a period of great upheaval during The context is of course very different in 2018. CLP which national communities were being con - Much of it is now coded, designed to be difficult structed and reimagined across much of Europe. to detect, and often comes from an obsessive With this came a homogenising drive towards anti-. However, many of the tropes In his recent statement addressing concerns unified national identities, from which Jewish - around the nature of financial elites, for example, raised in the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn ness was seen as incompatible, removed; an ob - remain (e.g. Rothschild conspiracy theories). called antisemitism the “socialism of fools”. stacle to be overcome, a “question”. Perceived Furthermore, the re-emergence of identity as But where does this phrase — much used of late social and economic mobility was also often held a political force, the rise of conspiracy theories on — come from? in deep suspicion. the internet, and continued post-crisis economic August Bebel, Chair of the Social Democratic From the 1880s, this reactionary politics be - anxiety contributes. This reinforces the racist the - Party (SPD) of Germany between 1892 and came popular among many “little men” of capi - ories of the hard right (see Viktor Orban in 1913, is credited with popularising the phrase. talism — including small business owners, Hungary), but can also lead to sloppy thinking He used it when denouncing the political anti - shopkeepers and farmers — who felt threatened among sections of the left where the absence of semitism that arose in Europe in the late 19th by rapid changes in industry and the wider econ - proper materialist analysis leaves a dangerous century. This form of antisemitism relied on omy. These little men were encouraged by anti- vacuum. As we have seen, such sloppy thinking some medieval tropes, but was augmented by a semitic populists such as Lueger to blame Jews can easily give way to left antisemitism (these new intolerance that emerged from the burgeon - for their problems. As the Marxist historian Eric days, the anti-capitalism or anti-imperialism of ing, exclusionary nationalisms of the era, com - Hobsbawm wrote: “the typical cartoon image of fools), or apologism for it. bined with scientific racism and popular the capitalist in the belle époque was not just a To eradicate antisemitism and conspiracy the - stereotypes about the position of Jews in the fat man in a top hat smoking a cigar, but one with ories in the labour movement once and for all, we economy. a Jewish nose”. Hence, the socialism of fools. need widespread socialist education that puts a The new antisemitism’s banner was raised by These ideas were also taken up by some work - sophisticated analysis of class firmly at its heart. the proto-fascist Karl Lueger when he was ers in the labour movement who too associated We need prominent figures to fully understand elected Mayor of Vienna in the 1890s. Lueger the worst ravages of capitalism with the Jewish and clearly explain the history (including the and other prominent antisemitic demagogues of “other”. Antisemitism was to an extent, though, pernicious legacy of Stalinism). the period, many of whom came from right-wing curbed on the left by anti-racist education, the And we should all call out the fools that Catholic parties, were later held up as models by presence of Jewish socialists, and the strong Bebel would undoubtedly recognise, whenever the Nazis. stance of many in the SPD and other (though and wherever we encounter them. But why then? The second half of the 19th not all) socialist parties of the era. the clarion : May 2018 The Central issue eft

Round explain how certain forms of pseudo-anti - (or lack of it) about these issues in Momentum.

