& Workers’ Liberty

SolFor siociadl ownershaip of the branks aind intdustry y No 482 17 October 2018 50p/£1 And why not Irish Unity?

See pages 5 and 9

Jews and Arabs standing together

Hannah Pollin-Galay, an activist with Standing Together in Israel/Palestine, talks to Daniel Randall. See pages 6-7

Fighting capital or Labour Party conference on 23-26 September saw an anti-Brexit surge from the ranks, with more motions from local Labour Parties against Brexit than ever before on a single issue for a single conference. just the “greedy Now that needs to be nailed down by the movement pushing the Labour leaders into opposing Brexit outright and returning to support for few”? keeping the freedom of movement within Europe which has existed for decades now. The ranks of the labour movement are, by a strong majority, against Brexit. Labour is the only party capable of stopping the Tories and Dale Street reviews Corbynism — a crit - stopping Brexit. More page 5 ical approach. See page 8 2 NEWS More online at www.workersliberty.org Women rise up against Bolsonaro

By Olivier Delbeke Bolsonaro’s election would signal a and pentecostalist churches, who green light to full impunity. In have gained momentum and dom - Jair Bolsonaro [the leader in the other words, they could tell their inance over the last few years. race to be president of Brazil] is henchmen to fire at will. Jair Bolsonaro, who boasts of known as the man of three Bs. He recently said: “We are going having no ideology, vindicates B for Bala, the army bullets . Jair to give our rifles to rural producers, three models of masculinity in pol - Bolsonaro was trained in a Brazil - it will be their calling card against itics: Donald Trump, Rodrigo ian military school during the dic - the invaders”. It should be noted Duterte, the Filipino president tatorship. He came into politics that those he deems invaders are leading a brutal war on “delin - through campaigning to increase the real rural producers; that those quent” teenagers, and the man officers’ salaries. he calls producers are the destroy - whose name is a plan for action: In 2016, he dedicated the vote he ers of the land, and already have ri - Augusto Pinochet. cast in parliament in favour of im - fles. It is difficult to say if Bolsonaro is B for Biblia, that of the “evange - peaching Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s as stupid as Trump or, more likely, lists”. elected president standing in for The evangelical Church of his boundless cynicism explains Lula (Workers’ Party, PT), to the re - the Assembly of God and that of each of his remarks. cently deceased colonel Ustra, who the Pentecostalists of the Christian In the course of 2018, Bolsonaro had tortured Dilma Roussef as a Congregation of Brazil and of the rose to second place in the polls be - young guerrilla. According to Jair Universal Church of the Kingdom hind Lula, if Lula had been able to Bolsonaro this is ethical, the way of God. stand, and then first overall for the world should be. All are with the angels when they Brazilian presidency. His stabbing B for Boi, the cattle belonging to hear Bolsonaro say “I’d rather my on 6 September further boosted his ruralistas, the big landowners de - son was dead than gay”, and other support and his accession to the Millions of protestors took to the vanaughs, in West Virginia just as stroying the rainforest, firing at similar remarks. Although himself presidency of the United States of streets of Brazil on Sunday 29 Sep - in Brazil, the new women’s move - the peasants who claim land, a Catholic, Jair Bolsonaro has be - Brazil, South America’s largest tember. It was the day Bolsonaro ment links with the working-class spilling their agro-fuels. come the idol of these evangelical state, seems like a likely danger. For them, left hospital, and therefore his offi - struggle and raises important ques - cial return to the scene. These tions. protests rallied thousands of mili - A brute who approves of murder tant trade unionists and left- and torture shouldn’t come to wingers who, since the acceptance power. To stop him we will have to of Rousseff’s impeachment and vote for Haddad, in a dynamic of Lula’s invalidation, have been like democratic regroupment and a orphans, robbed of an outlet for ex - move from the defensive to the of - pression. fensive. Such will be the long polit - But it wasn’t their traditional or - ical battle between the two rounds, ganisations that allowed them to between Sunday 7 October and do it. A new organisation emerged Sunday 28 October. Democracy against barbarism! on 30 August: Mulheres Unidas Women’s rights against bar - contra Bolsonaro, Women United barism! Against Bolsonaro, with the hash - tag #EleNão, Not Him. Faced with the barbarism of the • Abridged from Arguments pour Bolsonaros, Trumps and Ka - la lutte sociàle. Discussing left antisemitism

By Ira Berkovic meetings, including the extent to Support Turkish construction workers! which the issue of antisemitism on Workers’ Liberty branches the left can be separated from around the country have in the questions of policy towards Is - By Pete Boggs ments, including of Ozgur Karabu - the presidency has used this excuse last month been organising rael/Palestine, and whether left lut, the president of the Progressive to massively strengthen its own meetings on left antisemitism, antisemitism is a form of The Turkish government has de - Union of Construction Workers powers, instituting a state of emer - discussing what this phenome - “racism”. tained hundreds of construction (Dev Yapı-İş, which is part of the gency which was only lifted a few non is and how to fight it. Most meetings have been at - workers after they demonstrated broader trade union centre in months ago (yet in reality many of Meetings have taken place in tended by attended by some hold - against conditions at the build - Turkey, DİSK). the emergency powers granted Sheffield, Lewisham, King’s ing views different, sometimes ing site of Istanbul’s new airport. These declining working condi - have remained). Cross, Oxford, Bristol, Northamp - wildly so, from Workers’ Liberty. tions come as a direct result of the Despite its loss of 22 seats in the ton, Brixton, Newcastle, and Although there have been sharp There have been long-running exchanges, in general the meet - complaints from workers at the financial crisis in Turkey, which has June parliamentary elections earlier Durham. seen the lira drop 40 percent in the this year, the AKP under Erdoğan The attitude from some in the ings have been characterised by building site of the currently under openness and an atmosphere of construction airport in Istanbul, last year. Karabulut said: “Because still remains in power thanks to its Momentum and Labour leader - the costs are growing for the sub - coalition with the far-right MHP, ships has been to treat the ques - free speech. which if completed would be the The aim of the meetings, how - largest airport in the world. contractors, to make profit [they] who are associated with the fascist tion as one of embarrassing public cut from everything, from helmets Grey Wolves. The government has relations optics, perhaps to be ever, has not merely been to pro - Workers have complained about vide a space for debate but to appalling living conditions, insuffi - to safety shoes,”. continued its attacks on the rights dealt with by expelling a few of State-awarded construction proj - of workers and national minorities, the worst offenders; serious dis - convince comrades of a particular cient pay, as well as massive health view: that antisemitism does exist and safety violations. The govern - ects have been a central part of particularly the Kurds, and has cussion and debate of the issues, President Erdoğan’s economic pol - continued its occupation of Idlib in involving proper historical analy - on the left, and in a specific and ment has confirmed the deaths of distinct form, and that the way to 37 workers over the four year con - icy, and the new airport in Istanbul Syria. sis, has not, on the whole, been en - has also served as a vanity project It is the job of the labour move - couraged or facilitated. uproot it is to replace the conspir - struction project, but workers claim acist form of anti-Zionism that that this number could in reality be for his presidency. ment in Britain to support the re - Workers’ Liberty’s meetings The AKP (Justice and Develop - sistance against the authoritarian have attempted to supply this de - currently predominates on much up to 400 people. of the far left with a consistently Following a shuttle bus accident ment Party) regime in Turkey has Erdoğan regime. This resistance in ficiency. presided over a clampdown on Turkey takes many forms, and we Comrades have attended from democratic policy that upholds which injured 17 workers, protests the equal right of all peoples to erupted on the site. The response to democratic freedoms, particularly should support the Kurdish strug - local Labour Parties and Momen - since the failed coup. In July 2016, gle for self-determination. self-determination. these protests has been brutal re - Above all however, it is the tum groups, showing a real ap - If you want to organise a there was an attempt at a coup d’é - pression through the use of the mil - task of the embattled Turkish left petite amongst many activists to meeting on this topic in your tat by supposed Gülenists, follow - itary and water cannons, in and working class movement to properly discuss the issues. Many area, email office@workerslib - ers of President Erdoğan’s former addition to hundreds of detain - challenge the government. points of debate have arisen at the erty.org. ally Fethullah Gülen. Since then, Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty NEWS 3 “Rise Up” remains seated as Berlin marches against racism

