& Workers’ Liberty

SolFor siociadl ownershaip of the branks aind intdustry y No 486 14 November 2018 50p/£1 We say to : Brazil: time to regroup

On 9 November Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the German See page 3 news magazine Der Spiegel that “we can’t stop Brexit”. But Labour can. The Tories and the DUP are divided about May’s LABOsketched-out sofUt-ish Brexit deal. If LabouRr MPs vote solidly against May’s deal, it probably can’t get through Parliament. That reflects the fact that May’s proposals are unpopular — in surveys, 73% think the negotiations are going badly. The “hard” Brexit formulas favoured by the Tory right are unpopular. A “no deal” Brexit is more unpopular still. More page 5 Putin’s thiefdom

Barrie Hardy discusses the echoes of CAN Stalinism in Putin’s political method. STOP See page 2 Climate and class Arguing for class-based action on cli - mate change. See page 4 BREXIT Join Labour! Universal Credit in crisis

See page 10 2 NEWS More online at www.workersliberty.org Putin’s Thiefdom now put to use to facilitate grand on Mafia style crime operations by the police to fraudu - By Barrie Hardy larceny. linked to Russia (and mischief lently reclaim $230 mil - Russian president Vladimir The fallout from the poisoning of making over the Catalan secession lion in taxes. Putin’s personal fortune is esti - Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March conflict is another front in the at - Magnitsky’s exposure mated at $40 billion, making him made many feel they were back in tack on the EU). of the tax refund fraud one of the richest men in Europe. the Cold War era. The knee jerk re - Spain’s national court prosecutor, implicated police, the ju - He owns vast holdings in three action of some leftists was to give Jose Grinda, famously described diciary, tax officials, Russian oil companies which are the Kremlin the benefit of the doubt Russia as a “virtual Mafia state”, bankers and the Russian concealed behind a vast network of and cast around for alternative ex - claiming that it was impossible to Mafia. For his pains he offshore companies. The level of planations in conspiracy theories. differentiate between the activities was imprisoned, tortured corruption over which he presides Even some calling themselves Trot - of its government and organised and eventually murdered accounts for an enormous amount skyist questioned the Kremlin’s crime groups. Spain has conducted in jail. Then Magnitsky of Russia’s GDP — putting half of likely use of assassination as a two major operations against Rus - was put on trial for tax the economy in the hands of vari - means of silencing political oppo - sian inspired Mafia networks, ar - evasion four years after ous shades of criminal enterprise. nents. resting more than 60 suspects. his death and found In the early 1990s, advocates of Yet the attack on the Skripals had Grinda has received death guilty! free market capitalism promised all the hallmark of a Russian secret threats and is obliged to get around In Soviet times most bright futures for 150 million Rus - service operation, the MO being under armed guard. Comparable high ranking bureaucrats olution” in Ukraine in 2004. The sians, who would supposedly similar to the plutonium poisoning actions against Russian criminal ac - would have aspired to a bigger mass demonstrations organized by share the spoils of mass privatisa - of Litvinenko in 2006. tivity in Britain in the same period apartment, an official limo, a dacha the trade unions in October are a tion. Instead, 22 oligarchs ended up It was never plausible that the have been pathetic. The British au - in the countryside and privileged sign that large scale working-class owning 40% of the economy by the poisoning was organised by a thorities started their first case shopping in foreign currency protest in the region is possible. end of the Yeltsin era. The result British government mired in the using an Unexplained Wealth stores. Today they might still earn More oligarch will scurry to be was a vast increase in inequality. Brexit mess. The last thing May Order only in October 2018. official salaries of $1000 a month, united with their ill-gotten laun - The Russian people have been needed was a confrontation with Grinda says it’s an “unanswered but they manage to afford flats in dered cash — if they are still wel - robbed blind over the past three Russia that would graphically ex - question” as to what extent Putin Belgravia and send their kids in En - come in countries like Britain. decades as a result of incompetence pose Britain’s weakness in the run himself is involved with the Rus - glish private schools. They form a Socialists should have no illu - and criminal conspiracy. State as - up to departure from the EU. sian mafia and able to control its ac - strange political class. sions that the Putin regime is some sets to be privatised were valued at The Tories have always been par - tions. The kleptocrats keep their money kind of progressive or anti-imperi - eye watering low amounts. tial to accepting oligarch money outside Russia, thinking perhaps alist force. In a conflict between The valuation of the entire econ - with no questions asked. May that the stability Putin ensures soon BRIBES American and Russian imperi - omy, at $10 billion, was a sixth the dragged her feet for four years as Bribes and kickbacks are a come to an end. Despite frequent alisms we stand for the “third value of Walmart. Putin put his for - before allowing an major source of self enrichment. nationalist rhetoric, Putin has camp” of the working class against mer spy cronies in charge of run - inquiry into Litvinenko’s murder. It is estimated that bribery costs presided over the biggest single both sides. ning the country despite their lack Ten other mysterious deaths in the Russia $300 billion per year, ac - flight of capital the world has ever Meanwhile, the Russian state of economic competence. They UK of Putin’s enemies and their as - counting to some 18% of GDP. seen. plays a significant role in support - seized upon it as a chance to enrich sociates also went without serious Privatisation of state owned as - More people are starting to ques - ing the far right in Europe. Inside themselves beyond their wildest investigation. sets is another way the kleptocrats tion the corruption and the poor Russia it has also been complicit in dreams. FSB and GRU activity has not feather their nests, selling these, performance of the economy. Sup - or indifferent to numerous attack Although property relations been confined to assassinations. preferably to relatives, at knock port for Putin’s party, United Rus - on ethnic minorities perpetuated have changed since the collapse of Many cyber attacks and disinfor - down prices. Gazprom’s sale of sia, has fallen to 31% — its lowest by Russian neo-nazis. the Soviet Union, Russia’s foreign mation campaigns have been used seven major oil fields for next to ever. A big factor in this has been to further Russian state policy. nothing is one of many notable ex - the pension reforms which will When the likes of Jean-Luc policy still services the criminal Mélenchon, in France, or the gangs that runs the state, with as - Trump in the White House and amples. delay retirement by five years (Rus - Brexiting Britain are its most no - Tax fraud on a grand scale has sian men have the worst life ex - post-mortem Stalinist element sassination being its extreme form around the Morning Star , appear of censorship. Stalinist methods of table successes. been another way for the klepto - pectancy in Europe). Spain seems to have been a target cratic class to enrich itself. Sergei Putin and his stooges fear being to court Putin, that only shows dictatorial rule through the that “useful idiots” have yet to medium of the secret police are because law enforcement there has Magnitsky discovered that organ - overthrown by some kind of popu - been very active in cracking down ised criminals had been given help lar revolt such as the “Orange rev - call it a day. Iran sugar workers strike for workers’ control Free speech is a left wing issue pus. Like all attacks on free speech, “extremist” has always been a way By Shamsun Effendi they will eventually become attacks to narrow the “Overton window” Renewed strikes by the Haft on the left. of acceptable discussion and pre - Tappeh Sugar Cane Company In the past few years the press Prevent has rightly been opposed vent rowdy political debate and ac - workers in Iran have taken up has had a number of semi-sen - by the National Union of Students tivity. the demands put forward in Au - sationalist stories about student and many others. But the explicit The views of groups like Al gust 2018. The August strike unions banning or wanting to issue of free speech has often failed Qaeda and Daesh are appalling. was suspended after manage - ban something deemed offen - to gain much active support from But not because they are “extreme” ment and regime officials made sive. the campus left. — because they are hideously reac - a number of commitments that And in some cases the issue has Hopefully this case will remind tionary and violent. were then not fulfilled. been real. Now an essay by the late us that it’s increasingly unaccount - Some of their views, like for ex - On day three of the strike, 7 Marxist academic Norman Geras able bureaucrats who are getting to ample their aversions to homosex - November, the workers warned Iranian teachers strike on the ethics of revolution has been decide what material is judged ac - uality or equality for women, are that if the government did not “re - flagged up by the University of ceptable and what is deemed po - fairly standard features of many so - sugar-cane plantations and pro - spond to their demands”, “they Reading as potentially subversive, tentially “dangerous” or cieties around the globe, and in cessing factories, in the south-west will transfer the strike to outside so that students reading it must “extreme”. those places it may be easier to tag of Iran, near the border with Iraq. the company”.”There is the day- sign a form and pledge not to leave If Norman Geras, the cricket-lov - someone opposed to these views as Iranian teachers are on a second workers’ insurance, the unpaid the text around where others might ing Eustonite academic, is too sus - “extremist”. national two-day site-in strike, 13 wages... A workers’ representative scan it. picious for university Those who don’t see free and 14 November, following a first has to supervise everything, from The university did that under the managements or Prevent agents, speech as an issue worth ac - the employer to the bottom – both one on 14-15 October. government’s Prevent agenda, sup - tively championing as a left-wing The teachers’ main slogan is: wait till they hear what Socrates their work and their behaviour... posed to help stop young people cause will end up seeing some of Health, livelihood and housing thought of democracy, or what [And] the lands of Haft Tappeh becoming “terrorists”. The case the ominous consequences of are our inalienable rights. Malcolm X thought about Western [must] belong to the workers...” shows that governments and uni - governments, or indeed what the that for the left, just as students Haft Tappeh is a big agro-indus - versity managements pose a huge Pope thinks about abortion. La - at the University of Reading • shahrokhzamani.com trial complex, including both large threat to freedom of speech on cam - belling something as potentially have. Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty NEWS 3 Brazil: time to regroup rorist law amended to say that any political, ideological, or social movements that try to coerce the government should be included in the list of terrorist organisations, so Andressa Alegre that occupations, or damage to property on protests, would be Andressa Alegre is a Brazilian “terrorism”. socialist. She talked with Soli - The MST [Landless Workers’ darity from the city of Salvador in Movement] and MTST [Homeless north-east Brazil. Workers’ Movement] have agitated I kind of expected that when Bol - about this being an attack on them, sonaro won, we would have a reac - but I don’t know of them calling tion similar to Trump’s victory in any massive demonstrations re - the USA. That wasn’t what hap - cently like the MTST usually organ - pened. ises in Sao Paulo. In Salvador, we went to see the In Sao Paulo, the MTST is the election results in the place where leading group that organises the left usually meets up for that. It demonstrations. That’s where Guil - was all very sad. People were cry - herme Boulos, who was the PSOL ing. But there were no demonstra - candidate for president, comes tions or protests on the days from. [PSOL is the major party to following. None in other cities too, the left of the PT]. that I’ve heard of. The left is not organised. It is left The reports of the militarised to individuals. For example, LGBT police coming into universities? people are trying to create small or - That was before the election. The ganisations for self-defence and to electoral authorities asked the po - get lawyers and so on. But it’s indi - lice to go into universities and take viduals doing damage-control for down anti-fascist propaganda, say - their own lives. ing it was contrary to electoral law. Since the election, we haven’t It felt very much like an authoritar - heard of physical attacks organised ian move. by the state. There’s been a rise in homophobic violence, and anti- In Latin America, there’s been a north-eastern violence in the south tradition of the police and army of the country. not coming onto university cam - On the day of the election results, puses. Does that exist in Brazil? there was quite a lot of violence by Yes. Police and troops can techni - the police. In the place where we cally only come into universities if were watching the election results, they are called in, which is why police beat up a young woman what happened before the election quite badly because she was de - was so outrageous. During the mil - fending a trans comrade who was itary dictatorship (1964-85) people being insulted by the police. In who were being persecuted by the other places, the police shot in the police would go to the university “All for Brazil/ On the streets together against Bolsonaro/ Mobilise! Call your friends and your family/ Show that air. buildings and sleep there. Brazil will not accept regression and violence”. Poster produced by the “Brazilian Popular Front”, supported by the Bolsonaro is trying to lay some I don’t know to what extent the PT [Workers’ Party] and allied groups, calling for a demonstration before the presidential election. ground with his allies in the Cham - state is likely to be coming on to the ber of Deputies before he takes left in that way now, and to what state governments control the mili - “walk” — before the election with As far as I know, PSOL stands power on 1 January. There’s a law extent the idea of physical self-de - tarised police. Since the military Haddad [the PT candidate]. It was outside the FBP. Boulos gave proposed on “the school without fence may develop on university dictatorship, the militarised police big, 100,000 — as big as I’ve ever support to the PT on the second parties”, to ban teachers from ex - campuses. has been organised and trained like seen in Salvador. But I didn’t see round of the presidential elec - pressing political ideas in schools, Self-defence may be more the army. It’s not like the cops in any agitation there from the FBP — tion, but only critical support. which will end up cutting a lot of needed in other communities England. And I’d guess most of the only electoral material from the PT. philosophy and sociology in which already get the militarised militarised police would support schools which was introduced by police coming in on them much Bolsonaro and the far right. the Lula government. more and which, if Bolsonaro gets Self-defence by favelas? I don’t Bolsonaro needs the PMDB [the what he wishes, will now get the know. Militias already exist, con - party of the current president, police coming in to their communi - trolled by drug-trafficking leaders. This pamphlet republishes Temer] to vote with his coalition on ties and, for example, not being For the population itself to organise a selection of articles those laws, but it probably will. punished if they kill someone who self-defence against the militarised written by members and They also want to get the anti-ter - is stealing. You can’t fit a whole police is very difficult. supporters of Workers’ favela [shanty-town] into a univer - Liberty, along with a sity. What about the Frente Brasil interview with the late In Rio, the favelas where the po - Popular [Brazilian Popular Marxist theorist Moishe lice were scared of entering, or Front]? Postone, and an article by where they would face resistance It includes the PT [Workers’ Solidarity 485: Our article the Bolshevik revolutionary on entering — that pretty much Party], the Communist Party, the Leon Trotsky. It is a “Brazil needs our solidarity” sug - doesn’t exist any more. The army Brazilian equivalent to the National gested that the incursions into contribution to the political has been going into favelas with Union of Students (usually con - debate and education. university campuses by mili - tanks. trolled by the PT and CP), and tarised police in Brazil came after The militarised police and the many other groups which I haven’t Buy online for £4.50 here: Jair Bolsonaro’s presidential elec - army were going into favelas even really heard of as being activist or - tion victory, but in fact they were www.workersliberty under the Dilma government ganisations. .org/as-pamphlet before. [Dilma Rousseff, PT president 2011- It seems to be a channel for the Also, it seems that our articles 16], but that has increased under PT and the CP to outsource most of in Solidarity 485 and Solidarity 484 the Temer government [since 2016]. the organising when they are not exaggerated the extent of the Similar situation in Sao Paulo: just confident to organise in their own demonstrations in defiance of more of it in Rio. names, but it’s on the back foot too. Bolsonaro after his election vic - Rio, as a city and as a state, has In Salvador there was a demon - tory. always been right-wing, and the stration — or they called it a 4 COMMENT Email your letters to [email protected] The politics of “Extinction Rebellion”