state and its agents are not the only ones who are playing this system and exploiting this desire for “alternative” sources, but they are good at it. Conspiracism on the left is compounded by the fact that we often appear to have given up the teaching and learning of a structural analysis of capitalism in favour of simpler and quicker ex - planations. Conspiracism is bolstered by, for ex - ample, the sort of shallow analysis of the last recession that blamed 'greedy bankers' or 'the 1%' - effective for short term sloganeering but ultimately helping to foster a view reducing Antisemitism — a lack of Momentum complex social relations to a few bad individuals pulling society's strings. Leftwing alt-media fur - ther encourages this, with sites like Skwawkbox By Jill Mountford, Lewisham Mo - again, agreed but not put out; my proposal to and The Canary appearing to view everything as mentum co-chair (pc) and former campaign against the suspension of Jackie a manichean struggle, a Hollywood script of Walker from the party was voted down. To this goodies versus baddies both inside and outside Momentum national steering day, Momentum refuses to act on these issues. the Labour Party. member In fact it has written the ban on non-Labour Any socialism worth the name must begin members holding office into its imposed con - with a material analysis at how society around us The recent statement, by the leadership of stitution. works so that we can identify the best ways of Momentum, taking on antisemitism is an im - Meanwhile, the new statement on anti - changing it. Grassroots educational initiatives portant contribution to the task of improving semitism, elicited because Momentum felt that make a conscious effort to tackle big ideas the political health of the Labour Party and under pressure by the storm raging around it, is and complex concepts should be welcomed. the left. It is important that Momentum has welcome but is weak on actual political content Group learning and discussion should replace spoken out – but it comes after two years of si - – weaker than the reply Jeremy Corbyn put out atomisation and denunciation. lence. in response to the Board of Deputies and the For example, a discussion about how the cap - Nor is it clear that Momentum is serious Jewish Leadership Council. italist media functions would have to acknowl - about moving forward on tackling this issue. That might not matter if it becomes the start edge that the idea of rejecting everything I sat on Momentum’s national steering com - of a genuine educational process. But what is to published by “MSM” sources out of hand is just mittee from early 2016 until it was abolished in be the agency for educating Momentum and as credulous as believing it all. It would acknowl - 2017. The steering committee debated the issue Labour members? Will it be open, critical de - edge that in the media, as in other industries, but, despite my best efforts, never acted. bate and discussion in local groups, seeking to there are struggles between workers and bosses The context was increasing reporting of an - encourge a culture of debate? (Lewisham Mo - over what gets produced and how, as well as links tisemitic social media content following the first mentum made some effort along these lines in between the media, capital, and the state that Corbyn surge, and high profile incidents such 2016, holding a discussion on Israel-Palestine should of course be criticised. as the first suspension of Jackie Walker for com - and antisemitism with speakers including Rhea Likewise, when taking on our political oppo - ments about Jews and the slave trade. I pro - Wolfson and Jon Lansman.) nents in the labour movement we should exam - posed a statement on antisemitism to begin a That seems unlikely. The 2018 statements ine the historical development of their ideas and debate which was amended, agreed and sup - talks about ‘exploring partnerships with external how they have come to be so influential, rather posed to go out – but never did. organisations’. That is not wrong itself, but in than dismissing them merely as alien interven - the labour movement is all too often code for tions imported by a few bad people. Lack of democracy not taking issues seriously or having a serious None of these proposals are particularly new discussion. In this case, who will the external or - or groundbreaking, in fact they merely amount To be fair, this was not the only thing pro - ganisations be? Doesn’t deciding that require to the reconstruction of the sort of political ed - posed and agreed that did not happen. Momen - having some discussion about where Momen - ucation previously done by the Labour Col - tum’s current lack of democracy was tum stands on all this? leges movement, adapted for modern foreshadowed. In this case, I suspect the issue Momentum should begin by encouraging conditions. It is only through this work, how - was preferring to deal with things quietly rather its members to have some decent discussion ever, that any further slide into conspiracism than saying anything which might cause a po - about the issues, providing resources, sugges - can be arrested. litical blow up. Thus an opportunity to do any - tions for speakers and so on. More broadly thing about this issue early on was lost. what we need is to explore labour movement More on antisemitism and the left The Momentum leadership/office’s pretence history and tradition and locate this debate What Labour must do on antisemitism, by Gary that it has suddenly discovered this issue is a bit within the class struggle, so we can find the ra - Spedding — bit.ly/2J3LIcN rich. tional and independent working-class an - Paradoxically, Momentum has also refused to swers so desperately needed. To combat antisemitism, Corbynism must change do anything about the issue of justice for those the way it sees the world, by Matt Bolton and Frederick Harry Pitts — bit.ly/2qDOONT treated unfairly by the bureucratic whim of the • For Momentum’s 2018 statement and its un - party machine, suspended and expelled unjustly published 2016 statement see bit.ly/2J4mzPd New Socialist editorial statement on antisemitism and so on. A statement about my expulsion was, — bit.ly/2H3gUMu Page 9 anti-stalinism “We need a socialist renaissance”

In March FBU ge neral se cretary Matt be a world away from a fire - Wrack spoke to The Clarion about his fighter in the UK, but both of ideas of socialism. For the full interview them are only a month away from poverty. As soon as you with him, see our website. stop working you get thrown onto the scrapheap. When I was growing up, lots more people Why are we in that position, would have described themselves as social - when a small minority are in a ists. very different position of actu - Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have ally controlling the economy? referred to “socialism for the 21st century” and The economy is run in their in - so on. That gives us the opportunity to discuss terests, in the interests of profit, again what socialism means. We should try and that determines and shapes build a socialist renaissance in the labour move - the whole of economics and ment. politics. We face the fact that the ideas have been Socialism is saying we should pushed off the agenda for so long. There’s a bit fundamentally change that. The in 1956. of a fluffiness around the Corbyn movement. people who do the work should control the The General Secretary, the President, and a Understandably, people see Jeremy as a sort of economy, the means by which we produce number of our Executive Council members, figurehead, he’s played a great role. The danger things, what we produce, how we produce it, were CP members. In 1956, the entire CP is that people think that this particular leader what we produce it for. group in the union’s leadership resigned from is going to sort everything out for us, when ac - Lots of people who describe themselves as the party in protest at the Soviet invasion of tually it’s going to take a lot more than that. socialists think it’s about raising taxes. I’m not Hungary. The union passed resolutions in sup - We start from the point of view that what - against raising taxes, but the long-term aim is port of Hungarian workers. ever work we’re doing - the work may take dif - much more. I find it bizarre that people could have il - ferent forms - we are workers. We don’t own Stalinist politics is not really reflected in the lusions in those sorts of systems, with their the means of production. We can’t live except FBU now, but historically the union had a big lack of democratic rights, lack of trade union by going to work for someone else, for a wage. Communist Party influence from the 1940s rights and so on. I don’t think those ideas can The wage of a labourer in Bangladesh might onwards. The fascinating bit is what happened have any traction in wider society. For a healthier culture, and better memes

