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So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 282 17 April 2013 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government New York fast Illuminating Debate on food strike Marx Syria page 3 pages 6-7 page 9-10 Today’s Tories are just as much class warriors as Thatcher’s. Only because Cameron and Osborne have faced less resistance do they appear less “divisive”. Fight the class warfare of the rich: see page 5 NOW BURY Celebrating in Trafalgar Square, Saturday 13 April. Photo: Jess Hurd (reportdigital.co.uk) THATCHERISM 2 NEWS What is the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty? Resist student shift to right! Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to By Rosie Huzzard rape allegations against another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of Martin Smith. Shereen production. Society is shaped by the capitalists’ If a measure of a union’s Prasad, a dissident SWP relentless drive to increase their wealth. Capitalism worth as a union is its member who explicitly crit - causes poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives willingness to fight for icised the party leadership by overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the the interests of its mem - environment and much else. in her election speech, Against the accumulated wealth and power of the bers, then this year’s NUS faced no walkouts and won capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. conference (8-10 April) a much higher vote. The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity through saw a new low. There is a debate within struggle so that the working class can overthrow capitalism. We want The leadership and its NCAFC about the useful - socialist revolution: collective ownership of industry and services, supporters aggressively re - ness of far-left activists in - workers’ control and a democracy much fuller than the present system, jected any suggestion of a tervening in NUS at all. with elected representatives recallable at any time and an end to campaign on fees, Although the prospects for bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. grants/loans, education any radical transformation We fight for the labour movement to break with “social partnership” funding or how our educa - of NUS are remote, Work - and assert working-class interests militantly against the bosses. ers’ Liberty students be - tion is structured. They education” and so on. palling. While constantly Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, lieve intervention is still voted down support for The NUS leadership was attacking the NCAFC, the supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, helping worthwhile. By intervening free education, dusting off able to get away with this leadership clapped and organise rank-and-file groups. in conference NCAFC met the argument that it means because the conference as a cheered him (they also We are also active among students and in many campaigns and new activists, publicised the poor paying for rich whole was less political urged delegates not to cele - alliances. campaigns including the kids to go to university. than in previous years. The brate Thatcher's death). He Sussex anti-privatisation whole feel of the thing was will very possibly get We stand for: struggle, organised a well- ● Independent working-class representation in politics. NATIONAL DEMO flatter and less political, elected to the national exec - attended vigil to demand ● A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour They voted down holding with fewer fringe meetings, utive and, breaking with justice for Steven Simpson, movement. a national demonstration fewer stalls — fewer stupid his party's recent traditions, and more besides. ● A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to strike, to in the autumn, using their election gimmicks, even. start to establish an organ - As well as continuing to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. own failings in connec - There was also the ised Tory base in NUS and build itself as an inde - ● Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education tion with last year's demo growth of an element at the SUs. This is a major politi - pendent activist force on and jobs for all. to justify this and to at - conference that was not just cal threat. campuses, NCAFC will be ● A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full tack the left. right-wing in the tradi - The radical left has been continuing a debate equality for women and social provision to free women from the burden tional NUS sense — reduced to a relatively about both intervention in of housework. Free abortion on request. Full equality for lesbian, gay, They voted down a cam - broadly Blairite — but small minority. The only NUS and the possibilities bisexual and transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity paign to bring back EMAs Tory-leaning. The one big left organisation that ap - against racism. for sixth form students. for building a federation ● Open borders. Last year, slogans like “Tax defeat for the leadership a peared as a force at the con - of radical students ● Global solidarity against global capital — workers everywhere have the rich” were quietly ac - defeat from the right: on ference, with caucuses, a unions. guaranteed representation stall, extensive materials, a more in common with each other than with their capitalist or Stalinist cepted before being binned, • Comment on the walk for women on the NEC and bulletin, a fringe meeting rulers. this year both “Tax the outs during Tomas Evans’s conference delegations. and so on was the National ● Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or rich” and “Expropriate the speeches: bit.ly/ Into this atmosphere Campaign Against Fees community to global social organisation. banks” were defeated. swpwalkout strode Peter Smallwood, and Cuts (NCAFC). ● Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all A motion to campaign • Comment on a contro - Tory candidate for presi - Hundreds of delegates nations, against imperialists and predators big and small. for public, democratically versy at the conference ● Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. dent and the NEC. Playing walked out during run universities and col - about the definition of anti- ● If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity to sell — hard on the joke of being a speeches by Tomas Evans, leges was gutted. In place Semitism: bit.ly/ and join us! fish out of water, Small - an SWP member and sup - of this, conference passed nusantisem wood would have been porter of the Central Com - bland waffle about “cele - • More on the NCAFC funny – if he wasn't ap - mittee’s handling of the Contact us: brating the public value of website: anticuts.com ● 020 7394 8923 ● [email protected] The editor (Cathy Nugent), 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG. New unions show unrest ● Printed by Trinity Mirror EDL leader backs Ukip groups of workers...” Workers’ Liberty has By Darren Bedford the party’s platform on Get Solidarity every week! been involved in cam - Europe and “Islam” as paigns involving some new Prominent English De - points of agreement with fence League ● Trial sub, 6 issues £5 o independent unions (in - the EDL’s own approach. spokesperson Stephen The EDL’s last attempt ● 22 issues (six months). £18 waged cluding the Industrial o Lennon (also known as to intervene in official Workers of the World and £9 unwaged o Tommy Robinson) has politics was an alliance the Pret A Manger Staff ● publicly backed Ukip, with the far-right British 44 issues (year). £35 waged o By Ollie Moore Union, which are specifi - £17 unwaged calling on other “nation - Freedom Party, which o cally mentioned in the re - alist” parties not to A recent report by Acas was deregistered in De - ● European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) o port, and the Industrial stand against them. into the work of the Certi - cember 2012 after failing or 50 euros (44 issues) o Workers of Great Britain). to submit its accounts to fication Office (which, We don’t see such initia - Lennon/Robinson cited Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: among other things, the Electoral Commission. tives as an alternative to Ukip has distanced it - 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG maintains the official reg - transforming the mass ister of trade unions) self from the EDL, affirm - Cheques (£) to “AWL”. unions, but they can play ing that party members identifies a “steady an important role in some Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. trickle” of new unions found to be involved in struggles. The proliferation EDL activities will be ex - being established, de - of such initiatives shows Name . spite a general trend of pelled. that more workers are find - If any kind of relation - decline. ship develops on the Address . ing their struggles re - According to the report: stricted, rather than ground between EDL di - visions and Ukip . “These new unions appear facilitated, by mainstream to be motivated by, among unions. branches, anti-fascists I enclose £ . other things... an attempt to This reinforces the will need to be on the gain improved recognition need to transform our guard. for under-represented movement as a whole. 3 INTERNATIONAL Time to sober up on Chavismo Fast food workers By Pablo Velasco The civic-military al - strike against low pay liance at the heart of The narrow victory of Chávez’s Bonapartist proj - Nicolás Maduro in the ect remains intact, but is Venezuelan presidential likely to fracture in the ab - election on 14 April sence of its figurehead. For - should trigger serious re - mer military officers run 11 flection on the left about of the 20 PSUV-led state the limits of chavismo governments, and account without Chávez.