Belgium and Italy Show Fightback 2 NEWS
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For a Solidarity workers’ government For social ownership of the banks and industry No 343 12 November 2014 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org Tories plan to double cuts Their target: after slashing £25 billion, to cut another £48 billion Belgium and Italy show fightback 2 NEWS What is the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty? Oppose Pickles’ take-over! Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of production. By Gerry Bates Society is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to increase their ‘risk of bid manipulation’. A higher offer was rejected, wealth. Capitalism causes poverty, unemployment, the The take-over of Tower blighting of lives by overwork, imperialism, the contrary to independent ad - Hamlets Council by com - vice, and the winner was destruction of the environment and much else. missioners appointed by Against the accumulated wealth and power of the later allowed to change his the communities secretary capitalists, the working class has one weapon: contract.” solidarity. Eric Pickles entrenches a Allegations of communal - The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build worrying precedent with ism were also raised, with solidarity through struggle so that the working class can overthrow negative consequences the BBC reporting “that a capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective ownership of for local democracy. proposal to award money to industry and services, workers’ control and a democracy much fuller The transfer of some of lunch clubs for Jewish, Sikh than the present system, with elected representatives recallable at any and Hindu communities re - time and an end to bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. the council’s powers came after a £1m report commis - sulted in £99,212 being We fight for the labour movement to break with “social partnership” awarded to Bangladeshi or and assert working-class interests militantly against the bosses. sioned by Pickles and car - ried out by the accountants Somali groups, none of Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, which had applied for the supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, helping PricewaterhouseCoopers. The three commissioners money.” organise rank-and-file groups. It is not necessary to dis - We are also active among students and in many campaigns and will remain in place until 31 believe these allegations, as alliances. March 2017 and will report to the secretary of state some on the left will do, simply because they come We stand for: every six months. Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman from Eric Pickles. Independent working-class representation in politics. The report alleged that ● Nor, however, is it neces - A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour council, run by former ● sary to politically support makes the case against the As pressure on local gov - movement. Labour mayor Lutfur Rah - Rahman to realise that the over-powerful system of ernment budgets continues, A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to strike, to man, awarded more than ● takeover of parts of Tower elected mayors – with only we are likely to see more picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. £400,000 in grants to “ineli - Hamlets Council is no an - 18 of the 45 council seats, pressure for councils to Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education gible organisations”, and ● swer to the problem and Rahman’s group Tower stand up against central and jobs for all. questioned the spending of should be opposed. Hamlets First can effectively government – whether Tory A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full public money on what could ● When it comes to prob - dominate the Council or TLhaibso fuigr.h t needs to chal - equality for women and social provision to free women from the burden be seen as party political ad - lems in Tower Hamlets through its control of the lenge the power of West - of housework. Free abortion on request. Full equality for lesbian, gay, vertising. Council, it should be up to Executive. minster to impose their bisexual and transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity The report also raised con - the residents of Tower Ham - There is also a broader agenda on local councils, against racism. cerns about the sale of lets to sort them out demo - context. Local government including the ability of Open borders. Poplar Town Hall for ● cratically. As it is, Rahman services have been cut to the Pickles to take over coun - Global solidarity against global capital — workers everywhere have £875,000 to a political sup - ● was re-elected in 2014 and it bone under the Coalition, cil services and ride more in common with each other than with their capitalist or Stalinist porter of Rahman, “even is not for Pickles to over- and Labour-controlled roughshod over local rulers. though the bid arrived late, ride that. councils have simply man - communities. Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or and after rival bids had been ● Yet the situation also aged central government community to global social organisation. opened, which created a cuts. ● Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big and small. ● Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. Everything ● If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity to sell — Devo Manc? No thanks! you ever and join us! wanted to By Bruce Robinson ing funds. Contact us: But there will be no fund- know about Following the Scottish ref - raising powers and no resti - ● ● 020 7394 8923 [email protected] erendum English devolu - tution of the cuts that have socialism... The editor (Cathy Nugent), 20e Tower Workshops, Riley tion has come to the top hit northern cities dispro - Road, London, SE1 3DG. of the political agenda and portionately hard. Rather: Are you interested in ● Printed by Trinity Mirror the Tories are trying to de - “In the context of the wider fine a framework which fiscal consolidation agenda, socialism? would suit their purposes the city region would be re - Do you want to as quickly as possible. quired to take a fair share of Get Solidarity every week! any reductions that are discuss ideas about Last week George Os - George Osborne ● Trial sub, 6 issues £5 o made to any of the devolved borne did a deal with the funding streams.” So, more how to change the ● 22 issues (six months). £18 waged leaders of the ten local coun - o cuts to come. And the purse It is not surprising that world? £9 unwaged o cils in the Greater Manches - strings still in the hands of the Labour councils who 44 issues (year). £35 waged ter region – all bar one the Treasury. have done nothing to fight ● o Labour-controlled – which £17 unwaged As for the mayor, it seems government cuts have o is seen as setting the bench - Osborne’s aim is to em - meekly accepted the first Come along to this ● European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) mark for other cities and re - o power one person without offer Osborne made. His dayschool, hosted by or 50 euros (44 issues) gions in the North as they even the minimal demo - talk of ‘“northern power - o “become ready” for de - Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: cratic accountability pro - houses” fits quite well with Workers’ Liberty volved powers. vided by the Greater the policy of business-led 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG The deal provides a mini - London Assembly. There “regeneration” favoured by Cheques (£) to “AWL”. mal amount of powers and will be no elected body to local leaders. There is little money in exchange for ac - 11AM — 4PM Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. which he or she is answer - in this package that will deal cepting the imposition of an able and the only resort the with the serious social prob - elected mayor – something Saturday 29 Nov Name . electorate will have is an lemNso rin i st hite are rgeiaoln p. lan for which was rejected in a election every four years, or Manchester referendum in regional devolution which Address . possibly some complex re - would start to redress 2012. The region gets pow - call mechanism. Between The Exmouth Arms ers over transport, planning, some of the major in - . now and the election in 2017 housing, policing, skills equalities between the Euston, London, a totally unelected pseudo- better-off (Tory-voting) I enclose £ . training and some business Mayor will be chosen from NW1 2HR support functions plus con - and poorer regions of among the existing council England. trol of £1 billion out of exist - leaders. 3 NEWS Why US pessimism goes Republican By Barry Finger many theories to explain the deficits dropped from the statistical slight of hand, more egalitarian society? and opted to raise the mini - Democratic rout. Some of nearly 10% of GDP to 3%? is still at 12%. No, they doubled down mum wage. And they In the American electoral them actually are rooted in Aren’t record high profits a Even Obama’s “Afford - on their “principles”, while elected a reactionary big system there are four fact. Yes, there was poor harbinger of a renewed able Care Act”, is a subsidy distancing themselves, os - business Republican. ways to register one’s dis - voter turnout. Yes, there prosperity to come? to insurance companies and trich like, from its lead au - In fact everywhere in gust with the status quo. was a lack of enthusiasm Is the electorate simply big Pharma. It reasserts the thor. It’s patently obvious which the electorate was of - among the Democratic base.