By Ana Oppenheim, Hornsey and Plan C. And the page is known for vicious per - and which are inconsistent with Momentum’s Wood Green CLP sonal attacks on its opponents. It publishes the Code of Ethics.” During London Young names and photos of people who are not public Labour AGM this year, the Clarion reported figures. Its regular arsenal of “jokes” includes aggressive and bullying behaviour by members On 4 April, Facebook deactivated the meme death threats and accusations of paedophilia of the same clique which caused some com - page Red London. For a few beautiful mo - and of “deviancy.” rades to step down from elections and leave the ments, the internet was free from their signa - Sometimes, they get particularly nasty - such conference. (For more, see: bit.ly/2F1ayM0) ture brand of humour, largely based on the as sharing a meme which misattributed out-of- Anyone can fall victim of these attacks who promotion of authoritarian “socialist” politics context quotes about child abuse to a recent fa - opposes RL’s particular brand of “socialism” - and ridiculing other sections of the left, in - ther, or poking fun at a 15-year-old, which one characterised by the fetishisation of brutal cluding bullying individual activists. attracted predictable sexualised comments from dictatorships, promoting nationalism, and ob - Whatever the reason for the page being un - RL’s followers. sessive hatred of “identity politics” and “Trot - published, the hiatus did not last. A new page Those two posts were eventually taken down skyism” (with definitions of both extending to was soon set up and before long the old Red after a series of complaints, but not before include anyone who falls out of favour.) London was back, posting screenshots of social thousands of followers had the chance to see The purpose of Red London, and of the media accounts of individuals opposed to their and share them. wider culture it promotes, is clear: to intimidate politics, misgendering a feminist activist, and It is an open secret that among RL’s admins and silence anyone who dares to disagree. The assuring followers that “Stalin did nothing are prominent figures involved in Young vast majority of those laughing along and per - wrong.” Labour, and the influence of its way of doing petuating that culture are not Stalinists. Some Over the years, Red London has built a sig - politics extends beyond Facebook. might be scared of finding themselves on the nificant following - 58,000 fans and counting. RL’s signature phrases such as “Clear them receiving end. Some want to be part of the in- In many ways, it resembles the countless nos - out” and “Check their bags” (referring to a crowd. The style of politics has been "nor - talgic "communist" meme pages that have pop - strange incident when, before a Momentum malised", including by celebrities of the left, ulated the internet in recent years, from the Youth and Students event, activists had their such as Aaron Bastani, who counts himself uber-popular Sassy Socialist Memes to the bags searched to ensure they weren't carrying among Red London’s fans. more explicitly Stalinist (and transphobic) “hostile” literature) are now common in-jokes The left can do better than letting dreadful Marxist Memes. of the Young Labour left. politics and straight-up abusive behaviour pass RL, however, includes specific references to Earlier this year, Momentum Youth and Stu - for entertainment. the UK context: support for Corbyn and Jon dents was shut down by Jon Lansman after of - Let's finally grow up: promote better ideas, Lansman, jokes mocking left-wing groups in - ficial social media accounts were “used in ways create a healthier culture, and make better cluding the Alliance for Workers' Liberty and which have brought Momentum into disrepute memes. the clarion : May 2018 Page 10 What kind of left? Owen Jones and “more assertive voices”

By Rick Parnet

Before the general election, Owen Jones earned the dislike of many Corbyn-supporting activists by his panic and equivocation in the face of the right-wing backlash against the Labour left. Some might interpret his left turn since the election as an act of op - portunism. I’m not convinced that’s fair. What do I know, but it looks to me as if the election result genuinely surprised Jones and gave him some new or renewed political confidence. Since then two things have impressed me about him. The first is a willingness to roll up his sleeves and throw himself in to help build the movement, mainly in terms of mobilising people for election campaign - ing but also for instance in support of the Picturehouse strike. In this re - spect he stands out from many left-wing journalists and commentators. nounce Momentum activists and paint a bizarre fantasy picture of the He also stands out in now amicably but clearly criticising Corbyn not issues at stake in the fight going on. In this year’s Momentum national from the right, but from the left, saying many things that need to be said coordinating group election, he provided public support to the coup- but few prominent people in the movement are saying. plotters’ slate. Nationalising the banks, free movement, Trident, taxing the rich, I can understand what Jones’ motivations might be. I’m sure he sees restoring all benefits, a four day week... Jones has repeatedly been willing the far left as a disaster zone, and in some respects, with regards to some to use his soapbox to promote left-wing ideas outside the Corbynite con - of the far left, he is right. The fact remains, however, that the “alternative” sensus or stick up for ones Corbyn has let slide. (This in addition to gen - he has backed is committed to keeping Momentum members thoroughly erally progressive and admirable positions on issues such as the Kurdish subordinate and Momentum a safely controlled, cautious and conserva - struggle, trans rights, anti-semitism and Stalinism.) Moreover, he has tive organisation. theorised this stance. All the pushes to radicalise Labour policy over the last two and a half Think Corbyn and McDonnell are radical, he wrote in ? years, for instance on the NHS and anti-union laws, have come not from “I say they aren’t radical enough.” The party’s plans are “too moderate Momentum, but from more radical groups operating within or on the the meet the growing series of challenges facing British society... Labour fringes of Momentum – with at the very best mildly friendly indifference needs to be more ambitious... the danger is that the Labour leadership from the hierarchy. Momentum functions as a Corbyn fan club, but on is seen as the most radical flank of acceptable opinion... with limited the crucial issue of migrants’ rights and free movement is has stood not space for them to be more radical.” Moreover, to shift the political con - to the left but to the right of Corbyn. It has done a few bits to support sensus even further: “There needs to be more assertive voices demanding grassroots struggles like strikes, but is largely indifferent to them. greater radicalism than that offered by Corbyn and McDonnell”. What is most important politically is not the incoherence and Very good indeed! And yet at the same time, Owen Jones has been hypocrisy involved in Jones’ contradictory stand – which is very far from and remains a 100pc supporter of a Momentum leadership which has his alone, though he embodies it in particularly sharp form. What is im - repeatedly denounced the idea that Momentum should develop policy portant is the wider political question. or push Corbyn to the left as a disaster for the movement; and was so How can “more assertive voices demanding greater radicalism” from terrified of this happening on any scale that it spent a year fighting (ul - the leadership and from the labour movement become a force when timately successfully) to shut down democracy in the organisation – with the dominant organisation and dominant leadership of the Labour Jones’ vehement support... left are at best indifferent and at worst deeply hostile to the develop - Shortly before Jon Lansman’s coup against Momentum democracy, ment of such voices? That is a question that urgently requires discus - Jones wrote a dire article, abusing his Guardian column to wildly de - sion. McDonnell, Attlee and radical transformation

