Solidarity & Workers’ Liberty

Volume 3 No 184 4 November 2010 30p/80p For a Workers’ Government!

HELP US GO FIGHTING ON WHY ARE WEEKLY THE WE ALL PAGE 7 FRONTLINE HERE ? New book by Stephen CENTRE PAGES PAGE 14 Hawking Benefit cuts in next four years: £18 billion Cuts in education and local services in next four years: £16 billion Bank profits this year alone: £28 billion See page 3 MAKE THE RICH PAY! NEWS

YEMEN TOWER HAMLETS US plan Lutfur Rahman is no socialist BY STUART JORDAN would struggle to organise 10. We any demands on Tower Hamlets council - should oppose the Executive decision, lors because they want to “involve them won’t utfur Rahman’s election as the but we need to rally the trade unions for in the campaign”. They hope that diplo - first ever mayor of Tower a fight to reclaim the Labour Party from macy and unctiousness will stop the Hamlets on 21 October — on a right-wing political opponents (includ - cuts, rather than class struggle. record low turnout — is a bad ing Islamists). During the election THHOOPS result for the working-class population The injustice of his expulsion from remained quiet and inactive but Socialist stop of this deprived East London borough. Labour gathered Rahman some support, Worker positively supported Rahman. Rahman is not, as the SWP and others but his victory also points to powerful Unite Against Fascism has acquired a Lclaim, a socialist. His supporters include forces working behind the scenes. new affiliate — the Islamic Forum of wealthy Brick Lane restauranteurs, During the campaign, a free sheet called Europe — making it even more of a pol - George Galloway’s Respect party and Bangla News was delivered to every door itics-means-nothing “popular front”. the political Islamists of the Islamic Forum in Tower Hamlets with the unsubstanti - Tower Hamlets, the borough of Cable of Europe. ated claim that Abbas was a “wife-beat - Street, Brick Lane and the Poplar Cynical manipulation of race, religion er” and a “racist”. A mysterious organi - Council, was once a bastion of working- and cults of personality — all that is rot - sation called the Domestic Violence class self-assertion. Now politics has ton in a national politics devoid of a Forum East advertised a demo outside descended into bad farce. Leftwingers violence working-class political voice — were all Labour Party offices to protest at Abbas’ inside and outside of the Labour Party present during this local election. crimes against his wife (and then failed are right to feel concerned about rising Rahman won the mayoralty as an to turn up). A meeting of the local anti-Muslim racism. But the would-be- BY DAN KATZ independent but originally wanted to be Muslim clerics (except the moderates in left often treats Muslims as a homoge - the Labour candidate. He won the poll of the Brick Lane mosque) endorsed nous mass of passive victims who if Labour Party members convincingly Rahman and denounced Abbas. offered a bit of token support for any old he plague of crazed Islamist convincingly. Rahman’s election has split the Labour “militant sounding” political project, as violence and threats has con - The third placed candidate, Helal Party and the broader left. Eight Labour Islamism often is, will embrace “the rev - tinued with an apparent Abbas, presented a dossier to the Labour councillors (some ex-Respect) have been olutionary party”. And the left often attempt to bring down planes Party Executive, accusing Rahman, expelled for supporting Rahman and ignores many other political voices and with explosives. No-one will be sur - among other things, of organising an forming his cabinet. socially conscious people in Muslim prised that the conspiracy seems to Islamist entryist project. Without having In another twist Ken Livingstone’s communities. have begun in Yemen. time to read the dossier, Labour imposed supporters joined Rahman on the cam - Now more than ever we need to unite TBy any standard measure of freedom paign trail and denounced Labour’s Muslim and non-Muslim workers on a Helal Abbas as their candidate. The sec - and well-being Yemen and its people ond placed candidate, John Biggs, was decision. Livingstone is a longtime common programme based in working- fare poorly. ignored. friend of Islamist personalities and class politics. Reporters Without Borders ranks The Islamic Forum of Europe, based at groups, though of course here it is also a And, whatever happens, trade union - Yemen at 170 of 178 countries for press the East London Mosque, is a big player democratic stance. Labour Party activists ists and community activists cannot put freedom. Transparency International in local politics and is probably sending should should oppose any punishment faith in either Rahman or the Labour puts it at 131 out of 179 countries for people into the Labour Party. However, Livingstone might get from Labour. group to take a principled stance and corruption. this does not make Labour’s decision This story is made still worse by the refuse to pass on the Tory cuts. We need National Income per capita is $950 democratic. It is simply a sad fact that stance of the local anti-cuts campaign, to build a working-class force to assert per year; 45% live below the official Islamist organisations can organise 200 Tower Hamlets Hands Off Our Public some rational politics and slough off the poverty line while a tiny minority live people to join the Labour Party at a time Services. THHOOPS is controlled by the bourgeois scum. very well indeed; there is at least 35% when the local trade union movement SWP, who have argued against placing unemployment. Nearly half of Yemen’s rapidly grow - ing population of 23 million is under 15 (UN figures). Life expectancy is 63 Action needed on welfare cuts years; literacy rates are 35% for women. Yemen’s meagre oil reserves will be dry by 2017, as will the aquifers which BY MATTHEW THOMPSON supply its capital, Sanaa, with drinking means-tested and can only be claimed by pension age from 65 to 66, albeit by 2020 water. those on low incomes. rather than 2016 as previously Yemen has no normally-functioning he coalition’s announcement in Even in its own terms of cutting public announced. The last Labour government state. The central government has direct last month’s Comprehensive spending, the new Child Benefit scheme had already decided to increase it to 66 authority over only a minority of the Spending Review of cuts to has already run into trouble. Unlike the by 2024 and to 68 by 2046. The Coalition country. social security benefits, togeth - straightforward task of paying benefit has said that the rise to 68 is now likely Elsewhere it has to bribe, haggle and er with planned job losses of 15,000 in for all children, means testing payments to be brought forward as well. negotiate to achieve any goal — a the Department for Work and Pensions will introduce another layer of bureau - Like the parallel review of public sec - process that the president, Ali Salih, has over the next two years, represents the cracy as well as increasing state investi - tor pension schemes being conducted by Tclearest attack yet on the structure and gation of claimants’ personal circum - ex-Labour minister John Hutton, the described as “dancing on the heads of snakes.” principles of the welfare state created stances. Where for example the father is rationale behind these changes to retire - Ali Salih has co-opted many of the by the 1945 Labour government. the top rate tax payer and Child Benefit ment age is that “everyone is living Yemeni mujhadeen who fought the The cut that has attracted most media is claimed by the mother, HM Revenue longer.” This argument ignores the dif - Russians in Afghanistan in the 1980s attention — withdrawing Child Benefit and Customs will either have to write to ferences in age expectancy based on and returned in the 90s. from children with a parent earning the former asking whether their partner social class — men in Glasgow die on He now faces a new wave of jihadists enough to pay the top rate of income tax has claimed Child Benefit, or the latter average at 78 compared to 87 for their aligned with al-Qaeda, based in the (currently just under £44,000 a year) — asking for details of what their partner counterparts in Kensington and Chelsea south and east of the country. Al-Qaeda had already been trailed at the Tory earns, information which they, respec - — and the fact that even those who live have been routed in Saudi Arabia and party conference. tively, may not. There is also the problem longer may not be capable of working till have now regrouped in Yemen. Child Benefit was introduced in 1946 of self-employed people with fluctuating nearly 70, especially in manual jobs. However, Yemen is also being pulled as a low but universal payment to reflect income who do not know into which Taken together with attacks on inca - apart by a simmering rebellion in the some of the costs of bringing up chil - band their earnings will fall until the end pacity and disability benefits, the choice north, run by a minority Shia sect, the dren. Its withdrawal from the better off of the tax year. for many working-class people in the Zaydi, and, additionally, by a southern has caused problems for the Coalition The confirmation that Housing Benefit future if the Tories and Lib Dems get secessionist movement based on those government on its own backbenches. will be also be restricted to £250, £280, their way will either be working into who look to re-found the old south Many Tory and Lib Dem MPs fear it will £340 and £400 per week for one-, two-, their 70s in low-paid manual jobs and Yemen state. cost them votes. three- and four-bedroom properties, and dying before they can claim their pen - In such conditions it is difficult to see It is clear that now the universal prin - cut for those claiming Jobseeker’s sions, or decades on lower, means-tested how a US-led western intervention, ciple underlying Child Benefit has been Allowance for more than a year, is also benefits paid to the unemployed and based on funding a corrupt and incom - removed, the way is open to make fur - attracting media attention and criticism sick. petent state, supplemented by drone ther cuts to it. Indeed, Secretary of State on the Coalition backbenches, especially The mass protests in France over simi - strikes, can defeat these utterly reac - for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan in London where it will mean families lar plans to increase the retirement age tionary Islamists. Smith responded to criticism of the deci - having to uproot themselves and move have highlighted yet again the lack of More likely, intervention will make sion at the Tory conference by claiming into smaller accommodation in cheaper action by our own labour movement. matters worse — and, in the first that it was merely a transitional step and parts of the city. Even Tory mayor Boris When TV chat show host Paul O’Grady instance, it will make matters worse for that by 2017 Child Benefit would be sub - Johnson has described this as “a kind of can show more anger at the cuts to wel - those women, journalists and remain - sumed into his scheme for universal Kosovo-style social cleansing of fare in his live prime-time TV pro - ing Yemeni Jews who will feel the full credits to replace Working Tax Credit London.” gramme than the TUC does, it shows the force of an Islamist backlash. and Income Support, both of which are The Government is also pressing glaring need for leadership. ahead with plans to increase the state

2 SOLIDARITY EDITORIAL

CUTS Make the rich pay!

enefit cuts over the next 4 years: £18 bil - mobilised £1100 billion in cash, credit, and guaran - lion Cuts in education and local services: tees to help them out when they would otherwise £16 billion Bank profits for this year have gone bust, at the height of the financial crisis in alone: £28 billion. late 2008. Even bigger sums than those the Tory/Lib-Dem Now the government says that the hard-pressed coalition say “must” be cut from benefits and serv - and the worse-off must suffer in order to reduce the ices for the worst off are being pocketed as increased government budget deficit built up in the crisis — Bprofits, top salaries, and bonuses by the ultra-rich. while the ultra-rich enjoy the greed-crazed money- Between now and 2014-5, the government plans to making which triggered the crisis in the first place. cut £18 billion from benefits, £16 billion from educa - Non-financial capitalists are prospering, too. At tion and local services, and another £30-odd billion the end of 2007, just before the crisis hit, profit rates from other sectors. The total cuts in spending come for UK non-financial corporations were the highest to £81 billion if you include £10 billion which the they’d been since current statistics started in 1965. government says it will save on interest on govern - They went down surprisingly little in 2008 and 2009, ment debt by making the other cuts. and are still higher than at any time (bar two excep - Huge sums, with a huge impact. The personnel tional years) between 1965 and 1994. managers’ group CIPD estimates that the cuts will Top-100 company directors saw their total earn - chop 725,000 jobs in the public sector and 900,000 in ings increased by fully 55% over the past year. the private sector. Millions who don’t lose their jobs In April 2010, the Sunday Times reported that its will suffer through losing benefits and services. Rich List of the one thousand wealthiest people in Everyone loses from society becoming meaner, Britain had seen their total wealth increase by £77 harsher, more cruel, and more unequal. billion over the single year 2009. That’s more than Yet this year alone Britain’s biggest five banks the total of the Government cuts, excluding the expect profits of £28 billion. In August they report - calculated interest-payment saving. ed half-year profits totalling £15 billion. Make the rich pay! Fight for a workers’ govern - Other high-finance firms — investment banks, ment that will take the whole of high finance into hedge funds, and so on — will also make billions in public ownership, and run it under democratic con - trol as a public service geared to social welfare, not An estimated 725,00 jobs in the public sector and profits. They will all pay out billions in bonuses. 900,000 in the private sector will be lost They can do that only because the Government plutocrats’ profits! Too much social spending? By what standards?

