A Socialist Worker pamphlet by Charlie Kimber Jeremy Corbyn, Labour and the fight for socialism Third edition Contents Introduction ...............................................................................3 The earthquake .........................................................................5 Labour’s MPs.............................................................................9 A brief history of Labour ........................................................11 The golden years? ................................................................... 18 Thatcher’s assault ....................................................................25 What was New Labour? ..........................................................29 The problems with Labour .....................................................34 Can we change society through parliament? ........................38 The revolutionary alternative .................................................44 Further reading ........................................................................ 51 First published: November 2015 Reprinted: July 2016 and September 2017 The fight for socialism 3 Corbyn’s election rallies drew crowds (and enthusiasm) that other leaders only dream of Photo: Guy Smallman Introduction Labour won Canterbury and Portsmouth South—seats it has not won he British general election on 8 June since they were created in 1918. T2017 was a shattering setback for Labour won a higher percentage share the Tories. It was also a vindication of than in the two elections of 1974, 1979, the radical message from Labour leader 1983, 1987, 1992, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015. Jeremy Corbyn. The Copeland defeat was the result of The results showed that Britain was years of erosion of the Labour vote under not, in general, a right wing country and the right leadership of Tony Blair, Gordon that the left can win. Brown and Ed Miliband. Before the vote media pundits The bosses’ magazine the Economist and right wing Labour MPs all gave lamented that, “Chronic instability has apocalyptic warnings of a landslide defeat taken hold of British politics,”’ and it “will caused by Corbyn’s leadership. be hard to suppress”. They said Corbyn’s left wing politics The political tumult, and the put Labour out of touch with most possibility of fundamental change, that working class people who, they insisted, has swept so many other parts of the would support only right wing policies. world has now come to Britain. Instead Labour gained 30 seats and ten The Financial Times’ star columnist percentage points on its vote share. It was Janan Ganesh wrote on the day after the biggest increase in popular support the general election, “The stablest of during a campaign in British electoral democracies has become the Western history. world’s box of surprises.” 4 The fight for socialism The Grenfell Tower fire crystallised much of what is wrong with capitalist Britain Photo: Ben Windsor All the pro-capitalist certainties about John Sweeney, a BBC Newsnight the unchallenged rule of the market reporter, who was among the and the impossibility of breaking from demonstrators, was unnerved by the austerity have gone. And substantial mood. “Politics has left parliament and sections of the population have given gone into the streets,” he said. politicians, commentators and the media Labour did well at the election because a profound kick up the arse. its manifesto offered hope, and an end to Such developments are the result the remorselessly pro-business policies of a long process. They are rooted, for that are instinctive for most politicians. example, in the bitterness against both the And, crucially, Corbyn’s campaign Tories and New Labour, year after year was not confined to TV studios and press of austerity, the anger at the political and releases. The programme of mass rallies economic elites, and the loss of deference recruited an army of supporters who took towards all the main “pillars of society”. out the message to others. Corbyn did not create the basis for this It was politics as a mass event, not mood, but he has helped to focus it. separated off from ordinary people. The Grenfell Tower fire also Three days before the election around crystallised so much of what is wrong 10,000 people turned out in the pouring with capitalist Britain. It was about rain to see Corbyn speak at a rally in rampant inequality, racism, austerity Gateshead in north east England. and an alien political elite who live on a Corbyn made fun of commentators different planet to ordinary people. who sneered at the rallies, and who say A few days after the Grenfell fire a people at them “don’t understand” politics. furious demonstration of thousands swept “We do understand,” he said—and through Kensington and another of a called on people to use the final days similar size went through central London. of campaigning to build the “popular The fight for socialism 5 movement” after the election. supporters of the party. “It isn’t just about getting people They did not