By Rida Vaquas, Oxford East CLP to independent industrial organising was shown most clearly in the au - tumn of 1945 - barely a couple of months following Attlee’s successful John McDonnell’s foreword to Clarion editor Simon Hannah’s book election. In response to the national strike of the dockers, the Govern - A Party with Socialists In It certainly has a lot to say on the importance ment sent in 21,000 conscript troops to break the strike. This experience of radical transformation. was repeated in 1947. The exercise of industrial power was therefore sup - Yet I was somewhat surprised to find him locating such a beacon of pressed by a government claiming to act in their interests. radical transformation in the “quiet, almost bureaucratic leadership of This is why political clarity is important - so we don’t mistake replac - Clement Attlee”. I do not mean to downplay the significant achieve - ing private managers with state managers as radical transformation. Na - ments of the 1945-51 government: the creation of the NHS, for instance, tionalisation alone isn’t automatically a socialist economic policy - it only demonstrates what can be done when we dare to do it. becomes a socialist when the workplaces, and who wields power in them, However, it is dangerous to look back upon the Attlee government are transformed. with uncomplicated nostalgia, or understand nationalisation itself to be We can’t overlook how the Attlee government consciously perpetuated symbolic of economic transformation. The question for socialists is al - the foreign policy of their Tory predecessors, in Ernest Bevin’s words, on ways: where does the power lie? Whilst the Attlee government may have the day Labour entered government, “'British foreign policy will not be nationalised 20% of the economy, nationalisation did not translate into altered in any way under the Labour Government'”. The result of this control by workers. Frequently managers employed by the National Coal was a commitment to empire which led a Labour government interven - Board were the exact same bosses from when coal was privatised! Far ing in support of the far-right in Greece to quash leftist resistance forces. from the ideal of serving social need, nationalisation was justified on the As socialists, the legacy of Attlee demonstrates not only the good a grounds of making industries more efficient. Labour government can do, but the dangers and limitations it faces. The Attlee government’s mixed feelings (to put it lightly) in relation When we talk of radical transformation, we must expand our imagi - nations well beyond Attlee! the clarion : May 2018 Page 11 Parliamentary selections “An independent workers’ voice”

Jennifer Forbes, who is campaigning to be Labour’s candidate in Truro and Falmouth, in Cornwall, spoke to The Clarion .

