#288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 1 CHARTIST For democratic socialism #288 September/October 2017 £2 Labour back from the edge

Manuel Cortes John Palmer Julie Ward MEP Brexit follies Frances O’Grady Ending pay cap Don Flynn Migration myths Mary Southcott Tyranny in Turkey Kate Bell Gig Economy Ian Bullock Russian Revolution plus Book & Film reviews

ISSN - 0968 7866 ISSUE

www.chartist.org.uk #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 2

Contributions and letters deadline for Editorial Policy CHARTIST #289 The editorial policy of CHARTIST is to promote debate amongst people active in 10 October 2017 radical politics about the contemporary Chartist welcomes articles of 800 or 1500 words, and relevance of democratic socialism across letters in electronic format only to: [email protected] the spectrum of politics, economics, science, philosophy, art, interpersonal Receive Chartist’s online newsletter: send your email address to [email protected] relations – in short, the whole realm of social life. Chartist Advert Rates: Our concern is with both democracy and socialism. The history of the last century Inside Full page £200; 1/2 page £125; 1/4 page £75; 1/8 page £40; 1/16 page £25; small box 5x2cm £15 single has made it abundantly clear that the sheet insert £50 mass of the population of the advanced We are also interested in advert swaps with other publications. To place an advert, please email: capitalist countries will have no interest [email protected] in any form of socialism which is not thoroughly democratic in its principles, its practices, its morality and its ideals. Yet the consequences of this deep attach- ment to democracy – one of the greatest advances of our epoch – are seldom reflected in the discussion and debates amongst active socialists. CHARTIST at THE WORLD TRANSFORMED CHARTIST is not a party publication. It brings together people who are interested in socialism, some of whom are active the Meeting Brexit head on – Labour Party and the trade union move- ment. It is concerned to deepen and Brexit the end of progressive politics? extend a dialogue with all other socialists and with activists from other movements involved in the struggle to find democrat- ic alternatives to the oppression, exploita- Monday 25th September tion and injustices of capitalism and 1.00pm-3.00pm class society Editorial Board Komedia Studio, Brighton CHARTIST is published six times a year by the Chartist Collective. This issue was produced by an Editorial Board consisting Join the discussion with a panel of European and British MEPs and of Duncan Bowie (Reviews), Andrew Coates, Peter Chalk, Patricia d’Ardenne, activists Mike Davis (Editor), Nigel Doggett, Don Flynn, Roger Gillham, James Grayson, Hassan Hoque, Peter Kenyon, Dave Lister, Puru Miah, Patrick Mulcahy, Sheila Julie Ward (MEP NW England) Osmanovic, Marina Prentoulis, Robbie Scott (Website Editor), Mary Southcott, Marina Prentoulis (Senior lecturer at University of East Anglia & Chartist John Sunderland. EB) Production: Ferdousur Rehman Sarandra Bogujevci (a war refugee and newly elected left member of the Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of Kosovo parliament) the EB Jozef Weidenholzer (Austrian Social Democrat MEP, President of Contacts Progressive Alliance of Socialist & Democrats in European Parliament) Mike Davis (editor, Chartist) chair. Published by Chartist Publications PO Box 52751 London EC2P 2XF tel: 0845 456 4977

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CONTENTS

FEATURES

END PAY CAP Frances O’Grady on the iniquities of 8 austerity PROGRESSIVE TAXATION 9 Duncan Bowie says Labour must clarify policy BREATH OF FRESH AIR Leonie Cooper on Labour’s environment 10 plan

Pay cap must go says Frances O'Grady NURSING CRISIS - page 8 Tory cuts are deadly says Jean Smith 11 Cover by Martin Rowson MIGRATION IS INEVITABLE 12 Don Flynn on what’s wrong with borders GIG ECONOMY CHARTIST Kate Bell & Guy McClenahan on protecting FOR DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM 14 the precariat Number 288 September/October 2017 SOUTH AFRICA LEADERSHIP REGULARS Bob Newland on awards and succession 16 OBITUARY 4 Nigel Watt on Ousmane Sembene ERDOGAN TIGHTENS GRIP Turkey moves closer to dictatorship says NOTICE 4 Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi on Jewish 17 Mary Southcott Labour Voice EDITORIAL GERMAN ELECTIONS 5 Braking Brexit and preparing for power

NHS nurses demand a change -page Ed Turner says Merkel looks safe from SPD GREENWATCH 11 18 challenge 6 Dave Toke on electric cars ANTI-IMMIGRANT POLL POINTS AND CROSSINGS 7 Stuart MacLeod on ScotRail a model Trevor Fisher on rightward drift 19 OUR HISTORY - 74 24 George Lansbury

BASIC INCOME FILM REVIEW Bill Jordan puts the case 25 Patrick Mulcahy on Bushwick

20 BOOK REVIEWS 26 Mike Heiser on the Holocaust, Duncan RUSSIAN REVOLUTION CENTENARY Bowie on Red Petrograd, Revolutionary Ian Bullock on socialist responses and Georgia and Alice Bacon, Jon Tayor on Soviet flaws Egyptians, Hassan Hoque on Neo- 22 liberalism, Stephen Ball on teachers, SPECIAL 8 PAGE LABOUR CONFERENCE SUPPLEMENT Mike Davis on 1956 & The Reasoner, Jeremy Corbyn, John Palmer, Manuel Cortes & Julie Ward on Jim Grayson on Co-ops the follies of Tory Brexit – Andrew Dolan on The World WESTMINSTER VIEW Transformed – Puru Miah & Mike Davis on Momentum 32 Catherine West MP on back from Brexit Migrant workers on the move fruit brink picking- pages 12-13

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OBITUARY

Ousmane Sembene Nigel Watt on a great African socialist and film maker

hat provoked me Marseilles for ten years. His first described dramatically the mal- to write this note novels, Le Docker Noir and God’s treatment of an African servant was the arrival of Bits of Wood (about a strike on in France. “Xala” was his fourth a review copy of the railway) highlighted workers’ feature film. My favourite among the book, Learning his films is Camp de Thiaroye Wfrom the curse: Sembène’s Xala which depicts the event after the by Richard Fardon and Sènga la war when the demobbed African Rouge. The book recounts and soldiers revolt when their pay is comments in detail on the book cut. The French army attacks and and the film of Xala, both by slaughters most of them. For this Ousmane Sembène. Xala means a film he had to find Algerian fund- curse and the curse is laid ing and for many years it was against a wealthy, pompous busi- banned in France. His ninth and nessman, making him impotent last film, Moolaadé, which con- when he arrogantly marries a demns female circumcision was third wife. The book is interesting shot when he was 82. He died in to read when you have just seen 2007. the film. (It’s on youtube.) He was a forceful critic of every My reason for drawing your kind of injustice and of the élites attention to Ousmane Sembène, who enrich themselves at the peo- if you are not already aware of ple’s expense. He has inspired him, is that, first as a novelist many African writers and film and then as Africa’s first and still makers even if the élites are still greatest film maker he spread a there. socialist message to the public in A tour of several African coun- a very effective way. Being from conditions – or lack of them. tries, with talks and screenings the original ‘four communes’ of Back in Senegal he was award- including the biopic Sembène Senegal he was a French citizen ed a scholarship to the Gorky film directed by Samba Gadjigo, is and was called up in the war, institute. His first (and Africa’s taking place this year. later working as a docker in first) feature film, Black Girl, New organisation founded for Jewish Labour Party members n August Aug 5th, a Labour Party, said the new new organisation, organisation has a valuable role Jewish Voice for to play in strengthening the party Labour, announced in its opposition to all forms of its foundation as a racism including antisemitism. Onetwork for progressive Labour It rejects attempts to extend the Jews united in opposing all forms scope of the term ‘antisemitism’ of racism. beyond its meaning of bigotry “Our mission is to contribute towards Jews, particularly when to making the Labour Party an such accusations are directed open, democratic and inclusive at activities in solidarity with party, encouraging all ethnic Palestinians such as Boycott, groups and cultures to join and Divestment and Sanctions NOTICE participate freely,” the group said against Israel. in its founding statement. “We Manson said JVL will provide a stand for rights and justice for much-needed forum for Jews who JVL will hold a public launch on Jewish people everywhere, and want to celebrate and debate the September 25 in Brighton, during the against wrongs and injustice to long and proud history of Jewish 2017 Labour Party conference. Palestinians and other oppressed involvement in socialist and people anywhere.” trade-union activism and in For more information contact Unlike the (Labour-affiliated) antiracist, antifascist and anti- jewishvoiceforlabour@ gmail.com Jewish Labour Movement, JVL colonial struggles. http://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org. does not make commitment to the “We invite everyone of Jewish uk/ State of Israel a condition of heritage in the Labour Party to membership. Also unlike the join us in continuing these great Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, JLM, full members of the JVL traditions,” said Manson. (07759 024659) must be Labour Party members The impetus for founding JVL Chingford CLP who identify themselves as came from discussions among Jewish. Labour Party Jews who signed a JVL chair Jenny Manson, a submission to the Chakrabarti long-standing member of Inquiry last year. Finchley and Golders Green

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EDITORIAL

Braking Brexit & preparing for power abour continues to ride high in the polls sion of wages for a century. Nurses, teachers, following the post election bounce. While police and firefighters, none of whom are responsi - Theresa May announces in Japan that ble for the economic crash of 2008, are still being she will lead the Tories into the next elec - made to bear the brunt of austerity pay. Kate tion, her fulsome assertion belies the Bell interrogates the Taylor Report on the ‘gig Lfragility of her position. The Tories have no obvi - economy’ finding it falls well short of the sort of ous successor for leader and are desperate to cling proposals needed to protect the precariat living on to power through their shabby deal with the DUP. zero hours contracts, casual and self-employed But events may force their hand. work. Courier Guy McClenahan reports on a The storm clouds over the Brexit negotiations historic win for these workers at the Supreme are beginning to gather. Parroting the mantra of Court. ‘flexible and imaginative’ and ‘constructive ambi - Professor Stephen Hawking delivered his bomb - guity’ against an ‘intransigent’ Europe won’t hold shell against the government in his Royal Society for long. The nationalist drum banging will grow of Medicine talk. Condemning Jeremy Hunt's poli - more desperate. But the EU side holds all the cy driven reality of NHS under-funding and moves cards. towards US-style insurance system, he made the While the Brexiters refuse to get into substan - sharpest yet call for an end to the Tory erosion of tive trade talks before understanding the divorce a national institution. Jean Smith further expos - bill or acknowledging the rights of EU nationals, it es how cost-saving and restructuring are demoral - is British workers, their jobs, security, working ising nurses and fuelling a crisis of recruitment conditions and the wider economic prosperity of and care. the country which will be the real victims. Tax is a critical issue for Labour. Duncan The Tories got us into the mess with Cameron's Bowie says bite the tax bullet, particularly on capitulation to the right-wing. In true land. He argues for greater clarity and Cameron fashion, their perfect delivery of detail on redistributive tax plans for 'referendum rhetoric' concealed a spectac - the next manifesto. Don Flynn ular lack of substance on Britain's makes a strong case for free move - future outside the EU. ment of people stressing that We are producing a special supple - immigration is inevitable in the ment for Labour Party conference Greater modern world and brings big with a major focus on Brexit as the mutual economic and cultural dominant political issue of our gen - democracy and benefits for nations and com - eration. We welcome Jeremy munities. The Tories fixation Corbyn and Keir Starmer's member-led on immigration has seen a ris - strengthening of Labour's position ing revolt in their own ranks on Brexit, with a commitment to decision making is over counting students in remain in the single market and immigration figures. Trevor customs union during a transitional vital in our own Fisher is more sanguine about period after April 2019. party prospects for shifting public opin - Peter Kenyon highlights the ion in a progressive direction. Bill ‘Starmer declaration’ seeing it as an Jordan argues that commitment to important step forward enabling Labour a Basic Income for all would over - to champion both worker’s interests and a come the risks of exploitation and divi - pro-European policy. TUC and Labour confer - sion. ences will be the big test for Jeremy Corbyn’s polit - In this centenary year of the Russian ical skills to expose the fact Brexit was sold on a Revolution, Ian Bullock looks at the reaction of false prospectus and remove from the table the contemporary British socialists to the Bolshevik nonsense of ‘no deal better than a bad deal’. seizure of power and makes a critical assessment Manuel Cortes , leader of the TSSA transport of the democratic and export value of the Soviet union, argues forcefully that it is now time for model. Labour to push for a general election fought on the Greater democracy and member-led decision basis of remain and build bridges with our making is vital in our own party. Conference European allies. John Palmer makes a strong should again become the place where members case for a wholesale rejection of any deal which have their say and shape policy. Puru Miah and does not guarantee the jobs, rights and living con - Mike Davis highlight the role of Momentum in ditions of British workers or maintain existing organising and energising the thousands of new European wide environmental and social protec - members who have worked with the leadership to tions. Catherine West MP echoes this view move the party forward. Conference should explaining her position as an MP is the most endorse proposals to reduce the threshold for lead - strongly Remain constituency in Britain. Julie ership elections to strengthen the process of Ward MEP makes a similar case, saying the democratisation. ‘Leave’ position is far from settled. The Labour Party stands on the cusp of poten - The re-election of Angela Merkel as forecast by tial power with Jeremy Corbyn and an invigorated Ed Turner in his piece on the impending German leadership team. The Tories have lost their major - elections is likely to strengthen the EU united ity and have a wounded leader. If Labour can har - front on Tory Brexit games. ness the energy and ideas of it's 600,000, especial - TUC leader Frances O’Grady highlights the ly new, members we can put this government and iniquities of the continuing Tory pay cap on public its damaging austerity policies into the dustbin of sector workers with the longest sustained suppres - history.