BY MARTIN THOMAS and three times as much as in 1979. financial institutions will go bust, creating chaos. Or put it another way. In April 2010 the Sunday Times A. That shows that we should have a society where o the cuts have to be as big? Or as fast? Rich List reported that the thousand richest people in the welfare of the majority, rather than the profitability There is much debate about that. But what Britain had increased their wealth by £77 billion in 2009, of banks, is central. about the basic assumption — that there has bringing their total wealth to £335.5 billion — equal to been “too much” social spending? “Too more than one-third of the national debt. Q. How can it work that way? How can it appear much” for what? That £77 billion is about the same amount as the £81 that there is “too much” social provision, “too much” Q. There has been too much social spending, hasn't billion which the coalition government proposes to cut housing for the poor, and so on? And how can the there? So the Government has to cut. from public spending. Why not say that the richest one “answer” appear to be to produce less, by making D thousand have had “too much”, rather than the relative - more people jobless, when there are already 7.7% A. You mean there has been too much social provision for old people? There have been too many teaching ly poor people who will lose out from the government’s unemployed? assistants in schools? Poor people have had too much cuts? If those thousand had the £77 billion taken from A. Marx summed it up like this: “Capitalist produc - housing? them, they would still be fabulously rich — only rich at tion is not merely the production of commodities, it is In theory, such things could happen. If there were so their 2008 level rather than their 2009 level. essentially the production of surplus value. The labour many teaching assistants and care workers that there produces, not for himself, but for capital... That labour - were not enough people left to produce basic food and Q. But Britain has a huge debt to pay off. er alone is productive, who produces surplus-value for clothing, then we’d have to adjust. A. To whom? Individuals have debts to other individ - the capitalist...” “The restless never-ending process of But nothing like that has happened. And in any case uals, but to whom can a whole society have debts? profit-making alone” is what drives, shapes, and regu - the government’s proposal is not to shift people to pro - lates economic life under capitalism. ducing basic food and clothing, but mostly just to put Q. People outside Britain? Economic life based on profit-making generates, in them on the dole, not producing anything. A. On best estimates, about one-third of the British turn, a vast array of transactions based on selling, buy - If there was “too much” of anything, it was luxuries government’s £900 billion of outstanding IOUs (bonds) ing, and speculating in titles to future surplus value. (some of them ecologically damaging) for the rich. is in the hands of non-British owners. But then British The banks bought and sold too many titles to future We know that inequality rose fast under Thatcher, owners hold IOUs (bonds) from other governments. surplus value, and found that many of them could not and continued to rise under Blair and Brown. In 1937 The cuts are going on across the world. So the mass of be made good. The governments stepped in, substitut - the top one percent accounted for 12.6 percent of all people, all across the world, have to have their condi - ing titles to shares of that part of surplus value which after-tax income. tions cut back to pay off a debt... to whom? The man in governments can extract via taxes. After decades of activity by a relatively confident and the moon? Now the working class has to be squeezed so that strong labour movement, that take was down to 4.7 per - those titles to future loot can be made good. The cuts are cent by 1979. Q. In fact, most of those bonds are held by banks a microcosm of the whole process by which the life of In 1990 Thatcher had raised it to 8 percent. By 2000 it and other financial institutions. If the governments working-class people, now, is subordinated to the capi - was 10 percent. By 2008 the top 0.1% got 4.3% of all don’t make their payments, and the social cuts which talist drive to pile up vaster and vaster wealth in future. income — the highest figure in the UK since the 1930s, help them make the payments, then those banks and EDITOR : CATHY NUGENT SOLIDARITY @WORKERSLIBERTY .ORG WWW .WORKERSLIBERTY .ORG /SOLIDARITY

SOLIDARITY 3 REPORTS

NETWORK RAIL DEAL A lesson in how not to lead a dispute

RMT maintenance engineers at established and newer workers. This was followed by a ten month used against the engineering strike our Network Rail have voted four to one to The introduction of working in areas delay to our pay settlement, reinforcing leadership called it off. This threw away endorse a reorganisation deal. The which are not your normal patch jeopar - the idea that the union would rather the momentum which had been built up RMT has presented this deal as a victo - dises safety. Local knowledge plays a string out a dispute in the hope that and sent a message to management that ry, pointing out that it “will deliver a major part in working safely. management would cave in than force we were impotent. It also revealed that seven per cent pay rise by the end of Job security is only guaranteed until the issue from a position of strength. there was no plan B. 2011... the package will also deliver a 2012 and is subject to regular “reviews”. We then faced a re-organisation which Months passed. Every time a request £2,000 lump sum before Christmas and The whole package is also up for review. had new terms and conditions piggy - was made for an update from the union, rules out compulsory redundancies”. The £2000 bribe shows how desperate backed onto it. What we got was essen - we were either ignored or fobbed off. An AWL member in Network Rail engi - management were to get this package tially a re-run of the previous dispute. Management then started the “final neering takes a very different view. through. Initially there was good support from offer” war. This consisted of at least three . But the only reason that this deal has the membership — so much so that the final offers which were almost identical. he ballot result comes after a been accepted is because of our union ballot got a massive majority in favour of This had the effect of making workers badly organised campaign over leadership's unwillingness to lead. strike action. think that it was all over and there was the new terms and conditions. The sorry history of this dispute could Then our dispute was lined up with no other way out. When the leadership The deal will stop workers leading a be taken as a generic lesson in what not the signallers’ separate dispute with did not come out against the last final Treasonable life outside work. 28 weeks of to do in a dispute. Network Rail, so that we would be out offer and warned of only long-term all- nights, 52 weekend shifts of duty over 32 Firstly, we had a dispute over harmon - on strike at the same time. A good tactic. out strike action to defeat it… the ballot weekends for established staff, while isation of terms and conditions, which The signallers have much a more direct result was exactly what the RMT leader - new entrants will have to work up to 39 was called off after a solidly supported influence on the running of trains and a ship wanted. weeks of nights, 65 shifts of duty over 39 national strike. Management backed off, higher public profile. Management used We cannot let this pass. The actions of weekends. No doubt management will giving assurances that there would be no the anti trade union laws to stop the sig - our union leaders have been shoddy and use the split conditions to try to split up changes to our terms and conditions. nallers' strike. Though no injunction was they must be held to account. Teachers’ jobs at risk Second Labour council

BY PAT MURPHY , N ATIONAL UNION schools would see a real terms increase threatens mass sackings OF TEACHERS EXECUTIVE (PERSON - in their budgets next year and would BY DARREN BEDFORD AL CAPACITY ) benefit from the so-called “pupil premi - their staff like dirt. Councils like um”. But the increase in the schools Walsall, Birmingham and Sheffield budget allowing for inflation is a paltry hondda Cynon Taff council in are using a legal device of pretending avid Cameron and Nick Clegg 0.1% per year. As total pupil numbers are South Wales has joined Neath and to make all their workforce redundant insist that frontline services are due to increase by 0.7% per year, spend - and offering some of them re-employ - being protected from spending cuts. No RPort Talbot as the second Labour-con - D ing per pupil will be cut in real terms by trolled council to issue Section 188 ment on worse pay and conditions. teachers and nurses will lose their jobs. 0.6%. Not so! notices to its workers in an attempt to “Now Rhondda Cynon Taff, in the According to the Financial Times (30 Labour heartlands, are resorting to this As reported in the last issue of force through worse terms and condi - October) “a rise in pupil numbers will lock out tactic. It is totally unaccept - Solidarity , thousands of teachers and tions. mean current spending per pupil will be able. It's like holding a loaded pistol other education workers who are 10,000 workers face dismissal unless cut by 2.25%” by 2014. to people's heads to force them to employed by local authorities and who they agree to contractual changes that It is now clear that the pupil premium accept detrimental change or be out of teach or provide support to children would result in a pay cut. The move is not additional money but is reallocat - a job with no compensation. We have with special needs are facing the threat was announced unilaterally by the ed from other parts of school spending. scarcely begun discussions and we of compulsory redundancy. council's HR director, Tony Wilkins. It will be allocated to schools on the basis face this lockout threat.” These jobs are linked to money held The GMB, which represents many of of how many pupils receive free school The actions of the council expose the centrally by local authorities and to spe - the workers, has refused to negotiate meals. The FT calculate that a primary spinelessness of the current genera - cific grants and funding streams. Many until the threat of sackings is lifted school would need to have 20% of its tion of Labour politicians; happy to of these grants are ending and as local and has advised all members not to children on free school meals to avoid make posturing speeches about “Tory authorities are under pressure to make sign any new contracts. losing money; 62% of children are in pri - cuts”, but just as happy to pass on cuts jobs are threatened. On 15 October The council, which covers the sec - mary schools that will fall below that bar those cuts to workers and service-users the Times Education Supplement (TES) ond-most populous local authority and have their budgets cut. in the councils they control. Unions reported that nearly 80% of local author - area in Wales, is attempting to slash The most vulnerable young people in such as the GMB, which are affiliated ities were planning cuts to their educa - £60 million from its budget over the the country will be hit first by these cuts. to the Labour Party, should use that tion provision. next three years. GMB officer Gareth That’s why the teacher unions should be link to force Labour councillors and In the Comprehensive Spending Morgan said “we're aware that some at the heart of anti-cuts campaigning Tory and Lib Dem councils are treating MPs to resist Tory cuts. Review George Osborne boasted that now. Unite: Vote Press strikes and ballots Miliband rats

NORTHCLIFFE HUBS McCluskey! BECTU and Unite unions threatened to on union law strike during Conservative Party confer - Just 18 months after upheavals for staff ence and on the day of the ohn McDonnell MP’s Private embers of Unite, Britain's biggest at Northcliffe Media, 50 further jobs are Comprehensive Spending Review. Those Member’s Bill, which would have union (formed by the merger in threatened. The company had estab - strikes were called off in order for the sJtopped courts ruling out strike bal - M2008 of TGWU and Amicus), will not be lished six “superhubs” handling subbing improved offer to be put to union mem - lots on small technicalities, was voting the elect the merged union's first and other production functions. The bers. Only NUJ rejected the new offer, defeated in Parliament on 22 General Secretary. The ballot closes on company made redundancies, while with 70% against. October. 19 November. some staff accepted long commutes and The strikes take place against the back - Ed Miliband, when standing for There are four candidates: Les Bayliss even moved their home to keep jobs. drop of adverse and poor coverage of the Labour leader, volunteered to back and Gail Cartmail from the right, and Local newspaper company Archant is FBU dispute by BBC news programmes. moves to stop judges invalidating Jerry Hicks and Len McCluskey from the proposing to set up a hub in Ilford for This has angered rank and file FBU strike ballots on the basis of minor left. some of its titles, axe deputy editor members. The NUJ sees its own fight errors. Solidarity and Workers' Liberty are posts, and close its Bethnal Green office. linked to ongoing battles by the RMT But Labour’s front bench refused to backing McCluskey partly because Another key regional press company and FBU. back McDonnell’s Bill, and would not McCluskey is the democratic choice of Newsquest has similar plans for hubs, • www.nujleft.org mobilise enough Labour MPs to get the (highly imperfect, but actually-exist - that will affect titles in Brighton, the Bill on to its next stage. ing) Unite United Left while Hicks's is Southampton and Bournemouth. NEWSQUEST PAY BALLOT A total of 89 Labour MPs turned up essentially a personal candidacy with lit - BBC to support the Bill, including two who tle potential to organise a rank-and-file acted as tellers in a procedural vote of left around it, and partly because Journalists at Newsquest titles in 87 to 27. But the Bill fell into a parlia - McCluskey is the only candidate able to NUJ members at the BBC will strike on 5 Hampshire have voted to take industrial mentary black hole because at least defeat Bayliss. and 6 November against proposals to action against a pay freeze. Staff at The 100 supporters were required to force More: reduce their pensions. The proposals Echo in Essex are submitting a claim for a vote on the second reading. www.workersliberty.org/node/13588 had been slightly improved after NUJ, 20 per cent pay rise.

4 SOLIDARITY REPORTS

Students: demonstrate on 10/11! STRATEGY Then organise for direct action Opposing Labour cuts?