I’ve lived in or near Truro for 22 years. I became a trade unionist twenty years ago, when I was 19. I was a BT engineer and joined the Communication Workers’ Union, becoming an active trade unionist in my teens. I joined the Labour Party ten years ago, not because I had any illusions that it was particularly left-wing or democratic but because as a trade unionist I believe in the capacity of democratic organising to create change from within structures. Things have changed enormously in the Cornish party. When I was secretary a decade ago we had about 150 members. Now it’s 1,200. The numbers were drifting up under Ed Miliband but fundamentally it’s been about Corbyn. We had 300 people out campaigning in the general election last year. Still, large numbers of new members are not very engaged with the party at all, so there is a long way to go to capture that enthusiasm and have brought a lot of benefits to the country. There are big risks in how really get people involved. it’s being proposed to limit migration. We’ve allowed the discussion to Cornwall has always had a lot of anti-establishment feeling – we’re get shut down too quickly after the Brexit vote. On free movement and out on the periphery and many people feel disconnected from the main on Brexit we shouldn’t let our position be determined by the Tories. Westminster parties. The Lib Dems very skilfully tapped into that, which You’re one of two Corbyn supporters who have put their name forward in meant that many left or Labour-leaning voters hardly ever voted for us. Truro and Falmouth [the other is Anna Gillett, who we have also asked for Now the Lib Dems are so discredited that most of their voters have an interview – no reply yet]. What’s distinctive about your campaign? come over, along with many more purely “tactical voters”. It’s also because My campaigning has been based on my experience and skills as a trade Corbyn’s message resonates with people in an area that is struggling eco - unionist, and on the campaigning and organising we need to win in nomically. Workers in Cornwall earn 23pc less than the national aver - Truro and Falmouth and thus to win a Corbyn government. age. The education aspect is vital. Political persuasion is the underlying It’s a very broad range joining Labour, though possibly more middle- thing in trade unionism, so we can convince people they can make class people. From working-class people there are sympathy and votes, change in their workplaces and throughout society. Persuasion is an art but there are more barriers there and more winning over to do. form that has be practised. We need organisers who will get out there To change consciousness, social media campaigns are good but real and do it with as many people as possible. world conversations and in particular getting out into workplaces are ab - For me it is not just about agreeing with Corbyn, but about the so - solutely key. The trade union movement can play a central role in that if cialist ideas which underpin the Corbyn movement and the kind of unions aren't afraid to be political and discuss politics with their mem - demands and campaigns that come out of that. bers. We have this massive surge in the party, but trade unions are still in • Full interview at bit.ly/2JQnEeA. For more on Jen’s campaign and decline. We have to find ways to bridge the gap. That means finding a campaigning work see maytheforbesbewithyou.blog or search ‘Jen way to make politics real and accessible and inviting to workers in the Forbes – campaigner’ on Facebook workplace, while also convincing people involved in the Labour Party that they can turn out and support workers’ struggles and make these kind of links. The majority of voices people hear in politics are still from the middle Left wins Stevenage selection class or the upper class. It’s about having messages that resonate but also about having more working-class representatives, including in Parlia - By a Stevenage Labour and Momentum activist ment. We need to reimagine the way society is organised. Businesses claim From late 2015 onwards, the left-wing of the Stevenage Labour they are there to provide employment and services, but in reality it seems Party has organised and won a series of major victories in our local we are there to serve businesses. We should have a society where wealth- party. creation works to serve us and not the other way round. The most impressive so far: April’s parliamentary selection, in Marketisation and privatisation have extended into areas where they which the candidate backed by the local Momentum branch, sec - make no sense on any level – health and education but also all sorts of ondary-school maths teacher and NEU activist Jill Borcherds, was se - utilities. I would argue that telecommunications should be in public own - lected to contest the next General Election. ership. Jill’s energy and will to win; the presence of an organised local Whatever the forms of ownership, workers’ interests must come first. branch of Momentum, coordinating their campaign with the national People must have decent standards of living and right and a voice in their Momentum organisation; and thirdly, the upsurge in left-wing Labour work and how their industry is run. An independent workers’ voice and party membership, all contributed. input is always key. The scale of this should not be understated given the list of previous Cornwall gets a lot of migrants, not necessarily from other parts of MPs and candidates in the area; “Gang of Four” SDP-founder Shirley Europe but from other parts of the UK! We have problems with schools Williams until 1981, followed by Barbara Follett MP between 1997 and hospitals and public services, but we can address those, and it’s not and 2005, and then Progress-supporter and local Council Leader about immigration. Sharon Taylor in 2010, 2015 and 2017. Migrant workers are unfairly tarnished by the right-wing press. I don’t For the first time in well over 20 years, a left-wing trade-unionist believe the actual economic data supports the discourse. Migrant workers will be the Labour candidate in Stevenage. the clarion : May 2018 Page 12 proportional representation The Labour left and PR

By Stephen Flaherty, Nottingham East

In an earlier article I wrote for The Clarion on proportional represen - tation, I argued that it would lead to the Tories being out of power more and Labour in power more. I’d like to add to the argument: first- past-the-post damages the link between Labour and its supporters. PR would improve it. Knowsley in Merseyside and Hampshire North-East seemingly have nothing in common. They are the safest seats in the country for Labour and the Tories respectively. Safe seats like this exist all over the country. They’re an inevitable consequence of FPTP, which rewards geographical unevenness. What must it be like to be a Labour voter in Hampshire Helen’s. The results are 2 Labour and 1 Tory MP are elected for the con - North-East? To know that, barring a 25% swing in the vote, your vote stituency. won’t matter? What sort of fool’s bargain is it to swap 3 Labour MPs for 2 Labour There are 100 or so seats in the country where your vote does matter, and 1 Tory? But let’s look at the safe Tory seat in Hampshire. Hampshire which are likely to change hands during an election. These seats get more North East, Aldershot, Hampshire North-West and Basingstoke — all attention paid to them during elections than the average seat. Why solid Tory seats — become one 4-seat constituency of North Hampshire. bother if they’re either “in the bag” or a lost cause? Momentum acknowl - And it returns 2 Tories, 1 Labour and 1 Lib Dem. Suddenly, all votes edged this during the last election. The “Your Nearest Marginal” website matter! The Tory in Knowsley and St Helen’s is vulnerable as a small was a way of saying that some seats are more important than others. swing would see all three seats become Labour. So Labour has an incen - This is a natural result of FPTP. Blair came to an obvious conclusion: tive to campaign there, which it doesn’t have under FPTP as they’re al - why bother looking after the safe seats? We’ve got them; they have ready “in the bag.” nowhere else to go. Let’s try to get votes in the marginals. This meant Likewise, a 5% swing in North Hampshire might see a second Labour going after the centre vote — middle England — and to hell with the MP elected at the expense of the Lib Dems (and, of course, a 5% swing Labour heartlands. the other way could see the Tories or Lib Dems snatching the seat from The results of that were plain to see by 2015. One of the more dis - Labour), so it’s worth Labour campaigning there too. In marginals — turbing things about the 5m votes lost by Blair was the fact that a good like the multi-seat constituency that Nuneaton would be part of — you proportion of them were traditional Labour voters. “I didn’t leave the get 2 Labour and 2 Tories, with a swing either way turning it into a 3-1 Labour party, the Labour party left me” was a common refrain. The logic split. of FPTP had produced short term gains that Blair had benefited from, Under this system, Blair would not have been able to get away with but by 2015 the long term consequences were obvious. turning the party to the right so drastically. Pursuing the middle England And then the unthinkable happened: Labour lost one of its heartlands. vote would have been of limited electoral worth and he wouldn’t have Scotland was reduced from 41 Labour MPs to just 1.We’re still dealing had such huge success in the short term or caused such huge damage to with the fallout. The fight between Labour and the SNP let the Tories the party in the long term. And even if the SNP had surged as much, we gain 12 Scottish seats due to FPTP. Without them, May wouldn’t have wouldn’t have lost so many seats in Scotland (though, to be fair, we been able to form a coalition with the DUP. wouldn’t have started with as many either). Imagine a PR system. Single transferable vote (STV) uses multi-seat As you can see — every vote matters, everywhere, under PR. This constituencies. The Campaign for Electoral Reform have ran a simula - is exactly why we should support it. tion of how 2017 would have turned out based on a mixture of the actual • Longer article at bit.ly/2qEyBrE votes and surveys of the electorate’s voting intention if allowed to vote preferentially, using 3 to 6 seat constituencies. Under this simulation, the seats of Knowsley, St Helen’s North and St Helen’s South — all solid Labour in Manchester – a short history Labour seats — become one 3-seat constituency of Knowsley and St Written by Pete Keenlyside, CWU and Momentum election results Manchester Withington CLP

