Windrush Scandal Shows Depth of Inequalities
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& Workers’ Liberty SolFor siociadl ownershaip of the branks aind intdustry y No 467 25 April 2018 50p/£1 Windrush scandal shows depth Inside: How Labour The unfolding scandal of the denial of health and so - of inequalities cial care to the now-aged children of the Windrush responded to is a warning sign. It shows the sharp end of government racism, and the immense store of racist malice that the British ruling “River of blood” class is capable of unleashing on any group of foreign- born people it chooses. It is the fruit of years of right wing demagogy, in the press and in government, against migrants. More page 5 How did Labour respond to Enoch EQUAL Powell’s 1968 “River of blood” speech at the time? See page 3 Revolt against RIGHTS FOR Macron grows Reports from the frontline of the French workers’ struggle. MIGRANTS See pages 6-7 Socialism vs. Capitalism Workers’ Liberty debates free-market academic Mark Pennington. See page 8-9 Vote Labour on 3 May! See page 10 2 NEWS More online at www.workersliberty.org How the ground was laid for Enoch Powell By Matt Cooper Much of the coverage in the lib - eral media has presented the Last week saw the fiftieth an - speech as bringing a subterranean niversary of Enoch Powell’s racism to the surface in British pol - “River of Blood” speech”. itics, but greater damage had al - The contents of the speech are ready been done by the Labour well known, arguing that black and government then in power. Both Asian people were an immutable Labour and Conservative govern - and alien pollutant in Britain and ments had considered controlling that immigration should be Black and Asian immigration after stopped and reversed through 1945. Eventually, the Conservatives repatriation. introduced racist controls in their The speech’s classicism sounds 1962 Common Immigrants Act. odd today, but it was a highly func - Labour’s opposition to this meas - tional mask of over-educated re - ure was always contingent. While spectability which barely concealed they branded these controls racist, its main content — vernacular they framed their opposition in a racism. Powell alternated between “reasoned amendment” stating allusions to ancient Greek history that the governments of Common - and vox populi stories purportedly wealth countries should be con - from people in his constituency. sulted. These stories are almost certainly PANICKED fiction – the old lady with a house On the whole immigration was a matter days in February 1968 lated, suitably compassionate, and claiming to be building up a rank- on a street where now lived only not an issue in the 1964 election, passed another Commonwealth thinking mouse.”) After a Cabinet and-file movement, produced a “Negroes” who pushed “excreta” but Labour were panicked by the Immigrants Act removing the revolt in early May the government leaflet written by a leading mem - through her letter box with “wide- loss of their Shadow Foreign Kenyan Asians’ right to settle in did hesitantly make cautious anti- ber, Paul Foot. No copy of the grinning piccaninnies” chanting Secretary, Patrick Gordon Britain. Even more than the Con - racist statements and even attempt, leaflet appears to have survived, after her their one word of English, Walker, in Smethwick where the servatives, it was a Labour govern - although without fanfare, to direct but chunks that have been quoted “racialist.” This mix of the sacred local Conservative candidate ment that racialised and some slight funding to inner-city suggest it attacked Powell for being and the profane allowed people to had refused to condemn the stigmatised black and Asian immi - areas through the Urban Pro - a Belgravia-dwelling rich Tory, but see their own racism as respectable local use of the slogan “If you grants. The ground had been pre - gramme. This was too little, too late failed to mention immigration or as the suited former classical want a nigger for a neighbour, pared for Powell by Labour, and too much in the shadow of racism. The forerunner of the AWL, scholar who spouted it. vote Labour”. although the liberal-faced Conser - years of anti-immigration meas - Workers Fight, although only a This opened the door to the re - vatives contributed too, having in - ures. Even before the election many handful of people, did better. cently formed National Front to cluded tighter immigration control The response of the left did not Labour MPs had been edging to - Workers’ Fight March-April 1968 present its fascism in respectable and voluntary repatriation in their adequately fill the gap left by the wards supporting control. In concluded: “We can only combat electoral clothes in the following 1966 election manifesto. government. Widespread support power, Labour not only accepted racialism by organising the rank decade — they averaged eight per The Labour government’s initial for