By Dale Street migration to be played off against Momentum than it realises) Wa - Within days Wagenknecht had each other. … Solidarity knows no genknecht also declared that Rise “clarified” her position. Somewhere between 150,000 borders. For the right to protection Up as an organisation would not “Of course”, she “welcomed” and 250,000 people marched and asylum. Against a Fortress Eu - “formally” support the demonstra - people demonstrating for solidarity through Berlin on Saturday 14 rope.” tion. and against racism. But the demon - October in a protest against But Sahra Wagenknecht — co- Wagenknecht’s stance provoked stration failed to identify those re - “racism, social exclusion and the chair of the parliamentary fraction uproar on sections of the left. (Some sponsible for the flight of refugees, shift to the right (‘Rechtsruck’)”. of Die Linke (The Left) and leader of it undoubtedly factionally moti - and those responsible for cuts in The “#Indivisible” demonstra - of Rise Up (supposedly a broad vated. Leaders of The Left see Rise welfare spending. tion was backed by a range of indi - cross-party left movement, mod - Up as the first step to engineering a Moreover: “There are also many viduals and organisations — elled on Momentum) — refused to split in the party.) people who oppose racism and around 4,500 of them — that Stand support or attend the demonstra - And not for the first time, the far- hostility to foreigners, and who si - Up to Racism could only dream of. tion. right Alternative for Germany multaneously consider the regula - Official publicity for the demon - It was “absolutely correct” if backed Wagenknecht, describing tion of migration to be a necessity. stration declared: “lots of people demonstrate against her as “the voice of reason” in her In any objective and democratic de - “We are for an open society of racism and right-wing politics.” party: bate this position must be respected But support for “open borders for “Her movement Rise Up has as well.” solidarity, in which human rights Wagenknecht’s attitude to - all”, she said, was implicit in the recognised that open borders are indivisible and in which it is a wards the demonstration, and demonstration’s demands, with the would make an absurdity of any matter of course that there are a her autocratic declaration that result that “a certain milieu will reasonable asylum policies. Wa - multiplicity of ways in which peo - people see as unreal and com - Rise Up was taking the same po - demonstrate, and a different one genknecht seems to be one of the ple can decide how to live their pletely alien. And they are right to sition, underlines the accelerat - will be absent.” few politicians in The Left who own lives.” do so.” ing right-populist shift in her Wagenknecht continued: “If we have understood that most people “We will not allow the welfare Without any debate within Rise politics, and the democratic speak about open borders for all, in Germany don’t want open bor - state, flight from persecution, and Up (which clearly owes more to deficit at the heart of Rise Up. then that is a demand which most ders.” “Grand Coalition” slumps in Bavaria New facts on undercover By Gerry Bates hardline enough. They switched to throws of the SPD (German Labour vaguely anti-capitalist vote clearly the far-right Alternative for Ger - Party), once the party of Liebknecht went to the Greens not to The Left. Last Sunday’s regional election many (AfD), which picked up 10% and Luxemburg and the largest so - Bitter internal divisions arising cops in the German federal state of of the vote (less than had been pre - cial-democratic party in the world: from the creation of the “Rise By Rhodri Evans Bavaria marked a major shift in dicted prior to the elections). its share of the vote slumped from Up”movement by its parliamen - Bavarian politics, with implica - A different, smaller, layer of its 20% in 2013 to less than 10%. tary fraction co-chair Sahra Wa - tions for the “Grand Coalition” More than a thousand political voters were repelled by its crude The SPD was in a coalition gov - genknecht were probably a factor government at national level . witch-hunting of foreigners. They ernment with the CDU and CSU at and campaigning groups have in its poor performance. been targeted by undercover Support for the long-dominant switched to the Free Voters, an national level from 2013 to 2017. In The Bavarian election results also ultra-traditional conservative party, the 2017 general election its share of police operations over the CSU slumped. In years past the spell trouble for the CDU-CSU-SPD but one not tainted by the CSU’s the vote fell to 20%. Suicidally, it re- years since 1968. CSU (a regional Bavarian party, national coalition government – xenophobic rhetoric. They secured entered a CDU-CSU coalition gov - In the latest instalment of a something of a cross between the which can only be a good thing. 11% of the vote. ernment earlier this year. Last slowly-accumulating mass of rev - Tories and UKIP) easily picked up The two parties in the coalition well over 50% of the vote. This time The CSU’s attempt to outflank Sunday it paid the price for that de - elations, the Guardian on 15 Octo - which contested the Bavarian elec - their share of the vote fell to 37%. the AfD also triggered a wave of cision. ber published a list, compiled by tion did badly. The CSU, part of the coalition opposition in terms of popular Die Linke (The Left), a party to The result will add to the pres - the Undercover Research Group bit.ly/und-cover, of 124 groups government at national level, has protests and demonstrations. In last the left of the SPD but with lean - sure on the SPD to pull out of the within which police agents were recently pursued a viciously anti- Sunday’s elections the beneficiaries ings towards Stalinism (especially coalition. And a poor perform - of that anti-CSU backlash were the among its older members), failed to placed between 1970 and 2007. refugee and anti-migrant line, de - ance by the CDU in the forth - nouncing the CSU (German Greens: 17% of the vote, compared make an impact. Its share of the The undercover cops quite coming Hessen federal state Conservative Party) for being soft with 8% in the last elections. vote increased from 2% in 2013 to often enticed activists (generally election will weaken the coalition on foreigners. The elections marked another 3% last Sunday. women) into sexual relationships, But for a layer of voters it was not chapter in the potential death The anti-CSU, anti-racist, youth, still further. and even had children with them. The list also records claims that in some cases the cops acted as provocateurs, making the groups Samir Amin, 1931-2018 vulnerable by leveraging them into risky or illegal activities. Almost all the groups targeted By Colin Foster critical of the USSR — was the were broadly left-wing: the list model provided by the Stalin’s records only three cases of far- Samir Amin, who died this year USSR: expropriate the parasitic old right groups being targeted. at the age of 87, was one of the property-owning classes, centralise Some 16 campaigns against foremost writers of the “depen - resources in the hands of the state, particular police abuses were tar - dency theory” which, in the cut down economic relations with geted. Such campaigns are un - 1960s and 70s came, many left- the rest of the world to a minimum. likely to consider illegal activity, wing activists came to think was Amin wrote of “autocentric” de - and it looks as if they were tar - “the Marxist theory of imperial - velopment (and he also coined the geted to get the police informa - ism”. term “Eurocentrism”). tion and material to fend off Many even thought it was So for example, he wrote a de - abuse claims. An official Under - “Lenin’s theory”, although the tailed study on the Ivory Coast in cover Policing Inquiry has been whole structure of the theory was the mid-1960s in which he con - grinding on slowly since being different. cluded that industrial development cally, adjusting as he went. In later fundamentally reactionary and declared in 2014 and started in Amin, of Egyptian-French back - there was possibly only through an years he looked to the creation of a therefore obviously cannot partici - 2015 — as a response to a series of ground, lived most of his life in “autocentric” version of what he “multipolar” world as the progres - pate in the progress of peoples’ lib - exposes starting with the Mark France, and was in the French Com - thought to be socialism. In the early sive alternative to US domination. eration... Kennedy affair in 2010. Since March this year victims munist Party then associated with 1980s, the Marxist writers Mar - Now we may get his would-be pro - [Some say] “that political Islam, of the police operations, after Maoists. The basic idea of “depen - cussen and Torp showed in detail gressive vision realised... by the ac - even if it is reactionary in terms of increasing frustration with the dency theory” was that ex-colonial that the vocally pro-capitalist tivities of Trump. social proposals, is ‘anti-imperial - official Inquiry, have been countries were underdeveloped be - regime in Ivory Coast had actually Amin, however, did separate ist’... “What I contend is that politi - preparing a legal case against cause of a drain of surplus to the achieved what Amin said could from many of those who have sunk cal Islam as a whole is quite sim - the Government to make it ap - richer countries. only be done through socialism. their socialism into a negativistic, ply not anti-imperialist but is point a diverse panel for the In - The answer — often implicitly, The Ivorian capitalists had ex - “enemy’s enemy is my friend”, altogether lined up behind the quiry rather than it being run by and although many of the “depen - ploited the workers — and built in - “anti-imperialism”. dominant powers on the world a single judge. dency theorists” were or came to be dustry, capitalist industry. “Political Islam”, he wrote, “is... Amin continued to write prolifi - scale”. 4 COMMENT Email your letters to [email protected] Europe for the who? From 1:30pm Friday 26 October