From back page against fees and cuts. They should meet BY DUNCAN MORRISON The demonstration called by the NUS up with trade unions on campus, and to try to stop all chanting! These are the and UCU on 10 November is good, but it invite representatives to campaign meet - same SWP members who recently tried is only a start. Students need to use the ings. They should send representatives n Saturday 30 October around 200 to move a motion for a one-day general demo as a springboard to escalate the to their local trade union anti-cuts com - people demonstrated against the strike at Lewisham Trades’ Council. So, action. We need to see direct action, from mittee or to the local trades council. They Oclosure of five (out of 12) Lewisham the mood is right for a general strike, but local demonstrations, to walkouts, to should take delegations to picket lines, libraries. The turn out was good and not to criticise Labour councillors for occupations. for instance for upcoming fire and Tube the response from passers by was posi - voting through the cuts! The National Campaign Against Fees strikes in London. tive. However the demonstration also The SWP spent the rest of the time try - and Cuts is calling for a national day of In February 2009, students at a handful exposed the fault lines in the anti-cuts ing to give the impression that the anti- such action on 24 November. of universities held occupations in campaigns. cuts movement in Lewisham was entire - We also advocate that left-led, activist protest at Israel's attack on Gaza. Over a Two Labour MPs and one local Labour ly channeled through their front organi - student unions who are dissatisfied with matter of days, occupations were held at councillor were the only speakers at the sation Right to Work. the way NUS is going should call a rep - over 30 institutions. The action was opening rally. This caused some anger In reality, Lewisham Anti-Cuts resentative conference of student unions spread by word of mouth, and via blogs on the demonstration. AWL members Alliance (LACA), which is supported by committed to a basic set of demands, to and facebook. A smaller wave of direct and others started a chant of “vote no to the Trades Council, PCS and NUT, develop an action programme to fight actions took place in March of this year, the cuts” when the councillor was speak - among others, has done most work on for in NUS and outside, as soon as possi - against cuts, with occupations at more ing. Unfortunately the Socialist Party the ground and has united most ble. than half a dozen campuses from Sussex and the local campaign People Before activists. to Aberdeen. Profit shouted over this with the politi - THE GOVERNMENT S PROGRAMME ’ Such a wave could probably be re-cre - cally confused cry of “Labour out”, rais - • LACA has called a lobby of Lewisham ated if only a couple of universities held ing the completely unanswerable ques - Council on Wednesday 17 November at tion of who is going to replace an ousted 5.15pm. This is when the Council will he government is proposing a occupations simultaneously. Student Labour Party! vote on the budget cuts. move to a tiered system of fees: activists can and should aim for a nation - Meanwhile the Socialist Workers Party • lewishamanticutsalliance. universities will be able to charge al wave of occupations and demonstra - (SWP) apparently wanted the organisers wordpress.com between £6,000 and £9,000 a year. tions, co-ordinated nationally. It means a move away from a vision of Some in the National Campaign T Against Fees and Cuts are calling for NORWICH education as a right and a social good, and towards a system under which how walkouts on 24 November. That form of much education you are allowed action is very effective in European stu - The spirit of Robert Kett depends on how rich your parents are. dent movements — a large group of stu - dents picket out lectures to encourage Clearly this government believes that BY PAT YARKER young working-class people are good for students to join the demonstration get a national demonstration before basic know-your-place training schemes, instead of attending classes, before Christmas. bargain basement degrees, and, if they marching to other campuses or lecture here was standing room only in The meeting heard about the likely are very good little boys and girls, chari - sites. Where it is possible to organise this Norwich City Hall’s council effects of Norfolk County Council’s e ty scholarships for a tiny minority, fund - kind of action it might be useful, but we chamber on 1 November as local £155 million worth of cuts. ed by big business endowments. They shouldn't make a fetish of it. campaigners, trade unionists, service- Several members of the deaf commu - are introducing all the senseless back - College and school students should users and members of the public heard nity spoke powerfully about the way start setting up anti-cuts groups and T wardness of the market into education. Ian Gibson, former Labour MP, sum - cuts to their support-services would Given that universities have been told organising what action is possible — mon up the spirit of Robert Kett in the affect their lives. to expect cuts to the higher education from small demonstrations in their col - struggle against the Coalition’s drive to A number of speakers from the floor teaching budget of around 80%, most leges, to walking out of school to join up recreate Austerity Britain. urged the calling of a general strike. But universities will be forced to charge with student demonstrations or occupa - Kett’s East Anglian rebellion against the key problem for activists is how to £9,000 per year fees just to keep their tions as they happen. enclosures went down to defeat, but build opposition to each individual cut - heads above water. Cuts on this level Activists in the AWL or the National there was no doubting the defiant mood back into a generalised push for concert - mean huge staff cuts, the closure of Campaign Against Fees and Cuts can among Ian Gibson’s audience. ed and co-ordinated nationwide indus - “unprofitable” courses, much bigger help them set up their campaigns. A regional officer for PCS outlined his trial action. The next step in the cam - class sizes, and less contact time (and University students should send delega - union’s push within the TUC to bring paign is a march in Norwich on 4 therefore less support, academic and tions to local further education colleges forward the planned date of next December. pastoral) per student. and encourage students there to join the March’s demonstration against the cuts. • For more information call Pat on Universities will become pared-down, movement. He said, the PCS would if neceesary 07876 663 659 or see profit-making degree factories, increas - The minority of student unions com - approach other unions independently to www.norfolkcoalitionagainstcuts.org ingly dependent upon grants and spon - mitted to free education and dissatisfied sorship from big business. with NUS’s sluggishness and conser - IN BRIEF Liverpool : A demonstration outside vatism should organise a representative the Town Hall organised by RTW/SWP OUR PROGRAMME conference to discuss the way forward. on 30 October. There was a contingent of This is not an alternative to activist cam - Brighton: 1000 out on 30 October. students who marched down to meet it. paigns like the NCAFC. It is necessary to Delegations from most local unions n France, the student movement has 2-300 in total. Unfortunately the demon - get SUs, most of which either limit them - including Unison and PCS, GMB who stration was a bit uneventful... acted as a beacon to the workers' selves to following NUS’s lead or leave movement — big struggles on campus - won a bin strike last year, RMT. Also Elaine I things to less formal activist groups, there the “Save Bright Start nursery” es have inspired workers to take action; bringing their substantial resources into and students have sent delegations to campaign: a council nursery threatened York: About 300-400 out on 30 October. campaigning too. Grassroots action and help strikers by bringing messages of with closure — and workers from the Called by York Stop the Cuts — Right to solidarity, strike fund donations, and coordination by student unions can com - Connexions service also under threat. Work Campaign. Pretty broad and has also by blockading roads and infra - plement each other. Cath affiliated to both Coalition of Resistance structure. and Right to Work. It is mostly run by The student movement here needs to GOLDSMITHS OCCUPATION Notts: At the last Notts Trades Council the left activist community of York. Lots gear itself up to do the same, fast. meeting the SWP came with a last of trade unionists are involved, but it Fortunately, recent events have shown minute motion via Ashfield Unison doesn’t have much of a union focus. that this is possible! Flaminia Giambalvo, one of the branch which called for support for the Mike At the time of writing, 30,000 students Goldsmiths students who went into TUC demo in March and also the TUC to are demonstrating in Dublin. In Oxford, occupation on 3 November, spoke to call a general strike . a recent demonstration of over 1,000 stu - us. I put amendments to both points so dents recently took place, on the back of “After a rally at the main site in that the motion would call for the TUC organising meetings which attracted 200 New Cross today, we marched to to bring demo forward and commit the people. On the day we went to press, Deptford Town Hall, where senior Trades Council to launch local campaign students at Goldsmiths University occu - management are based, and occupied building towards a general strike. Calling pied their administration building. the building. on the TUC to call a general strike isn't Where large regular organising meet - “We’ve had coverage from the BBC generally how general strikes happenwe ings are taking place, students should and all sorts of solidarity messages, needed to commit the trades council to On 30 October 250 workers and residents hold demonstrations, or plan occupa - including from the local RMT and doing something. marched through the streets of Brixton, in tions or other forms of direct action. FBU. The SWP opposed both amendments south London, to protest against the Tory/Lib Where they are not, students should “We haven't made any demands — but only spoke against the first on the Dem cuts. The march was organised by the local anti-cuts campaign, Save Our Services. organise planning meetings as soon as just issued a statement. For now, this ground that we couldn't expect the TUC is a symbolic protest against cuts and Workers at the council and its housing possible. to pull such a demo off in short time! I ALMO, Lambeth Living, have taken indicative Student anti-cuts committees should against the Browne Review. We’ll be pointed out the contradiction between votes for strike action, and their Unison produce leaflets and posters, animate here for 24 hours to serve notice on this position and calling on them to branch is awaiting regional authorisation for large campaign meetings, and articulate management that we are beginning to organise a general strike. formal ballots. political arguments to other students mobilise.” Tom

SOLIDARITY 5 EXPERIENCE

MY LIFE AT WORK Exploitation at the heart of the “Big Society”

Hannah MacMillan works as a support million pounds of cuts, and this will worker in the north of England. mean job losses. The company are under Tell us a bit about the work you do. solid pressure from social services to reduce their prices. And of course it is I’m a support worker for adults with the lowest paid of us that are the most learning disabilities, for a private “not likely to suffer. for profit” company in. I provide one-to- Now the funding people receive is one support to enable people to be as changing to give individuals more con - independent as possible and enjoy their trol so instead of people just being lives. This includes helping them to assessed as needing X amount of sup - access local government services as well port hours and then dumped in a day as the wider community. It’s such a bril - centre that on paper best caters to their liant job — not even just in a “reward - needs, they will be able to choose the ing” way, but in an actual “I really enjoy kind of support they want. my work” kind of way. The idea of having a personal assistant Learning to cook, a big part for any of us, of being able to live independently. Will Do you and your workmates get the pay is increasingly appealing especially as such opportunities continue to be available to adults with learning difficulties and conditions you deserve? local government services are slashed — people are losing their places in services Voluntary sector companies are ostensi - bly a big part of Cameron’s “Big worker who built up a company based Definitely not! The majority of us work for being deemed not “needy” enough. Society” rhetoric, but the sector is on the idea that people with learning dis - for £6.50ish an hour with a +50p over - Having the type of support we provide actually facing massive cuts. What’s abilities should be able to participate time rate and five days’ sick pay a year! adds flexibility and a more personalised the impact on your workplace? fully in society after being hugely disillu - When it snowed earlier this year and approach. sioned by his work in the sector. Now he the majority of public transport was can - How do conditions differ for workers Cuts can be traced to the need to com - stands outside our offices smoking celled, we had to trek to our central still employed directly by the local pete with other companies providing the cigars and was smiling on the day his office to do paperwork when our clients council and those employed by out - same or similar services. Brown’s and workforce received letters threatening cancelled, use our annual leave, or lose a sourced private companies? now Cameron’s plans to create a “mar - their jobs. The guy below him was day’s pay — it was like that for over two ketplace” will inevitably drive down the shipped in from the probation service weeks. Local government staff have much quality of the services provided by all and the first thing he did with our com - We get made to feel guilty constantly. higher pay than us. A friend of mine who companies. Council staff are constantly pany was decorate the offices in the style There’s a lot of “the clients will suffer” is now 20 and did a modern apprentice - told “such and such a company can do it of a Victorian town house. If it wasn’t so type shit bandied around which makes ship gets £200 a month more than me. better for less”. bloody horrible it would be funny. you feel horrible if you call in sick or They have a much better policy for Is there a union in your workplace, and anything. long-term sickness, and up until very What do people talk about in your Our clients pay around £15 to £20 per recently they had a much higher chance workplace? How easy is it to “talk poli - does it do a good job? tics on the job”? hour for our time, so they and their fam - of progression. People are unionised, but there are no ilies expect, rightly, a lot from us. They are suffering hugely under the Pretty easy to be honest. There is a recognition agreements. That is stated It’s difficult to progress to higher pay strain of the cuts, being forced to con - very clear and evident boundary, espe - very clearly in our contracts. It’s hard to scales — I’ve been working for the com - stantly justify the worth of their jobs and cially in the local government day cen - even know where to begin because we pany for three years and my pay has services to people who have never even tres, between “us and them” — the man - have such a high staff turnover and peo - gone up by less that 50p in that time. I see what an essential job they do. It’s agement are the people you will see once ple have no trust in unions. GMB and would get an increment if I took an NVQ genuinely heart-breaking. in a blue moon complaining about the Unison do not do any active recruitment, 2 but there is a sizeable waiting list for Adult services is a disgustingly low placement of chairs and the spending of but there are a few of us who openly rec - that. You can be a senior support worker priority for our City Council, who also petty cash. ommend joining to our colleagues. but only if you work full-time. The pay employ a lot of agency staff. These mem - Nobody falls for the “we’re all in this increases to around £15,000 a year. After bers of staff get less pay and no contract. If you could change one thing about together” bullshit when they can see your work, what would it be? that there is only management. They get shipped in and out and provide clear as day that a class divide exists How has the economic crisis and the no consistency for clients or permanent even within a single workplace. Pay! Definitely! So many people my new government affected your work? staff, something which is often incredi - It used to be more difficult, especially age hate their jobs but do them because bly important when working with peo - during the last big industrial action they earn well. I have the opposite prob - The way people with disabilities ple with learning disabilities. Agency when the two main unions Unison and lem. When you can earn significantly receive funding from the government is rates, are huge so it’s not about the coun - GMB were advising opposing actions to more cold calling in some soulless office changing dramatically. Our company is cil saving money, it’s about creating a their members in the same place! for Direct Line than you can supporting forced to compete with others like it, as flexible, disposable workforce alongside What are your bosses like? your fellow human beings, something is well as local government, to provide the the more secure and organised perma - seriously screwed up. services. Our company has made half a nent employees. My big boss was a idealistic support Socialism anyone? CONFERENCE Women at the Cutting Edge

BY LYNNE MOFFAT AND CATHY political conclusions. In hindsight it good. Maybe Feminist Fightback can There is definitely an interest in and a NUGENT seemed to us that there was not enough work with other groups and individuals need to recognise and build into anti- time to do justice to each subject. We on this? cuts campaigns how the cuts will affect ver the course of Saturday 30 tried to fit a lot into one day! There was One of the participants said they women. A week before the event we October, around 80 people not enough time to draw out the many thought it was too hard to use Marx as a heard of a local student conference being attended the Feminist lines of discussion and tease out some starting point for political economy. We held on the subject. A day after the event Fightback event Women at political differences. It’s good that there disagree. Capital is certainly “hard to Feminist Fightback activists caught wind the Cutting Edge. are follow up meetings arising from the read”, but there is a good reason why so of an informal “take action against the This London event was a discussion workshops. many reading groups are set up around cuts” feminist meeting in London. We about the many ways in which the Each workshop could have formed the this text! will need to quickly write up and build OConDem cuts will affect women and basis of an event in itself: how the cuts In such a group difficult chapters can on our discussions. strategies for resisting. Feminist affect women; demystifying the econom - be broken down into easier chunks. The Fightback is a broad feminist activist ic crisis, in and beyond the state (i.e. a same is true of other economic texts, of organisation of anti-capitalist and social - discussion about what kind of services course, but Capital is the reference point The two follow up meetings ist feminists. we ultimately want). for a lot more than economics. • 7-9pm Monday 22 November, Brady We were a little disappointed with the We thought that the women against We thought that the title of the last Arts Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, overall attendance, but it was good to the cuts workshop was a good enough workshop was a bit confusing because London E1 5HU: In, Against, (and see new faces, different age groups and overview, but could have focused more we all ended up discussing our experi - Beyond?) the State: what are our strate - both men and women at the event. on the issue of privatisation. ence of the welfare state. That said, the gies for fighting the cuts? Like other Feminist Fightback events, We thought it was a good idea — as we discussion itself — focusing as it did on • 7-9 pm Monday 6 December, Lucas the day was very accessible with the agreed — to follow up the economics how real cuts are already being respond - Arms, 245a Grays Inn Road, London: emphasis put on the maximum partici - workshop with an effort to collate lots of ed to, for good and bad, and are compli - “Women and the cuts: taking the issues pation of those attending. Such a format concrete educational materials — a ques - cating union and campaigning strate - into the labour and anti-cuts move - takes patience and time to work towards tion and answer on the cuts would be gies, was extremely important. ment”.