The results for the minority of the Momentum National Coordi - The history of the city of Manchester is by and large the history of its nating Group elected by members came in the day we went to press. Labour Movement. The Labour party, In total 13,307 people — 35pc of members, about the same as last naturally, has played a significant part year — cast 50,410 votes. 23,054, 45.7pc, went to the leadership or in that. Yet it took around 100 years office slate, led by Jon Lansman, on which basis they won 10 out of from the early days of the trade unions 12 places (it is a first past the post system, and one split into three in the city to come about. This booklet, giant pseudo regions, making it even more winner-takes-all). as well as charting the rise of working Radical left Clarion -backed candidates got 9,700 votes or 19.2pc, class organisation up to the beginning even though there were only eight standing, against twelve "Lans - of the 20th Century and the develop - manites". One, Yannis Gourtsoyannis in the London/SE region, was ment of the Labour Party after that, re-elected. Tracy McGuire, in the Northern region, came very close looks at why this took so long. And, in to being elected. describing both the gains and set- In general the candidates we backed got respectable votes, about backs of our movement, asks if these can be any guide to our future? 1,000 each — they were the main opposition candidates. • Available from CWU Greater Manchester Branch, 302a, Barlow • For more analysis from The Clarion , see bit.ly/2vuI7Td Moor Road, Chorlton Park, Manchester M21 8AY. Send cheque for • For a full breakdown, see bit.ly/2JUaA87 £5 (p&p inc.) made out to CWU Greater Manchester the clarion : May 2018 Page 13 Youth CLARION Youth pages Edited by: Maisie Sanders, Rida Vaquas and Daniel Round Criminalisation of drugs is plain stupid! By Ellie Clarke, Holborn and St Pancras CLP

