So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 251 29 June 2012 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government Demolition Greece’s EU crisis man page 3 fascist threat deepens page 7 page 10 Fight Tory plan to axe benefits MAKE THE RICH See page 7 PAY Tories want to scrap Housing Benefit for under-25s. If you can’t afford to pay rent, and can’t or won’t live with your parents, then it’s a friend’s floor or the streets. Jobs for all! NEWS What is the Alliance Let in more migrants, not fewer! for Workers’ Liberty? By Richard Swanley and the already-settled Today one class, the working class, lives by selling lose out too. We must its labour power to another, the capitalist class, Ed Miliband had said unite. To do this effectively which owns the means of production. Society that on immigration the we have to challenge the is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to Labour Party needed to racist immigration controls increase their wealth. Capitalism causes make a break with its which systematically crim - poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives by record in government. inalise migrants, and fight the media and govern - overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the He claims the problem is ment-driven demonisation environment and much else. that New Labour failed to of migrants, refugees, and Against the accumulated wealth and power of the impose sufficient controls. asylum seekers. Labour’s capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. In fact they imposed too current so-called change of The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity many. heart does the exact oppo - through struggle so that the working class can overthrow In 2004, New Labour site. capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective ownership oversaw 1,098 “successful Unemployment, lack of of industry and services, workers’ control and a democracy operations” (i.e. raids) housing, and the decay of against undocumented mi - much fuller than the present system, with elected public services are caused grant workers, which saw representatives recallable at any time and an end to by the people who created the arrest of over 3,000 Migrant workers are some of the most exploited members of bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. the financial crisis — workers, but the prosecu - our class. Don’t demonise, organise! We fight for the labour movement to break with “social bankers, big business and tion of only eight of the partnership” and assert working-class interests militantly the politicians who are bat - employers responsible for seekers, and refugees to has shown a particular and against the bosses. tering the living standards exploiting them. something akin to slaves. ongoing increase in vio - Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, working-class people have In 2003, only one boss The Labour government lence against eastern Euro - supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, fought for and won. was successfully prose - also joined it with tabloid pean migrant workers. helping organise rank-and-file groups. British working-class cuted, while 1,779 workers hysteria about immigra - At the Young Labour We are also active among students and in many campaigns people cannot fight effec - were arrested and re - tion. Labour leaders fed conference on 23-4 June, tively for their own inter - and alliances. moved from the workplace the far-right’s agenda by both Tom Watson and Ed ests without standing in (and presumably de - dressing up endorsement Balls claimed that solidarity with our broth - We stand for: ported). of “coming-over-here-tak - Labour’s new so-called ers and sisters who come G Independent working-class representation in politics. Even laws which were ing-our-jobs” scapegoating “tough approach” is not here to flee persecution or G A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the motivated as improving as concern for the interests about pandering to racism. build a better life. labour movement. conditions for migrant of white working-class They said it responds to Socialists in the labour G A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to workers — such as the constituents. people’s concerns about movement must fight for strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. Gangmasters Licensing Helping whip up at at - cheap migrant labour solidarity between G Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, Act of 2004 — were used mosphere of racist fear and being used to undercut British-born and migrant education and jobs for all. by employers and the state hatred can have a terrible wages and conditions. Im - workers, against immi - effect on the lives of mi - migration control is a G A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. for further crackdowns gration controls, for de - grants. Crown Prosecution “class issue”. Full equality for women and social provision to free women against undocumented cent homes, jobs, and Service figures for 2010- This is indeed a class from the burden of housework. Free abortion on request. Full workers. public services for all, Labour’s 2004 Asylum 2011 showed that racially issue. According to official and against racism. equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. and religiously motivated figures ( Guardian , 1 April Black and white workers’ unity against racism. and Immigration Act made the meagre housing and hate crimes were at a 2008), immigration gener - G Open borders. • For more on New social support to which record high, with over ally increases living stan - G Global solidarity against global capital — workers Labour’s record on immi - most refugees were enti - 13,000 people appearing dards for the everywhere have more in common with each other than with gration, see tled conditional on their before courts (and that’s already-settled. But if the their capitalist or Stalinist rulers. bit.ly/MXoVdd, performing unpaid “com - just the ones who were bosses can divide already- Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest bit.ly/MyzbKH, G munity service”. caught, arrested, and settled workers from mi - bit.ly/OmrjAp, and workplace or community to global social organisation. In 2003, the Labour gov - charged). Research by the grants, then the migrants bit.ly/MqU6kg G Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal ernment deported 17,040 Institute of Race Relations become super-exploited, rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big asylum seekers and their and small. dependants. That was a G Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. record at the time, and a LRC Youth makes an impact G If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity 23% increase on 2002 fig - to sell — and join us! ures. By a delegate jobs created by the government should in - 020 7394 8923 [email protected] Britain’s current points- clude union membership as mandatory, based immigration system, Young Labour’s annual conference in and Labour should push for a 35 hour 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, which allows entry for Newcastle on 23-24 June decided to working week and equalisation of the min - “entrepreneurs” with make its “priority campaign” youth imum wage across age-groups. London, SE1 3DG. £200,000 or more, or em - homelessness. The conference’s guest speaker Ed Balls ployees with high qualifi - was sharply questioned about pandering It resolved that Labour should commit cations and “future to racist sentiments in his statements about to building at least one million new coun - expected earnings”, but immigration. cil houses, to ease the waiting list of five GET SOLIDARITY excludes ordinary work - Much of this was won by the work of million in England and Wales alone, and ers, was introduced not by Labour Representation Committee (LRC) the wealth of the nationalised banks the Tories, but by Labour Youth, which produced bulletins, organ - should be used to fund socially useful EVERY WEEK! in 2008. ised fringe meetings, and spoke success - Labour’s record in gov - projects such this. fulAlypoentimtioannygalerfnt-ewreindgjumsottoiovnesr. 100 sig - Special offers ernment is not one of After a close debate, it also resolved that natures, calling for next year’s confer - being a “soft touch”. It is Labour should abolish the “right to buy” Trial sub, 6 issues £5 ence to be more democratically G one of ratcheting up immi - council housing. organised and allow clearer debate, and gration controls, increasing It agreed on repealing the anti-trade G 22 issues (six months). £18 waged £9 unwaged for more guarantees of conference pol - deportations, and reducing union laws, imposing a moratorium on icy getting implemented/ G 44 issues (year). £35 waged £17 unwaged the legal status of many sackings, encouraging young workers to join trade unions. All new public works migrant workers, asylum • www.lrcyouth.org.uk G European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) or 50 euros (44 issues) Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG Shaking hands with the “Brits” Cheques (£) to “AWL”. Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. By Liam McNulty tion for the meeting speaks other words, let the Queen willingness to content itself volumes about the prob - speak for the unionists and with managing the antago - Former Provisional IRA lems of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Féin will continue to nisms between what are Name . leader Martin McGuin - communal carve-up of a represent the nationalist presumed to be two im - ness has shaken hands political system. community. mutable and separate (but Address . with Queen Elizabeth II . Shaking hands with the Throughout the Troubles, now equal?) communal Yes really. Queen is, said McGuinness, Sinn Féin protested that its blocs suggests there was “about me representing my ideology was about univer - much truth to our analysis.