6 SOLIDARITY ALLIANCE FOR WORKERS ’ LIBERTY Make Solidarity your paper!

We answer a reader’s questions about you from getting out on the streets? Solidarity ’s plan to start publishing If we thought that, we wouldn’t be Help us make weekly from 25 November. doing it! The whole point is to make Solidarity a tool for socialist activists who Solidarity weekly! Why have you decided to go weekly? share our broad outlook in the tumul - We felt we needed to pick up the pace tuous times ahead. In every area where he political parties waging in of our political activity. We need to we have activists, we are already doing vicious class war against the respond promptly and seriously to all the new regular public sales — in town cen - Tworking class have millions in attacks that governments around the tres, colleges and workplaces and on funding from rich donors and big world are making on the working class. estates… business. Socialists resisting their We wanted to support, feed political cuts rely on donations from work - ideas into, and build the fightback. On estates? Don’t people find it a bit strange socialist paper sellers knocking ing-class people like you — and we Fair enough, but it’s going to mean a lot on their door? are desperately short of money. of work for you. Not strange enough to stop them buy - As “austerity” begin to bite and Yes, but we hope to have some help. ing papers! The rule of thumb seems to class struggle heats up, the role of be: knock on eight doors, find four people socialist newspapers like Solidarity You know some student journalists in, sell two papers. Many people are will - — and the critical, clear-thinking who could be “interns”? ing to “give it a go”. That would be good, but it wasn’t what And lots of people right now want to Marxist coverage of Solidarity in That is interesting! I mean, the fact that particular — will become more vital we were thinking of. We think our read - lefties and activists who “faded away” talk about what is happening at work, in than ever. ers can help. years ago are remobilising themselves. their community. Having those conversa - tions and linking them to articles in the By the end of the year, in addi - How? So you’re going to print people’s remi - paper that reflect those experiences, giv - tion, we will have gone from fort - By donations, and by sending in niscences about “the good old days”? ing answers to problems and posing nightly to weekly. Greater urgency reports of demonstrations, campaigns, political alternatives — that is what we Probably not! And we won’t print and frequency mean we need more public meetings, local cuts, stories from want to do. everything people send in. But we really money! the local paper…. do want to hear from readers, so that we We raised £2,380 in donations at can build up a picture of the class strug - But where will those conversations I’m not much good at writing, I’m not gle, get a real feel for what is going on. lead? AWL conference in October, and sure I’d be able to help you. In the first place to more conversations! AWL members and supporters have Of course you can! Scribble down what What else is going to be “new” in the By working through ideas, talking about increased their standing orders to you consider to be important and inter - new Solidarity ? the world, they can lead ultimately to the tune of £830 a month to cover esting about what you are involved in, people taking action for themselves, or Some of it will be the same. We wil con - extra papers when we go weekly. and post it in. Send us an email. Forget getting interested in socialist politics, or tinue writing and publishing longer edu - That means we're up to £17,459 of about commas and paragraphs, if you cational and background articles. We just feeling less isolated. feel you need to — we’ll sort out that sort want to include a lot of history — espe - our £25,000 fundraising total. of thing. cially the history of past struggles. We I’m quite impressed and I’d like to help With less than two months to go, want reviews and theory and commen - you with all this. But I don’t have the that's a lot of money left to raise — I hope the new Solidarity isn’t going to tary on industrial issues. commitment to become a member of the and going weekly will call for con - be like Socialist Worker — full of back- But we also plan shorter comments on AWL right now. tinuous fundraising after the end of slapping reports where every demo Sure. And we want people to join the the politics and ideology of this ruling the year. You can help in a variety you’ve had a hand in is “great”… class attack. We want to be closer to the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty for the right of ways: Absolutely not! Of course we want to movement in Europe, especially France. reasons, when they feel they understand be encouraging and positive about direct We’ll ask some people with specialist and agree with the basics of our ideas. • You can donate directly, online action and self-organisation. But we labour movement knowledge and writers But, in the meantime, why not take a few — go to www.workersliberty.org won’t fear to “be true in little things as in from other countries to write columns. papers to sell — to a workmate, to a and click on the donate button on big ones”, as Trotsky put it. If something We’ll try and cater for less experienced friend, to your mum....? the left. needs to be questioned or criticised, we’ll and younger readers. The class struggle will still be here in a • Give us money each month by do that too. The health of the movement few months’ time when you feel ready to standing order: contact our office or depends upon that kind of attitude. That all sounds good. How can readers “do more”. The chances are that the polit - help with that? ical shape and dimensions of what we set it up directly with your bank (to …Or full of boring cack about things In the first place, by sending a dona - can do to fight back will be much clearer “AWL”, account number 20047674 that happen all the time. tion, and subscribing! Then telling us as well. at Unity Trust Bank, 08-60-01). Every piece of political activity has what they think of the articles — by send - • Subscribe, if you don’t already: something interesting to say about it. ing in short letters, including critical let - OK. I didn’t mean to sound cynical, ear - www.workersliberty.org/sub lier, but I find it very difficult to get my ters. Before the launch we’ll make avail - • Take a few copies of the paper Really? The only interesting thing able on our website a guide to what we head around whether workers can fight about the last anti-cuts event I went to want from reports, what feedback we back. I should to talk to you about to circulate at work or college. (the 23 October London FBU-RMT want, and how to submit longer articles. socialist politics more, maybe about • Get in touch to discuss joining demonstration) was meeting up with what’s in the paper each week… the AWL. someone I hadn’t seen for years. Sounds like a lot of work! Won’t it stop Good idea! AWL news

BY AIDAN W. L OMAS a Tuesday night sale at Highbury & afford to give it away. We need the America and the British trade union Islington station that regularly shifts over money. Anyway, people who pay even a movement. s Solidarity prepares to go 25 papers. small amount for a paper take it more In Liverpool, a series of meetings at the weekly, AWL members AWL Nottingham sold 19 papers seriously than a throwaway freebie like university has combined a focus on the around the country have been across two sales recently, and a new sale the Metro. basics of Marxist theory (what is class, stepping up the number of by AWL member in Northampton at the Our newspaper is just one of the ways how does capitalism work, etc.) with dis - paper sales they organise. university shifted eight in just half an we communicate our ideas; AWL branch - cussion of current issues and struggles. For a long time, selling a publication on hour. es are also trying to organise more public Around 10 students have been attending the street was seen by a lot of people as a AWL Liverpool is running two regular meetings. each meeting. Afaintly cranky. But, as Dylan put it, the sales, one in the city centre and one at the Creating spaces where people can The motivation for stepping up our times they are a-getting quite different. university campus. come into face-to-face contact with us in “outward-facing” activity is clear; if People are eager to talk about politics AWL members in Brighton sold 12 on a a collective way is vital for persuading class-struggle socialists don’t use this in a way they haven’t been in the past recent anti-cuts demo, and estate sales by people of socialist politics. period to attempt to catalyse resistance to and that’s reflected in the number of AWL South London in Camberwell and In Sheffield, the AWL branch is run - the government and convince new layers papers we’re selling. Peckham regularly see over 20 papers ning weekly public meetings throughout of working-class people of Marxist ideas, AWL North East London now organis - sold. November, covering topics such as the we may face another generational defeat. es four weekly sales, the highlight being We sell the paper because we can’t French strikes, class struggle in Latin The stakes are high.

SOLIDARITY 7 INTERNATIONAL

IRAQ The banality of imperialism

BY MARTIN THOMAS ing orders. Some of the reports we now Fifty families were shot at when US by “short and sharp” blasts of US fire - know to be attempts to cover up inci - soldiers at checkpoints got twitchy, and power. he biggest-ever “leak” of offi - dents which have since — because of at least 30 children were killed. The arrogance, hubris, and triumphal - cial documents in history has other whistleblowing — led to court- Iraq Body Count, which adds up the ist blundering of the Bush regime trans - filled in the picture of brutal martials. figures from all the casualty reports lated on the ground into a huge US mili - US floundering in Iraq. It is the accumulation of detail that available from Iraq — since the US mili - tary machine lurching around, killing 391,832 files — daily reports by US overwhelms. For example, the reports tary stonily refused to do so — says that thousands of innocent Iraqis to death, military units to their commanders from include 13,963 “Escalation of Force” the leaked reports identify more than and crushing the fibres of Iraqi society. 2004 to 2009 — have been passed on to cases, where US units decided to open 15,000 civilian deaths that never The US army floundered in a society TWikiLeaks and then analysed by the fire in response to unexpected events. appeared in media reports or public where the US invasion plan had allowed Bureau of Investigative Journalism in The US units record themselves as records. Adding on that 15,000 gives Iraq ordinary civil administration to break London. having killed 832 people in such cases. Body Count a total of around 122,000 down — in fact, helped to break it down The leaks include no sensations. Units 681 were civilians. Only 120 — according civilians killed since the 2003 invasion. — and the USA’s allies proved to be wrote their reports so as to present them - to the US military’s own reports — were In the reports, US troops informed exiles with little popular base; the USA’s selves as behaving properly and follow - anti-US fighters. their commanders of 1,365 claims of tor - enemies, to be dominated by sectarian ture by Iraqi security forces between religious-fundamentalist gangs more SOLIDARITY 2005 and 2009. Nothing was done about hostile to each other than to the USA. the majority of those reports. How could Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship it be? The torturers were the USA’s next- deserved to be overthrown? Yes, but the best thing to workable allies in Iraq. way it was done, and by whom, led to Support French workers Why did all this happen? By 2003 the horrors on a level with those of the dicta - US administration was drunk on mili - torship itself. tary swagger after its triumph in the Cold War and the easy US victories, or • Iraq Body Count: apparent victories, in Kuwait (1991), www.iraqbodycount.org Bosnia (1995), Kosova (1999), and • Wikileaks: wikileaks.org Afghanistan (2001). It was intoxicated • Bureau of Investigative Journalism with the idea of reshaping the world on Iraq War Logs site: US-friendly, world-market-friendly lines www.iraqwarlogs.com Tariq Aziz and his friends

BY RHODRI EVANS

addam Hussein’s deputy Tariq Aziz was sentenced to death on 26 October, on charges to do hirty activists — mainly from its” (a slogan from France’s New with his role in the Saddam Workers’ Liberty and the Worker- Anticapitalist Party); and simply regime’s massacre of Islamist oppo - Tcommunist Parties of Kurdistan and “Solidarité”. Our chants included nents. Iran (Hekmatist), but joined by others “Sarko, Sarko, Sarko — out, out, out” The European Union has declared the including a small group of French and “The workers united will never be Sdeath sentence “unacceptable”, and the Socialist Party supporters — protested defeated”. We also tried to learn some Vatican and several European govern - outside the French embassy in London, French protest songs, and sang the ments have called for clemency. in solidarity with the current strike Internationale in at least four languages! Piquantly, though, those who boosted Tariq Aziz and George Galloway movement, on 27 October. Saeed Arman spoke for the WCPI(H), Aziz when he was in power, or when Our placards included “Travailleurs Noori Bashir for the WCPK and Ed they may have hoped that “the resist - de tous les pays, unissez- Maltby for Workers’ Liberty. ance” would triumph in Iraq and re-ele - to be prime minister of Iraq since its par - vous!”/”Workers of the world, unite!”; In the run-up to the protest, it received vate Aziz, have been silent. There has liamentary election in March 2010, was “No to Sarko’s strike breaking”; “France- widespread attention from French been no comment from Respect, from the asked by the Guardian for comment, and Britain: one fight against cuts”; “Our labour movement and socialist activists Socialist Workers’ Party, or from the said: lives are more important than their prof - over the internet. rump Workers’ Revolutionary Party. “Tell Tariq Aziz that he is my friend None even from George Galloway. and I think of him often. He is a good IRAN Before 2003 Galloway visited Iraq man and I know his family well. I wish about once a month on average, him all the best and it is wrong to lock described Aziz as his “dear friend”, and him up like this for so long. He is an old ate Christmas dinner with him. In 2005 man.” ( Guardian , 5 August). Stop the killings! Galloway took up a petition for Aziz’s Allawi is an ex-Ba’thist himself, as well release — initiated by a French far-right - as a former CIA agent. Allawi’s rival ist — and enticed Tony Benn and others Nuri al-Maliki is still caretaker prime BY MARYAM NAMAZIE Stoning and Execution calls on interna - to sign it. Today, silence. minister, while the negotiations (already tional bodies and the people of the world Aziz surrendered to US forces in April eight months old) for a new coalition government continue, and it looks as if s goes to press, the to come out in force against the state- 2003, soon after the invasion, and has Solidarity Maliki has organised the death sentence Islamic regime of Iran plans sponsored murder of Sakineh been in jail ever since. He is now in very for Aziz (and on charges to do with to execute stoning case Mohammadi Ashtiani. Ashtiani, Sajjad poor health. It is not clear whether his Saddam-regime repression against Sakineh Mohammadi Ghaderzadeh, Houtan Kian and the two lawyers will appeal, or when the death Maliki’s own, Islamist, party) as a fac - Ashtiani. The authorities in Tehran German journalists must be released. sentence may be carried out. tional blow against Allawi’s relatively have given the go-ahead to Tabriz 1. Contact government officials, MPs, In his heyday, Aziz was the chief pub - secular party. prison for the execution. MEPs. Governments must summon the lic face of Saddam’s “Republic of Fear”, The journalist Mark Seddon has sug - AAnother man has already served a Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador. speaking to journalists and diplomats 2. Send letters to the Islamic regime of much more than Saddam himself. gested that “Aziz, who could tell the prison sentence and is now free for her whole story of western involvement in husband’s murder. Iran: Head of the Judiciary, Sadeqh That he is guilty of heinous crimes is Larijani — email: [email protected] / beyond doubt. Whether the death penal - Iraq, before, during and after the war, Ashtiani’s son Sajjad Ghaderzadeh simply has to be got rid of”. But if Aziz and her lawyer Houtan Kian have been www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx ty against him, now, at a time when Aziz [First starred box: given name; second has no possibility of becoming a rally - could speak to the Guardian in August, tortured in order to obtain confessions he could already have told any “whole against Sakineh and themselves since starred box: family name; third: your ing-point for a Ba’thist revival, is justi - email address] fied, is another matter. story” he has. The history of US govern - their arrests on 10 October along with ment aid to the Saddam regime during two German journalists. Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Aziz was interviewed by the Guardian Supreme Leader; email via website: in August 2010, refusing to disavow Iraq’s war with Iran (1980-88), which Sajjad and Houtan Kian’s only “crime” Seddon is referring, is anyway already has been to defend Ashtiani and pro - www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=l Saddam but also criticising Obama for etter (English) planning to withdraw US troops from well known. claim her innocence with facts and evi - Thus a US plot seems an unlikely dence. • www.iransolidarity.org.uk, iransoli - Iraq too soon (in 2011). Iyad Allawi, one darity.blogspot.com of the two rivals who have been jousting explanation for the death sentence. A The International Committee Against Maliki plot? That is more likely.