An open letter to the Europe For the But soon Syriza abandoned any attempt to highest income tax bracket for individual tax - to 5pm Saturday 27th at LSE, Many conference on 26-27 October relate, even in a top-down way, to friendly payers will result in a €877 million tax break Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE from Greek socialist Theodora Polenta forces in other countries in Europe. for 2020, and €997 million in tax breaks for Syriza started adopting the language that 2021 and 2022. www.europeforthemany.com the Labour Party often adopts at the council According to the EU statistics agency Eu - Dear Comrades: I am looking forward to level: we need to implement the Memoran - rostat, 22.2 per cent of Greece’s population is attending the event “Europe for the Many: dum, but in a less aggressive way than a Tory “severely materially deprived”. Household a left strategy for transforming Europe” administration would. And, in parallel to incomes have declined by over 30 percent. A Syriza government which attempted, in on 26-27 October. But I am concerned some Labour right-wingers in local govern - Today, the average Greek worker receives 23 confrontation with the creditors to carry about the fact that the conference’s top- ment, today Syriza cabinet ministers are percent less in wages than they did eight through its program, should and could have billed speakers are the Portuguese prime claiming that if the Memorandum didn’t years ago. One in three of those with a job is had the critical support of the left across Eu - minister and the Greek finance minister. exist, they would have invented it. in part-time employment. Greece’s minimum rope. But it did not attempt that. Are the current 2018 Syriza-ANEL govern - Syriza governs in a coalition with the na - wage has been reduced from €751 to €586, Syriza should have used its electoral and ment and its financial minister part of our Eu - tionalistic (and xenophobic, racist, antise - and by 32 percent to €511 for workers below referendum mandates in 2015 to defy the EU ropean socialist vision? Can they be our mitic, conspiracy-driven) Independent the age of 25. leaders. It should have nationalised the inspiration or our partners in pushing a rad - Greeks. The government has set up EU- The public health budget has been reduced banks, the ports, and other areas of industry, ical Labour government forwards? backed concentration camps with horrific by 50 percent, public education spending cut taken action against the state apparatus and No. The Syriza-led government is not part conditions for refugees fleeing wars in the by nearly 36%, and welfare spending by 70 called on the working class of Spain, Portu - of Another Europe. It is part of the old Eu - Middle East and Africa. percent. gal, Italy and other EU countries to rally to its rope of austerity, memoranda, detention cen - By May 2017, Syriza had overseen camps Around 500,000 young people have fled side. tres. At best a neoliberalism with a more detaining 62,000 refugees. The Moria camp the country. It could have undermined the EU institu - human face. on Lesbos alone detains 7,500 immigrants Not a single cent of the €289 billion spent tions and sparked off a continental move - Many of us actively worked for Syriza to who are caged in by fences covered in barbed in bank bailouts has gone towards reducing ment to change the ruling structures of form Greece’s first-ever government of the wire. Looking over the camp in watchtowers Greece’s debt. Nearly a decade later, Greece’s Europe. The crucial issue was not whether left. We wanted it to offer political represen - are armed guards. debt has increased to almost €350 billion — Greece broke from the EU, but whether it tation to the anti-austerity movement, to can - over 180 percent of Greece’s GDP. The loans broke from capitalism. cel all the Memoranda imposing cuts, to 100 DIED have gone to pay off Greece’s creditors, par - If the EU leaders had moved to expel bring in laws for a more egalitarian socialist So far, over 19,000 refugees have arrived ticularly banks in Germany, France, Italy and Greece from the EU, that would have only society. in Greece by sea this year, compared to Spain. served to reinforce the class nature of the cri - Yet Syriza’s route to power was at the same around 14,000 in 2017. Over 100 people The plan agreed by Syriza requires Greece sis. That would be entirely different from a time a route to conciliatory collaborative pol - have died during the journey in 2018. to devote at least 3.5 percent of economic out - Grexit in the hope that a return to the drachma outside the EU would benefit the itics — from the Social Forum of 2004, to its On Lesbos island, more than 8,000 people put to debt servicing until 2022, and 2.2 per - Greek people, while leaving capital’s rule in - radical conference of 2012, to the more timid are crammed into the Moria camp, which cent until 2060 — diverting billions of euros tact. Thessaloniki declaration of 2015, to the “be - was supposed to house 2,000. from rebuilding Greece’s shattered economy In Greek mythology, the Argonauts had to hind closed doors” efforts to outsmart the After three and a half years of Syriza’s rule, into the pockets of the European financial put all their power on the paddle in order to creditors, the February 2015 extension of the salaries have fallen by an average of 15 per - aristocracy pass the Cyanean Rocks. Something similar Memorandum, and then the total capitula - cent. One in five is unemployed, with em - The Greek crisis was primarily a crisis of is now required by the left-wing forces, the tion in July 2015. ployment still over 40 percent for young the capitalist system and not a result of par - uninhibited militants, and the workers in The movement had too vague an idea of people. ticipation in the Eurozone (EZ) and the EU. order to move from frustration and pes - what it expected of the Syriza government; Many families in Greece rely on pensions Participation in the EU and the EZ defined simism and to go out into the open sea of and there had been a distinct change in that have been slashed 14 times in eight the specificities of the crisis but it was not the struggles and battle to overthrow capitalism. Syriza, in terms of who made decisions, be - years, with an average decrease of 50 percent. participation in the EU and the EU itself that The most important lesson for us from the tween 2012 and 2015. The government has limited the right to caused the crisis. Syriza experience is full democratisation of In 2012, Syriza was talking about a Euro - strike — a right inscribed in Greece’s 1975 It is true that exit from the EU or Eurozone, the party. pean social movement, about working-class constitution as a guard against the type of un - absent a class confrontation, would have only The need to fight against any leadership control, about nationalising the banks. By the trammelled dictatorship of big business that led Greece further down to the road of na - clique that becomes unaccountable and time Syriza moved into government in 2015 Greece knew under the 1967-1974 CIA- tionalist isolation and would have exacer - detaches itself from the democratic deci - that had been reduced to the idea that, with backed junta of the colonels. bated rather than resolved austerity and sion-making of the party; the need to pre - Yanis Varoufakis, Syriza was going to out - This summer, after the supposed end of the wealth inequalities. Exit from the EU or Eu - pare for the ferocity of the class struggle smart the creditors. Memoranda, Syriza agreed another compre - rozone should not have been considered to which will be unleashed by both national Initially an anaemic attempt was made to hensive austerity package. It included a €700 be the way out of austerity. and international forces. create a pro-government social movement, million tax cuts package for businesses. The But Syriza in government has not once at - with rallies and demonstrations for imple - tax rate on profits will be reduced from 29 tempted to rely on the trade unions and the mentation of the Thessaloniki Declaration. percent to 26 percent. The reduction in the social movement to build a movement for change across Europe. Republished from theclarionmag.org Due process, not personalities LABOUR the slate which now has the backing of the tude is to due process and the role of the isations like Workers’ Liberty or Socialist Ap - Labour Representation Committee, Grass - NCC in dealing with complaints. The current peal. We want the NCC to apply the rules By Keith Road roots Black Left, Labour CND, Red Labour, system is inadequate with many members ac - consistently and to allow supporters of Work - the Labour Briefing Co-op and Jewish Voice cused of wrongdoing waiting unacceptably ers’ Liberty to be readmitted into the party. for Labour. long to find out the charges, or see the evi - The rancour that has been produced by With the current impasse in negotiations One of the concerns that has been floated dence against them. They lack a presump - and a range of candidates standing, Solidarity the upcoming nominations for the ex - is the inclusion of Stephen Marks in the tion of innocence, the ability to question panded National Constitutional Commit - has no particular horse to back in this contest. CLPD slate, a member of JVL. Given one of evidence, and the right to appeal. We are concerned about the fundamental tee has reopened the row between the the primary roles of the NCC will be dealing Workers’ Liberty have had a number of lack of democracy within the labour left. Campaign for Labour Party Democracy with complaints of antisemitism, having a supporters summarily excluded from mem - With the increasingly shut down and mori - (CLPD) and Momentum. representative of a body who exists to argue bership supposedly for falling foul of the The Centre Left Grassroots Alliance, which that there is little or no issue with anti - Labour Party rule book clause 2.4.1(B) which bund nature of many Momentum groups included both organisations in its negotia - semitism in the Labour Party is a cause for does not allow membership of organisations and the single issue obsession with anti - tions, was unable to reach an agreed slate. concern. that are not official bodies of the Labour semitism that throttles groups, like the LRC, CLPD then released the details of their pre - The fundamental issue here is not one of Party. If that were applied consistently, a there is an urgent need for reinvigorated ferred slate — depending on who you be - the personalities that are on the slate, for membership of the National Trust or non-af - structures in Momentum, which now claims lieve, as agreed or without agreement. most Labour members they will have no idea filiated trade union should see you expelled, almost 50,000 members. We need a united labour left that is fit for There is now an ongoing back and forth as or maybe some idea of one or two of the can - but the reality is that this is being used almost to why Momentum were unable to agree to didates, the issues should be what their atti - solely against supporters of left wing organ - purpose. Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty WHAT WE SAY 5 And why not a united Ireland?

The Border in Ireland has never made contain guarantees relying on EU jurisdiction democratic sense. It was drawn to max - (see Jim Denham’s article on page 9). imise the “little Orange empire” for the To re-erect the border would be a big step Protestant-Unionists of the north east in backwards, rekindling communal conflict, the 1921 partition of Ireland. It has been a putting pressure on the many vulnerable running sore for almost a century. points in the bureaucratic contraptions of To this day, along almost all its length, the Northern Ireland politics under the GFA. majority of the population on the Northern The people of Northern Ireland, Catholic side of the Border is “Catholic”, Irish-Irish and Protestant alike, don’t want that. The Re - rather than British-Irish in its identity. public of Ireland doesn’t want it. The EU The Border makes no political or human doesn’t want it. sense now. For a long time there have been Even the Tories say they don’t want it. But no border checks. when they decided to go for Brexit, they did - Over 30,000 people cross the border each n’t think through the consequences for Ire - day to travel to work, and tens of thousands land, and now they’re scrabbling for a fudge more to shop, to deliver or collect supplies for or a technological trick. work, to visit friends, etc. Polls suggest that in the case of a Brexit re- a united Ireland, inside the EU, as putting veloped than the comparatively-industri - Thanks more to the piecemeal, economic- hardening the Border, a majority in Northern new barriers between them and Britain. alised North; now it has higher incomes and first integration worked by the European Ireland would vote for a united Ireland. EU Other longstanding obstacles to Irish unity more dynamic industry. Now is the time for a political push to Union than to any merits of the Good Friday citizenship would give them better rights have been eroded over the decades. The Re - build on those social and economic Agreement of 1998, since about 2005 what than non-EU British citizenship. public of Ireland, with same-sex marriage trends, to combat the Brexit political was a string of military checkpoints has be - Just by itself that wouldn’t settle the issue. and the referendum to remove the abortion moves to reverse and disrupt them, and to come an “almost invisible” frontier. A united Ireland would have to provide re - ban from the constitution, is not the priest- drive for a federal united Ireland, linked Some of the clauses of the Good Friday gional autonomy for the mainly “Protestant” ridden, bishop-ruled, heavily-Catholic state with Britain within the EU. Agreement (GFA), written when negotiators (British-Irish) north-east. It would be more of the past. on all sides assumed that Britain and the Re - difficult to achieve if Britain quits the EU and The South used to be less economically de - public of Ireland were in the EU permanently, British-Irish people in north-east Ireland see Win Labour to oppose Brexit

Labour Party conference on 23-26 Sep - a strong majority, against Brexit. Labour is tember saw an anti-Brexit surge from the the only party capable of stopping the Tories ranks, with more motions from local and stopping Brexit. The labour movement is Labour Parties against Brexit than ever the only movement capable of uniting with before on a single issue for a single con - labour movements across the continent to ference. win democracy, social levelling-up, and a so - Now that needs to be nailed down by the ciety of solidarity and cooperation across the movement pushing the Labour leaders into borders. opposing Brexit outright and returning to Yet at the conference, the leadership fobbed support for keeping the freedom of move - off the anti-Brexit surge by offering warmer ment within Europe which has existed for words on possible “people’s votes”. It was decades now. still equivocal, no more than a matter of op - The ranks of the labour movement are, by tions being “on the table”. A “people’s vote” can allow the people to say that the mess of the Tories’ Brexit negoti - ations, and the emerging information about Ducking and the bad effects of any halfway likely Brexit deal, has convinced those previously in doubt to support “remain and rebel” — keep Britain in the EU, and join with labour move - sive, and rightly so. the leadership weakly-placed to pull them diving ments across Europe to fight for democracy The present stance leaves Labour appear - into line because its own criticism of a “soft” and social levelling-up. ing equivocal about whether it will vote Brexit deal by the Tories would reduce to lit - Yet Labour is still on a line which says that, down a Tory deal in Parliament. It leaves a tle more than a claim to be able to negotiate The Labour Party conference composite in a “people’s vote”, it would not support chunk of Labour MPs saying that they may more deftly. on Brexit called for “a relationship with Rally Labour to oppose Brexit outright, “remain”. Since November 2016 the Labour vote to save a Tory deal (because, they say, the EU that guarantees full participation and to support free movement! leadership has shifted to opposing free move - the alternative might be a no-deal exit), and in the Single Market”. ment in Europe. With one voice it says that On any halfway straightforward reading, immigration is not to blame for “stagnant that means support for Britain remaining wages, crumbling services and the housing in the Single Market — which can and crisis”, that the problem there is “the govern - A brake on bad will should, of course, be combined with ef - ment and employers making the rich richer forts, in unity with labour movements and at working people’s expense”; with another, In 1937-8 there was a move in the US the left across Europe, to change many of posal. It expressed, he wrote, “the apprehen - it says that the existing free movement must Congress (the “Ludlow amendment”) to the rules of that Single Market. sion of the man in the street, of the average be replaced by a “managed” system. Which require the US government to submit any But since then (9 October) the Labour citizen, the middle bourgeois, the petty rules out “remain”. decision to go to war to a referendum. It front bench has briefed the Financial Times bourgeois, and even the farmer and the The Labour leaders’ public stance remains was defeated in Congress, but popular in — which wants to know because big busi - worker. They are all looking for a brake that they would somehow negotiate a better the country. ness wants the hard facts under warm Brexit, softer but still Brexit. upon the bad will of big business. In this case they name the brake the referendum. words — that, for them, the conference de - It is an evasive stance, and on the evidence At first the US Trotskyists scorned the pro - “We know that the brake is not suffi - cision definitely does not mean staying in is designed to be evasive, to appear sympa - posal. Referendums are a very limited and cient and even not efficient and we the Single Market! thetic both to pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit vot - crude form of democracy, they said, and it Labour should stop this ducking and openly proclaim this opinion, but at the ers. In the long run, and even in the medium is an illusion to think they can stop wars. diving, and speak out plainly against same time we are ready to help the little run, it can only discredit Labour with both Leon Trotsky intervened, and eventually Brexit. man go through his experience...” camps, because both will see Labour as eva - persuaded his comrades to back the pro - More online at www.workersliberty.org Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty No party like the Jews and Arabs