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GREENWATCH

I dream the car electric Dave Toke explains how peak demand for electricity is likely to fall with the rapid adoption of electric cars

ust as in 2005 the UK was rushed into an ill- judged nuclear pro- gramme by scare-stories of imminent power black- Jouts, we are now being herded into a panic mode by lop-sided projections of future energy demand out of fear of electric vehicles. EVs are the future of motorised road transportation of course, and I'm sure it will happen quite quickly. The Government’s target of new vehicles being electric from 2040 onwards is little more than a statement of market realities. But if you work out the figures based on past trends you find out that after re-working the National Grid's recent projections peak demand is actually likely to FALL, not increase. There is always a supply-side bias in energy projections, and Electric cars less of an energy drain the numbers that are pouring out of the newspapers are the latest manifestation of this phe- then very little will be wasted EVs. In fact there are now around nomenon. (mainly grid losses) before the 7600 wind turbines in the UK. One factor which almost every- power is used in the vehicle. In Given increasing sizes of offshore body seems to have missed is that fact the extra electricity needed wind turbines (soon to be 10 MW electricity demand has fallen to power the NG's projected each) and also increasing levels of since 2005 by around 12 per cent expansion in EVs will be easily efficiency for the newest models (in 2006 the Government talked covered by the expansion in (with capacity factors approach- about dramatic increases in ing 50 per cent) then no more demand). If you carry this for- than 1000 new wind turbines ward to the future then this rate EVs are the future of would be needed to generate the of decline would be more than the demand for all of the EVs in oper- increase associated with the motorised road ation by 2030. expansion in the number of EVs transportation Of course we need to do more that was assumed by the than that. We need to boost National Grid in their most David Toke is renewable energy by much more, recent report. Given the fact that renewable energy if we assume Reader in Energy and there’s plenty of increasingly they identified opportunities for recent trends continue. Politics at the cheap resources of offshore wind load shifting, in particular Using the National Grid's University of and solar pv to do that. EVs pre- through 'time of use' charging assumption that around nine mil- Aberdeen. sent a great opportunity to fit in that would reduce peak demand lion road vehicles, constituting with variable flows of renewable by up to 4.5 GW, that adds up around one quarter of Britain's His next book, to electricity since the charging of altogether to a substantial FALL road transport fleet, will be EVs be published by the vehicles can be charged to fit in the amount of peak generating by 2030 then some 108 TWh of Routledge will be in with the availability of the capacity required in 2030. petrol/diesel consumption will be entitled Low power. In fact EVs supplied with elec- replaced by around 40 TWh of Carbon Politics Also we need more than a tran- tricity by sources such as wind, electricity. Renewable energy pro- sition to EVs to effectively tackle solar or marine energy are duction has increased by over 40 environmental problems of roads. extremely efficient. First, the EVs TWh between 2012 and 2016. EVs will reduce pollution, of NOX themselves are, in terms of ener- Renewable energy now makes up emissions, PAH and particulates, gy used to move a given distance, over 25 per cent of annual UK but they won’t reduce them by as much more energy efficient than electricity consumption. much as switching to using more conventional motor vehicles - and There have been some ridicu- bicycles and electric trains and this difference is likely to increase lously exaggerated numbers buses. We need to curb the as EVs mature as a technology. printed in one leading newspaper increase in car use in order to They have about a threefold (I won't dignify them by mention- help plan out urban areas more advantage in energy efficiency. If ing their name) about the num- effectively. C the electricity is generated by bers of wind turbines needed to these renewable energy sources cover the extra production for

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P & C

Siding with the future

Stuart he Government’s recent announcement The SNP Transport Minister Hamza Yousaf has that rail electrification is being dropped suggested that the Government is looking at a MacLeod on a number of routes in Wales, the return to public ownership for ScotRail when the Midlands and North – while almost in the franchise comes up for renewal. He was recently on rail same breath giving approval to the £30bn reported as saying "We have narrowed down the LondonT CrossRail 2 scheme – has sparked outrage possible vehicles that could potentially take forward funding in ‘the provinces’. What has really stuck in many a public sector bid. Transport Scotland are now disparities people’s gullets has been the combination of ditching working on gathering further evidence and I will much-needed schemes that would have relatively narrow down the options further once that exercise quick results through faster journeys and more is complete. The Scottish Government is committed capacity, whilst continuing to plough huge sums to creating a level playing field for rail franchising into CrossRail and that titanic vanity project HS2, in the future." the benefits of which – particularly to the North – However, there are a number of problems with are questionable. using this current playing field. To mount a serious People outside the small world of transport are bid for a rail franchise is an expensive business, beginning to wake up to how badly treated the costing upwards of £10m per bidder. That is a very North, and others parts of the UK, are in compari- big risk to take if you don’t win, and other private son to London. Public spending in the past 10 years bidders would almost certainly shout ‘foul’. was on average Currently, fran- £282 per head chising – in the North, enshrined in compared with the 1993 the national Railways Act – average of £345 is the only show per head, and in town. The £680 per head Act is re- in London. A inforced by EU petition organ- legislation on ised by IPPR tendering of North and 38 rail passenger Degrees calling s e r v i c e s . for more invest- Clearly, if we ment in the are outside the North’s trans- EU that would port infrastruc- not apply, par- ture has so far ticularly if Labour – com- got over 35,000 HS2- benefits to the North are questionable signatures. mitted to public It says a lot ownership of rail about the lack of any sort of democratic voice for the – is in power and willing to repeal the UK legisla- North of England, with its population of over 15m, tion as an early priority. that it has been left to a small think-tank – IPPR The possibility of using Scotland as a model for a North – to champion the cause of investment in the new form of public enterprise is exciting. Whilst the region. While Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Scottish Government could opt for the ‘Calmac’ have their own devolved governments to argue their model of an arms-length government-owned case, the North has a highly-fragmented mish-mash ScotRail, there is potential for looking at co-opera- of elected mayors in some conurbations, co-existing tive structures which could give both workers and uneasily with the poorly-funded local authorities in users direct control of ScotRail and could operate their own areas. While some (including IPPR North) within a strategic framework laid down by the have argued for a ‘Council of the North’ involving all Scottish Government. At the same time, re-integra- the Northern authorities, the reality is that many tion of operations and infrastructure (currently the people would see it as an unaccountable talking responsibility of Network Rail) would be essential to shop with little or no power. The obvious solution of really achieve a transformation of Scotland’s rail- a Northern Parliament with at least similar powers ways. That means transferring responsibility of to the other devolved administrations, isn’t on any- Scottish rail infrastructure from UK government- one’s agenda – yet. The current outrage over the owned Network Rail to the Scottish Government. It abandonment of rail modernisation schemes in the could work but would need real co-operation North while London’s CrossRail 2 gets the green between the SNP and Labour, and a Labour prime light and the increasingly unpopular HS2 goes minister at no.10. C ahead, might be the spark that starts a Northern revolt. Why is it taking so long? Paul Salveson is It’s different north of the border. The Scottish on holiday. His Government has direct responsibility for ‘domestic’ blog is at rail services, delivered by Dutch-owned Abellio, http://www.pauls trading as ‘ScotRail’. The franchise started in April alveson.org.uk 2015 and has had a difficult time, with relatively poor reliability and a challenging first year which saw the MD depart for pastures south of the border.

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PAY FREEZE

End the public sector pay cap Frances O’Grady on why the pay freeze is bad for workers and the economy

urses working full- and administrators time in our NHS who keep our public shouldn't need to services running. They rely on foodbanks to care about their work feed their families. and want to make a dif- ButN we know that a growing ference, but too many number of them do. of them are struggling That dedicated public servants to pay the bills. are facing such hardship is an This inevitably indictment of today's Britain, and translates into prob- of a government that has been lems with staff morale, holding down public sector pay recruitment and reten- for the last seven years. tion. Working people Our research shows that public can only take so much. sector workers' real wages in If we don't offer reason- 2017 are down thousands of able wages and condi- pounds a year compared to 2010. tions to our public ser- Prison officers, paramedics and vants, they'll be forced NHS dieticians are all down over to look elsewhere for Smiles of protest-Frances O’Grady joins Unison workers against pay cap £3,800 a year. Firefighters have work. lost nearly £2,900 and teachers That's why all our public ser- rying proportions. are down about £2,500. The loss- vants, whether they work on the So increased spending on pub- es stretch across the public sector frontline or in the backroom, need lic sector salaries shouldn't be and have serious implications for a fair pay rise. seen as pouring money into a working people, and for our econ- black hole. Rather, it's a modest omy. Can we afford it? investment that, by increasing The public has turned against the spending power of five million the government's unreasonable Already, Tory ministers are public servants, will promote 1% pay cap. According to our having doubts about the pay growth right across the economy. polling, more than three-quarters restriction; Boris Johnson, So the question isn't 'can we of voters —including 68% of Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and afford to raise public sector pay?' Tories— support giving public Justine Greening have all spoken but rather 'can we afford not to?' servants a pay rise, even if it out against it. But the chancellor, means tax increases. Philip Hammond, has dug his A clear mandate It's time for the government to heels in, insisting that we can't admit that it got it wrong. afford to pay our public servants The government has a clear mandate for a public sector pay Not just the frontline rise, and ultimately, it's up to them to figure out how best to This year, terrible events have real wages in 2017 are pay for it. shown how brave and dedicated down thousands of But what we're clear on is that the people in our public services the costs can't fall on other areas are, from the police who respond- pounds a year Frances O’Grady of the public service, such as local ed to terrorist attacks in London is General councils, the NHS or schools. and Manchester, to the firefight- Secretary of the These services are already under ers who risked their lives in a fair wage. TUC immense pressure, and can't take Grenfell Tower, to the doctors, This is nonsense. The IFS has anymore. nurses and paramedics who cared found that increasing the pay of There is no one-size-fits-all for survivors. public servants in line with infla- solution to public sector pay. The The government is rightly tion would cost £4.1bn a year. sensible approach is to ditch the under pressure to give these That sounds like a lot, but is artificial and inadequate 1% cap workers a long-overdue pay rise. actually equivalent to just 1% of and let different public sector But we must make sure that the departmental spending. If we fac- industries negotiate their own change isn't restricted to frontline tor in the opportunities created wage increases. This would staff. by increasing pay, the cost falls involve appointing genuinely The public sector is a team. If a even further. independent pay review bodies. police officer cracks a case, he Whatever Hammond says, the And at the end of the day, this relies on the forensic work of reality is that the public sector change won't break the bank. backroom staff. If a doctor saves a pay cap is fiscally irresponsible. Because public servants aren't life, it's because she can rely on a This pay squeeze — the longest asking for a windfall, they're sim- well-administered and fully since Victorian times — is drag- ply asking for pay justice. stocked hospital. ging down growth. It's reducing If the government wants to off- In recent months, I've spoken consumer spending power, partic- set another living standards cri- to the medical clerks, ambulance ularly outside of London, and con- sis, they had better listen. C call operators, teaching assistants tributing to a debt bubble of wor-

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P & C

Changing the way we view tax

Duncan ax policy has always been a difficult issue meet all four criteria – they may meet one or more, for the Labour Party. Any proposal to but have negative impact on other objectives. There Bowie on increase taxes is perceived as an electoral is a clear case for a more progressive income tax. We risk. However if a Labour government is do however need to give much greater atten tion to options to increase spending on key public ser- taxes on wealth, especially in terms of wealth held Tvices, whether this is the NHS, or welfare benefits, in property and land. We also need a tax system for or education or housing, additional revenue has to which actually leads to a much more effective opera- Labour to be raised. For any Labour election manifesto to com- tion of the housing market and a more effective use mit itself to no increases in taxation and to working of residential property, rather than a tax regime bite the within an inherited budget (as was the case in 1997) which supports investment.A focus on taxing resi- is to restrict a Labour government’s ability to deliv- dential wealth appreciation to raise revenue for tax bullet er even moderate improvements in public Government which can then be used to fund services services.The core problem is that tax is almost uni- and also contribute directly and indirectly to a redis- versally unpopular. Tax is widely perceived as the tributive objective leads to consideration of a range state taking money from individuals and restricting of options:a) Annual residential wealth tax.b) individual freedom and therefore bad. Tax is no Reintroduce schedule A – tax on imputed rental longer seen as a contribution by those who are bet- value of owner-occupied dwellings.c) Revaluation of ter off to the cost of the provision of services to allow residential values for council tax purposes, with those who are less well off to have a reasonable introduction of higher rates for new higher value quality of life. There is now widespread opposition to bands.d) Capital gains tax on all residential the use of the country’s wealth through the pooling dwellings on disposal (to replace stamp duty) with of resources to support collec- discounts for downsizers tive provision and a return to (an alternative is to make the Victorian concept that the stamp duty liability of seller poor should be supported by not purchaser).e) Tax on the voluntary philanthropy of inheritance of residential the rich whose altruism is property (after death) or made possible by their libera- gifts (before death)Turning tion from the burden of taxa- to the specific issue of tion.The Labour Party needs ensuring a more effective to re-examine the positive pur- use of developable land resi- poses of taxation. The Labour dential property, we have a General Election manifesto further range of options:a) promised a review of taxation Tax on undeveloped land policy (with a passing refer- which is suitable for devel- ence to consideration of some opment.b) Tax on land with form of land value tax), but as residential planning con- yet we have neither seen any sent but with no substan- outline of proposals or even a tive start on site.c) Tax on review process. In fact there developments which do not has been little serious work on optimise development tax reform on the left since the capacity (in effect a tax on Fabian Society’s tax commis- low density sion report in 2000, despite developments/very large arguments put forward by pro- homes).d) Penal tax on gressive lobbies such as the vacant units.e) Penal tax on Tax Justice Movement. We second homes (through need to recognise the extent to higher council tax rate).f) which differences in individual and household Council tax related to size of home( not just historic wealth (not just income) impact on the life chances value).g) Council tax related to effective occupation of individuals. Most wealth is now held in the form – i.e. higher tax for dwellings not occupied to normal of residential property so an individual’s chance of occupation standard. We also need a more effective buying a home is increasingly dependent on the mechanism for capturing long-term value apprecia- wealth of their parents or grandparents. The tion from private development. The current systems younger generation who do not have ready access to of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and plan- family wealth are being burdened with debt, ning gain (S106) focus on short term gains. whether a student loan or a mortgage which takes Alternatives could include a) tax on land sale price up more than half of their income. relative to existing use value; b) tax on comple- Our starting point should be a review of the pur- tions/disposal, or c) public sector equity stake on all poses of taxation. These include: new private development, with pay back based on a) Raising revenue for Government; b) share of sale and resale values in perpetuity. The Redistribution c) Incentive to influence personal and latter is the most effective option, although it could household behaviour in the public interest, and d) to be argued that municipalisation of all development maximise public benefit from wealth appreciation land through compulsory purchase at the pre-exist- (and limit the extent of private gain).In introducing ing use value, would be even more effective. Public or reviewing a specific tax, we need to understand ownership of land and development will always be its purpose. It is essential to assess potential impact more effective than allowing private ownership and on households and the wider economy as well as its then trying to tax it – but that is perhaps another contribution toward specific objectives. Few taxes debate. C September/October 2017 CHARTIST 9 #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 10

ENVIRONMENT

Listening to London Leonie Cooper on a breath of fresh air from London’s mayor

he Labour Mayor of London chose the Woodberry Wetlands in Hackney as the place to launch his new, draft EnvironmentT Strategy - and what a comprehensive document it is. It’s been a long time in develop- ment - but now it's here, it has proved to be well worth the wait. The full document is more than 400 pages long, and contains both detailed modelling and long-term goals. What a difference from the last Tory Mayor! His main contribu- tion to developing environmental strategies was to get rid of many of the excellent staff from City Hall between 2008-2016. Since last year, Sadiq has appointed some key replacements - and the new Environment Strategy is tes- tament to a lot of hard work and Leonie Cooper and Sadiq Khan launch action on air pollution detailed thought. Public awareness of Sadiq's the last biodiversity plan and To view the Environment Strategy document determination to clean up we've never had a plan to tackle and to have your say go to London's toxic air is high, but the fuel poverty. We now know so www.london.gov.uk/environment-strategy draft Strategy displays equal much more about the impacts of determination to tackle the wide our actions on the planet and range of major environmental each other - but sadly, nothing issues that face London as it was done during the period under moves into the future and grows. the last Mayor. So there's no time The plan sets out to make more to be lost in terms of some of the than half of London green, to mit- major infrastructure projects igate London's climate change London will need to undertake - a contribution by moving to low- new reservoir and upgrading the carbon and renewable forms of Thames barrier being just two of energy, as well as reducing ener- them. gy use, reducing waste and The most exciting aspect of the Leonie Cooper encouraging recycling, reducing plan is that Sadiq has also proved AM is Labour the impact of noise and future- himself more than willing to lis- Environment proofing the city in terms of ten to ideas from others - the spokesperson, drinking water, flooding and Environment Committee Chair of the heat. All these areas are covered launched a report on dealing with London Assembly in the new Strategy. plastic bottles in February, Environment But the new Strategy does not another on domestic energy and Committee stand alone - it sits alongside a fuel poverty, and a further report Twitter: Sustainable Urban Drainage on parks and open spaces. I also @LeonieC Action Plan (launched in launched a report as an individu- December 2016), a Solar Action al Assembly Member on biodiver- Plan and a Fuel Poverty Action sity and how it can be maintained Plan. This would have been as London develops and grows. unthinkable under a Tory Mayor Many of the recommendations - uninterested in the housing from all of these reports have problems of ordinary Londoners, found their way into the draft willing to hike TfL fares over Strategy - and further contribu- eight years and equally uninter- tions are welcome, to ensure this ested in the health consequences is the best plan for London. The for Londoners unable to heat Mayor wants to hear what every- their homes properly. one who has a stake in London It's an exciting moment for thinks about the proposals in the London. It’s been many years draft Strategy. The consultation since Ken Livingstone launched is now open until mid-November. C