8 SOLIDARITY FRANCE

FRANCE Anti-Sarkozy anger still runs high

BY ED MALTBY firmed the new pensions law on 27 blockade is ongoing, and the schools October. Workers in France are well come back on 3 November. Actions such nder the pressure of school aware that the last law that was undone as blockades of road intersections, rail - holidays, the passing of the by a strike movement, the CPE, was ways and infrastructure by large groups pensions reform into law, and passed into law before being repealed. of demonstrators are still a daily occur - loss of wages, the French But the passage of the bill is a psycholog - rence. Certain sectors are still on strike, strike movement is faltering, but not at ical blow nevertheless. such as municipal workers in French an end. Strikers in the core industries have lost suburbs, and some large private sector Over the last month or so, days of a lot of money. French trade unions workplaces. Uaction have regularly brought more than rarely offer strike pay or even hardship It is not impossible that another sector three million workers onto the streets; funds. French rail-workers I spoke to will become the new “motor” for the and continuous strikes have multiplied said that they were hesitating about set - mobilisation, or that energy and trans - in many different sectors, leading to ting up a fund because they were wor - port workers will return to strike action transport shut-downs and hundreds of ried that it “wouldn’t look serious” to after they have earned enough money to petrol stations running out of fuel. ask for money! recover from the worst of the financial Hundreds of high schools have been On top of these difficulties, there has hurt of the last three weeks. blockaded by students, and university been a change of tack by the trade union In his most recent radio interview, students have struck too. leaderships. On Sunday 24 October, the Olivier Besancenot, spokesman of the The movement’s major goal was the leader of the un-militant CFDT union French revolutionary New Anticapitalist defeat of Sarkozy’s pension reform federation made a new call for negotia - Party (NPA) declared that “the move - (finally confirmed by the National tions and the leadership of the French ment has not blown over, it is just catch - Assembly on 27 October, and due to be bosses’ union MEDEF agreed. ing its breath”. signed into law mid-November), which Since then, the CFDT has been tacking As the next chapter in the French strike ductible” strikes in many sectors, in would see the age at which most work - visibly away from strikes and towards movement is resolved, the work of the which the strike was renewed each day ers could receive a full pension raised to lobbying and what it euphemistically French revolutionary left in building following a discussion and vote at a 67, and cut back early pension provision calls “other means”. The historically rank-and-file co-ordinations remains workplace meeting. for specially arduous jobs. more left-wing CGT still advocates con - critical, and our work, as British labour Since late October, the movement has There is also a broad feeling in France, tinued strike action, and both union fed - movement activists, of keeping a close been losing momentum. Strikes in trans - especially among workers, that Sarkozy erations have endorsed another one-day watch on the situation and offering soli - port and oil refineries have been called has to go. In polls, 70% have supported action on 6 November — but it is routine darity to those sectors in struggle and off. Those two sectors were the “motor” the strikes, and Sarkozy’s approval rat - for French union leaderships to quietly, those who re-join the action, remains for the movement, the areas where the ings have fallen to 31%. Sarkozy’s con - tacitly let action dwindle rather than urgent. strikes lasted longest, were most solid, frontational political style; his pro-reli - ostentatiously call it off. and had greatest impact. gion stance; his brutal and racist pro - The unions played a role in leading Turn-out for the day of action on 28 gramme of systematic deportation of French workers into action this time. In October was two million, down on pre - More coverage Roma, gypsies and travelers from several sectors, most workers initially vious days which had seen 3.5 million. France; the constant stream of round-ups lacked confidence, and they were given a There are several reasons for the loss of of migrant workers, including children push by initiatives by intermediate lay - There is an extensive collection of momentum. Firstly, there were school — these factors have combined to create ers of union activists, licensed and interviews, background articles and holidays from 23 October to 3 a general feeling that Sarkozy has to go. encouraged by the top union leaders. details for making solidarity with November. Many high school and uni - The movement gained momentum Still, the new one-day strike set for 6 workers in France on the Workers’ versity blockades were lifted for this from 12 October when it made the jump November may provide activists with Liberty website: period and many workers were holiday - from a series of isolated one-day strikes, opportunities to re-launch the move - http://bit.ly/sarko2010 ing too. into a movement of open-ended “recon - ment. In some universities a strike or The National Assembly finally con - The trade unions in France

BY MARTIN THOMAS then Stalinist-dominated). Now, In France, the right to strike is a consti - what is established by law: the facilities although the CGT is still the biggest con - tutional right of the individual worker. which employers are obliged to give to rade union structure, and federation, there are seven or eight other In Britain, there has never been any pos - délégués du personnel and comités labour law, is very different in national trade-union centres of some itive legal right to strike. Until the d’entreprise (workplace committees), and France from how it is in clout. Thatcher years, laws existed which gave the union organisations’ guaranteed Britain. Why? Under French labour law, work - unions calling strikes a fair degree of posts in the administration of the social The French unions have responded ers have the right to vote for and be rep - protection from legal reprisals. security and industrial-tribunal systems. much more vigorously to the cuts than resented by the equivalent of shop stew - Thatcher changed the laws so that now In France, the “union” (“syndicat”) is British unions. ards ( délégués du personnel ) whether they unions have to jump through many strictly speaking the workplace organi - TYet union membership rates in France are union members or not. In practice the hoops to call official strikes without run - sation. An organisation like the CGT is a are much lower than in Britain — about elections for délégués du personnel are ning a threat of being fined heavily or “confederation” of workplace “unions”, 8% on average, 15% in the public sector between lists put up by the different having their funds seized, and are legal - grouped into industrial “federations”. and 5% in the private sector, compared union confederations. ly obliged to disavow and oppose unof - Large workplaces will usually have a to about 28% in Britain. The délégués du personnel are more ficial strikes. presence from several confederations, And, despite first impressions, overall numerous than shop stewards; and they It is possible to get sacked for striking with workers choosing to vote for one or rates of strike action in France are not have rights guaranteed by law, which in France, but there is much more protec - another on grounds of policy, either hugely higher than in Britain. In 2006 shop stewards don’t. The employer is tion than in Britain. Thus, in many national (the anarchist CNT, the and 2007, the most recent years for legally bound to organise elections for, industries anyway, minority strikes, Trotskisant SUD, and the CGT, still led which strike figures are available for and recognise, délégués du personnel in where sometimes quite small propor - by the now-decrepit Communist Party, France, striker-days in France totalled every workplace with more than ten tions of the workforce strike as a demon - are more militant than other confedera - 1,421,000 and 1,553,000 in the two years; workers. stration rather than to shut down the tions) or local (the “syndicat” in a partic - in Britain, 755,000 and 1,041,000. This means that a French worker can workplace, are common. ular workplace affiliated to Force In the difficult decades for trade- reckon herself or himself a keen support - It is routine for the union confedera - Ouvrière (FO) or the CFDT may, for unionism since the 1980s, Britain and er of a particular union confederation, tions to call national “days of action” on example, be led by activists expelled many other countries have seen their vote for it, follow its calls to action, and workdays, with strikes and demonstra - from CGT for their left-wing ideas). unions consolidate, through mergers, so on, and yet not bother to join unless tions, on big issues. There have been The FSU (Fédération Syndicale into relatively few, relatively large she or he wishes to attend union meet - eight “days of action” since the start of Unitaire) dominates in education, and a organisations. ings or become a union rep. Compare the September. confederation called the CGE-CGC seeks France has seen the opposite trend. 8% of French workers who are union French union organisations have a specifically to represent managerial and From 1895 until the mid-1960s the members with the proportion of British smaller income from members’ dues technical staff. French trade union movement was dom - workers who are union reps, or attend than British unions do. It is pretty much Generally, however, it makes no sense inated by one big confederation, the union meetings, and the French move - unknown for them to give strike pay. in France to ask “what is the union in CGT (at first revolutionary syndicalist in ment does not look weaker than the The union organisations rely for their that workplace?” as you might do in its policy; then reformist-syndicalist; British. functioning and their funding heavily on Britain.

SOLIDARITY 9 FIREFIGHTERS & TUBE : LONDON WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINE Firefighters escalate action

BY DARREN BEDFORD level, a challenge to the “right” of the ruling-class to rule. In a dispute like this, fter two extremely solid that challenge can become more promi - eight-hour strikes on 23 nent. October 23 and November 1, London FBU official Paul Embery said, London firefighters have “Brian Coleman, Ron Dobson and their stepped up their campaign against mates at AssetCo thought they were mass sackings by announcing a 47-hour going to have it their own way on strike over Bonfire Night, the busiest Saturday. They must have realised how Anight of the year for firefighters. wrong they were at about one minute A barrage of press hostility has past ten. What we saw was an unbeliev - inevitably followed, but the belligerence able show of strength from FBU mem - of London Fire & Emergency Planning bers across the capital. There were solid Authority (LFEPA) bosses has left the picket lines and demonstrations, real FBU with little choice but to strike on unity of purpose and superb organisa - over the period when they will have the tion. Strikebreakers turned away from most impact. The vitriolic media reaction fire stations and instead chose to is a grim reminder of the role that the respond to calls from various locations in right-wing press will play in any signifi - the back streets of London. The brigade cant industrial dispute; a particularly was in a state of near-anarchy. Members noxious cartoon in the Metro has a fire - did their union proud. fighter holding a strike placard shouting “It was truly the best of days and the “right lads — down table tennis bats.” worst of days. The best because we saw The hypocrisy of a press that can hail FBU members at their best — loyal, prin - firefighters as heroes around tragedies cipled and resilient in defence of their like the 7/7 bombings but which will jobs and service. And the worst because Facing a belligerent boss and a hostile media openly label them lazy and selfish when none of us likes to take strike action, and they attempt to defend their jobs is neither do we like to see the brigade’s others will go to stations where we’ve grotesque. The lesson for other striking reputation dragged through the mud in One of the crew said “Any blood is on the way it was on Saturday.” heard AssetCo will be trying to operate the management’s hands, they know workers is that they must rely on their out of. own literature and propaganda to win A firefighter at a South London station what to do to end this”. This dispute is about the threat of sack - support from the public. said “this is just the thin end of the ings. If management withdrew that LFEPA chief Brian Coleman says he wedge. If management get away with “Brian Coleman threat, we wouldn’t be on strike right could rebuild a fire service from scratch negotiating like this, we’ll see appliances now. It’s as simple as that. When people based on 2,000 workers who he expects removed and station closures next. We wants a privatised talk about the risk created by us taking to scab and eventually sign new con - don’t want to be on strike but we’ve got this action, they forget that we’ve got tracts (with worse terms), plus new to stand up to them.” service” friends and family in London too. We’re recruits. The fact that he is prepared to Londoners ourselves. So this isn’t some - sack thousands of workers in this way BYASTRIKING FIREFIGHTER “This strike is thing we’re doing lightly, but it is some - simply for opposing his gun-to-the-head thing we feel like we have to do. negotiating style is a very clear indica - about standing up We’ve seen Brian Coleman’s com - e are not going to be bullied and tion of what he represents politically. ments in the press about feeling dictated to by our management. The rhetoric from LFEPA management to management “relaxed” at the prospect of having to Coleman is a despicable character; he’s is that dispute is now about “manage - W sack thousands of firefighters; no-one the worst kind of arrogant and smug ment’s right to manage.” From their bullying” wants to hear that sort of thing but it’s politician. point of view, they are entirely correct; in not surprising. That’s obviously some - Matt Wrack challenged him live on the provoking this dispute, they are assert - Y AN AST ONDON FIREFIGHTER B E L thing he feels like he needs to say to radio about the Section 188s; he said ing their “right” not simply to manage strengthen his position in the dispute. clearly that if Coleman lifted the threat of but to rule by diktat. By resisting them, There is an ongoing campaign of vic - sackings, the strike would be off. firefighters are asserting the rights of he strike at this station is solid. I timisation and bullying from manage - Coleman refused. workers to have a say in what goes on in don’t know of anyone who’s gone into work today. Our plan is to picket ment against firefighters. Members have It’s very clear that his end-goal is a pri - their workplaces. Every industrial dis - T here for a while, and then some of us already had their pay docked on vatised fire service. His relationship with pute contains, if only on an elemental will be going to the rally in town while trumped-up technicalities; that’s all AssetCo makes that clear; he’s always about intimidating people who’re getting little hand-outs and enjoying cor - involved in a dispute. Fundamentally porate hospitality from them. He wants Managers and our managers are trying to bully us; this them to come in and run the fire service. strike is about standing up to that bully - I think management are rattled. In scabs use violence ing. interviews since the strikes began Coleman has sounded less confident and Solid at Tooting relaxed to me. BY IRA BERKOVIC When the Bonfire Night strikes were first called I think some of us were a bit BY MAGGIE BREMNER uneasy, but we’re past that now. You he FBU has denounced the “shock - have to expect that kind of thing from ing violence” directed towards went to the Tooting Fire Station pick - The Sun and the Daily Mail . We’ve got to Tpickets, after three strikers were Croydon firefighter Tamer Ozdemir et where scab appliances were going stand up and fight. injured during clashes with scabs. In Ito be based. The firefighters had suc - all three cases, workers were hit by cessfully prevented any scab appliance vehicle being driven by scabs despite Whether the incidents were down to Stratford’s view incompetence or malice, they show the from parking up there. As far as they the drivers in each case having ample were aware the scab appliances were lengths to which management is going opportunity to stop. parked around London. The strikers here told us: "We were called to break the FBU in London — either by In Croydon, a car driven by a non- They all seemed hopeful that manage - upstairs for a meeting by our senior offi - hiring people clearly incapable of driv - union manager ploughed into a striker, ment would return to the table as they cers a couple of weeks ago. When we got ing fire engines to do so, or by physical - apparently deliberately. He went to hos - felt they had been successful with organ - back down Assetco had been in and ly attacking strikers. FBU General pital but is now at home recovering. ising against the scabs but at the same taken a pump and a load of other equip - Secretary Matt Wrack said “An incredi - Another striker at Southwark received time were planning the next strike day. ment. Working class traitors is what they ble pattern seems to be emerging. It injuries to his hand as he attempted to They reported that the scab crew were are [i.e. the managers]. If we were fight - looks as though the private company flag down a scab-driven engine to barely trained and would be unable to ing the war with the Germans now, they hired to do our work has instructed its attempt to talk to those driving it. At the deal with rescue. These are people who would be the collaborators”. Another drivers to drive fast through picket lines. same station, an FBU Executive member were recruited and trained as standbys said, “This is about shift patterns and We ended the day in the extraordinary was nearly crushed as an engine drove for any major emergency but it was strings attached. But it’s about more than situation where the police had to protect over him. Given the huge police pres - reported that basically bosses had that. Everything’s getting taken over by striking firefighters from recklessly ence at the Southwark picket, the scab grabbed a lot of migrant workers out of private companies so some company speeding vehicles which were driven by driver can hardly claim to have been job centres who are being exploited and owner can make a few bob while we lose those paid to break the strike.” intimidated. put at risk. our services. The system’s not right.”

