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& Workers' Liberty So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 300 16 October 2013 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government Exploiting Open Europe’s Fighting casual migrants borders work in 1972 in Russia page 2 pages 6-7 page 9 Tories and Labour are competing with each other over who can be “tougher” on benefit claimants. Socialists, trade unionists, and community activists can force them to retreat. See page 5 Who speaks for the worst off? 2 NEWS What is the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty? Drawbacks in press row Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to By Colin Foster The Privy Council has al - Both have the drawback go to court large protection another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of production. ready rejected a full-scale for the dissident and mi - from criticism. But we also Society is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to On 30 October the Privy alternative drafted by the nority press — like Solidar - increase their wealth. Capitalism causes poverty, support legal entitlements unemployment, the blighting of lives by overwork, Council — an appointed newspaper bosses. ity — that publications to replies and corrections. imperialism, the destruction of the environment and committee of medieval The differences between outside the scope of the Real freedom of the much else. origins — is due to an - the newspaper bosses’ new commission would be press will be won only by Against the accumulated wealth and power of the nounce a decision on scheme and the govern - subject to exemplary puni - establishing social con - capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. press regulation. ment’s are relatively slight. tive damages in libel cases. trol over the essential The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity through Both would established a Socialists prefer even means of production — struggle so that the working class can overthrow capitalism. We want The big political parties souped-up version of the bourgeois freedom of the have agreed a scheme be - printing presses, distribu - socialist revolution: collective ownership of industry and services, present Press Complaints press to government con - tion systems, and so on workers’ control and a democracy much fuller than the present system, tween them but are re - Commission, and a panel trol, and we are for a dras - — and guarantees of ac - with elected representatives recallable at any time and an end to working it to try to make it to check up on how the tic reform of Britain's cess to those means by bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. acceptable to the press souped-up commission is current libel laws, which We fight for the labour movement to break with “social partnership” lords. operating. offer people rich enough to all schools of thought. and assert working-class interests militantly against the bosses. Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, helping Police protect EDL in Bradford Hand-out for mail share-buyers organise rank-and-file groups. We are also active among students and in many campaigns and By Gerry Bates Well-off people who bought Royal Mail shares in the alliances. government’s sell-off were able to reap an instant On Saturday 12 October profit of more than £300 as soon as the shares We stand for: around 250 people started trading on 15 October and the shares rose Independent working-class representation in politics. ● demonstrated with the from the 330p sell-off price to 490p. ● A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour English Defence League movement. in Bradford. Big banks who bought larger slabs of shares have made ● A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to strike, to bigger gains. picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. Heavy policing ensured large parts of the city were The hand-out here to the rich and the well-off is not a ● Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education mistake or misjudgement by the government. All the big and jobs for all. shut down. privatisations by the Thatcher government had the same ● A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full The EDL had previously appointing. equality for women and social provision to free women from the burden targeted the city in 2010. Leeds Anti Fascist Net - thing: share prices rose as soon as the shares began trad - of housework. Free abortion on request. Full equality for lesbian, gay, That was one of the few oc - work and Bradford Anti ing, and those who had bought in got immediate gains. bisexual and transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity casions when they were Fascists leafletting and or - This government and the Thatcher government, keen against racism. clearly routed by the anti- ganised for local people to to cut social spending, are also keen to spend taxpayers' ● Open borders. fascist opposition. come to the city centre and money to provide those gains for the share-traders. ● Global solidarity against global capital — workers everywhere have On 12 October up to 200 oppose the EDL directly Doing so ensures that the sell-off is a "success" — the more in common with each other than with their capitalist or Stalinist anti-fascists and locals and on the day leafletting demand for shares is bigger than the supply. It avoids the rulers. turned out against the to build a Bradford Anti risk of the government being embarrassed by some ● Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or racists of the EDL. Al - Fascist Network. community to global social organisation. The left and trade union shares remaining unsold. And it consolidates enthusiasm though the poor weather for the government among a significant layer of its habit - ● Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all and a union-backed anti movement must do much nations, against imperialists and predators big and small. better at co-ordinating ual supporters. fascist march in Liverpool Remember that next time the government says that ● Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. at the same time probably and mobilising against If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity to sell — social cuts are necessary. ● had an effect, this was dis - the racists and fascists. and join us! Contact us: US shutdown hurts the poor ● 020 7394 8923 ● [email protected] The editor (Cathy Nugent), 20e Tower Workshops, Riley As Solidarity went to press, But at the Department of ers, but he was left with 40 Road, London, SE1 3DG. negotiations over the US Homeland Security, Immi - people determined to be ● Printed by Trinity Mirror government shutdown gration and Customs En - “essential.” The CDC even - were ongoing. This article, forcement (ICE) employees tually got 30 more people by Nicole Colson, is from and Customs and Border deemed “essential,” but Socialist Worker, the paper Protection agents are only 10 of them went to Get Solidarity every week! of the International Social- “still...around to enforce work in Braden’s division, ● Trial sub, 6 issues £5 o ist Organization. immigration law because and not all of them were the operations are ‘neces - working on the PulseNet ● 22 issues (six months). £18 waged o As the federal govern - sary for safety of life and program that investigates £9 unwaged o ment shutdown enters a protection of foodborne illnesses. third week, cutting off property,’” according to It wasn’t until after 278 ● 44 issues (year). £35 waged o funds for so-called “non- £17 unwaged o Alternet ‘s Esther Yu-Hsi Unaffected by shut-down people across 18 states had essential” government Lee. ICE agents are still ar - been sickened by an antibi - ● European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) o services, it’s more and resting and deporting some otic-resistant outbreak of or 50 euros (44 issues) o more clear that what 1,120 immigrants per day. The shutdown has af - salmonella that the CDC’s those in power consider fected public health — per - Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: So the federal shutdown outbreak-tracking team “non-essential” is very won’t stop the Obama ad - haps most obviously in a was finally re-designated 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG different from what we ministration from passing a multi-state salmonella out - as an “essential” service. Cheques (£) to “AWL”. do. terrible milestone in the break in chicken that This salmonella out - caused hundreds to fall ill break didn’t become a Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. Educational programs next few weeks: two mil - like Head Start, nutrition lion immigrants deported and dozens to be hospi - massive public health cri - talised. sis, but it’s obvious that Name . assistance to women and in the five years since children, national parks, Barack Obama took office Dr Chris Braden, director already understaffed and of the Centers for Disease underfunded U.S. public Address . some medical services at — more than any other the National Institutes of president. Control and Prevention’s health agencies are being (CDC) division of food - stretched to their limits . Health — all are among the This contrast shows the many services closed down twisted priorities of the borne, waterborne and en - — with the potential for a I enclose £ . outright or facing the threat federal government, evi - vironmental diseases, told worse crisis down the of their funding running dent even when that gov - Wired.com’s Maryn road. out during the shutdown. ernment is shut down. McKenna that his division • Full article: bit.ly/iso-gs normally totals 300 work - 3 NEWS 2018 World Cup built on exploitation Bob Carnegie By Anne Field ing and stigmatising of for - labour are also scrapped by most will be foreign work - eigners by the Russian FZ-108, as too is the re - ers.
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