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NHS

Getting away with murder Jean Smith & Michael Edwardson explain how the Tories have Florence Nightingale spinning in her grave. lorence Nightingale, Tories make meaningless founder pioneer of announcements: Health nursing stated, ‘the Education England has said it first requirement in a will immediately make available hospital that it should funding for 1,500 extra clinical doF the sick no harm’. Current placements – almost a 5% poor staffing levels and stressed increase – after the Department nurses are very harmful to of Health announced a £16.4m patients. The NHS was born on funding boost. However, universi- July 5, 1948 the climax of a huge- ties will need to reach agree- ly ambitious plan to bring good ments with local trusts to provide healthcare to all. Until recently it the clinical placements for any was rated the best in the world. extra students. Trusts will also To the Tories this appears imma- need to be able to provide appro- terial. Privateer lobbyists, many Tories pushing nurses to breaking point priate mentoring and training for from the broken US system, whis- per that both expensive educated nurses and properly sick patients sounded. Nurses began increas- Record numbers of are an unaffordable drain on ingly to take on additional roles nurses are leaving resources. They are looking for- and as a result work nurses work ward to a privatised system in is being undertaken by health- which the shareholder is king, care assistants with the danger students. According to an anony- and such ‘drains’ must be min- that, as assistants have limited mous source there are no extra imised by law. From the very training in their role, things will placements, because so many beginning the Tories were plan- nurse mentors have left. (17 ning how to dismantle our NHS. August, 2017 Nursing Times From the very beginning News Desk) Trusts can't physical- The Tory approach ly offer any more placement the Tories were planning places - money is irrelevant. Nurses on wards and in the how to dismantle our Freeze or reduce pay, depower community, save lives. After staff and use austerity as an what seems like a coordinated NHS. excuse for a pay freeze is the Tory attack on the profession, record way. Non-clinicians make many numbers of nurses are leaving. be missed, resulting in a poorer decisions including early dis- There are currently over 40,000 service and possible harm to charge, leading to horror stories unfilled nursing posts in patients. alarming the public. Nurses were England. Over 90% of the larger Hislop et al cited in the patient advocates, but now, while NHS hospital trusts in England Journal of Advanced Nursing they are arguably more account- are not staffed to safe levels how nurses under the Project able, they are not as effective. according to analysis by the Royal 2000 curriculum struggled with Nursing duties are handed down College of Nursing, and increas- relating aspects of their course to to the untrained. Senior clinical ingly Trusts are using unregis- their clinical practice. In a nurses should be in a leading role tered support staff to fill the gaps thought provoking article in the with appropriate administrative left by qualified nurses, encourag- Independent Patterson states support. There is ample evidence ing ‘nursing on the cheap’. Low ‘Reforms in the 1990s were sup- from other countries that the numbers of cheap nurses are a posed to make nursing better. empowerment of nurses is a suc- good for a privatised shareholder Instead there’s a widely shared cessful model. focused system and small state. sense that this was when today’s Finally, in the name of local- To reduce the numbers of nurs- compassion deficit began’. ism, Trusts are being given pow- es and costs the Tory way Make training unaffordable to ers to change nurse’s terms and requires change to nurses’ terms many while still pretending you conditions. Staff now have and conditions for the worse and are handling the crisis is another unequal rights, pension entitle- to overwork and overstretch Tory line. Bursaries enabled a Michael ments and increments from their them. In addition a draconian pay wide cross section of people, of Edwardson & colleagues, even though they freeze is imposed alongside different backgrounds, experience Jean Smith are have been nursing for as long and charging students to work for the and age to train. There is ample members of the are employed to do the same or NHS. Finally they hand over evidence that applications have Socialist Health an equivalent job. As a result, work properly the preserve of gone down from an already low Association staff are leaving NHS jobs and nurses to cheaper unqualified vol- point. After the Brexit vote we the nurse bank, and going to unteers or staff. can no longer assume we can fill work in agencies at more expense The introduction of Project the gaps by recruiting trained to the hospitals and the NHS. 2000 facilitated moving nurse nurses from Europe or beyond. To fight for our nurses is to education into a university set- The crisis can only get worse. If fight for our lives. C ting. It was not as good as it the public begin to cotton on,

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MIGRATION

Keep on moving

Don Flynn on why migration is necessary and unstoppable

he ways in which phys - the obligation of demonstrating Thirty Years War in the seven - ical space is organised solidarity with all toilers across teenth century. Improvements in to support the activi - the planet. the technologies of map-making ties of any given society Reece Jones’s recently pub - and mechanisms of social control has long been the con - lished V iolent Borders: Refugees helped to make these bordered, Tcern of geography. Despite its and the Right to Move comes administered spaces the domi - obvious political implications, down strongly on the side of the nant mode of political organisa - outside the realms of town and latter. In a couple of early chap - tion over the following years. city planning, the questions the ters he shows just how much vio - There are many fascinating academic discipline poses have lence is unleashed on people who insights into the processes of seldom influenced the main - move by strict border control state-building in his account but stream thinking of the left. regimes. The IOM puts the num - they tend to work in the direction This has begun to change with ber of deaths at the borders of of seeing borders as a way of the advent of globalisation and Europe in the period since 2004 cementing people into conditions particularly the reconfiguration at 23,700. Human rights groups of inertia. This hardly seems to of the spaces in which people in the US estimate that more be the case. The rise of the bor - attempt to organise their lives. than 11,000 people have died dered state has had many conse - There has scarcely been a more from dehydration in their quences for human society with dramatic example of this than the attempts to cross the border with the most important being the spaces at the edges of nation Mexico since 1994. In other impetus that it gives to the devel - states that we call borders. regions of the world – from the opment of the sort of modern For much of the period since Bangladesh-India border through market-based economies which the late 1980s it has been to the seas around Australia--the hugely increase the rate in which assumed that globalisation would the factors of production – capi - entail highly porous borders, tal, goods and labour – are moved facilitating the vast volume of For much of the period since the across space. The Atlantic slave commerce and trade in goods and trade is just one example of the services, and also opening up late 1980s it has been assumed way in which the economic forces more opportunities for the move - that globalisation would entail sustained by the emerging states ment of people. The increase in used their capacity for savagery, the numbers of people living out - highly porous borders, facilitating not to prevent people from mov - side the countries of their citizen - the vast volume of commerce and ing, but on the contrary, to ships – up from around 100 mil - enforce it against their will. lion in 1980 to 244 million in trade in goods and services, and Jones acknowledges this but 2015 – has been seen as a part of seems to see the experience of the this globalising trend, and viewed also opening up more slave trade, and also the volun - by many as the best illustration opportunities for the movement of tary migrations of Europeans to of why it has proven so painful to the lands of the New World, as many people. The desire to people historical episodes which have reverse these trends, and ‘retake run their course. He acknowl - control of our borders’, is proba - death tolls are similarly mount - edges the fact that even today bly the main driving force of the ing. borders are not totally sealed right wing populist moods that Casualty rates on this scale against all aspects of human have been sweeping across the invite speculation about the exis - mobility and that modern immi - world in recent times. tence of a war taking place gration controls function as much A steady stream of books have between states which presume to facilitate the movement of ‘the attempted to conceptualise the that the immobility of their citi - rich’ as they do to hold the poor in issues of borders and the move - zens is the proper way for soci - check. It would be more accurate ments of people from the stand - eties to subsist, and others whose to think of what are called the point of progressive, leftist and way of life is nomadic. Jones managed migrations of today as liberal politics. The result has develops his position from a view - attempts on the part of states to been more cacophony than clari - point which looks at the long organise labour markets which ty. Arguments from this side of migratory history of humanity allow forms of labour that are the political divide have been as and argues that this does little to considered scarce to move to likely to splinter into aggressively sustain the idea of clearly-defined areas which could make most pro - anti-migration versus pro-migra - and rigid borders marking out a ductive use of it. A portion of this tion standpoints as has been hap - state of normalcy. Borders of this is provided by highly-educated pening across the rest of society. sort came into existence as a con - and skilled people. Their use to Anti-immigrant leftists bemoan sequence of the development of capital is reflected in their rela - the supposed erosion of social states, with the Westphalian sys - tively high earnings. But in other trust and the damage done to tem of demarcated territories and cases what is in short supply is labour markets and the welfare the presumption of sovereignty the raw muscle power needed for state: the pro-side big up the over all internal matters evolving industries like agriculture and themes of internationalism and in Europe on the conclusion of the construction, where wage levels

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Migrant workers challenging borders- shape of a fortress Europe to come?

are much more modest. is a welcome sign that is already use of her labour power. The The point here is that we really happening. A short while back assurance that you are not at risk need to understand modern this level of engagement with the of discrimination on the basis of immigration controls as a part of issue didn’t exist, with many on your nationality or ethnicity will the repertoire of state power that this side of the spectrum taking be reserved for the upper eche- is concerned with the construc- the view that Spanish, French, lons of skilled professionals. But tion of a working class that will Portuguese and Greek migrants for the farmhands brought in for serve the needs of capital in were amongst the privileged seasonal work, or construction whatever form it is currently tak- groups who had achieved benefits workers on fixed term contracts, ing. Because capitalism is a sys- at the expense of Africans, Asians the very fact of your nationality tem marked by the level of com- and Latin Americans. The loss of will be one of the reasons why petition that exists between its the protection that had come from rights are being withheld from component parts there is vast the EU treaty rights to free move- you. Romanians in the fields of scope for disputes about what ment have shaken up the compla- lettuce and other fresh veg, Poles type of immigration is ‘really’ cency that existed on that issue on the building sites, and Italians needed. Politicians fishing for and opened up a new range of and Spanish making our lattes support from the various camps outlooks on how the right to and cappuccinos: what currently will invariably be found to speak migrate might be fought for. exists as an informal arrange- up for closed borders or relatively The neoliberal experiment with ment capable of being eroded over open borders, depending on what the free movement of labour is time will become instead a rigid coincides with the interests of being seriously modified in the system of rules and conditions their clients. The pendulum European laboratory. Yet even imposed by threat of deportation swings of the immigration debate its most recalcitrant critic – the for anyone stepping out of line. are much more marked by the UK state authorities – have come What this means is that the way these debates play out than to accept that movement across borders which Jones has drawn is suggested by the arguments its borders will continue to be a our attention to, where people are which see state control as an formality for the vast majority of dying in their efforts to cross, are imperative that runs in only one holders of an EU passport after Don Flynn is the just one of the places where the direction. Brexit has been accomplished. Founder and rule of immigration control What does this mean for a gen- But other borders will rise up to former Director makes itself felt. They have their uinely progressive politics of play the role of regulating and at Migrants' place in the evolution of the immigration? One thing is that it shaping the features of the Rights Network nation state, but shouldn’t be ought to draw much closer atten- human beings who are permitted allowed to displace what should tion to the balance of class forces to enter the British workforce. be our principal concern about that are arrayed in the policy Rights will no longer pivot on the the role that these controls play scuffles over open and closed bor- simple fact of citizenship, rather in the totality of their operation – ders. The recent interest of the being made conditional on factors as another means to create a left in defence of the rights of EU like the skill level of the individu- working class which has lost the citizens in the UK which are al and the level of demand being power to resist the exploitation of threatened by the Brexit process registered by employers for the capital. C

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GIG ECONOMY

Zero hours fudge Kate Bell finds the Taylor Review dodges the big changes needed to end exploitation in the gig economy

he Taylor review into modern employment practices is finally here, along with a real sense of anti-climax. TWhile the report makes some important recommendations, it has dodged the big changes work- ing people need to end exploita- tion and insecurity.

Zero action on zero-hours

For a start, there no real plans to crack down on zero-hours con- tracts. Taylor says banning these types of contracts would be bad for ‘flexibility’. But only last month, a study Therea May speaks at the Taylor review launch event- a missed opportunity? found that people on zero-hours contracts are more likely to suffer have enough access to insecure with paying staff who work physical and mental ill-health. workplaces. While it’s good that through an agency far less than That makes sense. If you don’t Taylor talks about workers hav- those on regular contracts. Even know how much work you will ing a ‘voice’ at work, he should when they’re doing the exact have from one day to the next, have recognized that the best way same work. this is bound to impact on your to deliver that is through a trade The Taylor review rightly says health and mental wellbeing. union. clearly that should end now. This The half-measures proposed in is likely to upset business – who the Taylor Review simply don’t go Muddying the waters are already out there lobbying far enough. A ‘right to request’ against this. But policymakers guaranteed hours from an Taylor’s recommendation to must hold their nerve and give exploitative boss is no right at all rename ‘worker’ status as ‘depen- agency workers the fair pay they for many workers. It gives them dent contractor’ will further deserve. as much power as Oliver Twist. muddy – already murky – legal Another important call this Polling carried out by the TUC waters. review makes is for everyone to after the election shows that 71% It’s also important that any be entitled to sick pay from the of voters support an all-out ban changes do not unpick key court first day of their job, no matter on zero-hours contracts – includ- wins secured by unions which how much they earn. ing a majority of Conservative confirm gig workers are entitled Nearly half a million workers supporters. to employment rights including in insecure work currently miss Getting rid them shouldn’t be a the minimum wage, holiday and out on sick pay because their pay controversial move. No-one rest breaks. Kate Bell is head is too low. They shouldn’t be pun- should be treated like disposable There’s also a real worry on of economics at ished when they are too ill to labour. what the review says about the TUC work. changing how the minimum wage Where are the unions? is calculated for some in this So what now? group. Moving to ‘piece rates’, Any serious attempt to crack whereby the employer tells you Of course, the real responsibili- down on precarious work needs to how much work you should be ty to tackle insecure work lies have trade unionism at its heart. doing per hour, rather than sim- with the government. We’ll be And that means getting more ply paying you when you’re at pushing them to move swiftly to unions into workplaces. work, risks letting platform com- implement the nuggets of good However, there is little men- panies off the hook. What hap- news that are in there – like bet- tion of unions, and less action to pens if an Uber or Deliveroo driv- ter pay for those working for help them – a point Robert er gets stuck in traffic? Will they agencies, and for those who fall Peston raised with Matthew get paid less for not completing sick – and to think carefully Taylor at the review’s lavish their set quota of jobs? before making moves on employ- Westminster launch. ment status, or weakening mini- Every day unions expose the He did get some things right mum wage protections. worst excesses of the gig economy Crucially we’ll be continuing – just look at what we have done It’s not all bad news. At the to push for our Great Jobs agenda at Uber, Deliveroo and Sports moment, a loophole in the law – so that everyone has access to Direct. (known as ‘the Swedish deroga- the decent work they deserve. C But right now, unions don't tion’) lets employers get away