10 SOLIDARITY Support Janine Booth!

WL member Janine Booth is standing for election to the RMT's Council of Executives for the position of London Transport Region member. Janine has been nominated by 10 out of 16 RMT branches in the region, with five Anominating her opponent and one not submitting a nomination. Janine wants to give grassroots RMT members more say over how their union is run. She is also campaigning for an industrial strategy that aims to win, including the introduction of strike pay so RMT members can carry out pro - longed disputes with management if nec - essary without fear of the financial conse - Janine Booth with other RMT activists on a recent demonstration quences. And she is campaigning for socialism — at a time when London Underground bosses are attempting to make workers pay for a crisis they creat - ed, Janine is fighting for a vision of socie - Tube strike stays solid ty where the interests of the working- class majority come first. BY DANIEL RANDALL line jobs, LU demonstrates its utter con - There is also a clear mood amongst AWL members in London will be sup - tempt for passenger safety. many for escalating the action, tempered porting the campaign by helping distrib - ute Janine's election material at stations ube workers hit bosses with a But moreover, the whole episode has by an appreciation that for many workers, and other LU workplaces as well as can - third day of strike action on raised another question: if senior man - any escalation that is not coupled with a vassing staff. The Tubeworker bulletin will November 3, with the stoppage agers are so expendable that they can leave serious move towards paying strike pay play a central role. Janine Booth is the once again severely disrupting their jobs for days at a time to take famil - would be a serious financial stretch. With only candidate in the election fighting for services on the London Underground. iarisation training or cover frontline strike pay, however many pickets were duties, what exactly are they doing the rest confident of turning out the membership real change and grassroots control within The company had been assiduously the union. training up managers in between strike of the time that makes them worth all the for more prolonged strike action of 48 Tdays to cover frontline duties; once again, money they get paid? “Sack the bosses” hours or longer — the kind of action, in sentiment is definitely growing on the short, that is now necessary to turn up the • To get involved with the campaign, in being prepared to send people with just email [email protected] a day's worth of familiarisation into front - picket lines. heat on the bosses. Where next for the tube dispute?

BYATUBEWORKER We also need: Creatively applying tactics other than lic support. Pickets have handed out strikes is a positive step, but because “why we are striking” leaflets to the ondon Underground has Accessible hardship funds these tactics are new, members need public, but these came from RMT’s announced a further 800 job While some people say “I can't afford more support and explanation to help us Regional Council rather than head cuts (on top of the original 800 to strike” as an excuse for scabbing, oth - apply them. We need letters (not just office. The Regional Council has also station staff job losses that ers genuinely struggle financially. emails) to all members and visits from taken the lead in winning active support sparked the current dispute). We need Unions should organise hardship funds union reps to give us confidence to from disability rights and pensioner to step up our campaign accordingly. that members can access. Unions offi - properly enforce tactics such as the boy - activists, groups who will be particular - There have been many positive cially have these funds, but they are usu - cott of the £5 minimum Oyster top-up ly affected by staffing cuts. Union head Laspects to the dispute so far. We have ally loth to pay out to strikers. So rank- policy. LU imposed this policy in offices have produced some material e.g. fought despite there being no compulso - and-file members and branches should January, and RMT's Regional Council protest postcards, but should do more to ry redundancies threatened: we are set up our own hardship funds and raise asked the union to ballot for a boycott. put our case more clearly. defending staffing levels, not just indi - money for them. The point of industrial But the union did not hold the ballot vidual workers' jobs. TSSA is striking for action is not to make a glorious sacrifice until August nor put the boycott on until A political campaign the first time, and rank-and-file ASLEF — it is to win. September. Although many staff are The Greater London Assembly (GLA) members have supported the action boycotting it, the policy has now bedded has now voted to condemn the cuts, despite their leadership’s opposition. Rank-and-file meetings in to some degree. More direct union passing a resolution at the third attempt The creative use of action short of strikes Rank-and-file Tube workers can dis - support would help, and is also vital to after Tories twice scuppered earlier is a big step forward, and public support cuss how the dispute is going, share con - prevent divisions emerging around the votes by walking out. The unions should has been encouraging despite press hos - cerns and offer suggestions for next action short. The overtime ban for engi - use the GLA vote to mount a significant tility. steps. We talk about these things at neering grades has now been switched political campaign, arguing that the But as the dispute continues, manage - work, so we should also do so in union to a work-to-rule; this makes sense position of the elected GLA prevails ment are implementing the cuts. They forums where our views can be heard. because of the nature of their work, but over the position of unelected LU man - have drafted new rosters, carried out a AWL members have fought for years to has caused some resentment among sta - agers. bogus “consultation” and offered volun - commit the unions to running disputes tion staff for whom the overtime ban is We also need a wider political cam - tary severance to some workers, some of through elected strike committees: still in place. paign. These cuts are part of a historic whom have accepted. The unions were workers will keep fighting if we feel assault on working-class rights and liv - slow getting ballots organised and meaningful ownership over our strug - A real campaign to win public support ing standards. Our unions should coor - action called: now the real danger is that gle. Workplace activists should set up This battle is for the heart-and-soul of dinate with others and our activists come February, the final implementation local forums involving members of all London’s public transport, a showdown should participate in local trades coun - date for the cuts, we will still be holding unions. Even if these meetings are only between management's vision of a soul - cils and anti-cuts campaigns. Cross- token one-day monthly strikes to save consultative, simply giving rank-and- less, de-staffed, unsafe Underground union coordination means not just bom - jobs that have gone. Digging in for a file members a chance to openly discuss designed to squeeze the maximum prof - bastic statements of support for other the dispute would be positive. But ulti - it from passengers and our vision of a long-term war of attrition based on unions' campaigns, it means working mately we should fight for strike com - top-quality service run in the public monthly one-day strikes will wear down together. The FBU/RMT/PCS/NUT mittees made up elected workplace rep - interest by well-paid, valued workers. workers’ confidence. demo on Octboer 23 was positive. We We need to escalate. Strikes should be resentatives to be given direct control of On picket lines, we have explained to need more actions like that, properly stepped up to 48 hours, perhaps stag - the dispute. RMT’s Regional Council has angry commuters that the unreliable, advertised and built, and serious discus - gered over more days. We should also a strike committee which has played a disrupted service they get on strike days devolve power to the grassroots mem - useful role, but union activists need to is a foretaste of what the tube will be like sions between unions to coordinate bership, to plan winning strategies that make it more central to the dispute. all the time if management get their way. industrial action. We should face down members support. We can not expect the right-wing press right-wing scaremongering about ‘sec - More support for the action short of a to give cover our strike positively. But ondary picketing’ by asserting our right strike our unions should do more to win pub - to support fellow workers in struggle.

SOLIDARITY 11 WOMEN Thatcher’s not our role The left fails model! Muslim women BY JEAN LANE BY DALE STREET argaret Thatcher won 31% of votes, put - ting her in first place in a women’s role model survey carried out by YouGov uslim women fighting for women’s and AOL UK. This could be a comment rights have been largely abandoned by on the state of women’s politics today. But it may be the left, by human rights organisations, more to do with how surveys are carried out. and by anti-racist campaigners. I wonder, for instance, how many miners’ wives and That sums up the basic argument put forward by Mgirlfriends were asked. Oops, sorry, there aren’t very Gita Sahgal at a meeting held in Glasgow on 28 many of them around nowadays, are there? I wonder October as part of Black History Month 2010. MSahgal left her post of Head of Gender Unit at whose fault that is. “Role models: someone to look up to. Amnesty International earlier this year after Amnesty “Young women desperately need role models — and had ignored her complaints about the organisation’s what the media gives them is heiresses, sex objects, collaboration with Islamists (specifically, Moazamm surgery addicts and emotional wrecks. There must be Begg and his “Cageprisoners” organisation). better suggestions”. This is how the Guardian covered Sahgal began her talk with excerpts from a documen - Gita Sahgal the news of the poll result on its website. tary which she had helped make about war crimes committed by the Islamic-fundamentalist Jamaat-e- There seems to be something missing from this list of reliance on Western governments to promote women’s inappropriate people for young women to look up to. Islami in Bangladesh during its war of independence in the early 1970s. Members of the organisation massa - rights. Unless Tory Scumbag can be included in the category On the left, organisations such as the Stop the War Heiresses, that is. cred hundreds of thousands and committed mass rape. Bangladesh achieved its independence. As a result of Coalition had boosted the Muslim Association of Actually, Thatcher was a millionaire heiress, in keep - Britain (the British “section” of the fundamentalist ing with a long Tory tradition. The current Tory the growing influence of Islamism, it falls well short of being a fully secular state. But there is now an ongoing Muslim Brotherhood) while the political party Cabinet is made up of extremely wealthy, privileged “Respect” was effectively an alliance between sections scumbags who wouldn’t know a public service user if popular campaign to secularise Bangladesh, spear - headed by women and youth. of the left and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters. one begged them for a fiver and who look to Margaret The MCB was not even prepared to recognise Thatcher for inspiration as to how to ensure no-one It was therefore wrong, concluded Sahgal, to see sec - ularism as something imposed on other countries by Ahmaddiya Muslims as Muslims, still less represent else will know one for much longer either. them (or, Sahgal might have added, defend them If as a role model you want to look up to someone the West. From Bangladesh in the early 1970s Sahgal moved on against the murderous attacks of Jamaat-e-Islami in whose government devastated whole areas of industry, Pakistan). throwing thousands of people out of work and then to Britain in the late 1980s, dealing with the attempts to ban Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses , and the cam - The Islamic Human Rights Commission, another described the unemployed as “moaning minnies”, Islamist organisation popular with the left, was con - Thatcher’s your woman. paigning work undertaken by women in the Muslim community, such as Women Against Fundamentalism, cerned only with what it defined as the breaches of If you want to look up to someone who closed down human rights of Muslims committed by Western gov - huge sections of the welfare state, driving thousands of in opposition to the increasing influence of Islamism. Jamaat-e-Islami provided the link. ernments (and Turkey) but did not lift a finger to working class women back into the home or who pri - defend the human rights of those oppressed by vatised many of the public services remaining, includ - British Islamists who called for an extension of the blasphemy laws and for Satanic Verses to be banned Islamist regimes such as Iran. ing British Telecom and British Gas, selling them off to And yet, in the name of “anti-racism”, the bulk of the profit-grabbing companies, Thatcher’s your woman. included Bangladeshi Jamaat-e-Islami members who had migrated to Britain. The Islamist campaign against left and the bulk of the anti-racist movement had (“If a Tory does not believe that private property is one shrunk back from confronting the threat posed by the of the main bulwarks of individual freedom, then he Satanic Verses also gave rise to the later emergence of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), in which Jamaat- rise of Islamism as a political movement. had better become a socialist and have done with it.”) Nor was there any reason to suppose that the situa - How about someone responsible for the selling off of e-Islami supporters continue to occupy leading posi - tions. tion was going to improve in the immediate future as council housing, inducing working class people to buy more funding was being made available for “faith- their own, leaving millions in negative equity? Or Excerpts from documentaries which Sahgal had made at the time showed women from the Muslim based” groups to fill the gap left by cutbacks in local- someone who introduced the Poll Tax, forcing thou - authority social services. sands of working people into the courts for refusal to community staging counter-demonstrations against the Islamist anti-Rushdie demonstrations, and also This would provide an opportunity for Islamist pay? organisations not only to secure more funding from the Perhaps someone who introduced many of the anti- organising demonstrations in protest at domestic vio - lence. government but also — as the holders of the purse- union laws designed to prevent any group of workers strings for local social expenditure — to exercise a from fighting back against these attacks? Their slogan was “Here to Doubt, Here to Fight”. This was an adaptation of the anti-racist slogan of the greater degree of influence and control in Muslim com - Thatcher was a class-conscious Tory who fought for munities. the interests of the ruling class in government. She did 1970s, “Here to Stay, Here to Fight”. It meant that women in the Muslim community were not prepared Some of what Sahgal said was open to criticism. But a good job from the point of view of the rich, overfed, it was refreshing to hear a spirited denunciation of self-serving, greedy class of leeches who sit on the top to surrender their right to question the social “ortho - doxies” which the increasingly vociferous Islamists Islamism and the threat it poses to women’s rights in of our society and bleed it dry without ever having to particular. do a day’s work. were wanting to impose on them. But the excerpts from her documentaries also It would have been better to have heard such a That such a role model can top a poll today is an denunciation in a socialist meeting or in a trade union indication not of how good she was, but of how poor - showed the start of a different political response to the reactionary Islamist mobilisation around Satanic Verses : meeting rather than in the Glasgow Centre for ly we are served by those who should be representing Contemporary Arts. the interests of our class. Any of the groups of workers a readiness by politicians to accept the Islamist leaders as genuine representatives of their communities, and a But the venue for Sahgal’s talk underlined the point in the 1980s who were driven onto the dole queues by she was making: the bulk of the left, having accommo - Thatcher’s government, whether it was the steel, the willingness to accommodate to their demands. Both Labour and Tory MPs, for example, put their dated to political Islam at the expense of women’s coal, the docks, the rail, could have beaten her and her rights, would not be prepared to hold such a meeting. government and very nearly did so. names to a Bill which sought to extend the blasphemy With the exception of one, Arthur Scargill, no union laws to cover Islam as well as Christianity. (By contrast, Figures from the UN leader took the fight seriously or recognised what the the late socialist Labour MP Eric Heffer was shown Food and Agriculture stakes were. She did. For that she should be admired calling for the abolition of all blasphemy laws.) Organisation show maybe, but not by us. This failure to confront Islamism and this accommo - world food prices dation to its political demands was described by still soaring. The Sahgal as “one of the most remarkable and saddest biggest driving force aspects of politics since the Rushdie Affair, or since here is speculation. 9/11 in 2001.” To stop hungry peo - Organisations like the MCB had been boosted and ple becoming the funded as government partners, supposedly providing victims of rich spec - ulators, we should a conduit into the Muslim community. As Sahgal fight for workers’ pointed out, this was a continuation of an old colonial governments which policy: to allow some self-appointed leaders to rule will bring high over their followers as they wished, provided that they finance under public kept them from rebelling against the colonial power ownership and dem - itself. ocratic control, and In Afghanistan and Iraq the West had espoused the regulate food distri - cause of women’s rights. But it had not hesitated to bution for social provision, not profit. abandon the same cause by appeasing and forming alliances with Islamists. There could therefore be no