mands to change how our economy and so - ciety work that are both conceivably attain - Cartoon by Stephanie McMillan able and push toward the full economic democracy of socialism, which is ultimately what we need to reliably organise society in Mike Zubrowski is right to criticise as a a sustainable way. poor form of democracy, Extinction Re - We propose measures such as a ban on bellion’s (XR) demand for a random-lot fracking and a call to “leave it all in the citizens’ assembly to oversee climate ground”, against capital’s plans to extract change policy ( Solidarity 485). and burn the planet’s remaining fossil fuels; The problems with XR’s approach aren’t nationalisation of energy, transport, big agri - limited to democracy. As Marxist filmmaker culture and other key polluting industries in Jason Barker has pointed out order to enact worker-led plans for their con - (bit.ly/BarkerOnXR), XR’s demands on car - version to sustainable carbon-neutral or car - bon reduction are far too vague. bon-negative operation; and the XR says “[t]he Government must enact nationalisation of the banks and high finance legally-binding policy measures to reduce to create a unified, democratically-controlled carbon emissions in the UK to net zero by banking service whose investment power can 2025 and take further action to remove the ex - be used to build green public works, create cess of atmospheric greenhouse gases. It decent and secure green jobs (and the prereq - must cooperate internationally so that the uisite training and education), and funda - global economy runs on no more than half a mentally restructure and reorient the planet’s worth of resources per year.” economy. This is no more than a handwringing excla - mation that “something must be done!”. It WORKERS gives no tangible proposal of how to achieve Demands like these point a clear way to a these targets. Tangible proposals are needed sustainable future. in order to give a sense that the fight to stop They can attract support on the basis that climate change is actually achievable – nec - they will also immediately materially im - essary to rally people who understandably prove working-class lives (counter to the are moved to nihilistic passivity by a seem - actions are valuable, but the former is key). who want to take positive action on the envi - common portrayal of the environmentalist ingly insurmountable apocalyptic threat – Scepticism is also needed about the fact ronmental crisis. Doubtless some will say vision as one of austerity and job losses); and and to give direction to the fight for a just, that XR’s strategy is in large part directed by that criticism of its approach is unhelpful in they suggest key sites of struggle now — the worker-led transition rather than one that proponents of eccentric, anti-political, aca - the face of urgent climate crisis, but on the workplaces of those polluting industries. protects the wealth and privilege of the capi - demic pet theories of activism and social contrary, it is precisely the urgency of the cri - Like the construction workers of New South talists at the expense of the material well- change. These theories see little need to en - sis that requires us to be sharp and uncom - Wales, Australia, who in the 1970s used their being of the working class. All XR offers is its gage their supporters in their actions in any promising in considering and rectifying industrial muscle to block environmentally poetic but desperately superficial “Declara - kind of serious political discussion, or bring shortcomings in responses to it. and socially destructive building projects, tion of Rebellion” (bit.ly/XRDeclaration). them into decision-making – instead treating It will be up to socialists to enter discus - workers in destructive industries have im - As socialists, we can explain that the failure them as a stage army, and even cynically sion with these people to convince them mense power that can be used for good. of capitalist governments to take appropriate proposing to put supporters at risk of victim - of — and to work with them to further de - Sections of the environmental movement action on climate change is not primarily isation or arrest without their informed velop — our strategy and concrete pro - have often been hostile to such workers, and down to corruption or ineptitude, but agreement, in order to use agitation in re - grammes of demands, in pursuit of a XR’s approach puts its faith not in the mate - straightforward service of the interests of the sponse as part of the strategy. class-struggle socialist environmental rial power that the working class has within ruling capitalist class, and in particular the XR has had a high-profile, photogenic movement that can win. the operation of capitalism, but a vaguer ap - large section of that class tied up with fossil launch. It may become a substantial ongoing peal to general civil disobedience by an un - fuel capital. And we can propose concrete de - campaign that draws in many good people BT, Haringey differentiated populus (of course the latter A Dave Spart for our times