If one thing is obvious, it’s that prohibition has never worked. The global war on drugs has been well and truly lost, leaving nothing in it’s wake but misery, death and destruction for most, whilst a few elites (be them cartel bosses or private prison operators) profit from the pain. Believe it or not, drug legislation is actually pretty new in the UK. It wasn’t until WWI that the possession, distribution and sale of cocaine and opium was outlawed. For many years after this our drug laws remained liberal, with heroin prescribed to addicts on the NHS as a way to in which hundredfold increases in price from derlying causes of drug dependency but they circumvent the social problems that come with production to retail are not uncommon.” Un - do offer the prospect of making the world safer. addiction. This humanitarian approach to drug intended consequence? How could anyone fail There is no reason why other drugs can’t be abuse was chucked after pressure from the UN to see this coming? In the absence of normal regulated and supplied in the same way (or led to the introduction of the 1971 Misuse of regulatory mechanisms, violent discipline and preferably an even better way) than alcohol and Drugs Act. This act saw much tougher penal - conflicts over market share and profits become cigarettes. A black market would probably still ties for drug offenses. the norm. Then add into this clashes with law exist but it would be nothing in comparison to Since then, we have watched state after state enforcement and the intimidation of civilians, what it is now. People argue this would lead to engage in all out urban warfare with its own from both sides of the conflict. the normalisation and widespread use of harm - citizens. Lest we forget the era defining footage When low level drug trade is disrupted, turf ful drugs. But if coupled with the right educa - of Nancy Reagan and LA police chief Daryl wars become exacerbated and cost is passed on tion and social provisions, why would it? Gates driving an actual tank through the front to the low income, dependent consumers, cre - Smoking continues to decrease in the UK year of a suspected crack house in 1989 (you ating more street crime. According to a study on year. Not fighting this losing battle would couldn’t make it up!). by the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in pay for itself in the long run and have the added What does this have to do with Labour 2003, drug users are responsible for 56% of all benefit of making some of the most nocuous though? In The Clarion #14 I wrote about the crimes. On the rare occasion international law forms of policing defunct. wave of violent crime in my area, and how this enforcement manages to take down a real key Plus, with the right progressive taxation in relates to the drug trade. Rather than deal with player, the fallout is catastrophic. When a big place the profit made off narcotics could pay for the complex situation head on, Camden Coun - cartel goes down it creates a power vacuum at the medical and social services we so desper - cil has decided to make recreational drug use the top that can take years of bloody conflict to ately need. Imagine a world where rich coke - their hobby horse. Since then, other leading resolve. Also, at the risk of sounding alarmist, heads were forced to pay for publicly owned labour figures including Jeremy Corbyn have drugs don’t just fund gangs - they fund terror - rehab centres! These are the kind of policy de - decided to get in on the act. On a recent trip to ism. As pointed out in the Alternative World bates we need to be having and they are light the Peckwater Estate where a young man was Drug Report of 2012: “the opium trade earns years ahead of the moralistic finger wagging we stabbed to death, Corbyn said: “smart, wealthy the Taliban and other extremist groups along currently see from most Labour figures. people turning up buying cocaine on the streets the Pakistan-Afghanistan border up to $500m When asked by a journalist in Camden if he are part of the problem… they don’t realise the a year”. From London to Mexico and through supported the legalisation of drugs, Corbyn an - impact they have on the streets… our kids are to Afghanistan, the only people winning from swered: “we support the medical use of losing their lives because of it.” He isn’t com - the criminalisation of drugs are the bad guys. cannabis.” Well, so does everyone with half a pletely wrong. No one can deny that drugs play The decimalisation of drug consumption in brain, Corbz! You’re not exactly ripping up the a huge role in violent crime but making this many European countries is progressive and, playbook, are you? If I had to put money on it, about consumption is futile misdirection. much to the dismay of the ‘lock them up’ I would guess Corbyn actually does support the The drug market is violent because it has crowed, has caused no increase in drug con - legalisation of drugs, but he currently lacks the been left in the hands of organised criminals. sumption. Instead it’s proved to be beneficial to will to fundamentally challenge the status quo Drug consumption is dangerous because drugs public health. However, decimalisation here on this. are unregulated. The UN was the key organi - does nothing to tackle the violence and terror We need a change to stop the dangerous sation behind ‘the war on drugs’ and in its own at the point of production and supply. I don’t cycle of mercenaries getting richer and kids 2008 world drug report admitted: “the first un - want to oversimplify an incredibly complex sit - getting killed in our streets and streets around intended consequence is the creation of a crim - uation with a silver bullet solution but legalisa - the world. inal black market. There is no shortage of tion seems to me a logical route. criminals interested in competing in a market Regulated markets cannot deal with the un - the clarion : May 2018 Page 14 Youth CLARION Youth pages Young Labour and international solidarity By Omar Raii, London Young Labour Committee

It is encouraging to see that Young Labour, under the influence of the left, is speaking out more on international issues. Only recently we have seen the Turkish army ruthlessly invade and occupy northern Syria, killing scores of mainly Kurdish civilians. Young Labour’s national committee passed and published a widely-circulated motion, which you can read here bit.ly/2vmfF5Q Young Labour also produced a statement in response to the Israeli states’ killing of dozens of unarmed Palestinians as it continues its shameful collective punishment of the people of Gaza, which we reproduce below. Now more than ever it is important for so - London Young Labour members on the London Palestine demonstration cialists to build solidarity, supporting demands for freedom, democracy and workers’ rights in the Middle East and elsewhere. That solidarity half are under the age of 18. Two thirds are This reflects the inhumane nature of the should be consistent. Young Labour under its refugees. Disease is rife. 90% of Gaza’s water is siege. It is a punitive response to a situation that new leadership has said nothing, for instance, unfit for human consumption. urgently requires humane solutions, and a re - about the Assad regime’s murder of civilians, Blackouts and power shortages are common. sponse that is disgracefully backed by the backed by its Russian and Iranian allies. Israeli forces have been known to target farm - United States, the European Union and our Socialists in Young Labour should fight to ers, fishermen and children, and stand accused own government. change that. by leading human rights organisations of a Young Labour, like the Labour Party nation - whole litany of human rights abuses - from in - ally, firmly believes in a negotiated, just and Young Labour statement tentionally depriving citizens of necessary med - long-lasting peace between the Israeli and ical aid to arbitrarily holding children in Palestinian peoples. Our organisation condemns the 30th March military detention. In this spirit of a brighter future for both massacre of at least 16 Palestinian protesters When Gaza was placed under siege in 2007, peoples, we condemn the Israeli govern - by 100 snipers dispatched by the Israeli state, Dov Weissglass, an advisor to then-prime min - ment’s war crimes, which only moves us fur - who also wounded over 700 people. ister Ehud Olmert, said that “the idea” for the ther from this goal — and we demand The protesters were gathering on Land Day, siege is “to put the Palestinians on a diet, but international solidarity, respect and dignity an annual protest commemorating the mas - not to make them die of hunger”. for the Palestinian people. sacre of six Palestinian workers killed protesting alongside their trade unions and socialist Pales - tinian political organisations against land seizures undertaken by the Israeli government. 41 years on from this event, the death toll only grows higher. The massacre on the 30th March is yet another tragic episode in the his - tory of the Palestinian people - and the world still refuses to listen. Our organisation is calling upon Theresa May to condemn the actions of the Israeli state, and to work constructively towards justice for the Palestinian people. In accordance with the will of the United Nations, we also call for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, should they wish - a right which has been reaffirmed by the U.N. on more than 135 occasions . Crucially, we also join the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to call for the siege of Gaza to be lifted. Of the 1.7 million people who live in Gaza, the clarion : May 2018 Page 15 the isisssuuee 1 75:: MMaayy 2200117 8 clarion £1 (unwaged 50p) A socialist magazine by Labour and Momentum activists Socialism versus antisemitism