just sit passively as elected to office,” he said, “It’s what we all spectators of events. They came to do to take these ideas forward. large and enthusiastic meetings and In Scotland the surge for Labour was demonstrated in the streets. much more limited. The average increase A rally of up to 10,000 people in in the Labour vote across Britain was Parliament Square as the movement 5,883 per constituency, but in Scotland, it to dump Corbyn gathered pace was was only 550. particularly significant. This reflected the unappealing politics Secondly, the union leaders almost all of the right wing leadership of the Scottish backed Corbyn. Labour Party, and the long-term effects of Corbyn then faced an election, against Labour’s alliance with the Tories during the hitherto unknown Owen Smith. He the 2014 independence referendum. was re-elected as leader with 62 percent Of course, had it been up to the of the vote, an increase on the 59.5 Parliamentary Labour Party, Corbyn percent he won in 2015. would not have led the party into the A historically unique situation has election. been created inside Labour. The pattern The rudderless Conservatives lurched has generally been that the party’s from crisis to crisis after the Brexit ordinary members have been curbed and referendum in 2016. disciplined by the union leaders and the It was the ideal moment for the Labour MPs, headed by the party leader. Party to redouble its opposition and to But now the members are supported seek to sweep them out of office. not only by most union leaders (on Instead the large majority of its MPs however temporary a basis) but also by turned on Corbyn and directed all their the party leader. energy to securing his resignation. It has encouraged Corbyn and In the vanguard was shadow foreign his supporters to turn outwards and secretary Hilary Benn, who had opposed embrace sources of support in the party Corbyn over the bombing of Syria. Benn outside parliament—because they have became a darling of the media, the Tories so little in the Commons. and the Labour right for his strident Everyone who hates racism, austerity support for air strikes. and the Tories must support Corbyn A contemptible manoeuvre saw against the right. We want to see him in a carefully-orchestrated series of 10 Downing Street as soon as possible. resignations from the shadow cabinet But a series of examples also show that and other ministerial posts. Then 172 no serious strategy to change society can MPs supported a vote of no confidence be centred on parliament. A ferocious in Corbyn’s leadership. revolt against Corbyn has taken place Yet despite the most intense pressure even before he is prime minister. Corbyn did not stand down. He was Imagine what it would be like if he sustained by two crucial bases of were in office and seeking to implement support. Most central was the surge of reforms. The crucial arenas of struggle backing from the ordinary members and are in the workplaces and the streets. 6 The fight for socialism The earthquake n 12 September 20151 Corbyn was Oelected Labour Party leader with almost 60 percent of the vote. This was a higher percentage than when Tony Blair took over Labour in 1994. Corbyn won 251,000 votes—twice the total number of Tory party members. The detailed breakdown demonstrated Corbyn’s broad appeal inside the party. He won the votes of half the full party members, 84 percent of those who had Jeremy Corbyn at a meeting in Coventry during the paid £3 to be a supporter, and 58 percent leadership campaign Photo: Ciaran Norris of trade unionists and other affiliates. On the day of Corbyn’s election he Throughout the summer he spoke came to the Refugees Are Welcome Here to meetings of hundreds of people, demonstration in London. generating mass enthusiasm for his It was a clear statement of support programme of opposition to austerity, for the campaigns and the movement war and racism. He inspired 17,000 that had swept him into the Labour volunteers to work on the campaign. leadership—and it won media attention The crusty and cramped processes for the protest. that we’re told are democracy suddenly And Corbyn took the decision to were infused with questioning and life. appoint John McDonnell as shadow And that hasn’t stopped since. chancellor, ignoring the pressure from Corbyn’s extraordinary success has the Labour right and unions such given hope to socialists, and a renewed as Unite to choose someone more sense of confidence. For everyone on the “moderate”. left it said, wake up! Act differently and At a Labour conference fringe think creatively how to build on this! meeting, McDonnell made the following And above everything—quite pledge: “I tell you this: when workers unexpected change can happen. want to take action, we will support Corbyn’s victory is unprecedented for them automatically. Labour. After a huge campaign in the “Our movement should not be 1980s the great left-winger Tony Benn divided. We need to take industrial nearly won the post of deputy leader. But action and we need to take direct action, he lost.