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No barrier for justice Guy McClenahan on a tribunal victory for ‘gig economy’ workers

highly available and recent removal of fees by the our cases against courier compa- flexible workforce has, supreme court is a huge step for- nies have, in the opinion of the traditionally, been a ward for workers whose experi- judges handling them, relatively barrier to achieving ence of the tribunal service began simple outcomes. Our belief that the speed of service with it being explicitly denied to couriers under independent con- Athat today's consumer requires at them in the infamous ‘Clause 2.3’ tractors are in fact ‘Limb B’ an acceptable price. ‘Traditionally of the original Deliveroo contract, Workers (a subcategory of self- structured’ businesses such as reading: employed) has been proven with supermarkets haemorrhage “You further warrant that nei- four companies now - eCourier, money to compete with new-age, ther you nor anyone acting on Excel, AddisonLee and so-called ‘gig economy’, companies your behalf will present any claim CitySprint; our sister branch of such as Amazon Fresh, UberEats, in the employment tribunal or United Private Hire Drives and - Guy's Food Delivery Inc., a any civil court in which it is con- (UPHD) won their case against business I started as an tended that you are either an Uber last year. entrepreneur last year. employee or a worker.” It is simply unworkable that A ridiculous concept of course, Defended by Deliveroo and the current lack of enforcement of but that is how Deliveroo contin- their ‘legal experts’ until the tide existing law should go on - how ue to refer to my work, as a couri- was turned by rider action and a can we even consider reforming er for the company in Brighton. swift climbdown was executed, the law surrounding the sector, as Despite wearing their uniform this clause exemplifies the crass the (albeit flaky) Taylor report (although there is no compulsion attitude of these ‘gig economy’ does when companies routinely to do so), and weaving through companies and indeed the anti- flout not only law but the tribunal traffic at the company’s behest to union feeling currently residing in judgments themselves, with no a restaurant and customer of our society and government. With fear of any penalty? Classed as their choosing, I work as a self- the removal of this clause, albeit self-employed Workers, couriers employed independent contractor, unenforceable, and the removal of and gig-economy workers alike which means I'm straight out of tribunal fees, there is now no bar- Guy gain basic rights such as the min- luck if I need any sick pay to rier for litigation against the McClenahan is imum wage and sick pay, with cover an injury sustained at this “simply unreal” employment prac- the Vice-Chair minimal or no change to company dangerous job, or to be paid the tices of those such as Deliveroo. of the Couriers working practices required (a tri- minimum wage. The IWGB pur- Where once before many unions & Logistics bunal judgment simply states sues a combined strategy of not would refuse to take a case, how- Branch of the that the employment status rep- only campaigning through collec- ever legitimate, to tribunal with- Independent resents current process). It is tive and industrial action, but out a better than 50% chance of Workers Union, imperative that these companies also litigation through employ- success, there is now no barrier and a rider for who arrogantly disregard the law ment tribunal - the only recourse for justice for those suffering at Deliveroo in are held to account not only by to this exploitation and maltreat- the hands of these vile employ- Brighton the unions but by government ment. Nowhere else gives the ment practices. itself. So join us on 27 September, Deliveroo riders, and workers in Although the employment tri- when we march to Uber’s appeal the ‘gig economy’, a voice at the bunals can be a useful mechanism of the UPHD’s victory, in a show table that at their company is so for keeping employers in check, at of strength for all precarious and harshly silenced. And so the the IWGB we see that many of outsourced workers. C

Deliveroo couriers calling for the living wage outside Deliveroo offices in central London

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SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa at the Crossroads

Bob Newland on awards and reviews at the SA Communist Party Congress

group of Cuban Doctors, The family of Ahmed Timol and the ‘London Recruits’ were all presented with a ‘SpecialA Recognition Award’ at the 14th National Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP) held in Johannesburg in July. Two hundred Cuban Doctors volunteered to go to Africa to combat the recent Ebola epidem- ic. Bob Newland (from left) Blave Nzimande, Ian Beddowes, Ken Keable & Ronnie Kasrils (the recruiter) Ahmed Timol was thrown out a tenth floor window in the security in future elections and the cam- discussion on leadership succes- police building in 1972. An paigning role of the party on sion. apartheid regime inquest found behalf of the working class and Party membership has doubled that he committed suicide. His the poor. With 40% unemploy- and redoubled in the last ten family have successfully cam- ment and 70% youth unemploy- years reaching around 285,000. paigned for a new inquest. ment the issue of the poor was Delegates and Central Talking to his family I discovered key. Committee members alike that one of the things he was Underpinning all the discus- stressed that the Party had accused of was setting off the sion was the failure to overcome become submerged in the ANC, leaflet bombs for which the the economic legacy of apartheid losing its identity as a result. ‘London Recruits’ had been with particular focus on jobs, There was general agreement on responsible. housing and education. the final decisions of the week, The London Recruits were Zuma in an attempt to present including the Party standing its young white people recruited in himself as a left winger, has own candidates in future elec- the late 1960s and early 70s to recently come up with the idea of tions as part of the road map for assist the ANC with underground ‘white monopoly capitalism’. This change. activity. They carried out a cam- concept was challenged by speak- It was agreed to remain in the paign of leafleting in cities across er after speaker as wrong and ANC for the present while seek- South Africa while the ANC racially divisive. The General ing to build a left alliance involv- rebuilt its organisation following Secretary, Blade Nzimande, in ing the SACP, COSATU, SANCO the Rivonia trial. Some went on words echoed in Cyril and others. to assist fighters returning to Ramaphosa’s address to Throughout the week discus- South Africa across hostile bor- Congress, said that to replace sion in Congress sessions and ders, others set up safe houses or white monopoly capitalists with outside returned to who would smuggled tons of weapons into black monopoly capitalists would Bob Newland is a replace Zuma and become the the country to aid the fight not change the conditions of the member of Tower ANC candidate for South African against apartheid. overwhelming majority of the Hamlets Labour President. The front runners are I was honoured to be one of the working class and the poor. Party and a a former wife of Zuma, ‘London Recruits’ and attended Ramaphosa condemned corrup- member of ACTSA Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who it along with Ken Keable, the tion and State Capture and NEC. London is believed would continue the author of our book and Ian appealed to the SACP to remain Recruits, the high level of corruption and Beddowes to receive the award. in the triple alliance. He urged Secret War patronage and Cyril Ramaphosa, It was a fascinating experience. them to continue to provide the Against ANC Deputy President, who is South Africa is at a crossroads leadership and ideological clarity Apartheid is committed to fight corruption and and the SACP is at the heart of which had been demonstrated in published by State Capture. the debates regarding the future their contribution to the Freedom Merlin Books Ramaphosa is viewed as of President Zuma, high level cor- Charter, adopted by the Congress £15.99. untainted by corruption although ruption and ‘State Capture’. of the People in SOWETO in as a Rand billionaire he has bene- COSATU, the major trade union 1955, and through the years of fited considerably from the Black grouping, has already called for illegality and armed struggle Economic Empowerment (BEE) the removal of Zuma and is sup- after the Sharpeville massacre in programme. He is however dam- porting Cyril Ramaphosa to 1960. aged by his role as a director of replace him. Debate was challenging in the Lonmin at the time of the Debates centred around the plenary sessions and the commis- Marikana massacre. He was future role of the SACP within sions which separately discussed cleared of any wrongdoing by the the triple alliance of ANC, key issues. The leadership were subsequent public inquiry which COSATU and SACP, a proposal self critical regarding the demo- called for charges of murder and that the SACP should stand can- bilisation of the Party in recent manslaughter to be brought didates independent of the ANC years and signalled the need for against senior police officers. C

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TURKEY

Whither Turkey?

Mary Southcott argues that while we are right to scrutinise Trump we should also be looking at Turkey’s President and his role in the Middle East efore I first went to power in the US constitution. No Cyprus, nothing had one can predict the Trump prepared me for the administration but it seems influence of the unlikely they will extradite Ottoman Empire in Fethullah Gulen as the person Btoday’s world, what it inherited Erdogan insists was responsible from the multiculturalism of the for the coup, although they Byzantine Empire, itself the con- worked together closely in the tinuation of the Roman and first five years of the AK Party Alexander the Great’s Empires. I rule. did not know my grandfather No one is allowed to challenge fought in Gallipoli. My first con- this retreat from secular to islam- tact with anyone from Turkey ic without being sacked, arrested was Greek Orthodox priests from or imprisoned. The media, Istanbul who as a seven-year-old Turkish Kurds protest against state killings judges, academics, Amnesty I tried to convince were Turkish. International, politicians, includ- AJP Taylor’s English History ing the People’s Democratic Party 1914 – 1945 was my introduction Turkey was withdrawing its ver- and generals are all in need of the to the idea that World War 1 was bal support for a Cyprus settle- rule of law. The CHP, the the War of Ottoman Succession. ment in Crans-Montana, the Republican People’s Party, voted Modern Turkey was founded by European Parliament was calling for the lifting of parliamentary the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne with on the Commission and EU immunity and then organised a the exchange of population of nation states to suspend acces- march from Ankara to Istanbul Greek and Turkish speaking peo- sion talks with Turkey. Turkey and a huge rally when its own ple, more correctly Christians was said to be going to implement people were arrested. and Moslems. Mustafa Kemal, the Guterres security framework So where is Turkey going? Its Ataturk, born in Salonika, said “a after 57 years of being a ‘Model of Islamic Democracy’ was Turk is a Turk” meaning equality Guarantor, relinquish its right of sold to Egypt and Tunisia, where in a secular state underpinned by unilateral intervention, drop the their Sharia Law by stealth was the military. People used to want Treaty of Guarantee for assur- seen through and toppled. The someone to deal with the mili- Sunni Islam agenda excludes tary. Now Erdogan has his own other Moslems such as Alevis or deep state, Turkey is no nearer Some believe that Shias. Turkey has invested being a democracy. Erdogan wants to be a heavily in Sunni Islamic Somalia. There seems to be a Turkish It has supported Palestinians. It yearning for an overlapping and Sultan and Turkey itself has bases in Qatar which invests separate Pan Turanism, Neo- in Turkey. It has troops in Iraq, Ottamanism and Islamicism, to be a Caliphate, and Syria and in Cyprus. It has been with Turkish text books de- helped IS initially in arms paid by the EU to accommodate emphasising Ataturk, increasing refugees who would otherwise faith teaching by Imams and the and oil sales come to EU states. 200 metres race being won for Some believe that Erdogan Turkey by a man from wants to be a Sultan and Turkey Azerbaijan. WWI, the Armenian ances where all Cypriots would itself to be a Caliphate, and question, the Sykes–Picot feel secure and reduce its troops helped IS initially in arms and oil Agreement, the Balfour declara- from day one with gradual with- sales. However, Turkey’s and US tion remain issues. The upheaval drawal down to the numbers in interests are diverging which created minorities where previ- the 1960 Treaty of Alliance. The affects NATO’s position in the ously everyone was a minority. It Parliament was voicing its objec- region and relationships between left Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Syria tion to the constitutional reform Turkey and Greece, a member of and Iran. Recent Turkish policy package the Turks voted for in its the EU. The impression of in Syria was first to support ISIS referendum on 16 April. Mary Southcott is strength in the AKP party major- and then to join in NATO’s policy Erdogan’s threat to bring back a member of ity is fragile and based on a PR of bombing ISIS, as cover for capital punishment didn’t help. Chartist EB and system with a 10 per cent thresh- bombing Kurds. The attempt to The EU still offers the best demo- secretary of old designed to exclude Kurdish stop a Kurdish strip being formed cratic way out of both the Friends of Cyprus representation. Turkey is really by Syrian Kurds on the other side Kurdish and Cyprus issues. three countries in one, Kurdish, of the Turkish-Syrian border On 15 July, Turkey celebrated central Islamic and the European meant Turkey was supporting the first anniversary of the and Mediterranean coast. The Turkmen fighting both Assad and unsuccessful coup against Iraqi Kurds have an indepen- ISIS whereas the US was sup- President Erdogan who will by dence referendum in October. porting the Peshmergas, Iraqi the 2019 elections become an Turkey needs to stay on our Kurds. executive president with all the radar. C At the same time in July that power with none of the brakes on

September/October 2017 CHARTIST 17 #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 18

GERMANY

Social Democrats’ dream in tatters?

Angela Merkel looks set to comfortably see off the challenge from the SPD in forthcoming elections reports Ed Turner

t all started so well for the SPD. In late January, the German SPD in a surpris- ing yet seamless move saw Martin Schulz, former IPresident of the European Parliament, take over as the party’s candidate for the chancel- lorship, with Sigmar Gabriel, the party’s leader up to that point, handing over the leadership to Merkel - polls suggest victory over challenger Shultz Schulz and taking over as the country’s Foreign Minister the party’s standing and the rise polls seemed to be turning instead. For a while, Social of a right-wing alternative to the against it, the SPD was forced to Democrats and perhaps even CDU, the Alternative for rule out a coalition with the Left some of the country were Germany (AfD). This challenging Party. engulfed by “Schulzmania”. position has now been reversed: There are two broader trends, Schulz was elected party leader there has been no repeat of the too – first, that in a country unanimously in the secret ballot crisis on the scale of 2015, and whose economy is doing extreme- at the party’s conference, the SPD the CSU piped down its criticism ly well, it should not be a surprise edged ahead of Angela Merkel’s of Merkel when it looked like that the government of the day is CDU in the opinion polls, and Schulz posed a major threat. The popular and looks likely to be re- Schulz even found himself pre- AfD, although it appears very elected. The SPD makes the ferred to Merkel as a possible likely to win representation in point, quite rightly, that not all chancellor. Schulz had not ruled the federal parliament at this sections of society share in the out a Red-Red-Green coalition year’s election, is plateauing in country’s security and prosperity, (with the Left Party as well as its support and rather preoccu- but enough still do for the CDU to the Greens), and such a combina- pied with internal quarrels. be rather popular. Moreover, tion appeared to have a real Importantly, Merkel’s popularity Merkel has yet again shown that chance of winning power in the extends beyond her party’s little stardust lands on her minor federal election on 24th boundaries: for instance, she is coalition partner – the SPD has September. preferred as chancellor over had some policy successes (such Just seven months later, Schulz by Green voters according as introducing a national mini- Schulz’s dream appears to be in to a recent poll (by a margin of mum wage, forcing the CDU to tatters – the CDU has a lead of 47% to 45%), while 25% of SPD accept gay marriage, and intro- around 15 points in the polls voters, 27% of Left Party voters, ducing tighter rent regulation) going into the election campaign, and 42% of AfD voters also favour Ed Turner is Head but gets little credit for any part Merkel leads as the country’s her as chancellor. of Politics and in Germany’s success. Merkel choice of chancellor by some 30%, Secondly, the SPD had three International has proven extremely effective at and there is every chance that hideous results in state elections. Relations at not offering any flank upon which the SPD will find itself replaced The first, in the Saarland in Aston University, she can be attacked . While as Merkel’s coalition partner by March, a popular CDU incum- and a Senior Schulz hops from issue to issue, the economically liberal FDP. bent was re-elected – the first Lecturer at the trying and failing to gain electoral It is striking that this sign that the Schulz effect might Aston Centre for traction, Merkel is quite content turnaround in the respective for- not be as helpful to the SPD as it Europe to ignore him and retain her lead tunes of the major parties is not had first appeared. More damag- in the polls. attributable to a single event or ing were the defeats of SPD Paradoxically, if the next few crisis. Instead, some five things incumbents in Schleswig-Holstein months play out as we might have happened. First, Angela and particularly Schulz’s home expect, it may help the SPD in Merkel appears to have been able state of North-Rhine Westphalia the longer term. It has tested to to reassert her authority (an in May, where SPD/Green coali- destruction the theory that politi- authority often enjoyed by chan- tions were replaced, respectively, cal success can come with being cellors and partly derived from an by a CDU/FDP/Green coalition Merkel’s junior coalition partner, ‘incumbency bonus’). This suf- and a CDU/FDP coalition. In and leaving that role would give fered some damage during the each case, there were some local it the ability to develop a far refugee crisis of 2015, partly factors (notably rather uninspir- sharper political profile. Indeed, because of substantive public con- ing SPD election campaigns) that there is a degree of interest in cern at the issue, but also played into these results, but the whether the Labour Party’s because it gave rise to severe clear impression is that momen- recent realignment might hold internal pressure from CDU tum is now with the CDU. lessons for it in the future, and hardliners and particularly the Thirdly, the SPD has found even with the backdrop of Brexit, conservative Bavarian allies of itself hampered by the lack of political dialogue between parties the CDU, the CSU. They were viable coalition options. In of the centre-left might prove anxious about the impact upon North-Rhine Westphalia, as the mutually beneficial. C