Bolshevik party Hannah Pollin-Galay, an activist in major politician to mention our historic joint Standing Together, a cross-party Arab-Jewish protest on 11 August, which he movement organising Jews and Arabs did on Twitter. He should do that again! In against occupation and in favour of the Guardian , Bernie Sanders recently wrote social and economic equality, spoke to about the need for an international left-wing By Paul Cooper and with the exhaustion and dispersal of the Daniel Randall. By profession, Pollin- alliance. Count us in. working class by invasion and civil war, so Galay is a Yiddish and Holocaust In Defence of Bolshevism , the new the Bolshevik culture unravelled and with researcher at Tel Aviv University. What about wider social struggles in Is - book from Workers’ Liberty, had its it, the sovereign democratic rule of the sovi - rael? launch at a lively meeting in central Lon - ets (workers’ councils). What is the shape of the movement The problems that were highlighted during don on 12 October. By the late 1920s, the Stalinist counter- against the “Nation State Law”? the Israeli social protests of 2011 have not Edited by Sean Matgamna, the collection revolution was preceding with its pulveris - gone away. Last week, activists from the dis - ing of every last vestige of the workers’ state Right now, I see productive resistance to abled community blocked highways in a de - of texts by American Trotskyist Max Shacht - the Nation State Law on four different levels: man represents one of the greatest polemics and the Bolshevik culture that was its mand for liveable benefits. Teachers who lifeblood. the first is visible, public activism here in Is - work under third-party contracts, and are in the Marxist tradition. It is the defence of rael. This started over the summer, with two a revolutionary socialist consciousness Everything that the real Bolshevism stood thus drastically underpaid and denied bene - for was isolated then destroyed, and this in different protests, each drawing tens of thou - fits, have also been protesting for direct em - being developed in the working class as the sands of people into the streets, Jewish Is - irreplaceable pre-condition for the self- every part of the world where, the now Stal - ployment contracts. inist Comintern, had control over the com - raelis together with Palestinian citizens of Unfortunately, these movements are often emancipation of the working class. Israel and other Arab communities within the Crucially, it describes the only type of munist parties. fractured, each group fighting for their own The communist parties were now trans - country. Grassroots energy has laid the foun - cause separately. There are groups that are party fit for the purpose of seeding, nurtur - dation for a new Jewish-Arab alliance and it ing and growing this consciousness in the formed into machines for shredding the rev - trying to unite these struggles. One of them olutionary culture of the international can take us much further. is a general union called Power to the Work - working class, the only party which so far in Now that people have felt what it is like to history succeeded in doing that, the Bolshe - working class. ers (Koach L’Ovdim), which organises work - Shachtman understood that to the work together, to cross ethnic lines and ers who are not traditionally included in the vik party. march together in the streets, people will There were no other parties of the work - tremendous pressures of capitalism was national unions. now added the terrors of Stalinism. In these want more of that solidarity. There are organ - ing class like the Bolsheviks. These were isational meetings taking place at the mo - To much of the outside world, the situa - workers who were as energetic and fearless circumstances, the tiny isolated Trotskyist groups became prone to a model of the rev - ment and I believe the time is ripe to start up tion seems utterly intractable. in their thinking as they were in their organ - again, now that the major holiday season is ising, like the beating of a rough piece of olutionary party that was promoted by the The right wing would like us to see the sit - Zinoviev tendency in the Comintern, a blan - over. uation as intractable. These are certainly dark metal into a sharp sword, so were the cul - The second level of resistance is happening ture of the Bolshevik workers when ham - ket of symbols to hide the growing Stalinist times and everyone concerned about Israeli counterrevolution — a blanket to smother through the Israeli Supreme Court. The Na - and Palestinian lives should be on high alert. mering out political ideas. tion State Law clearly violates Israel’s own No passive acceptance of ideas and strate - any democratic, independent working class But, we should also keep sight of how con - politics. founding document, the Declaration of Inde - tingent our politics are. gies handed down from above. No authority pendence, which states that Israel “will pro - other than the strength of an idea subjected The post-war Trotskyist movement be - I learned a great lesson in contingency this came schooled in this “Zinovievism”, and it’ vide full social and political equality for all of past year. The government had ordered the to the hammering of argument and discus - its citizens, without regard to religion, race or sion by workers rooted in the struggles of mythology of the Bolsheviks as a large, expulsion of thousands of African asylum tightly-organised “machine” in the hands of gender.” There are currently two petitions of seekers, many of whom have been living here the class. challenge to the Supreme Court, one from the The highest levels of democracy were the some appointed “great Man’. peacefully, though undocumented, for close The post war history of the revolutionary Druze community and one from the Over - to a decade. These refugees had even re - oxygen for this furnace and that was the sight Committee of Arab Affairs. central quality of the Bolsheviks in their left has been a ‘toy-town’ version of this ceived notices, paper in their hands, stating model, like over-wound clockwork toys, the The far-right Minister of Law, Ayelet that they had to leave the country by a certain party and the central aim of the workers Shaked has threatened to “wage war” against state they would create. This is how existing tiny sects, spin crazily around the working date. Around this time, I vividly remember class, isolating themselves from the revolu - the Supreme Court if it were to revoke the standing in front of a shopping mall and ask - labour movements could be transformed. law. But this Bolshevism became isolated. In tionary work of transforming the existing ing people to sign a petition in support of the labour movements. An infantile disorder. The third level is international pressure. refugees, who the right terms “intruders”. Germany, it did not take root in time to stop With this book, Workers’ Liberty con - Leaders of the Arab-majority Joint List [an the German Social Democratic Party col - tinues the precious and urgent work of Some people openly laughed in our faces, electoral coalition in Israel] have met with saying, “they’ve already been issued expul - lapsing into supporting its own ruling class uniting a new generation of militants with both the European Union and the United Na - entering World War One, which in turn re - the ideas, the energy, spirit and fearless - sion notices. Don’t bother!” They assumed it tions to enlist their help in overturning this was a done deal. But, enough people all over sulted in the absence of a Bolshevik party to ness of the highest level of human self- law. lead the German revolutions of 1918 and emancipation yet achieved in history — the country responded to these efforts. Little The Nation State Law has spurred people by little, I saw public opinion beginning to 1923. the Bolsheviks! to ask questions about our culture and how The Russian revolution was left isolated, shift and, eventually, the expulsion was it needs to change. I can best speak from the stopped. Jewish-Israeli side: I hear a different language Likewise, tens of thousands of people were around me, with people now recognising the protesting every Saturday night against Ne - need to advocate for the presence of Palestin - tanyahu and his corrupt governing practices ian-Arab communities, language, and culture in December 2017. Based on polls, it looked Order online today in our daily lives, our politics, and our public as if he would be out any minute. Then, spaces. Trump came to his aid with the declaration Max Shachtman’s Under the Banner of Marxism , I do see this happening in small, but influ - of Jerusalem and the cancellation of the Iran which forms the bulk of this book, deserves to be ential, settings. For example, there was a deal. Then Bibi was back in the game... considered one of the classic polemics of the mass Arabic lesson in the streets this summer, Change is absolutely possible, and I think Marxist movement, alongside The Poverty of Phi - organised by a progressive school system. A that coalition building is the key. Ayman losophy , Anti-Dühring , and others. It defends the group of activists toured the Negev and hung Odeh, head of the Joint List, has recently Bolsheviks, their revolution, their work to build up signs in Hebrew and in Arabic announc - urged the public to rally into a people’s a revolutionary socialist movement, and the con - ing the names of unrecognised Bedouin vil - movement around the following four princi - tinued relevance of their approach. lages. There are more Palestinian-Arab ples: The book contains also other relevant docu - citizens running for office in the municipal “1. Opposition to the occupation; 2. Oppo - ments on the Bolshevik Revolution and texts by elections, which are underway now, then sition to [racist] incitement against Arabs Leon Trotsky, Rosa Luxemburg, and Hal Draper. ever before. [within Israel], their place here and their £12 including postage within the UK For instance, there is a promising party achievements in society; 3. Opposition to running in Tel Aviv called “We Are the City” neo-liberal economic policies; 4. Opposition (Anahnu ha-Ir), which includes Jews of dif - to the diminishing of democratic spaces and Order online at ferent backgrounds (yes, there is great diver - support for fostering the values of equality sity among Israeli Jews!), people from poor and social justice for the broad public.” www.workersliberty.org/idob parts of the city, Arabs, as well as a represen - This is an excellent plan, which can bring tative from the African refugee community. together very large segments of both Jewish To his credit, Jeremy Corbyn was the only and Arab society for grassroots, day-to-day HISTORY 6-7 s standing together

collaboration. What should activists on the UK left know about “Standing Together”, and what can we do to support it? Standing Together is a people’s movement, which aims to unite Jewish and Palestinian- Arab voices in Israel in a joint struggle for so - cial and economic equality, peace, and an end to the occupation. I can sing its praises since I’m not among its leaders or founders. I liter - ally just read about the movement in the newspaper one day and decided to join. Over the past two years, it has become one of the most powerful organising forces in the country. It had a major impact in stopping the deportation of African refugees. Standing To - gether also played a critical role in bringing Jews and Arabs together to fight the Nation State Law this summer. From my perspective as a rank-and-file ac - tivist (i.e., not the leadership), I would like to see Standing Together collaborate with as many groups abroad as possible. We already have a partnership with the American anti- occupation group If Not Now. I would like to see collaboration going beyond social media, though that is always helpful on its own. If, for example, we were to organise a major march, or even a strike, our partners in the US or in Britain could march or strike si - multaneously in solidarity. Workers’ Liberty believes that a two-state settlement is the only settlement around which Israeli-Jewish and Palestinian workers could feasibly unite. What is your A march to protect the unrecognized village of Um al-Hiran on April 4, 2018. The signs read “Full equality and nothing less” and “Jews and Arabs view on this? together.”