on a meat counter and bedecking a house on It was clear is that Comrade Bastani is very seen the YouTube video. a working class estate) and thinks more pleased with himself – “Am I being overly Other Any Questions panelists, including should be done to help homeless veterans. sceptical here?” he smirks. the Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi and the None of those are particularly controver - Comrade Bastani’s pièce de resistance Blairite Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, naturally sial views on the left. A reasoned argument must surely be when he seems to steel him - took him to pieces. Bradshaw said (quite cor - By Jim Denham about Remembrance Day might have been a self and after a moment’s hesitation says “I rectly) that it was a pity that Comrade Bastani valuable resource for left-wing students de - think the poppy appeal is grotesque, it has a had expressed himself in such intemperate Private Eye magazine carries a semi- reg - nounced at Political Week - kind of triumphalist militarism to it. It’s language, because there were serious points ular column (“The Controversial Voice”, end on 10-11 November 2018 for wanting to racist, right, it’s white supremacist. There, to be made about (for instance) homelessness sometimes “The Alternative Voice”) by a “to remember the dead in a way which is I’ve said it: ready, fire, aim” (apparently, this and the treatment of veterans. fictional character called Dave Spart who truthful” rather than join nationalist celebra - last little expression is Novara Media’s catch- To be frank, Comrade Bastani was left specialised in banal non-sequiturs in a tions of Britain’s wars (bit.ly/ls-rd: and, from phrase). looking foolish. And a liar, whose final, rather parody of leftist jargon, usually ending up 2012, bit.ly/dlc-r). That opinion on YouTube caused a minor pathetic, excuse was “I was being provoca - contradicting himself. But Comrade Bastani wasn’t explaining. outcry in the tabloid press. That was proba - tive”: surely the last refuge of the charlatan. I was reminded of Comrade Spart as I He was confident that he’s on safe ground bly the comrade’s intention. Did he use the Comrade Bastani’s pathetic performance is watched Aaron Bastani’s denunciation of the with his audience: “We all know about the outcry to reach a wider audience with a rea - a lesson for us all: serious leftists should hold Royal British Legion (RBL) on his Youtube poppy appeal. It’s something that is a bit of a soned case? He did not. coherent opinions, express them in a rea - vehicle The Bastani Report , part of the Novara joke for people on the left.” He appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Any Ques - soned manner... and defend them when chal - Media operation run by Comrade Bastani, It wasn’t clear is what Comrade Bastani’s tions (Saturday 10 November) and was asked lenged. and streamed live on 6 November. central point actually is: does he think the about the poppy appeal. He plainly lied: he Comrade Bastani failed miserably on all It is an incoherent stream of consciousness RBL should be closed down and its work denied that he’d ever said it was “racist” or counts. Truly, a Dave Spart for our times. (complete with much effing and blinding) taken over by the state? Does he think the “white supremacist”, and claimed that he re - from which the viewer can gather only that poppy appeal should be stopped because it ally supported the work of the RBL. His • The Bastani Report can be viewed at Comrade Bastani doesn’t like the RBL, thinks glorifies war and imperialism? What exactly YouTube tirade had simply been a denuncia - bit.ly/2zahnqf poppies are often used inappropriately (e.g. does he think should be done about homeless tion of government “outsourcing” of social veterans? No clear answers are given. services. His critics, he suggested, had not Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty WHAT WE SAY 5 Labour can stop Brexit £3101 in

On 9 November Labour leader Jeremy towards Corbyn told the German news magazine Der Spiegel that “we can’t stop Brexit”. But Labour can. The Tories and the DUP are divided about May’s sketched-out soft- ish Brexit deal. If Labour MPs vote solidly our fund against May’s deal, it probably can’t get through Parliament. That reflects the fact that May’s proposals are unpopular — in surveys, 73% of the think the negations are going badly. The “hard” appeal Brexit formulas favoured by the Tory right are unpopular. A “no deal” Brexit is more un - popular still. Although a lot of people are still shrugging and saying that Brexit must still go through, even if with a bad result, not many positively want any of the Brexit formulas on the table. In a straight for-and-against referendum, A thin week for our £15,000 fund appeal none of the Brexit formulas can be confident — a £30 donation from a reader who of a majority. wrote in for one of our old pamphlets, So: all the Brexit formulas can be stopped. and £6 from Jill in South . Even if a slight majority voted for Brexit as a The need for thicker weeks is highlighted vague general idea in June 2016, a majority by the news on the financial goings-on at can be mobilised against all the actual Brexit the National Union of Students (see page ously protect the Irish border — that’s crucial — changed his views on Brexit, and neither has formulas. 12). To make good a deficit which looks as but also ensure that our supply chains worked in Starmer, regardless of whatever compromise And at that point, if Labour says clearly if it is caused by commercial mismanage - that experience has shown that the whole both directions. a very long compositing meeting in Liver - ment, the NUS leaders are making propos - business was a dead end, then Labour can In fact even the Tories will have Britain pool came up with... The leadership – though win a majority for Remain. sticking to EU rules until the end of 2021 at it maintains that ‘all options are on the table’ als which include cutting the campaign Here is what Corbyn said: least. Brexit can be stopped, given the will to – has never wavered from the belief that the budget for each of its five “liberation cam - Spiegel : Not just Labour, but the whole coun - do so. mood of the country isn’t favourable to an - paigns” from £15,000 to £10,000 a year. try is extremely divided at the moment — not Corbyn’s general line has been that Labour other referendum...” If you’re a student, you’re probably won - least because of Brexit. If you could stop Brexit, would negotiate a “workable” plan in place In other words, the leadership fobbed us dering where that £75,000 is going at pre - would you? of the Tories’ “chaotic” Brexit. Really that off at . sent. About a year ago the National Corbyn : We can’t stop it. The referendum took comes down to an empty claim that Labour Labour conference also showed that the Campaign Against Fees and Cuts organ - has defter negotiators than the Tories. rank and file of the labour movement is turn - place. Article 50 has been triggered. What we can ised a loud, vigorous national demonstra - “One wing” of the Tory party does favour ing against Brexit. Call the leaders to account! do is recognise the reasons why people voted tion for free education on a budget of only Leave... a deregulated “offshore economy” model of Labour must vote solidly against any Tory about £5,000. NUS doesn’t organise Spiegel : Wouldn’t you face pretty much the Brexit. But it is a minority. The majority does Brexit deal. same problems as Prime Minister Theresa May if not want to risk the EU putting up high trade It must spell out the conclusion from demonstrations any more. you were in charge of the Brexit negotiations? barriers against what it perceives as an at - two and a half years’ experience since As Workers’ Liberty, we have to organise Corbyn : No, because we wouldn’t be trying to tempt to undercut. June 2016: “Remain and Rebel” — mean - much more campaigning, across a much face towards the deregulated economy of the Corbyn’s attempt to differentiate from the ing, remain and stir up a cross-Europe bigger range of issues, than Ncafc. It may United States, which the one wing of the Tory Tory majority by differentiating from the working-class movement for democracy be possible to spend £75,000 on campaign - Party is trying to do all the time. We would want Rees-Mogg wing of the Tories rings hollow. and social standards across the EU — is ing without much impact, but it really isn’t the only answer that can serve working- to make a new and comprehensive customs union Sienna Rodgers on LabourList sums it up: possible to organise much campaigning — “The plain truth is that Corbyn has not class interests. with the European Union, one that would obvi - produce leaflets, literature, placards, pay fares and phone bills, book meeting rooms — without spending money. Socialism won’t win without people Changing culture campaigning for it. The campaigning won’t Debating Ireland happen without money being raised. Ways to donate: The left-Labour website The Clarion is promoting a statement put out by a • Subscribe to Solidarity wide range of left-wing activists to con - You can subscribe to Solidarity for a trial demn the increasingly reactionary, vi - On 9 and 10 November Workers’ Liberty in period of 6 issues for £7, for 6 months for cious and out-of-control group of London hosted two meetings with Rayner £22 (waged) or £11 (unwaged), or for a Stalinist-nationalists organised around Lysaght, who has written a number of whole year for £44 (waged) or £22 (un - books of history and been active on the the Red London Facebook page. waged). See back page for form. Irish left for over 50 years. The statement explains why the left • Take out a monthly standing order needs to “strongly oppose the politics of On 9 November Lysaght argued his case for a strategic scheme of “permanent revolu - If you take out a standing order you will Red London… and the wider culture of also receive Solidarity . Go to workerslib - lying and harassment it has promoted and tion” in Ireland against Sean Matgamna of erty.org/donate for instructions. contributed to, poisoning the environment Workers’ Liberty, who presented our long- of the left”. It calls for “a democratic left held view that Ireland is a fully-developed • Make a one-off donation online and labour movement in which differences, bourgeois capitalist society — with anoma - You can donate by sending us a cheque, even sharp ones, are debated honestly and lies, of course. On 10 November Lysaght did a meeting setting up a bank transfer or via Palpal. Go in a comradely way, not responded to with For the event we reprinted the text of Work - and film showing on the Limerick Soviet of to workersliberty.org/donate for instruc - slander and abuse.” ers’ Liberty 5 (1986) on Provos, Protestants, and April 1919. tions. Initial signatories include Lewisham permanent revolution , which includes the Also on 10 November, we video-recorded • Organise a fundraising event in your record of a unique debate within the left on Deptford CLP chair Rebecca Lawrence, a long discussion between Lysaght and local area Ireland, carried on in the columns of Solidar - Matgamna on the history of the Trotskyist left NCG member Yannis Gourt - A fundraising film showing, quiz night, ity ’s forerunner Socialist Organiser with some in Ireland. After film-editing, that will be soyannis, Unite 1/4060699 chair and social - walking tour, theatrical performance or ist blogger Andrew Coates, and trans rights 14 contributors from a range of views. Copies available on www.workersliberty.org. sponsored activity? activist Natacha Kennedy. of that reprint are still available: £5 plus £1 We’re discussing the possibility of a “re - To read the statement and add your postage, order via www.workersliberty.org/ turn match” debate between Lysaght and • Buy some of our books or pamphlets? name, see bit.ly/rl-stmt payment. Matgamna in Dublin. www.workersliberty.org/books More online at www.workersliberty.org Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty Building a left movement