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IMMIGRATION

Poll shows anti-immigration sentiment rising

Trevor ack in 2009 I suggested that Britain was Question 2016 Voted 2016 voted ripe to become the new Weimar Republic. Leave Remain Fisher The collapse of New Labour under Brown and the rise of nationalism was reinforc - sees ing the hold of the right. Brown's pathet - No control 35% 48% Bic British Jobs for British Workers slogan was a sign similar EU level shades of the leadership knew they had a problem. It was to now laid bare during the 2010 election when Brown was the met by a working class woman whose views he pri - Some control 45% 52% Weimar vately found objectionable - and called her a bigot similar EU level behind her back. Sadly he had left his lapel mike on to now republic and the world knew what he said. He lost the elec - tion. Some control 49% 50% in Brexit The coalition which followed undermined the lower level of Liberal Democrats, and Stuart Hall's Great Moving EU immigration Britain Right show took on a new impetus when the Leave campaign, aided by the rise of the UKIP vote, forced Full controll 52% 55% Cameron against his will to promise a Referendum similar EU level on the EU. Consistently outsmarted by the Leave to now campaign, and undermined by Labour's weak effort, the Referendum was narrowly lost. But some take Full control 51% 57% comfort from the narrow defeat and think that a sec - lower level ond Referendum can be won. It would have to be a Third Referendum - there have been two already - Full control ad 46% 58% and as such a basic issue as the 1975 Referendum no EU victory has been forgotten, it is not surprising Leave immigration is winning. In this context it is ominous that the lat - est polls indicate that the Remain campaign and human rights both face a rising tide of reaction.The Anti free movement poll (Source: Labour Futures website) key finding, leaked to the press and Leave websites, The Independent separately reported that 29% of is set out below. The full results will be released in Remainers would expel all EU immigrants. That, if the Autumn, with this result showing not a divided correctly reported, means that the campaign for the nation, but a convergence of Leave and Remain vot - rights of EU citizens to stay has backfired. The cur- ers on the big issue of immigration, defined on the rent methods of defending immigration against the Right's terms as EU free movement - which the isolationists have failed and no results from pres - smarter Leavers know is a hostage to fortune they sure group activities can be successful. The public - can exploit. in tens of millions - have to be convinced immigra- While these results show a convergence of views tion is in their interests. This is the challenge. around lower levels of immigration, the most While Chartist is too small to make that chal - startling finding is that more Remainers want full lenge, it can certainly start the debate. Even a small control and NO EU immigration than do Leavers. If initiative can make a big contribution by bringing this is substantiated by the full report, the chances on debate on how Remain can reverse what is clear- of reversing current trends without a major new ly a disastrous failure to take public opinion in a approach to campaigning are remote. progressive direction. C

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September/October 2017 CHARTIST 19 #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 20

BASIC INCOME

Basic Income – from protest to policy Bill Jordan says the time has come for a new system of income dis tribution

ince the financial crash, ent foreign policy stance threat- anger and protest have ens world peace, creating links been widespread, but between authoritarian politics, have lacked coherent nationalism and war-mongering. political demands. The His denial of climate change puts Sshare of national income going to the global environment at risk. capital has been rising; that going Movements to protest against to wages and salaries falling. these dangerous developments Globalisation and technological can link with campaigns against change are beginning to hit the poverty, inequality and pollution, services sector, and will cause with the Basic Income proposal at new waves of redundancies. their heart. Employment is increasingly frag- The Basic Income would be a mented and precarious. It is time right of citizens, paid automatical- for a mass movement for a new ly to each individual. Present sys- system of income distribution. tems involve high administrative The idea of an Unconditional costs, but still fail to reach many Basic Income – a sum paid regu- Unemployed - Basic Income would transform lives of the poor families they target. larly to each man, woman and Being unconditional, it would child, irrespective of their work or And to counter this structural eliminate the coercive and family roles – has been around feature of the system, the author- demeaning rules surrounding since the end of the First World ities rely more and more on tests, benefits – work tests and cohabi- War. There have been two social such as the notorious ‘ability to tation rules, for example. And by movements to demand its imple- work’ tests applied to people with removing poverty traps it would mentation; one, the Green Shirts, disabilities; on sanctions, to cut greatly improve incentives to par- in the 1930s, and a second, the payments to those who refuse ticipate fully in society. Claimants’ Union, in the 1970s. exploitative jobs; and on schemes This would enable all kinds of Now is the moment for a third of what is in effect forced labour – activities, both in markets and movement, to convert protest into ‘workfare’, or ‘welfare-to-work’ – through voluntary co-operation. It policy. to make claimants train or work would encourage new kinds of cre- Our present income mainte- under threat of losing benefits. ativity in the arts and cultural nance system has enabled the So members of the Precariat do pursuits, but also projects for eco- polarisation of the labour market. not qualify for the kind of citizen- logical conservation. Some more People in relatively secure and ship that is supposed to charac- onerous or unpleasant work well-rewarded occupations - in terise a liberal democratic soci- would have to be better paid, but professional, managerial, techni- ety; they are not free and equal this in itself would be a step cal and entrepreneurial work – members of the community, con- towards greater social justice. have prospered. But means-test- tributing voluntarily to the com- Other activities, with a stronger ed benefits, originally called mon good. They are caught with- emotional and relational element, Family Income Supplements, in a system of state power; and might become less commer- then Tax Credits, soon to be this has ironically itself become cialised. It would give genuine Universal Credit, have allowed something of a ‘policy trap’ for equality to women, allowing insecure, low-paid, often part- governments. David Cameron parental activities to be shared as time employment and self- wanted to raise the lowest earn- well as enabling women’s careers employment to expand. Guy ings by creating the ‘National in employment to flourish. Standing calls these workers ‘The Living Wage’, but to cut tax cred- Until recently, these arguments Precariat’, and describes them as its at the same time; this was cer- failed to convince the leadership the ‘new dangerous class’ – a phe- tainly part of his downfall. of the Labour Party or the major nomenon I predicted during my But in my view the worst thing trade unions. Their criticism of involvement with the Claimants’ about the divided society is that it the proposal always focussed on Unions over 40 years ago. creates the conditions for a rise in the danger that it would undercut Means-testing creates conflicts political authoritarianism. Just the commitment to full employ- of interest between those with as in the 1930s, demagogic politi- ment and fair wages. But now the careers, property, shares and cians are given scope to mobilise TUC has voted in favour of a occupational pensions, and those their electorates against poor peo- motion supporting Basic Income, whose level of income is fixed by ple and minorities. In a political because of the complexity, stigma the benefits authorities. Members climate in which both traditional and punitive sanctions in the cur- of the Precariat become parties - Christian rent benefits system, and both enmeshed in an extremely com- Democrats/Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn and John plex system with high adminis- Social Democrats/Labour - are MacDonnell have expressed inter- trative costs, often involving long perceived to be irrelevant, we est in it. delays in payments. The with- have seen the rise of Donald Finally, the most widespread drawal of benefits as their earn- Trump, Geert Wilders and public response to the idea – that ings rise creates ‘poverty traps’, Marine Le Pen. They advocate people would withdraw from work so they have few incentives to increasingly coercive policies. if they got ‘something for nothing’ improve their family’s income. Furthermore, Trump’s belliger- – has been rebutted by actual 20 CHARTIST September/October 2017 #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 21

FREE MOVEMENT

pilot schemes. Developing states munities in greater numbers and who create anxiety among the with windfall discoveries of great for longer hours; and that chil- establishment. If Basic Income is mineral wealth have used state dren stayed at school for more to be realised, therefore, the next revenues from this to distribute years to gain qualifications. The step should be for the Labour sums to all their citizens (strictly Cherokee scheme saw great gains leadership and the TUC to mount speaking, ‘social dividends’). In in children’s educational attain- a more active campaign, and for the first of these, Alaska, this was ments and a dramatic fall in juve- large numbers of citizens to be done by Republican administra- nile crime, as well as improve- willing to come out to demon - tions, whose governors included ments in the relationships strate in its favour. Sarah Palin. between their parents. It is of the nature of protest In 1997, the Cherokee Native movements like that of summer, American nation decided to dis- Unfortunately, pilots being 2011, that they are spontaneous tribute a share of the profits from undertaken in Finland and the and unpredictable. Supporters of a very successful casino to all the Netherlands are not true Basic Basic Income would have to sus - members of their tribe, including Income schemes. But it is hoped tain their campaign over a longer children. This was a different that those proposed for parts of time, and gradually broaden their kind of windfall, but the outcomes Scotland, and under considera- appeal. The Green Shirts were were striking. tion in Wales, will adopt the quite narrow in their appeal to a Other pilot schemes were then essential features of the proposal. mainly middle-class membership, set up under the auspices of the In the long run, however, nei- and the Claimants’ Unions were International Labour Office in ther academic studies nor pilot self-consciously a movement for Namibia, and of UNICEF in schemes are likely to overcome Bill Jordan was a outsiders. Madhya Pradesh, India. Mongolia resistance to a radical policy of leading activist To be successful in a new cam - also initiated a scheme of its own, this kind without a popular move- in the Claimants paign for Basic Income, a mass and even Iran distributed some of ment in its support. This is espe- Union movement would have to tap into its oil wealth in this way when it cially the case in England, where discontent with current work and abolished its food and energy sub- dominant financial and industrial wages, and mobilise a rejection of sidies. interest groups have shown little authoritarianism. It would indeed Not all of these initiatives were interest in it. be the best response to that trend properly researched, but the main Historically, the ideal mobilisa- in political life. For this reason finding from the pilots was that tion for radical change consists of alone, it would be well worth try - women entered the labour market a core of organised groups and a ing. C and became active in their com- mass of unpredictable protesters Free movement & migrant worker struggles Don Flynn mongst the publications is Free of migrant workers actually look like? A glimpse of Movement and Beyond: Agenda setting these is provided in The Strangers Among Us: Tales highlights for Brexit Britain . The role that free from a Global Migrant Worker. Available in the UK movement has come to play as a strategy from Labour Start (www.labourstart.org), this is a some deployed by sections of the working class collection of ten accounts of migrant workers strug- tAo protect its standards of life against the intrigues gles drawn from the United States, India, recent of European capital is considered by left thinkers Singapore, Israel, and other countries. pamphlets and activists. Amongst the contributors to the The accounts provided show that community essays, Andrew Burgin makes a good start in organising amongst migrants takes place as a fun- produced sketching out free movement from a specifically damental survival strategy. When it is done most working class perspective. Luke Cooper adds more successfully it not only contributes to the capacity of by detail in a key essay that considers the form that migrants to challenge all-too-common exploitation, nationalism is taking across the world and the but also to overcome isolation and loneliness. The groupings threats that it holds to both settled citizens and peo - model encountered in these pages brings faith com- ple moving as migrants alike. Zoe Cooper argues munities alongside trade unions in ongoing work to and that the promotion of working class interests means deepen and strengthen solidarity. campaigns that we should be working towards a more mobile Even more than that, for campaigns to achieve world, rather than one which abandons hundreds of their greatest success the migrant community concerned thousands to the dangers and squalor of blocked organisation has to move in a strategic way towards migration routes. bridge-building with other activist groups, fighting with the Free Movement and Beyond has a sense of urgen - on such issues as poverty in rural areas, the despoli- cy and newness in its essays that suggests that ation of local environments, or the degrading of the future of experienced campaigners are rapidly bringing them - quality of food in mass-produced supply chains. In selves up to speed on what the immigration debate the US, the work of the Farm Labor Organising immigration is coming to mean for their work. It can be read as Committee embraces these issues and binds them policy. representative of the ideas that are now percolating into a form of progress politics that grows directly around the left and which have inspired such recent out of the struggles of workers. developments as the launch of the Labour These currents of self-organisation are also pre - Campaign for Free Movement sent in the UK and show the tenacity of migrant (https://www.labourfreemovement.org). Their con - communities. Their readiness to push back barriers clusion that the fights that have to be won are as is shown in scores of campaigns across the country. much about what takes place within the destination The challenge is on working out the ways in which countries as they are about what goes on at its bor - bridges might be built with the other progressive der are it most valuable insight. It is one that needs social movements, including, crucially, the trade to be built on. But what do struggles for the rights unions and the Labour Party. C September/October 2017 CHARTIST 21 #288 final print copy_01 cover 04/09/2017 03:29 Page 22

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Democratic faultlines in Soviets Ian Bullock looks at responses of the British Left to the 1917 Russian revolution

anging over my stairs – it’s going to drop on me one day – is a framed poster advertising a ‘Mass Meeting’H at the Salvation Army’s Congress Hall, here in Brighton, on 17 May 1917 to ‘Celebrate Russian Freedom.’ The main speaker was Sylvia Pankhurst. According to the local press she and other speakers upset many readers by their talk of ‘our German comrades.’ Even worse in hostile eyes, her defence of the unofficial strikes then taking place elsewhere in Britain horrified some readers of the Brighton Gazette and Brighton Herald. They believed the workers’ action would mean fewer guns being produced and opponents called ‘Prussian mili- Petrograd Soviet - democracy soon disappeared lead to greater casualties among tarism.’ Easy optimism was sud- British troops. Pankhurst would denly replaced by the nightmare Bolsheviks with their unequivocal have none of this. Fewer guns of mechanised war. Britain found demand for peace. meant fewer men killed. ‘It does itself uneasily allied to the most The most significant response not matter to me what kind of reactionary and authoritarian of here to the Russian Revolution men they are; they are all mem- the great powers – Tsarist Russia was the Leeds Convention on 3rd bers of the human family; they – a real problem for ‘pro-war’ June. Its centenary was marked are our brothers.’ Great stuff; but socialists and more grist to the early this year by a meeting sup- hardly a surprise that in the 34th mill for their ‘anti-war’ adver- ported by Leeds Trades Council month of what was already called saries in the deeply divided and a number of other organisa- The Great War readers’ letters British movement. No wonder tions. Philip Snowden, future attacked the ‘Anti-Patriotic early 1917 events in Russia Chancellor of the Exchequer in Meeting.’ MacDonald’s Labour minority The poster was given to me by The enthusiasm for governments, later described the an old friend – sadly no longer Leeds meeting as ‘the most demo- with us - at the time in the early workers’councils/soviets cratically constituted Labour ‘90s when I was working on edit- was hardly surprising. The Convention ever held in this ing Sylvia Pankhurst. From country.’ What is remarkable Artist to Anti-Fascist with previous decade had seen about this is that the quotation Richard Pankhurst. What the the rise of notions of comes from Snowden’s memoirs reports of the Brighton meeting – written after his retirement from said to be attended by 1,600 peo- workers’ control, industrial the post-1931 Conservative-domi- ple - and of others up and down nated ‘National’ government. the country, including an earlier democracy, syndicalism Snowden insisted that the one at the Albert Hall, remind us and guild socialism most radical of the four resolu- about is just how far the tions passed at Leeds – known as Revolution in Russia and atti- seemed like a redeeming shaft of the ‘soviet resolution - was not tudes towards it were intricately light in the darkness. intended as a blueprint for the linked to the war. Both supporters and opponents establishment of a ‘Communist Right up to August 1914 of the war were heartened by the State’. He pointed out, quite cor- unstoppable progress seemed to Russian Revolution. The former rectly, that the Bolsheviks only be leading towards the Socialist hoped that the exit of such an came to power five months later – Commonwealth. Yes, there were embarrassing ally as the Tsar, a a very long time in both wars and frequent international crises, but more efficient and determined revolutions. But the resolution they always seemed to be resolved government, and a revival of certainly did call for the setting without recourse to violence in Russian morale now that there up of local workers’ and soldiers’ the end. The SPD, by far the most was something worth fighting for, councils – like those that had now successful socialist party in the would greatly improve the re-emerged in revolutionary world, had become the largest chances of an Allied victory. The Russia. These British councils group in the German Reichstag in latter hoped it was the beginning were to work for peace and the 1912. of the end of the conflict – which ‘political and economic emancipa- Two years later the SPD – or partly accounts for the rapid tion of international labour’ while most of it - had seemed to melt growth of support later in the resisting ‘every encroachment away and fall in behind what its year of the almost unknown upon civil liberty’ and giving ‘spe-