I support a two-state solution, both be - solidarity activism. What is your view? cause it is the only one that is realistically era. Yes, there is a danger of anti-Jewish prej - exist? A few obnoxious right-wingers? No udice there, though I do not believe that to be one could tell and that is significant. achievable and because I believe it best guar - I do not support BDS, but I do not de - At this point in history, I think that the the conscious intention of the BDS move - antees that there will be a space of Jewish monise those who have chosen that path. If a designations “Zionist” and “anti-Zionist” ment. asylum and one of Palestinian asylum. Each boycott supporter would like to work with say almost nothing about constructive I believe that it is more effective to show group needs a guarantee of physical and col - me on something, or has something interest - policies or concrete ambitions, and are solidarity with Israeli working people and lective safety, given the historical record and ing to say, I will be open and try to focus on used mostly to dismiss people and to leftists of all gender and ethnic backgrounds, the current geopolitical landscape. what we have in common. I try to contextu - form social cliques. From the Israeli side, I do not aspire for Is - alise disagreement over this one topic as part while directing angry protest and condemna - rael to be defined as a “Jewish state” per se, of a bigger picture. tion towards those in power — politicians as but a fully egalitarian democratic state, which Obviously, I actively oppose the legal re - well as the security establishment, the settler • Abridged, longer version available from: guarantees Jewish asylum among its other strictions that the Israeli government has im - movement, and one’s own government for bit.ly/hpg-st constitutional promises and criteria for gain - posed on boycott supporters. I am especially tolerating the occupation. ing citizenship. Once someone is a citizen appalled by the current decision to block the What’s your view on the recent scandals here, whether through family connections, entry of the student Lara Alqasam. She, and around antisemitism that have recently Left antisemitism: refugee status, or a work permit, all should those like her, should not only be allowed taken place on the British left? be guaranteed equal rights, in the fullest entry into Israel, but actively encouraged to sense of the phrase. That means electing non- come here and engage our student body in I find it frustrating and heart-breaking. On what it is and how Jewish leaders to the highest ranks of power, political debate. the one hand, I generally support Jeremy and making our public spaces welcoming It is worthwhile to reiterate what Noam Corbyn’s politics and the leftward direction to fight it and ethnically integrated. Chomsky has said on the topic: “Those who that he has taken the British Labour Party. I The vibrancy of Jewish culture in Israel, live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” believe that he could play a constructive role something that is very important to me per - Some political protest movements create new in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, given that Available for £3 from sonally, will be up to us to create, democrati - axes of inequality. Does a comfortable Lon - he is so passionate about the issue, expresses www.workersliberty.org/as-pamphlet cally, rather than being prescribed from top doner or Ivy League American academic realistic aims (supporting a two-state solu - down. The Palestinian state would make a have the right to exclude an Israeli childcare tion) and has authentic ties to Palestinian ac - A further selection of articles can be tors, which is so rare for international parallel guarantee of asylum for Palestinians worker in Ashdod from events or discourse? found here: workersliberty.org/left-as and, I hope, create similar democratic struc - How much do they even know about her and politicians. tures for non-Muslims, though I feel more re - her daily struggles? On the other hand, I see the complaints sponsible for the internal politics of Israel. Instead of pushing her out of the conversa - made by the British Jewish community as Over time, I agree, a loosening of borders tion, we should be speaking to her constantly, fully justified. What is important now is to fix will need to happen. There is an interesting and telling her how much she has in common the problem and move forward. commend project called “Two States, One Homeland”, with her sister just over the border in Gaza, Jon Lansman and Momentum for making an which sketches out a plan for a federation what she will gain by acting in solidarity effort to call out antisemitism among their modelled on the European Union. I am in with her sister in Gaza. ranks. favour of this, but believe that we first need Regarding potential antisemitic implica - As a general point, I think it would be help - independence before we can create a union tions: a blanket boycott of all Israelis (speech ful for British leftists to take a vacation from of partners. and cultural production included) is a boy - the terms “Zionist” and “anti-Zionist.” cott of over 50% of the world’s Jews. Keep in Corbyn ran into trouble when he spoke of The political approaches of “BDS” [Boy - mind that that is the poorer, darker-skinned “Zionists” lacking a sense of history or irony. cott, Divestment, and Sanctions] are now half of world Jewry. Some people also hear To whom was he referring? All Jews? All largely hegemonic in global Palestinian echoes of past Jewish boycotts from the Nazi those who believe that Israel has a right to 8 FEATURE More online at www.workersliberty.org Fighting capital or just the “greedy few”

Dale Street reviews Corbynism — A all strategies must eventually convene on the on immigration the party had seen in gener - Critical Approach by Matt Bolton and continued validation of value.” ations.”. And the fact that so many of Cor - Frederick Pitts, Emerald Publishing. While it might have been more helpful if byn’s supporters did not even bat an eyelid such theoretical considerations had been de - in response says something about the nature veloped at the start of the book — rather than of the movement which has emerged around Published at the close of September, Matt halfway-through and at various points there - Corbyn Bolton and Frederick Harry Pitts’ Cor - after — they do provide a means to under - Bolton and Pitts rightly devote substantial bynism — A Critical Approach is not al - stand, and critique, the “semi-coherent set of sections of their book to identifying not just ways an easy read. ideas” which Corbynism constitutes. the apparent similarities but also the ideolog - Bolton and Pitts go well beyond the argu - In the Corbynist world view capitalism is ical common ground between Corbynism ment that Corbyn does not understand anti - not a universal system of socially mediated and right-wing populism, as epitomised by semitism, does not really like the European labour. It is a small number of bad people Trump. Union, is a bit of a populist, and has a history who ill-treat a large number of good people. If the system is “rigged” against the major - (and present) of hanging out with some du - This is summed up in the vacuous slogan ity of the population, if ordinary hard-work - bious characters. “For the Many, Not the Few”, inherited from ing people are (literally) robbed of the fruits Rather, their book attempts to “elucidate the Occupy movement’s division of the of their labour, and if the 99% need to “take the essential characteristics of Corbynism as world into the 1% and the 99%. The “99%” rhetoric often segues into back control”, the question which arises is: a political orientation (and) outline and cri - The slogan is also quintessentially Blairite. antisemitism who is rigging the system, robbing workers, tique the general worldview which motivates It was Blair’s new version of Clause Four of and exercising control? such a platform.” the Labour Party constitution which prom - Corbyn’s answer is: greedy bankers, stock- It seeks to do so on the basis of their under - ised “a community in which power, wealth captured or stolen by the greedy capitalist. market spivs, and Brussels bureaucrats. But standing of “the essential characteristics of and opportunity are in the hands of the The political consequences of such an ap - the answer could just as easily be Trump’s: capitalism as a particular form of social or - many, not the few.” proach are dire. foreigners, Muslims, Mexicans, liberal intel - ganisation”, informed by the ideas of New- Overlapping with this personalised cri - On the one hand, it shifts the essential con - lectuals, establishment politicians, and the Marxist theorists such as Michael Heinrich, tique of capitalism are the equally populist tradiction within capitalism from production mainstream media. (In fact, a number of Werner Bonefeld and the recently deceased slogans of a “rigged system” and “greedy (where the exploitation of human labour those categories also fit in with Corbyn’s ex - Moishe Postone. bankers”. takes place) to distribution (because that it planation of the “rigged system”. And vice This necessarily leads the book’s authors to For Corbyn and Corbynism, the wealth where the capitalist realises the fruits of his versa.) delve into the “conservation” and “substan - and power of the elite 1% are to be explained theft). At times, Bolton and Pitts are scathing in tialist” theory of value, the “mutation of op - by their cheating and their “rigging” of the In the Corbynist world view, what there - their assessment of Corbyn and his leader - eraismo into postoperaismo”, system. And it is the greed of this 1% which fore needs to be challenged is not the capital - ship of the Labour Party: “The emptiness of “personalisation” as a “truncated critique of causes economic crises: “Speculators and ist process of production (i.e. what makes its pseudo-populist rhetoric, its appeal to a capitalism”, accelerationism, “the Polanyian gamblers crashed our economy in 2008 … capitalism capitalism) but how the output of ‘people’ that does not exist, (and) the moral - return to the nation”, and “forms of self-val - (their) greed plunged the world into crisis.” that productive process is divided up. Ac - ising, apolitical nature of the platform.” orising value in a system of socially-medi - cording to Corbyn: Corbyn and Corbynism have survived ated labour”. GREED “Wealth creation is a good thing. … It is a only because Brexit pushed British politics This is not to say that such theoretical ex - At one level, the ruling classes can indeed co-operative process between workers, pub - “into a space somewhere between fantasy cursions make the book any the less worth be accused of greed and of cheating and lic investment in services and, yes, very often and abyss, in which Project Corbyn was per - reading. But it is to forewarn potential read - rigging the system. They are not moral innovative and creative individuals and busi - fectly primed to operate.” ers of what awaits them. In fact, it is Bolton paragons. nesses. Wealth creation is a shared process. Corbyn is a master of political evasion: and Pitts’ attempt to rescue Marx and Marx - The proceeds must be shared too.” “The beauty of his natural tendency to pitch But at a more basic level, they have no need On the other hand, it underpins the pro- ism from what passes for Marxist and Marx - of either. It is capitalism itself which, because arguments at a level of childlike innocence is isant thinking in and around the camp of Brexitism, or pro-Brexit leanings, of the that their very meaningless makes them vir - of what it is, creates and reproduces social broader moment around Corbyn. Corbynism — what they term “orthodox and economic inequalities, and which bears tually impossible to contest.” (Although Marxism” — which provides the basis for Whereas Corbynism stands for “keeping” Bolton and Pitts themselves have heroically within itself the germs of its own crises. value where it is supposedly created – their critique of the latter. The political strategy which flows out of risen to the challenge.) Capitalism, the authors stress, is an organic whether it be Britain, or Preston, or wherever Nor are Bolton and Pitts averse to criticis - Corbyn’s moralising personalisation of capi - – the European Union stands for internation - whole. Capital is a social relation which, by talism is not one which seeks to challenge the ing Corbyn’s essentially populist politics for its very nature, defines and structures the to - alism and globalisation. being partially rooted in the thinking of Nazi workings of capitalism but one which seeks Standing in the tradition of Tony Benn, tality of society: “The capital relation is not to remove the pernicious influence of the 1%. jurist and Franco-admirer Carl Schmitt, something imposed from the outside but Corbynism therefore yearns for the reac - whose “undoubtedly powerful critique of Thus, a Corbynist Labour government will tionary utopia of “some socialist form of na - runs through the whole of society itself.” “tear down the vested interests that hold this liberalism” had unmistakably “fascist ori - Capital and labour are certainly locked in tionalist sovereignty which will allow gins”. country back.” It will “take on the cosy car - workers to ‘take back control’.” But in an “ir - an antagonistic conflict — the class struggle. tels that are hoarding this county’s wealth for Bolton and Pitts’ book succeeds in identi - But at the same time: “Labour and capital are reversibly global society”, such a project is fying the utterly inadequate conceptualisa - themselves.” It will “call time on this rigged doomed to “inevitable failure”. two sides of the same coin. They are not two system, because power is in the wrong tion of capitalism and the resulting equally separate ‘worlds’ brought together through As Bolton and Pitts point out, this hanker - inadequate political “solutions” which un - hands.” ing after a restoration of an illusory national force or trickery.” Capitalist and worker are Ironically, all this amounts to a defence of derpin “Project Corbyn”. It fails in offering subject to “a bond of mutual but coerced in - sovereignty is at odds with Corbynism’s sup - an adequate alternative. capitalism: Tear down the power of the 1% posed anti-imperialist credentials: “It risks terdependence.” and put an end to the cheating – and the re - In 2016 the authors advocated that Corbyn Value is not “the property of a given thing replicating in contemporary form the antag - surrender the Labour Party leadership to “a sult would be a capitalism which supposedly onistic and expansionist political-economic in a given space or time.” It is not “a thing serves the many, not the few. soft-left candidate able to overcome the which is somehow injected into an object backdrop of nineteenth century imperial - schisms in the Parliamentary Labour Party.” This personalised conceptualisation of cap - ism.” during the labour process.” And it is not italism also effortlessly flows over into con - And in the book itself, what lies at the core something “‘captured’ by capital as a pre-ex - It also leads into a profound hostility to mi - of the authors’ alternative is “a reconciliation spiracy theories about the rule of the 1%, the grant labour and freedom of movement of isting form of value.” “establishment”, and the “elite”. And from with liberalism, … a rearguard attempt to en - Rather, value is “a relationship existing be - labour. sure the centre holds at a time of its dissolu - there, harking back to ideas common in nine - Like similar populist movements in other tween things, constituted across time and teenth-century labour movements, it is only tion. … Liberalism is the sea in which space.” It is “a particular social relation be - countries, Corbynism now denounces free - socialists in capitalist democracies swim.” another step to antisemitism. dom of movement as a plot by the 1% to push tween objects which comes into being at the Most theories of contemporary left anti - The authors are right to argue that social - moment of their successful mediation.” down wages. Migrant labour is also criticised ists must defend democratic rights in the face semitism present it as the product of misun - as part of the mechanism whereby “value” Labour “relates to value only in and derstanding the nature of Israel and Zionism. of the rise of “left” and right populist move - through its social mediation.” The “site” of drains away from Britain and is exported ments. Bolton and Pitts seem to argue the opposite: abroad (to the home countries of migrant But they have little or nothing to say that mediation is global: Value does not exist Personalisation leads to conspiracy theories, outside of “the totality of labour in society as labour). about going beyond defence of liberalism which lead to antisemitism, which leads to a The irony of this is not lost on Pitts and and the building of an organisation which a whole, on a scale that is not national but particular – antisemitic – view of Israel and global. … Labour (is) the universal form of Bolton: provides a genuinely socialist alternative Zionism. “In the 2017 election the man who was to Corbyn’s “homespun moralistic com - mediation.” Personalisation also dovetails into the Cor - Consequently, capitalism is irreformable: elected precisely on the basis that he would monplaces” and “uncontroversial moral bynist misunderstanding of the nature of not cede to pressure and impose ‘controls on platitudes … (which) serve to foreclose “Without a foundational transformation of value, seen as something inserted into the ob - the system of socially mediated labour itself, immigration’ fronted a manifesto … (which) politics”. jects of production by the worker but then in real terms was the most right-wing policy Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty FEATURE 9 Brexiteers don’t care about Ireland

