Batley and Spen: DON’T VOTE AGAINST STARMER VOTE for MARXIST STRATEGY Weekly 2 June 24 2021 1353 Worker LETTERS
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A paper of Marxist polemic and Marxist unity Mike Macnair: legislation to n Letters and debate n GB News buffoonery ‘protect free speech’ is part n US Marxist Unity Slate of Tory ongoing culture wars n Deniz Poyraz killing No 1353 June 24 2021 Towards a mass Communist Party £1/€1.10 Batley and Spen: DON’T VOTE AGAINST STARMER VOTE FOR MARXIST STRATEGY weekly 2 June 24 2021 1353 worker LETTERS are building a partition wall between delegate conference being held as a result, taken out of national happy-clappy atmosphere, where Letters may have been South Asian heritage British subjects online (Covid prevented it being strike action over pay. The HMRC everyone just does whatever shortened because of space. Some names and their families and friends in the held at all in 2020) and most of has been vicious against PCS the NEC proclaims is good for may have been changed subcontinent. Can they succeed? my misgivings were correct. reps, trying to get them sacked. the PCS - rather like the Labour Even the partition wall of Starmer’s Although branches this time could It is hypocritical for Serwotka to Party and the TUC then. The friends in the Israeli state, in spite register as many delegates as they condemn ‘fire and rehire’, whilst NEC elections, the motions from Anti-Semitism? of splitting families and forbidding wanted, only one for each branch accepting the deal for worse terms the NEC and restrictions on Those who receive circular the cohabitation of Palestinians with could actually vote and every and conditions. membership democracy represent reminders from Labour HQ will their spouses, have not yet succeeded vote was based on their branch Then there was the Labour a clear move to the right - and to have seen this recent pep-message: in destroying the Palestinian and membership. This means the NEC Party. Previous PCS policy was think this is where Mark Serwotka “Polling day is a week away, and indeed the entire Arab community. could simply rally their largest to recommend members vote for came in, when the rightwing every party is focused on the Batley Can the “100% Zionist - no ifs, no branches to get their favoured a Corbyn-led government (even ‘moderates’ controlled the PCS at and Spen parliamentary by-election. buts” Starmer succeed in inflicting motions through and I think though the PCS is not affiliated to its formation. “We know the Tories will be such damage on British subjects? this happened a few times. At a any party, past conferences having Dave Vincent digging into their deep pockets As for the libel that all British physical conference delegates can voted against affiliating to either Manchester to splash out on advertising. We Muslims are anti-Semitic, I have see the hall and the balance of Labour or Momentum). Clearly know that George Galloway will be seen no evidence that this piece of voting for and against, but now this policy needs revising. There Overkill cosying up to people in a community carefully anonymous Goebbelsry all we could see was either the were no motions wanting us to Readers can decide for themselves he’s barely spent a month in. has been repudiated. president, Fran Heathcote, calling affiliate to Labour under Starmer, about Daniel Lazare’s argument “But we have the force of our Perhaps the Labour Party game for delegates to vote/move/speak nor urging a vote for Labour. that the firing of Jeffrey Toobin - a movement, thousands of Labour plan is to outdo Thomas Mair, the on motions or the speaker on the NEC Motion A38 suggests leading writer for the New Yorker members who, just like Kim - our local ‘premature’ advocate and motion under debate. conducting a reassessment of our magazine until accidentally incredible candidate - care about the practitioner of Red Wall politics. Motions were decided by policy concerning parliamentary, caught on camera fondling community.” It would, and perhaps will, be branch memberships, so we could mayoral and council elections for himself in a Zoom session with Arguably, the activities of interesting to learn. My personal not see or be told how many a further decision in 2022. The colleagues - is a major symptom Galloway - who has shown good take is (slightly) more charitable: it delegates voted for or against assessment will concern itself of ruling class decline (‘Paralysis taste in praising at least one is the imperial instincts that make motions. No emergency motions with how political campaigning of ruling elite’ Weekly Worker Weekly Worker letter analysing Labour secretaries of state (actual were allowed and all delegates can assist members to win June 17). I am rather writing to anti-Semitism and its purported or shadow) yearn to be ‘honest wishing to speak on a motion disputes, how this could build take issue with his assertion that opponents (December 10 2020), and brokers’ re Palestine, Africa, had to register in advance. So our union, etc, and might take us Christine Blasey Ford’s 2018 who has spent time canvassing and Northern Ireland and indeed some only the president knew who back to seeing which candidates accusation of attempted rape then representing many Muslims voters in Batley and Spen - not to they were - we didn’t know how support PCS policies. against Donald Trump’s Supreme in Bradford and indeed in Tower mention the West Midlands. Many many of those wishing to speak Criticism was made at Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh Hamlets - are far less pernicious than will find that Kim Leadbeater’s local were called. And delegates who conference that PCS had dropped - since elevated to the court - was those of the longstanding Yorkshire and professedly unpolitical history decided they wanted to respond to this policy in favour of simply “no more convincing than what tyke, Keir Starmer, who has put does not stop them from finding points made during a debate could supporting all Labour candidates liberals had to say about Russian up a “senior Labour official” to her “incredible”. The solar topee not then ask to speak. in the 2019 general election - collusion …” On the contrary, I rubbish Muslims (and us), depicting or pit helmet do not suit genuine Conference did discuss the even those on the right hostile to found Blasey Ford’s accusation them as collectively anti-Semitic. democrats - nor does prating about move to a Zoom conference, Corbyn. So the PCS focus will no eminently believable. You may have noticed a fairly full the ‘White Man’s Burden’ (second criticising the undermining of longer be just on what the Labour The absence of corroborating account in the Groaniad (June 21), edition). membership democracy, but that Party is doing and tying us to them testimony in this case was hardly which clams that Starmer’s “stated Jack Fogarty motion was lost. alone. Good! Interestingly the out of the ordinary. Rape is intention” is not allowing an “issue email Readers may know that general Morning Star on June 14 carried seldom attempted in the presence of the subcontinent to divide secretary Mark Serwotka’s a feature by Ian Hodson, the of witnesses, and the only other communities here ...” Voters there Moving right previous open interference in the BFAWU union president, stating person said to have been at the may well recall the speed with Although I’m in the retired section elections for assistant general that a majority of its members do crime scene was a male classmate which Starmer endorsed Modi’s of PCS members, I was able to secretary had split Left Unity not trust Labour now or think they of Kavanaugh’s, Mark Judge, breach of the constitution of India observe the union conference held down the middle, with a new represent their interests or values. whom Blasey Ford alleged to and of international agreements on June 13-14. group called Broad Left Network Most would not vote Labour if be his accomplice (Blasey Ford about Kashmir. I have written previously about (BLN) of mainly Socialist they still promise another EU testified that she knew Kavanaugh So Starmer and the Labour Party the arrangements for the annual Party members and ‘Socialist referendum. I think a similar and Judge - then students at a View’, being Serwotka loyalists. survey of members should be boys’ school near the Maryland The unprincipled pact called taken by Unite, Unison and the girls’ school she attended - by Democracy Alliance (Left Unity GMB. name at the time of the incident). Online Communist Forum and PCS Democrats) dominated Turning to the strategic Judge’s subsequent failure to the NEC elections as usual, with future of the union, I previously remember the event was therefore 14 new members getting elected. thought that the NEC would drive hardly remarkable. BLN had some limited success, through a merger with Unite, Nor was it suspicious that Ford but overall lost some previous but the leadership has decided to could not recollect the address places, The Independent Left persevere with PCS for a while of the beer-drenched soirée at (dominated by the Alliance for (motion A9) - £1.4 million has which the assault was alleged Workers’ Liberty) went their own been saved due to using Zoom to have taken place, or the route way again. instead of physical meetings, so by which she got there or went Let me go through the main there is no longer any urgency home. It is understandable that motions I found of interest. As apparently. Motion A9 listed the particulars of the assault - usual Mark Serwotka, with his the areas where we are looking being forced into a bedroom by fan club on the national executive to improve turnout, whether in Kavanaugh and Judge, who were committee, dominated conference elections or strike ballots, Three both drunk, thrown onto a bed, and got through everything he other motions were lost (because while Judge played loud music wanted with little dissent.