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EDITORIAL

cial attention’ to the position of early in January the establish- delusion – apart from the better women in industry. ment of the Bolshevik dictator- known example of the Webbs’ – is The enthusiasm for workers’- ship and the suppression of rival Pat Sloan’s book Soviet councils/soviets was hardly sur- parties was already well under- Democracy published by Gollancz prising. The previous decade had way. The Assembly’s meeting as a Left Book Club offering as seen the rise of notions of work- was forcibly ended almost imme- late as 1937 when Stalin’s mur- ers’ control, industrial democracy, diately. Civil war was already derous regime was at its height. syndicalism and guild socialism. raging in some parts of the old Sloan did not deny that dictator- But contrary to the hopes of Russian empire. Now ‘Whites’ ship existed in the Soviet Union - enthusiasts like Pankhurst noth- but, he claimed, it co-existed ing really came of the ‘soviet reso- The love affair with ‘soviet together with real grass roots lution’, at least not in the shape of democracy. And, he insisted, the setting up of the councils it democracy’ went on for a while ‘the democracy was enjoyed called for. At this stage the very long time by the vast majority of the popu- Russian soviets were not particu- lation’ the dictatorship was only larly associated with the could claim, however unconvinc- ‘over a small minority.’ A sort of Bolsheviks. Lenin had called for ingly in many cases, to be fighting a-political democracy was, he power to be transferred exclusive- to restore or reconstitute the claimed, flourishing in schools, ly to them on his return to Russia democratically elected trade unions and soviets as well but few people in Britain would Constituent Assembly. as a myriad of other social insti- have had the slightest inkling of How did all this go down with tutions. So, suppression of any this. the British Left? The reaction to view that contradicted the regime Lenin and the Bolsheviks were the Bolshevik coup varied but is in any way, could, in Sloan’s hardly known to most people on probably best summarised as view, co-exist with uninhibited the Left at this time. Even the wary and confused. Many, even democratic debate at the grass British Socialist Party’s paper Snowden, were reluctant to criti- roots. It seems quite possible The Call - later to become The cise Lenin and co because they that he actually believed this. The love affair with ‘soviet democracy’ went on for a very long time, and has left its mark on the British Left. Its influence still has some pulling power even in the 21st century. After it dis- affiliated from Labour the ILP Ian Bullock is took up the idea of workers’ coun- author of cils in the 1930s. Among the Romancing the opponents of the policy was one of Revolution, AU the most impressive MPs of the Press 2011 and a 20th century Fred Jowett who – member of the back in 1919 when the ‘Left Brighton Labour Wing’ of the ILP was trying to get Party the party to affiliate to the Lenin speaking in Red Square seemed to be the best bet to bring Comintern - had pointed out an end to the war. When the that, among other factors, the Communist -which gave much Assembly was suppressed there indirect nature of the soviet “sys- coverage to the trials of Karl was more confusion. Pankhurst tem of delegation” meant that Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg initially gave three possible electors lost touch with the elect- throughout 1916 first mentioned alternative explanations in her ed even more than was the case the Bolsheviks only quite late in Workers’ Dreadnought before with Parliament. 1917. The Sparticists were much reaching the conclusion that it To reject ‘soviet democracy’ as more prominent in the British represented the replacement of a panacea does not entail a total Left’s press than the Bolsheviks discredited ‘bourgeois parliamen- vindication of representative, before this time. Ironically tarism’ with a much more gen- parliamentary democracy – espe- enough, one of the few exceptions uine form of democracy. The cially in the form it exists in con- to this was Justice the paper of Socialist, paper of the De Leonist temporary Britain. Jowett cer- the ‘pro-war’ – and fiercely anti- Socialist Labour Party saw it as tainly did not believe so. All polit- Bolshevik - Hyndman and the more or less carrying out their ical systems have their merits ‘Old Guard of the SDF’ which own programme of replacing the and disadvantages – just like all mentioned Lenin as early as ‘Political State’ with the voting systems. To expect other- April. ‘Industrial State’ – which given wise is utopian in the worse Even after their seizure of the existence of both peasants’ sense. Even in its pure form –as power in – by the calendar used and soldiers’ soviets was a bit of a sincerely advocated by the likes in Britain – November 1917 stretch. of Sylvia Pankhurst – ‘soviets’ Lenin’s group still insisted – As elsewhere, many on the relied on delegate democracy though with growing doubts from British Left took an optimistic which – especially when applied Lenin himself - that it was com- view of the – apparent – emer- to the state as distinct from a mitted to the election of the gence of soviet power, ignoring or political party, trade union, or Constituent Assembly. The elec- playing down the growing evi- social club – has its own distinc- tions went ahead and the dence that the soviets had become tive difficulties and drawbacks. Bolsheviks lost out – securing less a smoke-screen for the Bolshevik These are issues we should than a quarter of the votes cast. dictatorship. This lasted for explore. C By the time the Assembly met decades. For me, the ultimate in

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OUR HISTORY

OUR HISTORY - 74

George Lansbury Why Pacifists should be Socialists (1937)

ansbury was leader of the Labour Party Socialist because the principles embodied in the life between 1932 and 1935. Born in Suffolk, he and teaching of the founder of Christianity appeal to lived most of his life in the East End of me as those which form the standard of life and con- London, After a failed attempt to emigrate to duct which, if followed by even one nation, would ulti- Australia, on returning to England he was mately save the world from war and give peace and activeL in the London Liberal Party before joining the security at home and abroad. There can never be any Social Democratic Federation, becoming its political compromise with truth. We live in a society which is secretary in 1897. He was elected a member of the at war all the days of all the years. The results of this Poplar Board of Guardians in 1892 and was also elect- daily warfare are seen all around us. It can be seen in ed to Poplar Council. He established two farm colonies the stricken valleys of South Wales and in the sense- in Essex for the unemployed of East London and led less extravagance of Mayfair. If you allow a small the opposition to the application of the 1905 Poor Law minority to live in luxury and so arrange things that Act. In 1913 he became editor of the Labour Party’s the maintenance of that luxury is directly dependent on newspaper, the Daily Herald. the poverty of that majority, as we He became Mayor of Poplar in have done in the capitalist world, 1922 and successfully led a then undeniably the riches of the campaign for rate equalisation few are responsible for the poverty to help the poorer boroughs. of the many. How on earth can we Lansbury was elected MP honestly say that we want peace for Bow and Bromley in1910, abroad when we will not even though resigned to fight a by- make this effort to so organise election, unsuccessfully, in things that there is peace and support of women’s suffrage in goodwill amongst ourselves at 1912. He did not return to par- home? … Peace, which must be liament until 1922, but based on co-operation, is a state of retained the Bow and Bromley mind as well as a state of affairs, seat till his death in May and if that is true, it is impossible 1940. He did not serve in the to expect men and women to co- 1924 Labour Government but operate as nations when as individ- was First Commissioner of uals the system forces them to fight Works in the 1929-31 each other for their daily bread. Government. He became party The law of the jungle is universal leader as the most senior competition.”“My contention is that Labour MP who survived the no Socialist who accepts interna- 1931 debacle. He resigned the tional Socialism can go to war any leadership after the 1935 more than can a person who party conference at which he accepts the Sermon on the Mount was criticised by Ernest Bevin as the law of life. A Socialist or a for his pacifism, to be succeed- Christian must acknowledge that ed by his deputy, Clem Attlee. all wars are civil wars- wars Lansbury published his auto- between brothers. There has never biography in 1928. There is an been a war which ended any dis- excellent biography by John pute without the slaughter of Shepherd, published in 2002, brother by brother. All nations as well as shorter biographies must accept as sacred the right of by Raymond Postgate (1951), each other to determine how they Jonathan Schneer(1990) and Bob Holman (also are governed. I want a pre-war conference before all of 1990).“We are living in what is described by newspa- value we possess in young manhood is slaughtered.”“In pers and everyone else as dangerous times, Fear, that this struggle against war, you who are young are great enemy of mankind, stalks abroad. The hearts of standing as we elder ones have tried to do for peace thinking people are full of dread as to what will or may against war. Love against hatred, co-operation against happen tomorrow.... Everybody agrees war is abom- competition. Throw down your arms. We have thrown inable. War is one of the most terrible curses from ours away never to take them up again. We have which mankind suffers. War produces plague, pesti- renounced imperialism, cast away all thoughts of domi- lence and famine, but fear of war itself creates mental nation and fear and are now determined to live with all and moral consequences which are impossible to tabu- the world as friends and partners in a true common- late. … In every sphere of life it is the principle of life wealth of peoples, working and sharing life and all life and conduct which counts.” “I am a pacifist and has to give with one another.”

C

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FILM REVIEW

The death of the American metaphor

Patrick BUSHWICK the Bushwick district in vivors to the rendezvous. Are they Carry Murnion & Jonathan Milott Brooklyn, New York, to see her committed to violence and fight- Mulcahy (available on Netflix) boyfriend killed and herself ing for themselves alone or inter- forced to run for cover as entire ested in a larger objective and on a rom this side of the streets erupt into pitched war- what can Lucy and Stupe give pervasive Atlantic, the concept of a fare. Texas has invaded Brooklyn them as collateral? Fcomplete societal break- to consolidate its secession from The result is more of an old- threat down in the United States as the United States. The US mili- fashioned exploitation film than depicted in the Netflix-released tary has organised a mass evacu- anything else, where even Hasidic film Bushwick, written by Nick ation and with the aid of Stupe Jews are shown using firearms – Damici and Graham Reznick and (Dave Bautista), an ex-marine, an image that shows just how directed by Cary Murnion and Lucy attempts to gather up much order has broken down. Yet Jonathan Milott, looked like a remaining members of her family Bushwick is significant, not just work of fantasy. After the events and get them to the rendezvous because it spells the end of the of Saturday 12 August, 2017 dur- point. found-footage genre, but because ing which a white supremacist The action is staged through a it signifies the end of a metaphor used his vehicle as a in American movies. For weapon, killing an years, filmmakers have unarmed anti-racist resorted to zombies, protester, Heather Heyer aliens or the supernatu- in Charlottesville, ral to discuss threats to Virginia, I am not so American values. The sure. The spectacle of makers of Bushwick offer mass white-on-white vio- no such fictional distrac- lence in the fight against tion. Instead, they point Confederate ‘white the finger. It is them: the supremacy’ values is not American far right, so far-fetched. Who can racists, Klansmen with- believe in an America out hoods, whipping up where the President con- paranoia, using the flates anti-racists with rhetoric of social action to the alt-left and dismisses turn neighbours against them as violent? Who can one another. believe that Senate and The real question to be Congress, the legislative asked by popular cinema arms of one of the most is: when are we going to powerful countries in the get serious about what world, is helpless in the America is losing, its face of hate speech propa- decency and moral com- gated by its Head of pass? Star Wars and the State? President Trump Marvel Cinematic wants to pollute the Universe really don’t ozone layer surrounding speak to a freedoms- the Earth with reopened based ideology at war coal mines in a warped with itself. To do this is vision of American great- to understand that the ness and silence any world isn’t about binary debate with 140 charac- choices and deliverance of ters. Heck, what will it one goal at the expense of even take for Twitter to many others. It isn’t suspend his account? about viewing movies on It is enormously tablets and discussing it tempting – nay, an act of social series of long takes that achieve a through anonymous chat fora responsibility – to use this small thrilling immediacy. The action either, which is the culture that space to address the shortcom- takes place in the daylight, where streaming services like Netflix ings of democracy when elec- the threat is in plain sight but cultivate. The collective experi- torates are presented with binary can attack at any moment. ence of cinema, how the immer- choices: Clinton or Trump; Windows can shatter, gangs sive group viewing promotes ‘Remain’ or ‘Leave’? Alas, this is a attack without provocation. shared understanding and values, film review. You will want to Survivors hide in a church. is its greatest strength. Amongst know that Bushwick isn’t a There is no debating the seces- all art forms, we need filmmakers polemic, rather an exhilarating sionists – the filmmakers aren’t and cinema to come together to visual tour-de-force - give or take interested in what they want. combat the pervasive threat that the odd ropey effects shot - star- The only debate occurs when despoils 1600 Pennsylvania ring Brittany Snow as a student, Stupe seeks the help of an Avenue. Lucy, who steps off the subway in African American gang to get sur-