THE LEFT incorporation into Northern Ireland law of have customs checks; large ones will oper - ply with EU standards. the European Convention on Human ate solely on trust: they will voluntarily de - Never mind that last December, in order to Rights”. The Tory Brexiteers are committed clare the goods they have moved and pay give a guarantee that there would be no hard By Jim Denham to removing the convention from UK law – their duties afterwards. border, Theresa May agreed a “backstop” po - in other words to ripping out a core part of US beef (hormone-enhanced, of course), sition based upon enabling Northern Ireland “It’s entirely up to the EU if it wants to un - the peace settlement. Australian lamb, Chinese steel and Indian to remain inside the Customs Union and Sin - dermine the goodwill in Ireland embodied The Belfast agreement is an international cars could be imported into Belfast, sent an gle Market and that, despite reiterating this in the Good Friday Agreement by setting treaty, registered with the United Nations. hour down the road to Dundalk and ex - commitment in March, May is now reneging up a hard border. Despite its shortcomings it has allowed peace ported tariff-free to France, Germany or any upon it under pressure from the DUP and her “The British and Irish governments do not and security for twenty years: yet during the other EU country. The only way to stop this own hard-line Brexiteers. want this. They have no need to create it. referendum campaign it was scarcely dis - happening would be in effect to make Ireland Never mind that May’s claim that no With a little more than irony, Brussels domi - cussed and even now Brexiteers like Boris itself a semi-detached member of the EU with British Prime Minister “could possibly agree nates Dublin and now wants to dominate Johnson and the “Labour” disgrace Kate all Irish exports subjected to customs controls to Northern Ireland being separated from the Belfast. Its imposition of a hard border would Hoey airily brush it aside as of no signifi - at EU ports. And if the EU and Ireland refuse rest of the UK” is patent nonsense, given that be a new form of colonialism in itself.” cance. to agree to this, whose fault will it be, accord - the UK does have different laws and regula - Where do these extraordinary words come Mr Nicholls’ anti-EU tirade displays typi - ing to Mr Nicholls and his friends at tions in Northern Ireland already with regard from? The Daily Mail ? The Telegraph ? Boris cal English post-imperial arrogance towards the Morning Star ? Why, the EU’s, of course! to gay marriage and abortion rights. Johnson? Arlene Foster? No: one Doug Ireland: “If no-one in Ireland or Britain wants If the Brexiters’ demands to take back con - The Little Englanders who comprise Nicholls, writing in the Morning Star (Octo - a hard border, why does the EU want to im - trol of immigration to the UK are meant seri - the Tory Government and the Brexiteer ber 10 2018). Mr Nicholls is not, it turns, out pose one and what right does it have to do ously, the border would have to be heavily movement didn’t think about Ireland during a member of the European Research Group so?” asks Nicholls. This is either a rhetorical policed to keep EU migrants who have law - the referendum campaign because they don’t or the DUP, but a self-styled “socialist” and question to which he knows the answer, or a fully entered the Republic from moving into care about Ireland. chair of Trade Unionists Against the EU demonstration of quite breathtaking igno - the UK. And it will run between Newry and They articulated their vision for Brexit — a (TUAEU). Mind you the socialist credentials rance. Dundalk, between Letterkenny and Derry. brave new world in which all of their fervent The Dublin-Belfast train will have to stop for nationalistic delusions would become reality of anyone associated with TUAEU must be BORDERS somewhat called into question given that or - passport controls. — and expect the Irish (North and South) to People like Mr Nicholls and the editorial ganisation’s record of accepting funding from Never mind that May’s contortions on Ire - simply roll over and let them get on with it. team of the Morning Star are all in favour the ultra-right wing friend of Bannon and land come down to the fact that her “red The wails of despair you now hear from of borders and of restrictions upon free Trump, Aaron Banks. lines” on the Customs Union and Single Mar - senior Tories and their supporters, as the re - movement — except when it comes to the Anyway, it seems to have escaped Mr ket, flatly contradict her “red line” that there ality of securing Brexit proves much more EU’s one land border with the UK, to be Nicholls’ notice that the danger of a hard bor - can be no hard border in Ireland, and simi - difficult than merely holding a referendum, imposed against the wishes of the people larly no new border down the Irish Sea. is the sound of those dreams dying. der in Ireland does not originate with the EU Meanwhile, the pro-Brexit “left” like Mr of Ireland, North and South, and against These conditions are not reconcilable. If but with Britain — or, more precisely, Eng - Nicholls and the Morning Star join in with the wishes of the EU. Britain, including Northern Ireland has dif - land and the Tories. the wailing, blaming Johnny Foreigner in ferent standards and regulations in relation One of the key provisions of the agreement The Brexiteers suggest that the EU should Brussels and the ungrateful Irish in Dublin. is that anyone born in Northern Ireland has agree that a 500km external border with more to goods and services circulating inside its the right to be a citizen of the UK or Ireland than 200 crossing points should be unpoliced. borders, either produced in whole or in part, or both. What does that mean under Brexit? People and goods should pass over it with - inside its borders, or imported from else - • The author would like to acknowledge Can someone be both an EU citizen and not out hindrance. Smugglers and gun-runners where in the world, then it is clear that the the enormous debt he owes to Fintan O’ - an EU citizen? Likewise, the agreement un - should be allowed to go about their busi - EU will need to undertake checks on all of Toole of the Irish Times , by far the best-in - derpins human rights through the “complete ness unmolested. Small companies will not those goods and services, before they are al - formed writer on Brexit and its effects on lowed into the EU, to ensure that they com - relations between Ireland and Britain. Lily Parr, a footballing great