grass-roots pressure from the CLPs [Con - If a referendum happens, and a Remain op - gets Britain formally out of the EU on 31 stituency Labour Parties]. The trade unions tion is on the ballot paper, the Labour lead - March 2019 but leaves a long transition are beginning to shift slowly too, at member - ership will have to campaign for Remain. The period in which little changes and leaves ship level and at leadership level. And we’ve feeling will be so strong. open the relationship at the end of the got a lot of ground-level activity – stalls, transition period. Labour might win an Michael Chessum doorknocking, local actions. But that requires people inside the Labour election before the transition period is fin - The Labour Party conference [in Septem - Party saying that Labour should switch to ished. What should Labour do then? Martin Thomas (Solidarity): In the June ber 2018] opened up a space for an anti-Brexit opposing Brexit, and winning support for We need to make the case that there is no 2016 referendum, Labour was for “reform turn, and inched Labour’s policy in the right that view. democratic mandate for any Brexit. If Labour and remain”, but unenergetically. Straight direction. But it did so in weak terms. The big There are some people who envisage comes to power, it should try to get the UK after the referendum, Labour said it now holes in the conference policy are: what if we Labour coming to power, negotiating a new readmitted before the transition period ends. agreed Brexit must go ahead; and then in get a general election? What would go into deal, putting it to a referendum, and then ad - That will be quite difficult, because new November 2016 Labour dropped its sup - the Labour manifesto? We now face a battle vocating the option of Remain against their joiners to the EU are supposed to take the port for free movement within Europe. to get a referendum into the Labour mani - own deal. I don’t think that makes sense. Euro and Schengen as conditions of joining. That position has remained fixed ever festo. We have to kill the idea that Labour can ne - But it is not impossible that Corbyn could since, except that over 2018 the Labour The second issue is: at what stage does a gotiate a better deal. It can’t. have a Wilson moment [like Labour prime leadership has edged towards saying that referendum stop being an option on the table Yes, we need to win the political argument. minister in 1974-5]: go into ne - a new referendum may become an option. and become Labour Party policy? But for that narrative to come into play, we gotiations and come back with something We need to change Labour policy. How? The recent survey by its members of Mo - need a national crisis to create room for the which he could present as a new deal with Michael Chessum: We’ve got a very limited mentum [a Labour left group] moves that de - Labour leadership to carry out a U-turn and the EU, then put it to the people. time to change Labour’s policy. We had a bate on: there’s majority support for the idea claim they are not giving way to our argu - The basic bottom line is free movement — strategy to change it which involved mobili - that as soon as you can’t get an election, then ments. That will need a national crisis, a mo - both as a moral question, and as essential for sation round Labour Party conference, but a referendum is the go-to. ment of political chaos. building an internationalist left. there is a lot more to do. The exact dynamics of how things work That could happen when the government The only way Labour is going to shift to an within the top tiers of the Labour Party are can’t get its deal through Parliament and I was concerned that after the Labour anti-Brexit position is sequential: the govern - more complex. won’t call a general election. That’s the con - Party conference AEIP said that the con - ment’s deal is voted down; Labour calls for a For the next few weeks all guns must be text in which things might shift. ference had committed Labour to “defend general election; the Tories defeat that; then trained on the parliamentary vote [on the To - The leadership have got to be convinced freedom of movement”. It hadn’t. Labour goes for a new referendum. ries’ Brexit formula], which could be very that opposing Brexit is their quickest route to We had hoped to get a separate debate on It is unlikely that any other logic will carry soon. We want to mobilise a massive demon - power; and that, if Brexit goes through, they freedom of movement, but it was eaten up by the Labour leadership with it. One of the cru - stration — probably on voting down the Tory will be screwed when they win power. That the main composite. Explicit defence of free - cial arguments here is that defeating the gov - deal, rather than Brexit as such — and we is the argument that will win over the middle dom of movement didn’t get in there. What ernment’s Brexit agenda is the only way to need a campaign of civil disobedience. ground within the leadership, who broadly got in was a line which said: “The Brexit deal bring it down before 2022. think that Brexit is a bad idea, but are most being pursued by Theresa May is a threat to... Obviously that reasoning is not necessarily Going for a new referendum is good. But concerned with winning elections and win - freedom of movement”, and some text about the politics we broadcast; those are anti- on its current policy, in such a referendum ning power. bosses not migrants being to blame for falling Brexit and pro-free-movement. Now that Labour would vote against Remain and wages and crumbling public services. conference is over, we no big democratic for “negotiating a better deal than the To - The Tories might produce a deal which There was a job to be done after the confer - levers to pull, but we are still mobilising ries”.

Defending the How Arguing for a Bolsheviks, “Orthodox” society based their revolution, and on human their work to “Heterodox” solidarity, social build a (Third Camp) ownership of revolutionary Trotskyism industry and socialist party, were shaped in banks, and and its the tumult of political, relevance today. the 1940s. economic and social 312 pages, £10 790 pages, £20 democracy. plus postage plus postage £5 plus postage.

Otto Rühle’s The “lost texts The left needs abridged of critical to emerge from version of Marxism” defining itself Capital, putting analysing the primarily in a Socialist Femi - aside current Stalinist USSR negative and nism £5 ; Miners factual material, as an exploiting reactive way, £9 ; Era of wars illustrations, class society. and rediscover and revolutions polemics, is a what it stands £9 ; Anarchism £5 ; good lead-in for 608 pages, £8 for positively. Russia £12 . the full book. plus postage 131 pages , £6 408 pages, £12 Democracy, , and So - plus postage plus postage cialism £5 Can Socialism Make Sense? £12 Gramsci in Context £6 Order from www.workersliberty.org/books. Add £2 per book for postage. Special offer: if you buy three or more books, postage is How S olidarity Can Change the free, and the third and subsequent books are half-price. Pay at www.workersliberty.org/payment World £6 . All plus postage. FEATURE 6-7 t against Brexit