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BOOK REVIEWS

The greatest crime Mike THE HOLOCAUST: A NEW HISTORY Laurence Rees invasion of Poland, Jews started ple, the late Marek Edelman, the (Penguin Viking, £14.99 ) to be confined to ghettos within second in command of the Heiser on the main Polish towns and cities. Warsaw Ghetto uprising. In com- They were in insanitary condi- mon with the majority of modern he mass extermination of Jew s in tions and many died as a conse- historians Rees does not think it the Jews of Europe started quence of malnourishment and is enough to show the intent of in 1941, but Laurence Rees G erm any T diseases. However it was only Hitler. The path to the extermi- says it is necessary to understand after the launch of Operation nation camps had many steps. the murderous ideology behind it Barbarossa against the Soviet He downplays the Wannsee con- by looking at Mein Kampf, where Union in July 1941 that mass ference of January 1942 which Hitler said that Jews were to extermination began. Initially did talk about mass deportation blame for the misfortunes of this was through groups known of the Jewish population of Germany and were behind as ‘Einsatzgruppen’, supported by Germany and the occupied lands, Bolshevism, Wall Street and the the the ‘Order Police’ and the but did not in itself give the go- humiliation of the Versailles Waffen SS. Typically they ahead to the mass extermination treaty after the First World War. marched the Jews out of town, through the use of poison gas, Once the Nazis were in power, took them to a large sandy pit, although that did happen some from 1933, they moved to stole their valuables, ordered months later. Inevitably in a imprison their opponents, such as them to undress, shot them and book as wide ranging as this socialists, communists and trade buried their bodies. It is reck- there are omissions. I would unionists in concentration camps, oned that over a million Jews have liked to see more treatment of which the largest was Dachau, were killed in this way in 1941. of Jewish life in the Ghettos and near Munich. At this stage t he The first murder by the use of of the Jewish resistance. But the Nazi policy for Jews was not to poison gas was in the 1930s book is a sober and readable imprison them, but to deny them against Germans with disabili- account, lucidly told, of what Rees their rights, to incite ties. Some of the same figures describes as the greatest crime in violence against involved were later responsible history.only 25% of the seats and Jewish property and for the extermination camps to dissolved it, claiming that it was boycotts against which Jews were deported; a relic of bourgeois democracy. In Jewish shops. These notably Auschwitz, Belzec, the piece by Lenin, he argues that actions were to Treblinka and Sobibor. The lat- soviet democracy is the highest encourage them to ter two were built as extermina- form of democracy, adding that emigrate. tion camps and crematoria and he sees no reason why bourgeois A wide range of carried out most of their work in elements should have a say in the Jewish and labour 1942 and 1943 where they were country’s future. Maybe a coali- movement groups, responsible for most of the 2.7 tion of the progressive parties particularly in the million deaths. Auschwitz was could have ruled Russia and pre- United States, pro- built as a concentration and vented all the evils of Stalinism. moted an interna- forced labour camp but became Maybe such a government would tional boycott of the symbol of the Holocaust and have been overthrown by the Germany. In this was responsible for the largest forces of reaction. But it is worth context the notorious number of deaths, most of them noting Ian Bullock’s point on this Haavara agreement in the gas chambers of Birkenau that much of the Left internation- was signed between which carried on working after ally wanted to emulate the soviet the German govern- other gas chambers had been system, but this proved in reality ment and the main Zionist organ- destroyed. to be even less representative isation in Germany, which Over a million Jews were than parliamentary democracy, allowed some tens of thousands of deported to Auschwitz from all with all its faults. German Jews to emigrate to over Europe and the vast majori- Elements of the vanguardist Palestine, in return for buying ty perished there as did tens of Left in Britain still look to the German agricultural equipment thousands of Roma and Sinti peo- soviet system as the way forward. for use in the Palestinian Jewish ple at Auschwitz, as well as polit- Many of us on the democratic left economy. However Rees is at ical prisoners. Despite the bru- are happier to stick with parlia- pains to point out that this did tality and subterfuge of the mentary democracy, but hopeful- not mean that Hitler was any Nazis, there were revolts in the ly a more equitable version of it sort of a Zionist; indeed in Mein camps of Sobibor and Treblinka. than we have at present. As for Kampf he had written against a Rees also briefly tells the story of socialism, the prospects for it in putative Jewish state as a ‘cen- the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in the shorter term do not look good. tral organisation for their inter- April 1943 where Jews were able We are left with a few regimes national swindle’. to resist the German army for around the world that claim to be As the 1930s wore on the situa- over a month. socialist, although Tony Cliff may tion of Jews in Germany became Rees, who is a television docu- be spinning in his grave with the more serious. The Nuremberg mentary maker as well as a histo- thought that there might be a Laws of 1935 prohibited relation- rian, calls the work a ‘new histo- case for classifying China as ships between Jews and non- ry’. He does not unearth any new ‘state capitalist’ these days. In Jews and Jewish businesses and facts. His main original source is the end the ten days that shook synagogues were attacked in the those who lived through the the world may be more of an nationwide pogrom known as events; Jews, Germans, Poles and exciting story than a blueprint for ‘Kristallnacht’ in 1938. After the many others including, for exam- the future.

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Petrograd 1917

Duncan CAUGHT IN THE REVOLUTION Kenney, General Knox (advi- and in Petrograd) and for Lenin’s Helen Rappaport (Hutchinson, £7.49) sor to the Tsarist and white activities in Petrograd (and in Bowie on LENIN ON THE TRAIN armies). Others are less so – the hiding in Finland) between May Catherine Merridale (Penguin, £9.99) nurses Elsie Bowerman , Dorothy and October). revolutionary Cotton , Lilian Grant, Ethel Moir, For her Petrograd chapters, n this centenary year, it is dif- Dorothy Seymout and Edith she uses many of the better narratives ficult to choose between the Hagan or Phil Jordan the known sources used by Iplethora of books published on American ambassador’s valet, Rappaport, so as I read the book the Russian revolutions. I stress cook and chauffeur, or the second, I found myself reading revolutions, because the February French actress Paulette Pax. much of the same material for the revolution is often forgotten and Rappaport has basically inter- second time in a week, which was most of the new books focus on woven accounts from all these frustrating. For the pre-journey October. Rappaport’s book is an sources into a chronological nar- activities of Lenin in Switzerland, exception. rative from the November 1916 Merridale was largely dependent Rappaport has published a through to January 1918. on Alfred Senn’s 1971 study of number of books on Russian his- Rappoport started with the Leeds the Russian Revolution in tory including a study of Lenin’s University Russian archive but Switzerland. She also makes use pre-revolutionary political activi- also 20 other archive sources in of Zeman and Scharlau’s biogra- ty – Conspirator. This new book the UK and US. This research is phy of Alexander Helpland is based on the memoirs, diaries impressive, and the narrative she (Parvus) and Michael Futrell’s and other works by Europeans has constructed makes for an 1963 study The Northern and Americans who were in excellent read.Merridale’s book Underground, both of which are Petrograd – diplomats, business- focuses on Lenin’s journey from worth reading. Nevertheless, men, nurses, governesses, jour- Switzerland to the Finland sta- Merridale’s study is a sound nalists and other revolutionary tion in the famous ‘sealed train’ introduction to Lenin in 1917, voyeurs. in April 1917. While the narra- though inevitably places Lenin The range is impressive and tive is well written, the story has (who was of course in exile for the about 100 different witnesses are been told before, notably in early months of the year) at the quoted – Rappaport helpfully pro- Michael Pearson’s 1975 The centre of the story, when he was vides short biographies of most of Sealed Train. In fact, only two actually relatively marginal until them. Some are familiar, the chapters in Merridale’s book after July. The book does have a British ambassador George relate to the actual train journey, useful guide to further reading, Buchgamnan and his daughter, which only took just over a week which is appropriate given the Meriel, who also wrote a memoir, – via Lapland, as the book tries to author’s dependency on these the French ambassador Maurice use the journey as the pivot for a sources and relatively limited Paleologue, John Reed and Louise narrative of the revolutionary original research other than actu- Bryant, Arthur Ransome (of year. This in effect means that ally travelling on Lenin’s route, Swallows and Amazons fame), she is heavily dependent on well which I suppose is more than Somerset Maugham, suffragettes known sources for both the pre some authors would do. Emmeline Pankhurst and Jessie journey months (in Switzerland Tribute to a forgotten heroine? Duncan ALICE IN WESTMINSTER female and an MP for Leeds, as is may explain why Wilson never Rachel Reeves (I.B. Tauris £20) the main author. Reeves clearly promoted her to cabinet rank. Bowie sees a link between herself and Bacon was a teacher and active in his is a rather odd book. It her subject both in terms of expe- both the teacher’s union and in on a is a biography of Alice rience and politics. It is interest- the Labour Teachers Association TBacon, who was a right ing to note that a former shadow (now the Socialist Education progressive wing member of the Labour Party cabinet member, who refused to Association) as well as in the NEC in the 1950s and 1960s; and serve with Corbyn, has time to League of Youth before being right wing a junior Minister at the Home write a biography, to a large elected to parliament in 1945, Office and then at Education in extent, despite remaining an MP, remaining an MP until 1970, MP the Wilson governments. having opted out of current politi- when she was ‘promoted’ to the Although Reeves’s name is on the cal debates – no doubt a form of House of Lords (where all the cover, inside the book it is record- therapy if not retreat. Though it pomp and ceremony made her ed that the book was written with should also be noted that she has uncomfortable).The book is never- Richard Carr, a lecturer at Anglia also had three children since theless worth reading for two rea- Ruskin University. In my view becoming an MP in 2010.The sons – firstly it shows how com- this is bad practice. If a book is biography is marketed as ‘the mitted Bacon was to comprehen- co-authored, both authors should first biography of a forgotten sive education, despite being on be on the cover and the market- Labour heroine’. Reeves tends to the right of the party and being a ing material, but the publisher overstate Bacon’s importance – close ally and personal friend of clearly judged that Reeves was she never rose higher in the polit- the Winchester educated the marketable author. Reeves ical hierarchy than Minister of Gaitskell. This perhaps shows has written this book, which is State. Her main role was as a more tribute than critical biogra- supporter of Gaitskell, also a CONTINUED ON P 27 >> phy, because its subject was both Leeds MP, on the NEC, which

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BOOK REVIEWS

Mubarak resistance and revolution THE EGYPTIANS ic of those days and months. This the state increasingly used mili- Jon Jack Shenker (Penguin Books, £10.99) was a ‘leaderful’ and definitely tary repression and the feudal not a leaderless uprising – these power of the landlords as a tool of Taylor on This is a work of great passion; were the days of ‘making-do’ the grand neo-liberal political it is also a book of wide reading, because ‘Make-do is all you have programme Egypt was being an a substantial research and shrewd when you try to make and do encouraged by the world banks writing. Shenker draws on eco- something new against the forces and the G8 to introduce and in radical nomic, political, social and cultur- of old’. This is the Arab Spring. which the army was fully complic- story al aspects of Egyptian life to show The book falls into three parts. it. how the forces arraigned on all The first, Mubarak Country, sets The final section, Revolution sides seek to outwit each other out the political situation in Country, takes us up to the upris- day by day. It is historically Egypt in the years leading to the ing or revolution as Shenker informed and makes compelling uprising. Shenker includes many prefers to call it. Here we see how reading. It is also a book of joy sections on the role of women in Shenker, on one occasion, caught and of sadness tinged with hope. this history. He describes in in the works of the largest ceram- Jack Shenker was formerly detail how one of the earliest fem- ic plant in the country, is hauled Egypt correspondent for the inists, Dora Shafik, emerges as a up before the owner’s wife. ‘it was Guardian; his investigation into campaigner for women’s rights, Egypt’s political economy - the migrant deaths in the succeeding in getting the fran- specific type of capitalism which Mediterranean won the presti- chise extended to women in 1956. dominated the country prior to gious One World media top This section includes a fascinat- the revolution, and the way in award. In this, his first book, ing description of the way in which it was entwined with the Shenker brings to bear all the which the state sought to incorpo- structure of the Egyptian state – skills he has honed in the service rate and neutralise emerging fem- that gave rise to the social explo- of the Guardian. He brings the inism. This was all part of sion of 25 January 2011.’ events of the Egyptian uprising to Egyptian patriarchy and of Tahrir Square meant freedom life in a way few writers could. He Mubarak’s surrender to the for the millions who rose up shows us the circumstances that money men. against the all-powerful state. If led up to the uprising directly The second section, Resistance that freedom was later curtailed, from the long decades of repres- Country, deals with the years after many experiments, it was sion of the Egyptian people. leading up to the uprising, but because the Egyptian people grew Like all good journalists, opening in Shenker style with an tired and allowed the Army to Shenker is out on the street operation by British troops in restore order. But for how long? amongst the people, experiencing 1882. This typifies Shenker’s The gap between rich and poor their joy at the possibilities and style in moving between the his- grows ever wider; Al-Sisi’s regime their despair as these are slowly torical events of the distant and is as repressive as ever. closed down. Drawing on his, the more recent past. We see Protestors are murdered, journal- often hastily scribbled, notes writ- groups of ists are imprisoned and minori- ten as events unfolded on the workers, unionised and non- ties harassed. The money men streets around him, Shenker unionised, taking increasingly continue to rule. reflects the extraordinary dynam- militant action. We see too how

>>CONTINUED FROM P 26 how far backward the Labour the narrative is well written, the in Switzerland, Merridale was Party has moved on this issue story has been told before, largely dependent on Alfred over the last 50 years. Secondly, notably in Michael Pearson’s 1975 Senn’s 1971 study of the Russian as a Minister of State at the The Sealed Train. In fact, only Revolution in Switzerland. She Home Office under Roy Jenkins, two chapters in Merridale’s book also makes use of Zeman and Bacon was a loyal supporter of relate to the actual train journey, Scharlau’s biography of Jenkins’s progressive reforms on which only took just over a week Alexander Helpland (Parvus) and homosexuality, abortion, race and – via Lapland, as the book tries to Michael Futrell’s 1963 study The drugs. The book provides a use the journey as the pivot for a Northern Underground, both of detailed narrative of both the leg- narrative of the revolutionary which are worth reading. islation and the debates on these year. This in effect means that Nevertheless, Merridale’s study is issues and Bacon’s role within she is heavily dependent on well a sound introduction to Lenin in them – perhaps a surprising one known sources for both the pre 1917, though inevitably places given her background. Much of journey months (in Switzerland Lenin (who was of course in exile this section is sourced from an and in Petrograd) and for Lenin’s for the early months of the year) unpublished 2000 PhD thesis by activities in Petrograd (and in at the centre of the story, when he Andrew Holden, but this is hiding in Finland) between May was actually relatively marginal acknowledged and it is useful to and October). until after July. The book does have the narrative in published For her Petrograd chapters, she have a useful guide to further form. Now Reeves has finished uses many of the better known reading, which is appropriate her tribute, perhaps she will sources used by Rappaport, so as given the author’s dependency on return to active politics and the I read the book second, I found these sources and relatively limit- shadow cabinet and possibly myself reading much of the same ed original research other than avoid speaking for the libertarian material for the second time in a actually travelling on Lenin’s right think tank, Policy week, which was frustrating. For route, which I suppose is more Exchange!in April 1917. While the pre-journey activities of Lenin than some authors would do.

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Challenging the neoliberal economy James COOPERATIVES CONFRONT to remittances from abroad. CAPITALISM Ranis hopes to offer pointers Grayson Peter Ranis (Zed Books , £18.99) for use within the American econ- omy which is not renowned for on his book provides useful the size or influence of its co-oper- C oops statistics about quantity ative sector. He is enthusiastic Tand contributes to debates about the potential for the use of around the ownership of capital the notion of ‘eminent domain’ assets. It includes case studies in and cites various legal decisions. the US, Latin America and His notion of the history of co- Europe. Many of the co-operatives operatives cites Robert Owen in in Argentina came about through New Lanarkshire but is mainly workers occupying factories as a concerned with Marxist analyses. response to, ‘planned bankrupt- As the author is an American cies,’ by owners. The other exem- academic, it is surprising that plar economy, Cuba accepted co- many of the groups of early operatives as part of the loosening European settlers in the USA , of state control yet problems who adopted co-operative remain about bureaucratic approaches, receive no considera- approaches to approval. A distor- tion. tion of the Cuban economy relates Towards Equality and Democracy

ALTERNATIVES TO NEOLIBERALISM: social and political issues. While inspired prescriptions & chal- Hassan TOWARDS EQUALITY AND DEMOCRACY Michael Sandel’s 2012 best seller lenges to them), the European Ed. Bryn Jones & Mike O’Donnell (What Money Can't Buy: The Union (its transition from social Hoque on (Policy Press, £60) Moral Limits of Markets) argued democratic norms to neoliberal- for a serious public debate about ism, the resulting consequences Neoliberalism ype ‘neoliberalism is’ into what values we want our politics and what the future holds for the Google today and the sug- to build, this book goes beyond EU). The section also looks at Tgestions “dead”, “good” and critique and resistance to a set of campaigns for corporate social ” bad” exemplify a key observa- alternative perspectives and con- responsibility and the challenges tion the editors make in the open- structive policies. to a growing demand for corpo- ing chapters of this book. That The book explores these alter- rate accountability. The final part neoliberalism is unnamed yet all native perspectives and policies in weaves the whole discussion by pervasive in our world today. three distinct parts, each benefit- emphasising the key role social The emerging consensus across ing from an editor's introduction democracy needs to play in rebal- the political spectrum on the and content from multiple con- ancing our political direction. The causes of the 2008 financial crisis, tributors. chapter discuss who some of these the uncertainties of a Trump Part one explores alternative social democratic forces are and presidency and our own uncer- paradigms and perspectives. key positions we need to adopt to tainties with the spectre of Brexit Jeremy Gilbert’s contribution pro- rebalance our politics. make this a very timely book. If vides an excellent critical Fundamentally this book is a like me, you often wonder what overview of current oppositional detailed exploration of the lan- ideas and beliefs are driving our paradigms to neoliberalism: guage and logic in politics today current political, economic and moral, ecological (think environ- and how that can be changed. social policies; to what end; with mental campaigns & Naomi From a historical view; Plato what consequences; and what can Klein), democratic (the ‘democrat- envisioned politics as an art, be done to change the ideas and ic deficit’ crowd), radical (think Aquinas as part of a Christian policies to achieve different conse- post capitalism & Paul Mason) cosmology, Hegel emphasised the quences? Then this is definitely a and cybernetic (think Jeremy progression of the state, Hobbes book to read and talk about. Corbyn 2015-17 & Obama 2009). utilised the newly discovered The introduction by editors My main discussion point to take metaphors of science, for Marx it Bryn Jones & MIke O’Donnell away from Gilbert’s piece was his was determined by class, and in provides an excellent well refer- concluding proposition for 21st our time political vision is funda- enced conceptual and historical century socialism to imagine a mentally coloured by economic overview of neoliberalism with new class alliance bringing models. The authors decisively specific references to the United together workers, professionals, argue that human agency has Kingdom (our neoliberalism and entrepreneurs and creating a been negated within politics breakthrough was the 1976 IMF distributed democratic decision today; not by Plato’s philosophers, loan to the Callaghan government making process in the public sec- religious fatalism, scientific deter- requiring swingeing public sector tor. minism, nor by a specific class but cuts). Conceptually neoliberalism Part Two looks at the current by the dominance of large unac- is a reliance on the market as a state of some key global institu- countable markets. Ironically, mechanism to address not only tions working within a neoliberal neoliberalism is in need of serious the economic sphere but also paradigm. The IMF (its neoliberal competion.