By Ruaraidh Anderson land to continue to play and put together and beating national teams and in 1922, em - sides. Matthews was involved in the barking on a tour of the USA in which they Lily Parr (26 April 1905 – 24 May 1978) is women’s suffrage movement and her team played the best men’s teams in the country, working class LGBT icon and was one of which featured the first-ever black women’s winning 3, losing 3 and drawing 3. the greatest footballers of all time. footballers in the UK, Emma Clarke (some - Parr was born in St.Helen’s and played for The upheaval of the social order during times misnamed as Carrie Boustead), who the St. Helen’s Ladies, but in 1919 played and after the First World War is well docu - made her debut for a team called British against the Dick, Kerr’s Ladies and was so mented, but less known is its profound effect Ladies in 1885, and her younger sister Jane. impressive she was asked to join the team. She accepted and moved to Preston to work on football. There was a major surge of par - BANNED ticipation and interest in women’s football in the Dick, Kerr’s factory, famously request - In 1921 the Football Association effec - ing that she be paid for her playing time in when large numbers of working-class tively banned prominent women’s games, women entered the workplace, including Woodbine cigarettes. but in the years before that, and as men’s Parr significantly developed theory on munitions factories in which Parr worked football suffered from the general war ef - during the war. kicking techniques, writing several books, fort, women’s football became the major and developed an extremely powerful strike. In those factories in places such as Coven - national sporting entertainment in the UK. try, women lived in on-site houses and foot - Her former teammate Joan Whalley said of ball teams emerged, organised on a Women’s games would regularly draw Parr that “she had a kick like a mule. She was tens of thousands. On Boxing Day 1920, the only person I knew who could lift a dead factory-by-factory basis. Traditionally, these added criticism she took. teams played each other on the basis of rais - 53,000 people came to a women’s football ball, the old heavy leather ball, from the left match at Goodison Park in Liverpool. This wing over to me on the right and nearly After 1921 Parr continued to play, helping ing money for charities relating to aid for sol - to organise teams on non-association diers. figure is higher, often by tens of thousands, knock me out with the force of the shot...”. than the average attendance of 13 out of 20 While playing in Chorley, a male goal - grounds and eventually retiring in 1951 hav - The origins of nationally-organised ing, incredibly, scored over 900 career goals. women’s sides can be found in the teams cre - men’s English Premier League teams in the keeper once challenged her to a penalty con - She lived long enough to see the FA’s ef - ated by Helen Graham Matthews, alongside 2017/18 season. test on the basis that women could not be as fective ban on women’s football lifted in Nettie Honeyball, during the 1880s. In 1881 Leading the way in women’s football was good as men. Her penalty shot was so pow - 1971 and she was the first woman to be Matthews set up a game between female Lily Parr, who starred in the famous Dick, erful that it broke his arm and the goalkeeper inducted into the Football Hall of Fame, Scottish and English players at the Easter Kerr’s Ladies side of 1917-1925. She joined had been irreconcilably Parred off. which came as late as 2002. Road stadium in Edinburgh. Her side, Mrs the side in 1919 aged 14, and played in the Throughout her time as a prominent foot - first official international game between Eng - baller Parr had continued to be open about Graham’s XI, played two of these matches • Further reading: Barbara Jacobs’ The land and France in 1920. This side was the her sexuality, living with her partner Mary before Scottish authorities cancelled all re - Dick, Kerr Ladies (2004) and Tim Tate’s best women’s team of the era, playing against and publicly refusing to hide it despite the maining fixtures and Matthews went to Eng - Women’s Football — A Secret History (2016). Where we stand More online at www.workersliberty.org Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of production. Harassment on the Tube The capitalists’ control over the economy and their relentless drive to increase their wealth causes poverty, unemployment, With a recent reported rise in go to find someone if you need to. vulnerable to workplace sexual ha - the blighting of lives by overwork, imperialism, the destruction sexual assault and Whereas if there is only one per - rassment, that means that the peo - of the environment and much else. harassment on public son on the station and you don’t ple in the worst position are the Against the accumulated wealth and power of the capitalists, transport. We publish an know where they are, you could be cleaners. the working class must unite to struggle against capitalist abridged version of a speech running round the whole station Our union has dealt with some power in the workplace and in wider society. made by Janine Booth at an looking for them before you find terrible casework of women clean - event organised by Islington them. London Overground is now ers who have been serially ha - The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty wants socialist revolution: Labour Party women’s forum. consulting on further station rassed and sexually abused by their collective ownership of industry and services, workers’ control, staffing cuts and further ticket of - supervisors and managers and oth - and a democracy much fuller than the present system, with I have worked on London Under - fice closures, and it is happening ers who use their fear of them los - elected representatives recallable at any time and an end to ground for twenty-one-and-a- under a Labour Mayor. ing their job and sometimes their bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. half years. Throughout that time, Of course, this is not all caused fear of being deported, their inse - sexual assault and harassment by transport policy, it is in the con - cure immigration status, as an ex - We fight for trade unions and the Labour Party to break with text of wider social issues as well. cuse to sexually harass them. Again “social partnership” with the bosses and to militantly assert against women passengers and staff have been a constant pres - Donald Trump famously boasted – this is probably my third and last working-class interests. ence. about grabbing pussies, and quite a swipe at Sadiq Khan – the fact that lot of people said that was very vul - London Underground cleaning is In workplaces, trade unions, and Labour organisations; And now we have Night Tube. gar, but the problem was not that it still contracted out and cleaners are among students; in local campaigns; on the left and in It’s a great job, and mostly passen - was vulgar but that it was violent. still paid awful wages, have no sick gers are great – mostly they’ve had wider political alliances we stand for: This is happening on public pay, have no holiday pay, no mater - a night out, had a great time, transport in the context of a mas - nity pay above the barest legal min - • Independent working-class representation in politics. maybe had one too many, and we • sive cut in government funding to imum, and are still treated like this, A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the help them get home. Transport for London. The govern - under a Labour Mayor, I think is labour movement. However, a minority of (mostly ment is taking all its operating sub - pretty shameful. He could change • A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to male) passengers seem to think it is sidy away from TfL, making it the that and bring cleaning back in- OK to put their arm round the only major urban transport system house and put them on the same strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. woman member of staff who they • Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, in the world that is expected to run terms as the rest of us. are asking for directions, or think it without any public subsidy. There is, unfortunately, still an education and jobs for all. is OK to grope the woman they get City Hall could be doing a bit idea that sexual harassment and as - • A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. into a conversation with on the more to resist that and a bit less to sault are part of the job, that if Full equality for women, and social provision to free women train. carry it out, but the funding cut it - you’re going to do a bloke’s job, Something that shocked even me self is coming from the govern - like working on a railway, then you from domestic labour. For reproductive justice: free abortion on is that there are men who deliber - demand; the right to choose when and whether to have ment. It seems to have enough need to accept what comes with it. ately go out on the Night Tube money for various projects of its When I was involved in the Eu - children. Full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and looking for women to assault. They own, but not enough to keep ropean Transport workers’ Federa - transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity against look for passed-out, drunk women, women safe while travelling on tion – a couple of years ago, we ran racism. they sit next to them on the Tube public transport. a campaign called ‘It’s Not Part of and grope them. • Open borders. the Job’, and we translated it into We’ve had to deal with some STAFF • Global solidarity against global capital — workers different languages and circulated quite serious assaults by men who As well as the passengers, there publicity across Europe. everywhere have more in common with each other than with have quite clearly only left their are the women staff to consider. Employers have not always their capitalist or Stalinist rulers. house and gone to the train station Night Tube has been going taken any complaints seriously. It’s • Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest to do that. nearly two years, and RMT is almost like we’ve internalised it as In twenty-one-and-a-half years workplace or community to global social doing a survey of Night Tube sta - part of our job, and think that if we on London Underground, I have tion staff about various aspects did report it, nothing would hap - organisation. never received any specific training of their working conditions. • pen anyway. One of my friends re - Equal rights for all nations, against on assisting victims of sexual as - ported a sexual assault by a drunk sault. I’ve worked on stations that One of the questions is: ‘Have imperialists and predators big and small. you been sexually harassed while bloke and the manager said “Well, • Maximum left unity in action, and whole time. drunk blokes behave like that”. My training on sexual violence on Night Tube duty?’ The options openness in debate. are ‘Yes, once’, ‘Yes, more than We’ve also got women who work and assault and harassment has in public transport who have do - come through the trade union once’, or ‘No’. One hundred per cent of the women who have filled mestic violence issues, and that If you agree with us, please take some movement. overflows into the workplace. Our Over those years, the situation in that survey so far have ticked copies of Solidarity to sell — and join us! ‘Yes, more than once’. union asked London Underground with sexual harassment has got to adopt a domestic violence policy worse, and I want us to think about That’s what is happening to Night Tube staff. It also happens to a couple of years ago and the com - some of the things that have made pany refused on the basis that ‘do - it worse. staff who work during the day. So sexual assault and harassment mestic violence is a private issue Events Number one is staffing cuts. It is and nothing to do with us’. We’re now harder to find a member of from passengers is an unfortu - nately regular thing. What about going to try to press that again be - Saturday 20 October Tuesday 30 October staff to assist you if you have been cause that just isn’t acceptable. assaulted than it ever has been. from other staff? Most of our male People’s Vote March Rise of the Precarious Workers colleagues treat us as equals, espe - I think we should have a joint CCTV and help points and apps worker and passenger campaign noon, Park Lane, London National Demo may be helpful, but they are helpful cially those who are involved in trade unionism, but for a minority against sexual harassment and vio - bit.ly/brx20 8am, Transport for London, 197 when they are installed in addition lence on public transport. And I Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ to transport staff not instead of it is a different matter, and it gets Monday 22 October worse the greater the difference in think the people to lead this are bit.ly/2D543bi transport staff. CCTV can only rank. trade union women and Labour #elenão: the far right, feminism watch you being assaulted, it can’t women, because that’s what we are Saturday 3 November stop you being assaulted. The lower rank a woman worker & class struggle in Brazil is, the more likely she is to be ha - here for – a rank-and-file-led, work - UCL Institute of Education Save Our Libraries! National I hope you are all supporting ing-class movement, defending the RMT’s fight to retain the guards on rassed by someone who is of a 20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL demo! rights of working people to go to those services where they still have higher rank than her and therefore bit.ly/2yiIAqw work and go home again without 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 them, because the presence of a has power over her in the work - 2AY place hierarchy. So, you may get a being harassed or assaulted, and to 26-17 October guard is a deterrent to sexual ha - go about your daily business on bit.ly/2pWvvyc rassment and assault, and the woman Customer Service Assistant Europe for the many; a left booking on for work and the man - public transport without being ha - guard is someone to turn to if it rassed and assaulted. strategy for transforming Europe Friday 9 November does happen. ager she is booking on with may And while the right wing try to comment on her appearance and LSE, Houghton Street, London Socialism, Ireland, Permanent London Underground had its divide public sector workers and ask her if she was up late last night. WC2A 2AE Revolution & the Provo War level of station staffing cut by about public service users against A minority of blokes do this, but it each other, I think this is an op - bit.ly/2ynvFTi Marchmont Community Centre five hundred over the last few happens, and it’s an abuse of portunity for us to come together 62 Marchmont Street, London years and had all its ticket offices closed. Not only can you buy tick - power as well as being sexist. and for workers and service WC1N 1AB ets at a ticket office, but you know As it is the most exploited, low - users to unite. Have an event you want listing? bit.ly/2Ad9LUI est-ranked women who are most Email: [email protected] where it is, so you know where to REPORTS 10-11 Fight for FE funding