12 SOLIDARITY REVIEW

FILM The misogynist with 500 million friends

Daisy Thomas reviews “The Social Network” (direct - ed the chain of events which led to betrayal, losing a character when Zuckerberg treats him disrespectfully, ed by David Fincher) friend, other personal vileness — and becoming a bil - cuts him out, and screwed him out of money. lionaire. This disrespectful behaviour was not just for want to take the entire college experience After “Facemash”, he was approached by Cameron Salverin, however. Although he would become a bil - and put it online”. That’s what Mark and Tyler Winkelvoss (Armie Hammer) who con - lionaire from a scheme advertised as making friend - Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) trolled the prestigious “Porcellian Club”. Zuckerberg ship easier, Zuckerberg seems to spend most of the says in The Social Network when he is expressed interest in the idea of creating a site where movie existing in his own bubble, not really taking outlining the idea for “the Facebook” in 2003. information and photos could be shared among friends anything or anyone seriously. The Social Network is a complicated and amusing within the exclusive confines of Harvard University. look at the conception and development of the world’s However, he short-changed the Winklevosses and This can be seen in his dismissal of the Harvard serv - “most pI opular social networking sites — now, with began designing “the Facebook” instead of creating er security breach and later, with his dismissal of the more than 500 million users in 207 countries, worth a their website. “cease and desist” letter about Facebook from the cool 25 billion dollars. From this point, most of the movie’s story was told Winklevosses. For him, that shows how: “you don’t get The story starts off with a boy and a girl, as many through flashbacks from the two separate lawsuits to 500 million friends without making a few enemies”. stories do. On an evening in 2003, Zuckerberg, then a Zuckerberg faced. The first was the Winklevoss suit. Only at the end of the movie does Zuckerberg show student at Harvard University, USA, got dumped by They sued him for breach of contract and intellectual some vulnerability. his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara). property theft. In general, the film is a really interesting look at how Zuckerberg drunkenly and angrily blogged about her, In their opinion, Zuckerberg took their idea this major internet phenomenon came about, and the then created “Facemash”. Essentially, “Facemash” was “HarvardConnect” and adapted it for Facebook. cast performs brilliantly. The director, David Fincher, a rating site for the hotness of the girls on the Harvard The second lawsuit, put forward by Eduardo as well as the writers, Aaron Sorkin (screenplay) and campus. He got their photos through incredibly com - Salverin (Zuckerberg’s CFO and former friend, played Ben Mezrich (author of The Accidental Billionaire on plicated hacking skills. by Andrew Garfield), covered several areas including which The Social Network is based), should be com - That first creation generated so much traffic (22,000 ownership of shares, involvement, and money. hits) that the Harvard server crashed. Zuckerberg Distaste for Zuckerberg’s new friend and business mended on their achievement. explained that young men were attracted to it because partner, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) may have con - Even if you’re not so utterly addicted that you have they could comment on girls they knew — not tributed. to check Facebook four or five times a day, I recom - strangers, but girls they knew. It had more grip than Despite the fact that his character is so very annoy - mend watching this film because it shows how a single sites like “hotornot.com”. ing, Timberlake’s performance is superb. Garfield also idea (and a lot of vile behaviour) can kick-start a billion “Facemash” earned Zuckerberg notoriety and start - does a fantastic job, really evoking sympathy for his dollar enterprise. The cause of Carlos

Stan Crooke reviews “Carlos” (directed by Olivier can’t give your daughter a decent upbringing. You Assayas) become a has-been. You put on weight. And eventual - ly you get caught and sent to prison — for a very long f you’ve ever thought of a career as an interna - time. tionalist terrorist — forget it. Okay, there might (Just in case anyone in the audience is too dim to be a plus side to it. You become an international work this out for themselves, one of Carlos’s female jet-setter. A media celebrity. An icon of radical acquaintances spells it out for everyone: “Fighting cap - chic. italism with guerrilla means is romantic but doomed to You eat in the best restaurants, enjoy the best food, failure. No more desperate causes. They lead drink the best wines. You dress like Che Guevara after nowhere.”) Ia visit to Saville Row. Even worse, some film director might decide to (And why not? After all, have you ever heard anyone make a five and a half hour film about you, trim it raise the slogan: “An international terrorist on a work - down to a two and a half hour version, and put it on er’s wage”?) general release. The result: Olivier Assayas’s “Carlos”. But there’s a downside to being an international ter - Watching the general-release film is like trying to put rorist as well. together a jigsaw puzzle from which over half the Governments use you for their own devious ends. pieces are missing, and without the picture on the box You smoke incessantly. Your boss sacks you for not to tell you how it all fits together. killing enough people. Your wife complains that she The film begins in 1973 — a mere 14 years after the real-life Carlos first became politically active — with his attempt to kill a leader of the British Zionist Federation. Combined times Three corpses later (after Carlos has killed two Bourgeois arrogance behind revolutionary rhetoric French detectives and a Palestinian informer) it is 1975 and time for the hostage-taking of the leaders of OPEC As Russian grass, clean, green below blue sky, (Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting Countries) in killed anyone since 1975? Life can be free and fine, the Old Man said: Vienna. The Carlos depicted in the film is a pretty odious Soon Koba split his stubborn grey old head, This is followed by a succession of short shots of character: vain, self-centred, narcissistic, domineering, Pulled by the weighted years back to die, Carlos on his travels in the late 70s. (Another downside misogynistic — and pretty dim politically. His terror - From a future he dared try to fructify of being an international terrorist: very difficult to find ist-political activity, such as it is, is essentially a space To where the king-priest Moctezuma bled; a place called home.) German terrorists pop up all over in which to exercise his ego. When Traitor Koba ruled, tyrants cross-bred, the place, and KGB chief Yuri Andropov puts in a Again, for anyone slow on the uptake, this is spelt When peons danced to their heart-ripping lie. cameo appearance. out by one of the characters in the film. She sums up Time tells, Time won’t be made to multiply: Suddenly, it’s 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Carlos as: “Bourgeois arrogance hiding behind revolu - Where Cortez sailed back, across the sea soon followed by Carlos’s capture in 1994. (No men - tionary rhetoric.” Back millennia, behind Time, he tion, therefore, of Carlos’s political evolution over the Similarly, when Carlos says that he has done much Soared ahead; till Time went all awry. following decade and a half — or, mercifully, his excru - for the Palestinian cause his interlocutor replies: “No, Pirates loot Time, steal Time’s stored reward: ciating love poems to his third wife.) you have done much for the cause of Carlos.” Liberty’s pilgrims forge their own gold hoard. In fact, so little of Carlos’s actual and attempted ter - “The war is over,” one of Carlos’s fellow terrorists S. M. rorism is covered in the film that the viewer is left won - tells him towards the end of the film. Well before then, Leon Trotsky died 70 years ago dering how he ever managed to achieve notoriety. He’s however, the “war” has become an irrelevance. It’s the a world-famous international terrorist — but he hasn’t film you wish was over. SOLIDARITY 13 REVIEW

SCIENCE Why do we exist?

Les Hearn reviews The Grand Design by Stephen unified the electric and magnetic forces in the 19th cen - trons interfere with themselves (this experiment was Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow tury, that which included quantum mechanics (quan - voted the most beautiful experiment in physics in tum electrodynamics — QED) and that which unified 2002)! tephen Hawking’s latest popular work ( The the weak force with the electromagnetic (EM) force Feynman’s explanation is that the system, in this case Grand Design , written with physicist and (the Standard Model) in the 20th century, led to enor - the single electron/double slit/screen system, has not author Leonard Mlodinow) seeks to answer mous benefits. Promising attempts to unify the strong just one but every history. The particles take every pos - questions that many have asked: force with the EM and weak forces have been made sible path on their way from the source to the screen — • Why is there something, rather than nothing? (Grand Unified Theories — GUTs). M-theory is an simultaneously! Furthermore, our observations of the • Why do we exist? example of a Theory of Everything (ToE) which aims to particles go back into their past and influence the paths Hawking and Mlodinow (H&M) also pose a ques - include the gravitational force. they take. Stion which potentially answers the first two: Why the urge to unify or to build more inclusive the - If, like me, you’re going “What?”, you’re in distin - • Why this particular set of laws and not some other? ories? This sounds like the sort of “blue skies” research guished company: Feynman himself said “I think I can The answer, say H&M, is to be found in M-theory. that politicians scorn, in favour of research with com - safely say that nobody understands quantum mechan - The trivial answer to the last question is that, if the mercial benefits. However, the work of James Clerk ics”. Nevertheless, the theory has passed every test. laws were different, we would not exist and would not Maxwell in the 19th century to uncover the relation Lots of people are unhappy with the implication that be asking any questions. But the observed laws seem to between electric and magnetic fields, curiosity-driven, someone has to be looking before a quantum process is be very finely tuned to allow matter to exist in extend - showed that electromagnetic fields spread through “forced” to arrive at a particular outcome — and yet ed forms, like atoms, molecules and us. This has been space at the speed of… light! Thus, light was an elec - this has been confirmed by many experiments. It actu - called the anthropic principle and, in its strongest tromagnetic wave, which led to the discovery of radio ally is the case that the outcome is influenced by the form, has often been given as circumstantial evidence waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, and to process of measurement or detection (though this need in favour of design, allowing god to slip back in after untold benefits in medicine and communication. It is not be a conscious process). being excluded from all other observed processes. quite reasonable (though not guaranteed!) that future This sort of crazy quantum behaviour obeys strict H&M controversially argue for a strong anthropic unifying theories will lead to useful outcomes. laws. Laws of nature are not like human laws which principle: “The fact that we exist imposes constraints seek to encourage certain preferred behaviours. They not just on our environment but on the possible form &M’s approach leans heavily on the work explain how things behave and how they can behave. and content of the laws of nature themselves”. of my favourite scientist, Richard The laws of modern physics, including the modern However, their argument does not rely on a grand Feynman, a profound thinker but also an understanding of gravity, explain an incredible range designer but on the possibilities inherent in M-theory. engaging and playful character. You would of observations to incredible precision and have made M-theory is an attempt to unify all of the forces of be rewarded if you looked into his life (and perhaps amazing predictions which have almost entirely been nature into one overarching explanation, encompass - watched clips of interviews with him on the BBC borne out. H&M pose more fundamental questions, ing the very large and the very small. The reason for website). including “Is there only one set of possible laws?” trying to do this is not just a love of orderly explana - HFeynman worked on the science of the very small, The laws are, needless to say, not entirely known. tions but that previous unifying theories, that which where quantum effects rule. One example concerns the While three of the four forces of nature, the electromag - behaviour of light when it shines on two vertical nar - netic, weak and strong forces, have provisionally been row slits very close together. This gives rise, not to two united in the “standard model”, crucially gravity still vertical bars on a screen, but to a wide horizontal band needs to be integrated into the picture. This what M- Sport? Only for of dark and light bars. theory, incorporating string theory and supergravity, This has classically been explained (by Thomas seeks to do. One of its startling predictions is that there “Phenomenon” Young, another fascinating character) are 10 space dimensions and one time dimension, in middle-class kids as the interference of the peaks and troughs of waves, contrast with our everyday experience of three space sometimes reinforcing, sometimes cancelling each dimensions and one time. The unobserved dimensions other, much as ripples in water do. This fatally wound - are rolled up very small, so that particles are actually BY CLARKE BENITEZ ed the particle theory of light held by Newton. vibrating strings or membranes. This commonsense explanation was however shown M-theory does not predict the exact laws observed. orking-class children’s access to sport will to be inadequate, not least by the proof by Einstein that These depend on how the extra dimensions are “rolled 500 be drastically reduced following the CSR, as light could act as particles, photons, in the photoelec - up”. A great many universes are possible, some 10 or Wthe Youth Sport Trust faces virtual abolition as the tric effect. Newton’s theory rose again Lazarus-like. 1 followed by 500 zeroes, each with a different combi - entirety of its funding is slashed. More oddly, faint beams of light consisting of single nation of fundamental constants, and it is not surpris - The YST is a voluntary-sector body that ran the photons when shone on a double slit gradually repro - ing that we exist in one where the constants are com - Schools Sports Partnerships programmes with duced, spot by spot, the interference pattern supposed - patible with the evolution of life. The “apparent mira - Department for Education funding — pro - ly explained by wave behaviour. cle” is explained. grammes which, while far from perfect, allowed The “solution” was to associate a probability wave H&M point out that the law of gravity is not incom - many working-class children more regular access with each photon so that where it ended up was essen - patible with the emergence of a universe “from noth - to sport than they would otherwise have had tially random but over time a distinct pattern emerged. ing”. In particular, the principle of conservation of (including to sports which have historically been It was as if each photon passed through both slits and energy is not violated (because, while matter energy is the preserve of middle-class and privately-educat - the probabilities interfered with each other resulting in positive, gravitational energy is negative) and, at least ed children). The next time there’s a barrage of the detection of the photon at a particular place. in quantum mechanics, what is not forbidden is com - Tory propaganda about obesity and ill-health in Theory predicted that matter particles would also pulsory. Furthermore, with a wide range of possible working-class communities, we can point to cuts have a probability wave associated with them and, sets of constants, some (at least one!) universes must such as this to explain where the blame for such sure enough electrons (and larger particles) behave in come into existence in which life can evolve. problems lies. a similar way with a double slit — even single elec - And here, without the need for a creator, we are!