Michael Chessum, speaking in the picture above, is the organiser of Another Europe Is Possible. He talked with Martin Thomas from Solidarity ahead of AEIP’s conference on 8 December ence about defining the meaning of the mo - whether to say “stop Brexit” or “stop *Tory* tional perspective. people co-opted, and twelve people elected tion. The motion was inevitably a fudge, but Brexit”, but I think the disagreements are not The policies and intent to transform Eu - at a conference in April 2017. The steering a much better fudge than what came before especially sharp. rope are all there, if not in the detail you group meets every few weeks, and is the it. It was important to establish the meaning want. guiding body. of the motion in the public eye. We’d want some points agreed. That AEIP We should come out with a council or com - should campaign for free movement up - The issue is not that the Greek finance mittee of people elected by conference and/ It can’t help in winning Labour to defend front, including at its times of maximum minister, for example, was invited, but that or by members online, plus delegates from freedom of movement to say that it al - visibility: there was no mention of free there weren’t Greek socialists invited to affiliates, including local groups in my opin - ready does. Why campaign if you’ve al - movement in the AEIP model motions for debate him. ion. I envisage a fully democratic structure, ready got what you want? In fact Labour’s Labour Party conference, or in the AEIP It could have been better, but I don’t think but not one where faction fights emerge or “six tests” explicitly reject freedom of model motion after conference. That AEIP this tells you very much. It’s not a sign of a slates run against each other. We have to keep movement. should explicitly campaign to change crisis for AEIP’s internationalist politics. the tensions within AEIP under control. We It was a motion that implicitly supported Labour policy to opposing Brexit. And that want the culture of the democracy to be quite freedom of movement. The six texts arguably AEIP should explain that the “other Eu - So far AEIP has operated by funds coming consensual, and not sharp. contradict freedom of movement, but only rope” in its name means a socialist Eu - “down” from the top to the staff. To for people who read them carefully, and you rope, not just a Europe much like now but change towards an activist movement, Electing online guarantees a committee could get into a semantic debate over exactly with better policy advisers, which seemed funded by its own efforts, is a big deal. dominated by the best-known people — what “managing” migration means... to be the line from the Europe For The In the long run we should be indepen - mostly the less left-wing people already Many conference [26-27 October]. dently funded by our members. We may go on the steering group — and a committee And for the leadership! That’s not a fair description of Europe For for grants for additional activities, but it will which could be quite out of line with the For the leadership, the point of the six tests The Many. be good if our core functions are funded by conference. We all like to do things con - was they are unmeetable. The point was to The post-conference motion has now been members. sensually, but who decides what the fixed restate those criteria in order to ensure updated, and now does mention free move - This year AEIP has turned outwards. In the points should be for the consensus, and Labour MPs vote against the deal. The six ment. Free movement is at the top of the year after the referendum we were very top- what lies outside the consensus? tests have essentially served their purpose as agenda, and is the main issue Another Eu - heavy. We produced reports and so on, but Ultimately we’ll need to elect a group of far as we are concerned. rope campaigns on. It is the core ideological there was not much grass-roots activity. Now people responsible for leading the organisa - issue around Brexit. there is a lot of grass-roots activity. tion and mediating the debates, and have Up to now AEIP has essentially been an Obviously we do want to change the At present AEIP has a steering group made staff who carry out the bidding of the elected NGO — it gets money from grants and Labour Party’s policy on Brexit. That’s pretty up of people who founded AEIP, plus more committee. philanthropists and such to pay an office self evident from the fact that we are going staff to do activities which people out in round CLPs with a model motion that is anti- the field may then support. Now it is al - Brexit. lowing people to become “members” and A socialist Europe? We helped organise a AEIP conference 8 December calling a conference on 8 December. I’m big conference drawing in the pan-European Solidarity and Workers’ Liberty have say in how we are run, what campaigns we worried, though, that the conference may left. We campaign for democratisation of the worked with Another Europe is Possible do and what our strategy is”. give little time to what should be its main EU constitution, we are critical of EU refugee since the referendum campaign in 2016. We hope that the conference will allow purpose, allowing members to debate and policy, we want levelling up of wages and On 20 October we joined the “left bloc” real democracy in the movement; we en - decide policy and structure. conditions. organised by AEIP for the big People’s Vote courage readers to join AEIP via bit.ly/j- The conference agenda hasn’t been drafted demonstration that day. aeip and come to the conference. yet. Probably a strategy document and a What about the criticism of the Europe For most of its life, AEIP has operated as We’ll be arguing for AEIP to campaign structure document will be got out to mem - For The Many conference on inviting a sort of left NGO. It has gained philan - for free movement upfront; explicitly to bers after 19 November, and they will be Syriza leadership speakers? thropic grants which pay for an office staff, demand that Labour reverse policy and amendable. I don’t think we want a whole I disagree with Syriza’s policy on the supervised by a rather shadowy “board” or campaign to stop Brexit; to call for a day of motions and detailed discussions, or bailout, but it if you are looking to bring to - “steering group”. But on 25 October AEIP workers’ socialist Europe; to have a a line-by-line debate on every detail of our gether the European left, it is clearly part of opened itself up to supporters to join. committee democratically elected at the policy, but the anticipation is that this will be the conversation We want to create a broad It announced that it will be holding a conference; and to sponsor local Left a democratic conference. political space to talk about another Europe, members’ conference on 8 December in Lon - Against Brexit groups, but allow them For example, we could have a debate on to help the develop an interna - don, and that members will now have “a autonomy. 8 FEATURE More online at www.workersliberty.org Hero from Chelmsford?

to be wearing an England football top. His son prepares for war in a drunken revelry. Holding aloft two dead swans he pledges: “By these swans I vow to avenge this mur - derous insult to God.” By Dale Street Robert the Bruce, by contrast, prefers something akin to Marks and Spencer At times it seems as if ‘Outlaw King’ can’t leisurewear for men (except when wearing quite work out what kind of film it wants his chainmail PPE). When he goes to war, it’s to be. more like a Butlins weekend honeymoon. He Is it a film with credible characters, a plau - even takes his daughter, to make it a real fam - sible plot and a serious storyline? Are those ily affair. long shots of Robert the Bruce wandering Edward II (his father dies in the course of through overpowering Scottish landscapes the film) is a cad, a coward, a bully, and an perhaps a visual metaphor for the loneliness incompetent military commander. Even the of the human condition? vow which he makes to his father at his Or is it a cross between a medieval ‘Saving deathbed is breached within seconds of his Private Ryan’ (lots of guts and gore and mud demise. and blood) and a Scottish version of King Robert the Bruce is the exact opposite. So Arthur (good-looking bloke teams up with as not to offend her, he doesn’t even have sex things don’t look good for the People’s King. The film is not serious history. According woman and slays his way against over - with his wife on their wedding night. People He’s outnumbered and out-horsed (he hasn’t to the latest research on Robert the Bruce, he whelming odds to become the People’s keep on bowing down before him, but he’ll got any) and his wife is in a cage hanging was born near Chelmsford in Essex. He was King)? have none of that. Resilient in the face of ad - from the walls of an English coastline castle. ambitious rather than altruistic. And his mur - Unfortunately, the film cannot the resist the versity, he is a magnet for the oppressed and Things don’t get much worse than that. der of Comyn was a calculated political as - temptation of the latter. The direction of downtrodden. But Robert fires up his troops with an ap - sassination. travel thereafter is all downhill, but in an in - Without doubt: a King for the many, not peal to God, honour, country, and family But this hardly matters. The film does not tensely entertaining kind of way. the few. (and to fight like beasts). The best that Ed - pretend to be serious history. And no-one When Edward I prepares to dispatch his (There is, it is true, that unfortunate inci - ward II can manage is a psychotic version of ever criticised Elizabeth because Elizabeth I troops to crush the rebellious Scots, he seems dent when he murders fellow-noble John Project Fear. did not really look like Cate Blanchett (nor Comyn in front of a church altar. But it was a Then there is a very bloody battle. Robert dress up in shiny armour and ride a white spur-of-the-moment murder. And the Church wins. Edward loses and gets booed off the stallion along the English coast as the Spanish forgives him. So even that’s okay.) battlefield. He’s such a pathetic individual Armada approached). Despite the substantial cuts made to the that he’s not even worth killing. Pro-independence fundamentalists Where they original film, the version on release is still And, of course, the young boy with the have hailed the film as “a clarion call for overly long. Even the most ardent English Toni & Guy haircut who wanders through independence”. More sensible people will patriot will long for the final battle and Scot - the film with the Poundland Scottish crown probably see it as a well-made film loosely linger tish victory, to get the film over and done concealed beneath his chainmail, is killed. based on events which happened over with. His final act on earth is to hand over the seven centuries ago. When the hour of battle finally lours, crown to its rightful owner.

By Matt Kinsella In Wayétu Moore’s debut novel She Peterloo: inside the movement Would Be King , set in the 1840s, three characters find their lives intertwining with each other , and with the future of had to develop a genuine and the newly created Liberia. in-depth feel for the vernacu - All are fleeing persecution: Gbessa, ac - lar. cused of witchcraft, is driven from the West Leigh is sensitive to the po - African village of Lai; June Dey escapes litical and class tensions within from a Virginia tobacco plantation, headed By Ruaraidh Anderson the parliamentary-reform for freedom in New York; and Norman movement of the time, and Aragon, child of a Jamaican Maroon and a Mike Leigh’s new film ‘Peterloo’ follows also to its breadth. For exam - British colonist, longs to escape his father’s the democratic reform movement in ple, we are given a glimpse of cruel experiments. The three seek sanctu - Britain in the run up to the St. Peter’s Field the contributions of the Female ary, and find themselves in Monrovia. massacre in 1816. Parliamentary Reform Associ - As well as a retelling of the important After a long build-up we are shown the at - ation, through a meeting in history of the diaspora who formed the tack itself, when the armed guard are ordered which a small group of work - first independent African republic, the to march on the tens-of-thousands strong ing-class women complain that novel blends magical realism into this his - protest, killing 15, and then left to reflect dur - they cannot understand the tory. The three characters discover hidden ing a sombre final scene: the burial of a mur - speeches of the middle-class powers which are crucial not just to their dered protestor. female leaders of the group, The film has grown on me since I saw it only to be hushed by the mid - own survival, but to that of Liberia, as they background. two weeks ago. Mike Leigh said in the Q&A dle-class majority of other members in room. fight off French slavers. Furthermore, with the exception of Orator I attended that he had brought in outside his - The film has been used to provide a plat - The novel also deals with the conflict be - Hunt, the characters are also a bit bluntly torians to help with the film’s depiction of the form to explicitly pro-Corbyn actors to speak tween the black American settlers, and the drawn and one-dimensional. The working- time — something he has previously resisted, about political issues, as demonstrated in indigenous peoples. This is highlighted class characters are all good, honest people he said, especially with his contemporary so - some of Maxine Peak’s recent interviews. when many natives end up as agricultural who don’t deserve their hardship partly be - cial realist works. It shows: from the worn I still think the film has some shortcom - workers for a nascent Americo-Liberian cause they are nice; the local magistrates and clothes of the working class families to the ings. It is long, at around two-and-a-half landowning class. anti-reform Lords are all vicious and angry, There are many exacting and powerful formal black and white of the magistrates, ev - hours, and the perhaps over-done exposi - with the sort of morale character of people passages in the novel. The anthropo - erything looks authentic. tions of the Corn Laws and Habeas Corpus who would order an attack such as the Peter - morphised wind, following the slavers’ The use of vernacular and contemporary make the experience rather dry and less loo Massacre. dialogue across social and economic classes likely to inspire action emotionally and fire ships, states “I saw black bodies jump While comparisons between Ken Loach is also extremely well done. In Mike Leigh’s up activist spirit. It is not coloured by funny from the decks and sink like stones into and Mike Leigh are usually clunky and method of directing, scenes and their dia - moments, although Leigh is good at creating the ocean below. In the bottom of the flippant, they are perhaps fair in this case, logue are developed mostly “on-set”, these even in the most serious films, and deep there is a city of stones where with this way of constructing characters through discussions with actors, and with some actors, such as Peake herself, have often those ancestors linger.” A forthright familiar in Loach’s films including I, Daniel very little pre-written material. The actors played funny characters or have a comedy debut. Blake. Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty FEATURE 9 A working-class agenda in Iraq