By Charlotte Zalens

Further Education (FE) college workers are holding a national week of action from 15-19 Octo - ber. The week of action over FE fund - ing involves the FE lecturers′ union the UCU, plus other unions includ - Mixed picture in ing Unison, Unite, GMB, NEU, NUS, TUC, and ASCL. The week will also involve a march, rally and lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 17 October (as Solidar - DOO strikes ity went to press). FE funding has been cut by around 30% since 2009. This has re - sulted in fewer teaching hours, a By a train driver ber in Newcastle and Sheffield. drastic reduction in adult educa - RMT General Secretary Mick Cash tion courses, and a real-terms pay The RMT continues its current (or Assistant General Secretary cut of 25% for staff — college teach - policy of hitting Northern Rail - Steve Hedley in Sheffield) will ers now earn £7000 less on average way and South Western Railway speak at each meeting, along side than school teachers. • A fully funded National Re - time, the latest figures show 17 col - with weekly strike action on local Labour MPs. The UCU is calling the govern - training Scheme to support level 3 lege principals earned over Saturdays as its disputes with Finally, in the dispute with ment to take a number of immedi - to 5 skills £200,000 in 2016/17, and a third those companies over Driver Merseyrail over the same issue, ate measures to halt the decline in • Introducing a lifetime learning were awarded a pay rise of 10% or Only Operation rumble on. the union appears to be on the FE. They are calling for: entitlement to fund skills training more. brink of doing a deal that will pre - • Immediate exceptional fund - for all adults who have not previ - Following strikes in February At Northern, the weekly action has been called up to and includ - serve the “safety-critical” status of ing, ring-fenced for pay, to cover ously achieved a level 3 qualifica - and March over pay in a small the guard’s job and keep one on the costs of a fair pay deal for col - tion. number of colleges across England, ing 10 November, while at SWR they are so far called up to 27 No - every Merseyrail passenger train. lege staff. Earlier this year the FE college UCU is now balloting members in Some details emerged in a briefing • An increase in the 16-19 fund - employers′ organisation, Associa - 110 colleges in England over the vember. The rhetoric employed by the dated 4 October posted on the ing rate by 5% a year for the next tion of Colleges, recommended a pay offer, alongside the pay ballot union’s website and sent to all 1% pay increase for staff. However happening in HE. union in relation to both disputes five years, and extending pupil pre - The ballot closes on Friday 19 branches — a productivity deal is mium to cover post-16 students. only 40% of colleges have imple - is similar — the companies are ac - October. cused of stalling, obstructing or being negotiated, containing some mented that pay rise. At the same major concessions. failing to take negotiations seri - The deal is not final but in its ously. current form includes the trans - Meanwhile, the union has or - fer of some cleaning work onto ganised a series of public meetings guards, with resulting redun - in support of the Northern guards dancies for cleaners (also RMT Central Line strike due — on Tuesday 6 November in members). Leeds and on Thursday 8 Novem - By Ollie Moore a similar battle against bullying bosses, and re - Driver members of the RMT cently struck from 26-28 union on London Underground’s September. Central Line have voted for Local disputes are strikes in two separate ballots. also developing involv - One dispute demands reinstate - ing station staff and ment for Paul Bailey, who “failed” drivers on the north end a drugs test despite a second read - of the Bakerloo Line, ing showing him to be within the where workers are de - allowed cutoff for cannabinoid sub - manding proper staffing stances. A parallel dispute aims to of stations, which are curtail an increasingly authoritar - currently frequently left ian management culture. unstaffed; and on the The RMT has named strikes for 7 south end of the Baker - November, coordinating with a loo Line and elsewhere strike of members of driver-only over management’s re - union Aslef on the Central Line fusal to commit to en - over similar issues. RMT has also suring all station staff shifts are covered. called a strike of its driver members RMT may also ballot station a dispute over management bul - Striking against on the Piccadilly Line for that day. staff members at Baker Street in lying. Piccadilly Line drivers are fighting academisation By David Pendleton sation order. They also brought in multi-academy trust chain UST to National Education Union mem - run it. 40% job cuts at shipyard However, a concerted cam - bers at John Roan School in Greenwich will strike again on 18 paign by the union’s and parents has thus far prevented this hap - plans to cut 40% of the work - October in their dispute to pre - By Peggy Carter maintain ships for the Royal Fleet pening and won support from force. vent the school being forced to Auxiliary over 10 years. the local labour movement in - Workers at Cammell Laird ship - Workers also fear that the cuts become an academy. The announcement to cut 290 may be a backdoor way of casu - cluding Matthew Pennycock, the yard in Birkenhead will be bal - jobs was made despite the shipyard In the summer Ofsted inspected local MP, and local councillors. loted for strikes by union Unite alising the workforce, by replac - winning two contracts, worth a ing permanent jobs with agency the school and found it inadequate after the company announced total of £619 million, to support and and issued a compulsory academi - labour at a later date. • www.thejohnroannut.org SolidaFor a workers’ giovertnment y No 482 17 October 2018 50p/£1 Build local campaign committees Labour should scrap Universal Credit

By Luke Hardy Credit will be rolled out to the much larger group of people cur - The intervention by Gordon rently receiving tax credits. When Brown and the campaign being they migrate over to the new ben - run by the Daily Mirror to stop efit they will suffer a major cut in Universal Credit expose how their income. weak Labour’s policy is on this The Resolution Foundation says area and benefits in general. up to 3.2 million households will be hit by a cut of up to £200 a Labour’s policy on Universal month. Credit is “pause and fix”, which According to the Times , the Work means: opposing the latest cut to and Pensions Secretary Esther tax credits that is being rolled into McVey has told the cabinet that universal credit; reducing the wait - half of lone parents and two thirds ing period and making it easier to of all couples with children of opt for the housing element to be working age would be hit by the paid direct to landlords. At confer - cut. Due to in-work conditionality, ence it was also announced they hundreds of thousands of part- would scrap the punitive sanctions time low-paid workers will have to regime. No promise has been demonstrate to the Department of made over “claimant commitment Work and Pensions that they are and conditionality” (the punitive looking for more hours or higher sidered socialism — public owner - campaigning on such bread-and- into hardship.”. and coercive element of Universal paid work. ship, workers’ rights, Trident and butter issues as a way back to po - So far so radical. But what Owen Credit). That would leave univer - Unite Community has done international issues. It was content litical relevance. doesn’t do is call on the Labour sal credit intact, paid in arrears and good work around sanctions, but it to take the soft left’s lead on what All the better if they can portray Party to change its policy to out - incorporating many of the cuts al - is also fully signed-up to Labour’s it considered social-democratic is - their concern as standing up for right opposition to Universal ready made. policy of “pause and fix”. There sues, like the NHS and welfare. something which directly affects Credit. Labour’s policy would mean a are some small campaigning Most of the campaigning around working-class families, and con - Yet committees should be set up narrower and more punitive bene - groups but these are often mainly welfare is being done by NGOs, trast with Corbyn, whom they por - in every town and these should in - fit system than that which existed focused around housing with Uni - charities, churches etc. tray as obsessed with “ideological” clude Labour Party members, in 2010. versal Credit as a secondary focus. Due to the long period of defeats or “middle class” causes like Pales - trade unionists, Momentum, cam - Gordon Brown likened the im - The GMB has done some good over the last 40 years the left’s in - tine, public ownership or tuition paigning groups. All need to build pact of the fully rolled out Univer - work in educating its reps on the fluence is weakest among the poor - fees. for a loud public campaign on this. sal Credit as similar to the poll tax. issue but it too is committed to est parts of the working-class. The Owen Jones has written in the But first let’s get Labour to stand I do not think this is hyperbole. “pause and fix”. Corbyn and Mc - only organised-left presence many Guardian calling for a national up for the people it was founded to Currently Universal Credit cov - Donnell make broad and moralis - people encounter is a Labour coun - movement like the Anti Poll Tax represent and call for the scrapping ers about 1.1 million individuals — cillor doing casework. More often Federation to bring local groups to - of Universal Credit. tic attacks on Tory cuts, often quite It should be replaced by a so - mainly childless people of working than not, this is totally divorced gether: “A similar movement fo - effectively in PMQs or conferences, cial security system that’s not age and some disabled people. It from any wider sense of political cused on UC must now be but they don’t cover the detail. about forcing people into low- has already resulted in massive in - engagement. founded to prepare for the mass Maybe this is a hangover from paid work but is a tool to abolish The cleverer people on the right protests and civil disobedience that creases in rent arrears, debt and coming from the Bennite left. In its poverty and squalor and give a of the party have noticed this must be the response to a deliber - use of food banks. long years in the wilderness this decent life to all. Starting in July 2019 Universal left tended to focus on what it con - weakness on the left. They now see ate Tory attempt to drive millions Or subscribe with a standing order Contact us Subscribe to Solidarity Pay £5 a month to subscribe to Solidarity or pay us more to make an ongoing contribution to our work 020 7394 8923 Trial sub (6 issues) £7 o To: ...... (your bank) ...... (address) Six months (22 issues) £22 waged o, £11 unwaged o solidarity@ One year (44 issues) £44 waged o, £22 unwaged o Account name ...... (your name) workersliberty.org European rate: 6 months €30 o One year €55 o Account number ...... Sort code ...... Write to us: The editor Please make payments as follows to the debit of my account: (Cathy Nugent), 20E Tower Name ...... Payee: Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, account no. 20047674 at the Unity Trust Bank, 9 Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 2HB (60-83-01) Workshops, Riley Road, London, Address ...... SE1 3DG Amount: £...... Solidarity editorial: Simon Nelson, To be paid on the ...... day of ...... (month) 20.... (year) and thereafter I enclose £ ...... monthly until this order is cancelled by me in writing. Cathy Nugent (editor) , Gemma This order cancels any previous orders to the same payee. Short, and Martin Thomas Cheques (£) to “AWL” or make £ and Euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub Return to 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG. Date ...... Signature ...... Printed by Trinity Mirror