A statement from The incompatible with working-class so - slaught was instigated by Clarion ’s Editorial Board cialism. Socialism blames exploita - the digging up of an old tion and oppression not on story from 2015 about conspiracies but on the observable Corbyn’s defence of an The problem of antisemitism in the and analysable structures and mech - antisemitic mural in Labour Party is being exaggerated – anisms of capitalism. "Conspiracies" 2012. What that illus - but that does not mean there is no by the rich and powerful take place trated was at least a blind problem to deal with. on the basis of that exploitation – not spot, as to any serious Antisemitism in the Labour Party the other way round. Socialists re - observer that mural was and on the left is not just a matter of spond by seeking to organise workers clearly antisemitic. Labour and the left being affected by of all backgrounds and origins, across None of this is to deny wider antisemitism in society. As all divisions and borders, to fight ex - that the issue of anti - Jeremy Corbyn has rightly pointed ploitation and oppression together. semitism has been ma - Antisemitic sign from the Occupy movement of 2011 out, there is a specific form of "left- Through political education, argu - nipulated and exploited match cynicism with cynicism. We wing" antisemitism which has aptly ment and struggle, we need to purge cynically to attack the left – by the been called – originally by Germany's must engage with the issues of anti - the left of all vestiges of conspiracy right-wing press and the Tories but semitism and how to fight it seri - socialist leader August Bebel – the theories and strengthen it with a also by some on the right of the party. “socialism of fools”. ously. healthy dose of class-struggle social - There is self-evidently a concerted The problem here is fundamen - This is the idea, which proliferates ism. campaign to undermine the left. on the fringes of the left, that work - tally political. It will not be solved by Immediately, in and around Some of the cynicism is quite breath- disciplinary measures. Explicit and ing people suffer because of the ma - Labour, antisemitism has to be taken taking, with the likes of Chuka nipulative, conspiratorial and unrepentant antisemites should be seriously and challenged. Jewish peo - Umunna and Yvette Cooper going expelled (though there must be the personal power of shadowy interna - ple concerned about it need to be lis - on demonstrations alongside Tories tional elites with direct control of the possibility to rehabilitate people); but tened to, even when we disagree with and DUPers to denounce Corbyn, we must oppose attempts to further media, finance and (some) govern - their politics – as we would do with when they refused to say a word ments. Even where these elites are strengthen the Labour bureaucracy’s any other oppressed group. against Ed Miliband being subjected power over the rights of members. not openly labelled Jewish, there is A wider problem on the left than to a series of Jew-baiting attacks (his often reference to e.g. the Roth - We continue to demand due process out-and-out antisemitism is people dad was a traitor to Britain, he could - for all and an end to factional use of schilds or the “Zionists”. Not all con - who do not want to tackle the issue. n’t eat a bacon sandwich, north Lon - spiracy theorists are antisemitic, but the disciplinary system. We fight for Sometimes this takes the form of don intellectual, etc...) Right-wing the Chakrabarti recommendations to such politics provides a culture simply refusing to engage one’s brain MPs like John Woodcock denounc - medium for the growth of anti - be implemented. What is needed is – as we seemed to be the case with ing left-wingers Jewdas as the wrong not just getting rid of a few bad ap - semitism. fallen NEC member Christine kind of Jews was also appalling. Conspiracy theory-type politics are ples but a much wider political pro - Shawcroft recently. The media on - We have nothing to learn from cess of discussion and education those responsible for the shameless about antisemitism, as well as about Precarious Workers’ Bloc on May Day anti-migrant and anti-Muslim big - the nature of capitalism and socialist otry of the New Labour years, which politics. Precarious workers and their unions are organising actions on May Day has fundamentally poisoned British A fighting Labour Party, a revived 2018 in London, fighting for: politics ever since. labour movement and a renaissance • An end to exploitative contracts and poverty pay The left should be proud of our of socialist politics can provide in - • Free movement and migrants’ rights anti-racist traditions. Socialist and valuable allies to all the oppressed. • Decriminalisation of sex work trade unionists fought alongside the But to create these things the left • An end to victimisation of trade unionists and repeal of the anti-union Jewish community at Cable Street to must be radically strengthened and laws defeat Oswald Mosley’s Black Shirts, developed, including by putting its Meet 1.30pm at Charing Cross station to head to the May Day rally in while the defended them. house in order on antisemitism. Trafalgar Square. Then march to workplaces including the Ministry of Corbyn and many other leftists have The sound and fury will die Justice and Picturehouse, ending with a 5.30pm rally at McDonalds. an honourable record of opposing down. As they do we must increase racism. the light being shed on the issues, More: May Day Precarious Workers’ Bloc on Facebook or email Nonetheless our response should not led it fade. [email protected] not limit itself to the defensive or

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