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BOOK REVIEWS

Stalinism exposed 1956 JOHN SAVILLE, EDWARD Mike Davis THOMPSON AND THE REASONER selection of articles and state- satellites were socialist. Ed. Paul Flewers & John McIlroy ments from party leaders and Thompson’s ‘Through the on the (Merlin, £16.99) committees, the journal covered smoke of Budapest’ is a fine illus- birth of the fundamental questions of the tration of his incendiary style. 956 saw the biggest shock nature of socialism, party organi- Saville’s critique of the theory of new left waves to hit Communist sation and democratic centralism ‘social fascism’, which Communist 1Parties since the 1939 and democracy. Expulsions, resig- parties adopted in 1929 to indict Stalin-Hitler pact, when the nations and the formation of what Labour and social democratic par- Soviet Union suddenly reversed became the ‘new left’ followed. ties, is equally incisive. The two its anti-fascist stance. The combi- Party membership between June essays rounding off the collection nation of Khrushchev’s secret 1956 and February 1958 fell by cover Saville’s experience of the speech to the Twentieth Congress almost a third (10,000). A handful CPGB from 1934 onwards and of the CPSU denouncing the cult joined Trotskyist groups but the Thompson’s attempts to grapple of Stalin, followed by the Soviet main thrust was towards develop- with Stalinism and the nature of invasion to crush the democratic ing a more humanist Marxist pol- Soviet society from the 1950s into Hungarian uprising, produced an itics. the 1980s. Both Saville and outcry amongst British commu- During the period of The Thompson initially remained nists and others. Reasoner support from party rather starry-eyed about aspects Leading dissenters were E P intellectuals grew with John of the CP arguing in the successor Thompson and John Saville who Berger, James Meek, Doris New Reasoner (1959) that the faced a bureaucratic ‘business as Lessing, Hyman Levy and many ‘communist tradition’, particular- usual’ response from new General others joining the dissenters. The ly the popular front phase in the Secretary John Gollan, ex-Gen core argument became: ‘the party later 1930s was a locus for social- Sec Harry Pollitt (the main casu- was neither autonomous nor ist humanism. ‘Minimal evidence, alty of Stalin’s fall from grace) democratic, neither critical nor a great deal of assertion and not a and others. creative’. little nostalgia’ comment the edi- Blocked from expressing criti- 1956 was a seminal year and tors. cal comment in party outlets they the essays by Flewers and The editors are somewhat scep- decided to produce a discussion McIlroy do a good job in assessing tical of the politics of the new left, journal of their own, The the growth of Stalinist politics in leaning towards more of a Reasoner. Its three issues, repro- the CP and explaining how the Trotskyist viewpoint. Whatever duced in this collection, are the hopes of thousands who had the failings of either outlook this highpoint of the book. joined were dashed by a slavish book provides innumerable Sandwiched between some foren- adherence to the Soviet line and insights into why a modern demo- sic essays by the editors and a the claim that the USSR and cratic socialist politics was and newly joined East European remains sorely needed. Whatever happened to the teacher?

THE EDUCATION DEBATE tion of contract negotiations to By 2016 School Direct accounted Stephen Stephen J Ball (Policy Press £11.99) the institutional level; the deregu- for 50% of all training places. The Ball lation of the work of teaching to 2016 White Paper Education on omewhere in the constant allow ‘non-teaching’ staff to Excellence Everywhere signalled teacher process of education reform undertake classroom activities the intention to take further the Sin England over the past 30 and Free schools to employ shift away from university based travailles years the teacher has been unqualified teachers. The practice teacher education and to abolish changed, re-invented. The cre- and the meaning of teaching (and QTS. ative improvisation of daily life in learning) are both profoundly Changes in employment, pro- the classroom that was the stuff changed within the new manage- motion and pay has placed teach- of teaching until the 1980s is now ment emphases on performance, ers and teachers’ work at the a matter of technique and exper- quality and excellence and the heart of a regime of performance tise driven by the demands of market imperatives of competi- management, teachers are now examination and assessment and tion between schools and parental units of labour to be distributed the whims of the Secretary of choice. Through the disciplines of and managed. Inside classrooms State. This reform process has management methods and sensi- teachers are caught between the meant the reconstitution of teach- bilities schools are rendered as imperatives of prescription and ers from an obstacle to reform – part of the larger ideological nar- the disciplines of performance. ‘Teachers too often seem afraid of rative of the enterprise culture. Passion, invention, spontaneity change and thereby resist it’ (The Educational institutions and and commitment are displaced by Learning Age: A renaissance for a teachers are now being expected malleability and a focus on out- new Britain DfEE, 1998 ) – to an to become ‘agile’ - self-managing puts and measurement to produce instrument of reform – as ‘new and responsive to market oppor- the ‘best’ results. Not all teachers professionals’. tunities and above all flexible – have succumbed to the necessities The making of the ‘new profes- that is to be business-like and of reform but the teacher as a sional’ has also involved estab- like a business. social figure is now an emaciated lishing a relationship between Increasingly the training of caricature more Gradgrind than pay and performance; the devolu- teachers is now based in schools. Mr or Mrs Chips.

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BOOK REVIEWS

Georgia’s forgotten revolution Duncan The Experiment Eric Lee (Zed, £10.99) lutions attacking the Bolshevik Bolsheviks. Bowie on a takeover. The strongest defence The Georgians wanted to stay his is an important book. It of the Georgian social democrats neutral. The Bolsheviks invaded M arxist is the first study in English was from the German Karl Azerbaijan (which had been occu- Tof the Menshevik govern- Kautsky. He published in pied by the British, who had also S ocial ment in Georgia between 1918 German and English a detailed withdrawn, first from Tiflis and and 1921 – that is Georgia in the study of Georgia – A Social- then Batumi), then Armenia, and D em ocratic Caucasus, not Georgia in the US. Democratic Peasant Republic. then in February 1921, Georgia. The Georgian experience and the The study infuriated Lenin, who Georgia was abandoned by the Government Bolshevik suppression became a already regarded Kautsky as a international powers, despite des- major contention in the debates ‘renegade’ for his earlier critique perate attempts by the Georgian between the Second International of the Bolshevik government as a diplomats (led by Irakli Tsereteli and the Third ‘ Dictatorship of the who had been Minister of the International in the early Proletariat’.Lee’s book sets out Interior in the Russian provision- and mid 1920’s, but is the achievements of the al government) to win support now largely forgotten Menshevik government. Their first at the Paris Peace (though not in Georgia) greatest achievement was their Conference and then at the newly because so little has been land reform with land ownership founded League of Nations. written about it other transferred from the nobility to There were two final ironies. than in Georgian. The the peasantry. Unlike other parts Georgia was officially recognised American academic of the former Russian empire, the by Britain and the other Stephen Jones in 1984 Georgian peasantry generally European powers just as the wrote a 600 page PhD on supported the Mensheviks rather Bolshevik invasion began. On the the early years of than the Socialist same day Tiflis fell to the Georgian socialism, but Revolutionaries. The Georgian Bolsheviks, the Georgian con- the book he published in 2005 Bolsheviks led by Pilipe stituent assembly, which had Socialism in Georgian Colors Makharadze (the Georgian taken refuge in Batumi on the (reviewed at the time in Chartist) Jughashvilli/Stalin staying in Black Sea coast, finally voted ends at 1917 – the promised sec- Moscow) had little support through the country’s new social ond part taking the story to 1921, though he tried to incite the democratic constitution which has never appeared, though the urban workers against the had been in draft form for nearly full thesis is available in a digi- Government). There was equality three years. tised version fro the British (including in terms of voting The Georgian government, led library – curiously Lee does not rights) between men and women. by Zhordania, escaped from Italy use this as a source. There were other strong contrasts on an Italian warship, fleeing The Georgian experiment has with the Bolshevik regime. There first to Paris, where the received some attention with the was no president; the Georgian Government in exile published re-establishment of Georgian Menshevik leader, Noe Zhordania pamphlets (mainly in Georgian independence following the was prime minister. The con- and French) defending their break-up of the USSR in 1990, stituent assembly (chaired by the record and lobbying the Second with Jones both editing a series former chair of the Petrograd International, which was led by of essays comparing the two soviet, Karlo Chkheidze), was the members of the previous struggles as well as writing a multi-party with representation year’s visit. Many of the detailed study of Georgian inde- of other political parties, includ- Menshevik leaders ended their pendence since 1991. ing the Bolsheviks, and of ethnic lives in the US. In 1920, a deputation from the minorities (some of whom were In 1924, a Menshevik support- socialist international visited allowed significant autonomy in ed rebellion was crushed by the Georgia at the invitation of the their regions). The right to organ- Bolshevik government, after Menshevik government. This ise and to strike was written into which the Menshevik experiment included the Belgian socialist the constitution. The co-operative faded into history. In despair, Emil Vandervelde, the movement flourished. Chkeidze committed suicide. International’s secretary Camille The Georgians supported feder- Zhordania’s memoirs were pub- Huysmans, the British socialists ation with the other Caucasian lished in Georgian and in 1990 James Ramsay Macdonald, Ethel republics – Armenia, Azerbaijan and subsequently in French. The Snowden and Tom Shaw, a group and the short-lived North Menshevik Woytinsky, exiled in of French socialists and trade Caucasus mountaineers republic, the US, in 1961 published his unionists. Ramsay Macdonald but the Transcaucasian federal memoirs, Story Passage, though wrote a short travelogue on his government dissolved after a few his detailed 1921 study Le return. Ethel Snowden wrote an months, under national rivalries Democratie Georgienne, was only extensive report on both the jour- and international pressures. The published in French. Tsereteli ney, her companions and on the Menshevik republic struggled to lived until 1959, still working on Georgian government in her book avoid being drawn into the his memoirs. Hopefully both A Political Pilgrim in Europe Russian civil war. At times, parts Zhordania’s and Tsereteli’s mem- which is an informed and enter- of Georgia were occupied by the oirs will one day be translated taining read. Vandervelde pub- Turks, the Germans and the into English as will Woytinski’s lished articles supporting British, the latter wanted Georgia study and Stephen Jones will Georgian independence and the to support the White Russians led finally get round to publishing the Second international passed reso- by Denikin in fighting the second part of his PhD.

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WESTMINSTER VIEW Brexit – economic suicide

he Conservative gov- ernment's Brexit nego- tiation so far has pro- duced a string of con- cessions and red lines Tinfected with virulent rhetoric. Catherine It is clear this strategy is not West working. There is no shortage of daily argues warnings. The former Governor of the Bank of England Lord no deal is Mervyn King has said the govern- ment has wasted a year and the w orst should be “further along the road to making a credible fallback possible position”. outcom e The former head of the European Commission and the Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer blocking Tory Brexit former Italian Prime Minister said Britain will be committing economic suicide unless it is pre- through. We are committed to At the same time we are wit- pared to compromise to reach a being an open, fair and tolerant nessing a rise in; inflation, con- comprehensive Brexit deal. nation where everybody has the sumer debt, and homelessness The former chief mandarin at chance to succeed. We value the while wages and house building the Foreign Office until 2015 Sir EU nationals who have built their remain stagnant. People are Simon Fraser has put it even lives here and added to our soci- struggling and more children are more bluntly, saying "differences" ety, and we value our European falling into poverty. inside the Cabinet mean the UK neighbours and allies with whom Internationally, our govern- has been "absent" from formal we want to retain close links. ment has refused to take more negotiations. "The negotiations Take the stark comparison than a few hundred lone refugee have only just begun, I don't with the Conservative Party now. children, reneging on its own think they have begun particular- The Cabinet row over free move- commitment and leaving them ly promisingly, frankly, on the ment is but one argument being vulnerable to human traffickers. British side," he said. had. In recent weeks there have This situation is unacceptable. Against this backdrop, we are been equally hostile battles over That is why Labour has an led by a Prime Minister who con- the UK's divorce bill, and the incredibly popular and ambitious tinues to state that "no deal is rights of EU citizens in the UK. programme to challenge these ills better than a bad deal" when no Further on, the border in and put fairness back into the deal is, in fact, the worst possible Northern Ireland has scarcely heart of how we make policy deci- deal. been mentioned as of yet, and sions. As a strong remain campaigner despite a deluge of warnings from What concerns Labour MPs is representing Hornsey & Wood industry groups, we know discus- the government will use Brexit, Green, the constituency with the sions on trade have not even either as a cover for their domes- highest Remain vote in the coun- started yet. tic failures or to push through try, I believe the EU provides a Labour’s task is to unite and changes without proper parlia- huge range of benefits: for work- challenge this at all times, mentary scrutiny. If nothing else, ers and business; in defence and putting forward our programme their unambitious Queen's Speech Subscribe toforeign CHARTIST policy; from atenergy to that would see Brexit negotia- suggests the Conservatives have education. It is for these reasons tions in which people, workers, run out of ideas. that I voted not to trigger Article jobs and the environment are put In either case, it is the job of www.chartist.org.uk50 and why I backed an amend- first, a vision where our economic, Labour MPs, councillors, mem- ment in the Queen’s Speech to educational and security collabo- bers and supporters, to unite and keep membership of the rations are protected. challenge the current course. Single Market on the Equally challenging, is the At such a pivotal time in global table. need to focus our attention at politics, we must get our negotia- This is because home. Naturally, with a seismic tions right with the EU without it Labour is an inter- event such as Brexit, all eyes are distracting us from fighting disas- nationalist on Brexit Secretary David Davis trous domestic policy decisions p a r t y and the EU's chief negotiator that will haunt us for years to t h r o u g h - Michel Barnier. come. C a n d - Yet right now we have an edu- cation system under extreme Catherine West is Labour stress, a National Health Service MP for Hornsey & Wood close to breaking point, and a Green and International police force lacking the resources Trade Select Committee to protect us. Member