entered that differentiation process mainly in the 1980s, distancing itself from bourgeois trends which disguised itself in the name of communism. The revolutionary Marxist trends worldwide had already paved the Muayad Ahmed way for that to happen in Iraq . Our statement refers to Mansoor Hekmat Muayad Ahmed is an Iraqi revolutionary [1951-2002]. He played an effective role in socialist, and former secretary of the drawing that line especially with regard to Worker-communist Party of Iraq. He and the "third world" type of communism and other activists recently parted ways from populist-nationalist trends. But we don't be - the WCPI. On a visit to London, Muayad lieve in "Hekmatism". spoke to Solidarity about what they are We held our first congress on 17-19 doing. September 2018 in Baghdad, with about 36 members present. A couple of dozens of We have formed a new organisation, called other members could not attend for practical the Organisation of the Communist Alterna - reasons. Many socialists, worker, women and tive in Iraq, OCAI. youth activists were invited to attend the In July we issued a founding statement, in congress and 12 of them were present. which our main programmatic aims and Back in July we had named six comrades tasks are formulated in 34 clauses. The docu - as the founding members of the organisation. ment will be available in English shortly. 16 others signed up for it. We stressed that we get back to Marx and The Congress got an immediate good level the Communist Manifesto , to the idea of the of publicity via social media in the ranks of They were Bolsheviks. Basra initiated the protests. They became overthrow of the state through socialist rev - the socialists. We got attention from many Communist politics starts with them. larger and drew in lots of young people. It olution. Socialism is the proletarian answer members of the Iraqi Communist Party There's a history, an international history. was a sort of social explosion. to all the miseries, war, and terror that today's across all of Iraq who opposed the CP's al - The Trotskyist criticism of Stalinism was The movement was not actively supported imperialist capitalism has brought upon us in liance with the Sadr movement [Shia Is - weak in Iraq, but there were weak groups de - by the main trade unions, but it was aimed Iraq and the Middle East. Socialism is the an - lamists], and some attended. veloping that criticism at the end of 1970s in against all the Islamist parties. It was not re - swer to the organised robbery of the wealth When asked why we resigned from the Kurdistan. ally organised, but we argued for it to get or - of the society and the destruction of the eco - WCPI, we say that the immediate reason was In 1985 a group including myself estab - ganised. The Basra protests were part of the nomic lives of millions of people in Iraq by the exclusion of comrade Falah Alwan, but lished an organisation called Communist anger and frustration of the majority of resi - neoliberal capitalism. there is a long history of internal party strug - Current. It was active mainly in Kurdistan, dents of the city against the current regime Iraq is a capitalist society. The working gle behind it. but it had some members elsewhere in Iraq, and its Islamic forces and their corruption. class and the bourgeoisie are the two main The congress covered a number of topics , such as Falah Alwan. The first issue of our newspaper, el-Ghad el- antagonistic classes. The political regime in the history of the communist movement in We benefited from the criticisms developed Ishtraki (Tomorrow's Socialism ), came out on 17 Iraq is a reactionary bourgeois ethno-sectar - Iraq and its present challenges and perspec - by Mansoor Hekmat. We and three other October, and it will be monthly. ian regime run by political Islam and nation - tives, the working class movement , the groups founded the Worker-communist We have comrades in Baghdad, Basra, alists parties and their militia forces. women's struggle, the political situation in Party of Iraq. But now it is a new era. This era Samara, Dewania, Sulaimaniya, and Shamia. Iraq has also become the centre of conflicts Iraq and Kurdistan, the demonstrations and demands an active communist organisation We are in the process of building the organi - between imperialist blocs, their regional al - organisational issues. that works on founding a strong Marxist cur - sation in other cities. We have some cadres lies, and those have transformed Iraq into At the congress I spoke on the history of rent in society, linked to the ongoing struggle abroad in Switzerland, Britain, Norway, Fin - misery, especially since 1991. The only alter - the communist movement in Iraq. The Iraqi of millions of workers and toilers all over land, Germany and Canada. native is to raise the banner of socialism. Communist Party was founded only in 1934, Iraq. Our main political slogans? They are not All over the world, we are at the end of a in the Stalinist era. But before that Hussein formulated yet. But the main idea is social - process of differentiation in communist El-Rahal and his comrades were active in the CONGRESS ism. And internationalism. movement, of drawing a line between gen - 1920s and formed their socialist circles in The congress also discussed the work - We consider Trotskyism as a revolutionary uine communism and the bourgeois commu - 1924 in Baghdad. They had had contact with ing-class movement in Iraq. Falah Alwan Marxist trend which played an important nism linked to the Soviet Union, to China, or Rosa Luxemburg's group in Germany. There spoke about the history of the last 15 role in exposing Stalinism. to various forms of populist-nationalist was also Jamal Airfan, active in Kurdistan in years. Yanar Mohammed spoke about the We believe the trade union movement in trends. The Communist movement in Iraq the 1920s until he was killed by reactionaries. women's movement. Iraq can be restored. For now the trade union Rashied Ismeil, Nadir Abdul Hamid, movement in Iraq has become an arena for Nazar Akrawi, Nawzad Baban, and many various international and regional bourgeois others contributed to the discussions on the forces to intervene, each trying to have its More online: political situation in Iraq, working class own trade union organisation empty of con - movements in Kurdistan, and organisational tent. www.workersliberty.org/adonis-h The Sadrists now control the General Fed - Mike Zubrowski reviews Will Hutton and Andrew Adonis's Saving Britain: How We Must issues. We elected 13 to a new central committee. eration of Workers’ Trade Union in Iraq and Change To Prosper In Europe : a book "with bold ambitions", which sets out to show that "Brexit the Communist Party has strong links with is a hard-right agenda aiming to complete the 'Thatcherite revolution' in the UK", but ends We do not have a Politburo, and we do not have a "secretary" — instead, a "general coor - the General Federation. up "falsely and harmfully laying much of the blame for anti-immigrant politics on 'unre - Other federations, like the Federation of stricted immigration'." dinator". The organisation is growing very well. Be - Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq fore, we had only a few cadres in Kurdistan, (FWCUI) and the General Federation of Em - www.workersliberty.org/rohl-raf ployees Trade Union in Iraq are present. All Dale Street reviews The RAF (Red Army Fraction) Loves You – The German Federal Republic but now we have more contacts. A youth or - ganisation in Baghdad has joined us. Many the trade unions are weak and they don't in the Intoxication of 68 – A Family at the Centre of the Movement , by Bettina Rohl. Rohl is the have strong links with the workers. daughter of Ulrike Meinhof of the "Red Army Fraction". She is hostile both to her mother as members of the local organisation of the Communist Party in Dewania, Shamia, Bagh - But a working-class agenda is defended a person and to her politics, and ends up claiming that Meinhof's ideology now hegemonises mainly by the FWCUI, and that fact has not German society and Angela Merkel is "the head of the 68 snake". dad and other places had made contact with us, and they are in the process of joining us. been recognised by the WCPI. The trade union movement cannot be revived without www.workersliberty.org/tovar-midt In Basra we have links with a group of ac - tivists for racial equality. Iraq has about half a genuine socialist movement. Eduardo Tovar argues that "the US midterms should give socialists confidence that, even Our concentration on this is in Basra, in the age of Trump, unashamedly left-wing demands can make significant headway. How - a million black people, descended from the slave trade over centuries, and they are still because Basra is a very industrialised city, ever, they should also give us pause for thought as to how much faith we can place in DSA- with the port, oil, and so on. backed candidates on Democrat ballot lines". discriminated against. One of our leading members, Haider el Jasim, made a presentation to the congress • Solidarity has also recently published in - bit.ly/ls-rd terviews with leaders of the Worker-com - From The Clarion website: activists of the soon-to-be-launched in - about the street protests in Basra which started in July. The unemployed union of munist Party of Iraq: see bit.ly/nadia-178, tervened at Labour Students Political Weekend on 10-11 November. bit.ly/nadia-7182, bit.ly/nadia-918 More online at www.workersliberty.org Workers’ Liberty @workersliberty Where we stand Universal Credit: a way forward Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of