Powell was reflected by a small the Commonwealth Immigrants and file of the labour movement cent of the vote where they stood in response to Powell’s speech was but significant numbers of strikes, Act (after an entirely fake consulta - against it, utilising the strength local elections the following year. also dreadful. As the hatches were firstly by TGWU members at tion with Commonwealth govern - of the working class. We cannot Of more lasting significance, Pow - battened down, Home Secretary Heathrow, then by steelworkers in ments) but in 1965 drastically expect to look to the organs of ell brought to the fore the long ex - James Callaghan went on BBC1’s the Midlands and most famously reduced the number allowed to the capitalist state to abolish isting right wing of the Panorama to emphasise that the by London dockworkers. enter under it. what is essentially in its inter - Conservative Party. They combined government’s tough controls meant The Communist Party, with a Worse was to follow. When in ests,” a conclusion that remains the economics of the free-market pro-Powell strikes were pointless, base in the London docks, could 1968 the Kenyan government true today. (Powell had resigned from the Cab - and highlight an existing low-pro - only responded by taking a Protes - began to drive out its Asian popu - inet in 1958 demanding spending file repatriation scheme (one of his tant vicar and Catholic priest to the lation, many of whom held British cuts), populist racism and opposi - own civil servants criticised him, docks, appealing to the brother - • Full text of Workers’ Fight arti - passports and promise of refuge in tion to the European Union. Their calling it a “mouse of a scheme” hood of man. The International So - cle: bit.ly/2Fdbx7U Britain, the Labour government ultimate heirs to this were Thatcher which was “at least a well-regu - cialists (now the SWP), who were and the Brexit right. again took the racist option and in Protest Trump on 14 July Food delivery workers unite across Italy By Hugh Edwards Only a week previously, an in - between one shift and another, and By Michael Elms most likely date for the visit is 14 dustrial tribunal in Turin ruled the resolution of myriad of on-the- July. On Sunday 15 April in Bologna against an action brought against job problems. These fights have In January 2018, US President By the time of this visit, Trump’s the first national assembly of the food giant Foodora by six been integral to the formation of a Donald Trump cancelled a most important foreign policy food delivery workers took workers arbitrarily sacked, ruling collective to push for contractual planned trip to the UK. business in Europe — smoothing place. that “you are not workers but vol - status and other demands of inde - His stated reason was that the the way for a more aggressive turn Organised by the “Riders’ Union unteers”. pendent workers in the city and re - famously unsuccessful realtor did - in US policy on Iran — will be Bologna”, it drew delegates from It was the first such case and rul - gion. n’t fancy the “off-location” US completed, as the latest of the 90- nearly all of the largest cities as well ing in Italy, and almost certainly the Bologna’s success has seen the Embassy. But the real reason was day deadlines for renewing the as delegates from similar collec - precursor to others as the challenge collective’s “charter of rights of dig - almost certainly that Trump nuclear deal with Iran will have tives in Belgium and France; and by those gathered in Bologna on ital workers” presented to and ac - wanted to duck the huge wave of passed. The purpose of the visit from Italy, observers came from the the 15th mounts. The experience of cepted by the city’s council. The protest that anyone could see will be much more to do with de - main trade unions, federal and oth - the comrades in Bologna has been charter lays out the conditions for would meet any visit. The racist, fying popular opposition to erwise. crucial, beginning with local protecting of guaranteed wages as authoritarian and climate-change- Trump and his politics. The left and the labour move - The initiative was the culmina - protests, marches and mass meet - against piecework, hours of denying policies of the Trump ad - ment, especially Young Labour, tion of a series of actions involving ings, seeing a network of solidarity work and rights, including trade ministration stoked a storm of should start organising now to militants from Bologna over the last slowly emerge, which is the pri - unions, and protection from dis - indignation and a series of huge present a socialist, democratic mary and crucial condition to crimination, racism and so on. 18 months, collectively addressing The decision to launch a one rallies at the very suggestion of his and humane alternative to the smash the isolation so instrumental the needs of the thousands of work - day general strike of “Riders” at visit.