work with, are less likely to under- production. By Will Sefton claim, and, in principle, have The capitalists’ control over the Luke Hardy argues in Solidarity greater ability to resolve issues. All economy and their relentless drive 482 that the Labour should “stop those advantages have been over - to increase their wealth causes and scrap” Universal Credit. whelmed by the relentless regime poverty, unemployment, the But that position lacks a positive of benefit cuts within which UC has blighting of lives by overwork, alternative. The immediate implica - been introduced, but those cuts imperialism, the destruction of the tions of stop and scrap are to return have affected legacy benefits too. environment and much else. to the legacy benefits including Job UC already has an online process Against the accumulated wealth Seekers Allowance, Employment of application and validation and power of the capitalists, the Support Allowance and Disability meaning that within three days you working class must unite to benefit — all benefits with their can receive an initial, albeit small, struggle against capitalist power own levels of conditionality, poor advance payment. in the workplace and in wider levels of payment, and sanctioning, The previous system meant that society. and further complicated by having minimum payments would not be The Alliance for Workers’ multiple agencies administer vary - made until two weeks after first ap - Liberty wants socialist revolution: ing benefits. plying. The answer is to call for the collective ownership of industry UC in practice has been shaped initial payment to be much higher, and services, workers’ control, by the Cameron-May austerity not to return to the old system. and a democracy much fuller than agenda, but it has complicated that A return to the old system would the present system, with elected ents be thrown back onto the old and their union PCS, to build a sys - agenda rather than being designed leave in place the Work Capability representatives recallable at any benefits, which would bring seri - tem of “Universal Credit’ which to shape it. It was devised in 2009, Assessment which existed for Em - time and an end to bureaucrats’ ous losses to some people. provides enough money to lead a in a report by the right-wing Centre ployment Support Allowance; the and managers’ privileges. Every claimant who is now dignified life. for Social Justice, independently sanctions introduced for Job Seek - We fight for trade unions and worse off under UC than the legacy That means scrapping the “rape from Tory plans to make cuts to the ers Allowance in 1996; and the re - the Labour Party to break with benefits should get a guarantee that clause” [limiting child tax credit to benefit system. Just to achieve cuts, views of disability benefits “social partnership” with the their payments match those they the first two children], ending the it would have been simpler for the introduced around the same time. bosses and to militantly assert received under the previous bene - benefit cap, and uprating the Tories to hack back the existing “Fit-for-work” assessments for working-class interests. fits regime. The conditionality and amount paid with inflation or earn - benefits. people who at one time would have been on Disability Benefit, capability assessments should be ings, whichever is higher. Scrap - In workplaces, trade unions, with their degrading and damag - removed, the allowances paid in - ping the “no recourse to public and Labour organisations; COST ing procedures, could be removed creased. funds” clause and making a set of among students; in local The introduction of Universal without regressing to a system of straightforward and inclusive enti - campaigns; on the left and in Credit will cost around the gov - cross-cutting multiple benefit pay - PAYMENT tlement conditions. wider political alliances we ernment about £16 billion. ments. The payment to the individual of Removing the sanctions regime stand for: It is projected to make savings Such foul features of the UC sys - what was once housing benefit, and pushing for a DWP that is • Independent working-class long-term, because of its simplified tem as it is are clearly seen as desir - paid to landlords, under the slo - properly staffed with appropriate representation in politics. infrastructure, and its claimed mer - able by the Tories and much of the gan of giving autonomy to the facilities to deliver the benefits peo - • A workers’ government, its in pushing claimants into work, right wing media. But to argue for claimant, has put people in seri - ple require and provide specialist based on and accountable to the but that is a different matter. a reversal towards Disability Bene - ous financial difficulty because it advice.. labour movement. As many on the left said back fit, rather than to some - has come with serious cuts to Cuts and the part-privatisation of • A workers’ charter of trade then, there are advantages in hav - thing better, is wrong. the amounts paid. services must be stopped and re - union rights — to organise, to ing benefits that cover a range of Fundamentally, our pressure The basic answer is to increase versed. strike, to picket effectively, and to needs unified and administered by should be to redesign the system the payments. Medical professionals with ap - take solidarity action. one body, rather than spread across without removing the unification To build a benefits system fit for propriate knowledge should be • Taxation of the rich to fund agencies of central and local gov - of benefits. We should demand that purpose, we will need to campaign employed to assist people with decent public services, homes, ernment. Advantages to claimants, the roll-out be paused now, without with claimants, benefits workers, health issues in getting what education and jobs for all. who have a simplified system to demanding that current UC recipi - they are entitled to. • A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full equality for women, and social provision to free women from domestic labour. For reproductive justice: free abortion on demand; Left challenge to PCS leaders the right to choose when and whether to have children. Full election. union from its low ebb we need to equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual By Mike Chester ● John is standing on a worker’s organise, support and allow mem - and transgender people. Black The leadership faction in the wage. If elected he will take no bers locally to take action on issues. and white workers’ unity against more than the EO London rate min - Historic low rates of membership racism. PCS civil service union, “PCS Left Unity”, are in a civil war over imum in DWP (around £29,000), in key departments can only be re - • Open borders. not the full £85,000 taken by Baugh versed by building confidence in • Global solidarity against whose turn it is to stand for As - sistant General Secretary when it since elected in 2004. members’ ability to fight and win global capital — workers ● For a genuine return to na - battles locally as well as nationally. everywhere have more in comes up for election in 2019 (nominations open 17 January, tional pay bargaining. An end to ● Not an inch on compulsory re - common with each other than atomised bargaining units across dundancies with their capitalist or Stalinist balloting 16 April to 9 May). Rogue SP member and current government where employers can ● For a re-orientation to rank- rulers. engage in a race to the bottom on and-file organising: We need to re- • Democracy at every level of lay President of the union Janice John Moloney Godrich is challenging incumbent terms and conditions. engage members, including the society, from the smallest ● For a serious strategy to win 90%+ who don’t vote in national SP loyalist Chris Baugh for the among telephony and processing workplace or community to global the pay ballot. We need to an - elections. For complete trans - nomination. LU holds its final members into a wider dispute social organisation. nounce our intention to members parency and membership involve - meeting to decide its nomination across the public and commercial • Equal rights for all nations, early, commit organisers where ment in all negotiations. John will later in November. Whether the sectors. against imperialists and predators we’re weakest and be open with work to end secretive “embargo” loser will accept the result and not • Get rid of this government big and small. members about what’s needed to agreements. stand against the LU nominee re - and replace it with Corbyn-led • Maximum left unity in action, win. Co-opt proven lay-organisers ● A serious industrial and politi - mains to be seen. Labour. Affiliate to the Labour and openness in debate. to the union for the duration of the cal strategy. Not just a catch-all “na - Currently we don’t believe there Party, not to cheer-lead for Cor - ballot. Maximise social-media, but tional campaign”. More focus on will be a challenge from the right- byn or water-down our positions, If you agree with us, please most importantly face-to-face, service and workplace campaigns wing. but to ensure our policies are on take some copies of Solidarity shop-floor contact with members. and disputes. For example, extend PCS Independent Left will be the Labour agenda and enacted to sell — and join us! ● Strengthen the confidence of the HMRC cleaners’ campaign nominating John Moloney for the in government. the Rank and File: To rebuild the union-wide, and channel the anger REPORTS 10-11 Schools ballot opens Reinstate Karen

By Patrick Murphy, NEU Reissmann! (NUT section) executive, personal capacity By a member On 15 November the National Education Union (NEU) will open Karen Reissmann, Unison ac - an indicative ballot for all teacher tivist, North West Health rep, members in state schools and and SWP member, has been sixth form colleges on the linked suspended from holding office issues of school funding and the in the union. 2018 teachers’ pay award. This action has apparently been The ballot will run for two taken because of her prominent months, closing in early January. opposition to this year’s NHS pay For the vast majority of eligible deal, negotiated and championed the union stepping down. The ac - members this will be an electronic by Unison health leaders. tion against Karen Reissmann ap - ballot with questions and replies Although the deal was an im - pears to have been taken to isolate sent by email. The Union will be provement on years of pay freeze, opposition within Unison. conducting a postal ballot in three it did not represent a collective The basis of allegations against areas, however, to compare the out - believe that the issue of school opposition debate on 13 November victory, with changes in terms and Karen are likely to relate to her re - come of that to the electronic ballot. funding cost them a large number to focus on funding and to oppose conditions, including increments fusal to abide by “collective re - In the event of a decision to move of seats in the 2016 election and the government’s failure to imple - and unsocial hours pay, and de - sponsibility” of the Health Group. to a formal legal ballot electronic they made a failed attempt to com - ment and fund the pay award rec - layed rises for many. The minimal Karen, who has been critical of the polling wouldn’t be allowed under plain to the Electoral Reform Soci - ommended by the Review Body. gains negotiated by cap-in-hand pay deal throughout, was elected the UK’s restrictive anti-union ety about NEU campaigning on the Marches for Education will take officials showed what could have unopposed to the national health laws. issue during the election. place in London and Coventry on been achieved with an organised care service group in June, while The overall slogan of the cam - It is important that the pressure 20 November. campaign of action. Instead of the pay ballot was ongoing. She paign is “Hands Up, because on school and college funding is Not only the NEU, but also trade leading this fight, the union lead - has every right to state and organ - Enough is Enough”. There will be maintained and intensified. When union and labour movement bod - erships of Unison, RCN and Unite ise around her opposition. Her four questions on the ballot forms. it comes to education is very clear ies across the country, should exploited the complexity of the suspension represents a serious at - Members will be asked whether indeed that austerity has not throw their weight fully behind this offer to sell it to their members tack on Unison’s already weak they: ended. Following a period when campaign. It creates the potential to during ballots. democracy. • agree that there is a funding cri - school funding fell by 8% in real make a connection between our But since implementation in The campaign to reinstate sis, terms, the 29 October budget state - movement and every family in July, many health workers have Karen, which is growing around • believe that the government ment failed to provide any signifi - every community. been furious about the failure of a statement at bit.ly/2qBeASp, should have implemented the full cant additional money. Worse still, the deal to live up to the picture should build rank and file sup - recommendations of the Teachers’ Chancellor Phillip Hammond an - BALLOT presented by unions. The backlash port to expose the ongoing Review Body nounced a pitiful £400 million one- The weakest part of the cam - within the RCN led to the head of problems with democracy felt • agree that the Union should off payment and described it as paign is the action ballot. at every level of the union. campaign for the full implementa - money for “some little extras”. Two key problems will make it tion and for it to be fully-funded The scope for a dynamic cam - extremely difficult to win the man - and paign on school funding which in - date in the indicative ballot which • would be prepared to take cludes parents and communities, is would allow us to move to a formal strike action to support these aims supported by school leaders and ballot for action. One is the repres - Tube stations fightback and this campaign. continues to put pressure on the sive restrictions imposed by the It is certainly true that school and government is great. The NEU will Trade Union Act 2016. Under its college funding is the issue that reissue the school cuts figures this terms and education union like By Ollie Moore Team (SRT), staff are being used to simply will not go away for the term to reflect the further increases NEU is required to get a 50% do hourly security checks at sta - government. I t is also true that the in school costs. The DfE are sitting turnout and at least 40% of eligible Workers at various London Un - tions such as Highbury and Isling - NEU has played a central role in on unpublished school funding members voting yes to action. The derground stations are balloting ton, Canada Water, and Vauxhall. exposing the underfunding of edu - data which we are confident will NUT received the best turnout of for strikes in a variety of dis - But these are fixed, regular station cation and in maximising the polit - show that the cuts are worse than all the major unions during the putes. duties, rather than a “special re - ical fallout. The Tories themselves previously stated. Labour used an 2011 pensions dispute and that was At Baker Street, workers are quirement”. They should lead to 40%. The depth of anger and preparing to ballot to demand the additional jobs at the local station. awareness of the issues at that time reinstatement of CSA Mahoney, This, too, is a symptom of manage - were both much higher than is cur - sacked after an outrageous abuse of ment’s penny-pinching; they want John Roan school fight continues rently the case. The second key the probation process. They are also to (mis)use the SRT resource rather problem is self-imposed. The im - demanding unnecessary disci - than create the additional jobs. proved pay rise being demanded is plinary procedures against two Our January 2017 strike on sta - By a teacher only an improved rise for a minor - workers, including the local RMT tions was magnificent, and proved ity of members in the ballot and is rep, be dropped. to management that station staff Parents and school workers at have the power to stop the jobs. John Roan School are continu - less than the Union’s own claim. As On the Bakerloo South stations argued in a previous article in Soli - group RMT is preparing to ballot The concessions we won as a con - ing to show the way to resist sequence were important. But since forced academisation. darity, this is bound to make it members for strikes against short harder to mobilise the level of en - staffing. The situation is now so then, management have had nearly The school in Greenwich, south gagement and support needed to acute that station staff report some - two years of industrial peace. east London, is threatened with win this ballot. Certainly it can’t times having to work on Oxford Now’s the time to say: enough. forced academisation after a poor help. Circus’s busy exit gateline on their All of these issues are at various Ofsted report. A vibrant commu - Despite that, this is a campaign own during peak hours. different stages, in terms of being nity campaign, backed up with a that merits strike action and NEU Short staffing is a growing epi - progressed through the formal ne - significant number of strikes has members and activists should put demic across the whole job. Despite gotiating structures within the brought support from local politi - their all into winning the ballot. the 325 reversals we won to the “Fit company. Some, like Baker Street cians and media attention. Labour should end all academi - The two main heads’ unions, ASCL for the Future” job cuts, there are and Bakerloo South, are on the This week the National Educa - sations forced or otherwise and and NAHT, are balloting alongside simply not enough staff on stations verge of balloting for actions. Oth - tion Union (NEU) held their take all schools back under local the NEU but it unlikely that they to deal with the workload. As soon ers are still being discussed. eighth strike day. This was re - But together, they are the first authority auspices. will be including questions on as any gaps appear in coverage, the ported by and An - flickers of a potential fightback The NEU at John Roan have strike action. staff that remain are having to bear gela Rayner, shadow minister for on stations; these sparks should announced further strike dates: A clear indication from them the brunt. And with funding cut to education, tweeted her support, be fanned into flames. 22, 27 and 29 November. that they would encourage their the bone, management insist stating that Labour would end members to support action there’s no money to cover uncov - forced academisation. Her tweet • More information: www.the - would, however, be helpful. ered duties on overtime. • Follow Tubeworker at was retweeted by Jeremy Corbyn. johnroannut.org On the Special Requirements www.workersliberty.org/twblog SolidaFor a workers’ giovertnment y No 486 14 November 2018 50p/£1 NUS: open the books! By Maisie Sanders What the NUS (National Union of Students) leaders say about its financial crisis makes no sense. The leaders says that NUS needs to cut back on its democracy in order to survive. But the few finan - cial figures available suggest that the financial crisis, such as it is, has nothing to do with high spending on democratic procedures, let alone on campaigning. NUS has not yet submitted its accounts for the year ending June 2018. But we can get some picture from previous years’ accounts. Income from membership and expenditure on wages seem stable. NUS have not used their resources to organise public campaigning There is no indication that expen - diture on conferences has in - — instead, about cutting democ - budgets by a third would at best national or extraordinary confer - proper time for debates on mo - creased a lot. NUS has done less racy. save £25,000, and so improve the ence. tions, and a return to two confer - and less public campaigning — it Proposals include reducing the £3 million deficit by less than one Workers’ Liberty Students will ences per year. hasn’t called a national demonstra - number of full time officer (FTO) per cent. argue for the Student Left Net - Decision making power must be tion since November 2016 — and positions from 20 to 13. This would If NUS wants to prune office ex - work, set to launch on Sunday 18 taken from the semi-elected trustee can’t have overspent on that. abolish the Trans Officer, LGBT penses, a better place to start November, to found a broad cam - board and given back to the elected In the year ending June 2017 (Women’s Place) Officer, Interna - would be the Chief Executive’s paign to save NUS democracy. National Executive. NUS had an annual turnover of tional Officer, Society and Citizen - salary of £100,000. His position, This campaign should call a NUSSL (the commercial pur - £24 million. There was a shortfall ship Vice President, either merging alongside other senior officials, demonstration outside the “strate - chasing arm of NUS) should be ac - over the year of £3.6 million, but Union Development and Welfare should be elected, with a salary gic conversation” meeting, and co - countable to conference. Its still £5 million in the bank and £13 or cutting one of them, and reduc - closer to the average student union ordinate left Presidents’ response directors should be elected by con - million in unlisted investments. ing the number of Welsh and Scot - sabbatical officer. inside. ference. NUS was far from facing tish FTOs from three to one each. Yet NUS leaders are aiming to It should encourage students to And the merger with AMSU bankruptcy. Other proposed options are solidify their cutback proposals at demand emergency student coun - (the union which represents Stu - Why the deficit? Poor manage - abolishing the National Executive a “strategic conversation” on 27-28 cil meetings to discuss the attack dent Union management) must ment of the NUS Extra discount Committee (NEC) outright. And November open only to student on democracy; it should circulate immediately be reversed. AMSU card scheme, part of NUS Services, cutting the campaigns budgets for union Presidents and Chief Execu - model motions for those meetings, and NUS should be separate, as seems to have caused a sharp rise Liberation campaigns (LGBT+, tives, with no space for rank and alongside putting together a they represent distinct interests. in what appears in the accounts as Trans, Women’s, Black Students, file input. united left slate to save NUS “cost of sales”, so gross profit mar - Disabled Students) from £15,000 to We must demand that NUS democracy at NUS conference in • Socialist Feminist Campus Col - gins have shrunk. We need to £10,000. opens the books to a democrati - spring 2019. lective launch, Saturday 17 know what has happened with There is talk of shifting from del - cally-accountable student investi - The campaign against undemo - November, noon to 5, UCL, Lon - NUS Extra, and what is covered by egate conferences to an OMOV gation, and provides complete cratic cutbacks must also make the don — bit.ly/sfcc-17nov that “cost of sales”. system — does that mean abolish - transparency for negotiations. The positive case for further democrati - • Student Left Network launch, Yet the discussions at NUS HQ ing national conference altogether? only meeting that should take de - sation of NUS. For example, we Sunday 18 November 18, 11 to 5, are not about fixing up any of that Cutting liberation campaign cisions is a properly constituted need longer conferences, with UCL, London — bit.ly/sln-18nov

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: 20E Tower Please make payments as follows to the debit of my account: Workshops, Riley Road, Name ...... Payee: Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, account no. 20047674 at the Unity Trust Bank, 9 Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 2HB (60-83-01) London, SE1 3DG Address ...... Amount: £...... Solidarity editorial : S imon 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, Gemma Short, and This order cancels any previous orders to the same payee. Martin Thomas (editor) 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