WHERE WE STAND

oday one class, the working class, lives by selling unions, supporting workers’ struggles, producing work - with their capitalist or Stalinist its labour power to another, the capitalist class, place bulletins, helping organise rank-and-file groups. rulers. which owns the means of production. Society is We are also active among students and in many cam - • Democracy at every level shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to paigns and alliances. of society, from the small - increase their wealth. Capitalism causes poverty, unem - est workplace or com - We stand for: ployment, the blighting of lives by overwork, imperial - munity to global social ism, the destruction of the environment and much else. • Independent working-class representation in politics. organisation. • A workers’ government, based on and accountable to TAgainst the accumulated wealth and power of the capi - • Working-class soli - the labour movement. talists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. darity in international • A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidar - politics: equal rights to strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. ity through struggle so that the working class can over - for all nations, against • Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, throw capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective imperialists and preda - homes, education and jobs for all. ownership of industry and services, workers’ control and a tors big and small. • A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppres - democracy much fuller than the present system, with elect - • Maximum left unity sion. Full equality for women and social provision to free ed representatives recallable at any time and an end to in action, and openness in women from the burden of housework. Free abortion on bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. debate. request. Full equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. We fight for the labour movement to break with “social If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity Black and white workers’ unity against racism. partnership” and assert working-class interests militantly to sell — and join us! • Open borders. against the bosses. 020 7207 3997 / [email protected] / PO Box • Global solidarity against global capital — workers Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade 823, London SE15 4NA everywhere have more in common with each other than

14 SOLIDARITY AMERICA US ELECTIONS Market Extend the deficit? freedom BY JORDAN SAVAGE

No: tax the rich! he BBC struck a surprising blow against the right-wing of American Republicanism this week, with Andrew Neil’s documentary “Tea Party America” (BBC 2, Monday 7pm). In the US mid-term elections Republicans gained con - The hour-long film investigates the origin and trol of the House of Representatives, gaining 60 seats growth of America’s “Tea Party” movement. from the Democrats. The Democrats retained control Tea Party activist Liz Matz sums up the movement’s Tanti-Obama, anti-Big Government agenda in the of the Senate, despite losing six seats, some to candi - dates backed by the ultra-right Tea Party movement. phrase: “Progressivism is stateism, and they both add In this article, written on 24 October before the elec - up to Socialism.” tion, Barry Finger looks at the debate over economic Under the de-facto leadership of figureheads such as policies which have dominated this election and what former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Fox arguments socialists might use to undermine work - News’ Glenn Beck, the Tea Party seeks to amass the ing-class support for the “Tea Party right”. support of libertarian capitalists in the US and drive politics to the right. Kentucky activist Anne Nagy offers an illustration of This article originally appeared on the website of New the eloquent political fervour that grips Tea Party sup - Politics, an American socialist journal. See porters, when she says: “We are going to fundamental - http://newpolitics.mayfirst.org/node/374 ly change [the way America does politics] because we hristina Romer, the former chair of the don’t have a set leader, you can’t cut off our head.” President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Barry Goldwater Jnr. (son of the 1964 presidential argues in the New York Times that “Now Isn’t candidate, who had the support of Ronald Reagan) is the Time to Cut the Deficit.” characteristic of those interviewed in his instance that Obama cannot answer the demands of the American Her argument, which is unexceptional among liberal people: “That kind of hope and change is not what economists, is simply that “tax cuts and spending One way to undermine support for the Tea Party Americans want. They don’t want Socialism, they increases stimulate demand and raise output and want freedom.” Cemployment; tax increases and spending cuts have the One of Neil’s great strengths in this documentary is opposite effect.” This, she reassures her readership, is a behavior of the wealthy were accurate, her analysis his analysis of the language of the Tea Party move - “basic message of macroeconomics.” would be convincing. But the wealthy are not spending ment. He identifies a uniformity in Tea Party activists’ This reasoning arises from an analysis of the econom - their income. Their demand is a potential demand, not use of images of “tyranny” and “freedom”, and their ic crisis that is based on a shortage of aggregate an actual demand. The wealthy are waiting the reces - constant comparison of Obama to dictators of the past. demand, specifically that component of aggregate sion out and therefore contributing to its duration. This analysis enables him to unearth the demand emanating from the business class. They are They should therefore be taxed. Taxing the wealthy FreedomWorks propaganda machine. not investing nor are they consuming in sufficient vol - under these circumstances would be expansionary pre - Under the leadership of president Matt Kibbe, this ume to lift the rate of economic activity. On the other cisely because it would entail injecting unused cash into rightwing lobby that has invested an enormous hand it is equally clear that the business community has the economy to expand government purchases. The amount of money in the Tea Party and provided train - no faith in an economy that is stabilized by the growth state would be doing what the wealthy are not — trans - ing and guidance for the new activist movement. of the public sector at the expense of the private sector, forming their potential demand into actual demand. It was Kibbe who identified the Tea Party (its name which is what Romer’s prescription would bring about And this would not come at the future cost of increased stems from an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already”) and what the President’s stimulus package has already taxes. with the Boston Tea Party of 1773. resulted in. This is how socialists might address Tea Party con - He reveals that by perusal of leftwing texts that claim Insofar as political disruption by a renewed left is not cerns that are seducing so many of the white working the Boston Tea Party as a part of their tradition, he was an immediate issue, capitalism has faith in that recov - class. It clearly identifies one of the levels in which the able to learn direct action techniques to bring to the ery, and that recovery alone, which arises from the behavior of the wealthy contributes to the economic American right. restoration of profitability, where the expansion of distress of working people. The documentary lacks one crucial element in terms demand is driven not by state purchases but by the The other long term issue is that of the structural of access — there is no interview with Glenn Beck, and process of renewed capital formation. That is, capital - deformity of capitalism. And this too worries those so he remains the inflated caricature that is his Fox ism has faith only in an economy that has been ade - who so resent the Wall Street bailout. It is, of course News persona, without the challenge of a live, intellec - quately restructured through the devaluation of sur - true, that revenues taxed to support state purchases are tual interview. plus capital, by downward pressure on wages and by lost to the accumulation process. the minimization of government overhead costs. It But there is something far more threatening to capi - looks forward to a revival of economic activity based talist expansion which is festering within the very solely on a firm capitalist footing — not one limping anatomy of the private sector. The financialization of Jobs for the girls along on government crutches. capitalism — at least in the US, Britain and much of Deficit hawks argue, as they have in Europe, that Western Europe — arises out of capital’s drive to free BY JOAN TREVOR there is a structural component to the addiction to the itself from the perils of productive investment. But its need for chronic borrowing which threatens the long implications are structurally disruptive. term viability of capitalism. They believe that a bur - Instead of recyling idle balances of profit back into any commentators remark on the prominent geoning state demand will ultimately crowd out pri - the real economy, this new financial system increasing - role of women in the Tea Party, women such as vate investment, raising interest rates and choking off ly neutralized these balances by transforming them into MSarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell and Michele economic growth. ever new financial instruments of risk aversion. It secu - Bachmann. Some of these women lay claim to being But the immediate problem is a cyclical problem and ritized mortgages; it created new forms of risk hedging, feminists — “conservative feminists”. the structural problem, lies not with state demand, but it created new financial insurance policies, etc. This It is not any kind of feminism that the left would the hypertrophic growth of the financial sector. And internal recycling of funds within the financial sector — recognise: conservative feminists are usually anti-abor - this is where capitalism’s ideologues have turned a first skimmed from the productive sector — permitted tion, anti-sex education, illiberal, homphobic. They blind eye. a growth in asset values not justified by a parallel reject the kinds of social measures that help working The left, I would argue, should demand that the state increase in surplus value. class women to play a full and fulfilling role in society: sector grow by becoming the employer of the last Capitalism had — in other words — massively decent pay, well-funded welfare, adequate benefits. resort, independent of its effects on profitability or on overissued claims on future profits that were unsustan - They fundamentally believe in the right of the capital - the relative growth of the state. However, there is no inable in light of the flagging rate of accumulation, ist class to rule, and that the market is right. reason to buy into Romer’s argument that the deficit which the financialization of the economy itself mas - Within that, their feminism is, essentially, careerism. needs to be temporarily enlarged for that purpose. sively contributed to. They are politicians who operate in a sexist milieu — What advantage is there for the state to borrow from The financialization of the economy transformed the a sexism that, on the whole, they endorse. But, while the wealthy? To do so would mean creating assets in the relationship of Wall Street to the productive sector from Tea Party women believe that men and women are dif - form of public debt held by a class that has will not symbiotic to parasitic, and its continuance in this form ferent, as individuals they are just as fierce in their relinquish its unused liquidity. It will simply borrow is an ongoing permanent threat to the resumption of right-wing beliefs as men, and find themselves the money from the Feds at a virtual zero interest rate anything resembling long-term business expansion. checked in expressing it by sexism. Tea Party and sit back and collect a future windfall, that the work - Rather than addressing this, the business class would spokesperson, Rebecca Wales, explains: “For a long ing class will in part be taxed to honor. prefer to dismantle working class gains in what is left of time people have seen the parties as good-ole’-boy, The flaw in Romer’s analysis is this. She assumes the welfare state. male-run institutions. In the Tea Party, women have quite reasonably that taxing the public to finance state The shredding of the safety net, however, will leave finally found their voice.” demand simply reduces private demand and therefore the real structural vulnerability of capitalism largely The voice of Tea Party women is not different from is not, on balance, expansionary. One effect simply neu - unaddressed. those of their menfolk — but it might help to launch a tralizes the other. And if her description of the spending few women’s political careers.

SOLIDARITY 15 SOCIALISM

SOCIALISM IN DISARRAY , PART FOUR The poverty of “anti-imperialism” and today’s left

SEAN MATGAMNA CONTINUES A SERIES It will be easier to understand the character and thing else is reactionary. causes of the self-debilitating faults of the contempo - The “evolutionary” aspects of modern communism “There is not, nor can there be, such a thing as a ‘negative’ rary left in the light of our discussion of the Stalinist were, as we have seen, central to the contribution of Social-Democratic slogan that serves only to ‘sharpen prole - experience. Marx and Engels and their school of politics. They have largely been lost by the would-be left. tarian consciousness against imperialism’. A negative slo - 1. NO ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM ? gan unconnected with a definite positive solution will not Here the would-be Marxist Left are victims of our ‘sharpen’, but dull consciousness, for such a slogan is a hol - own failure to come to terms with our own history in low phrase, mere shouting, meaningless declamation” ince the collapse of the Stalinist Russian empire the mid-twentieth century. Capitalism did break down - V I Lenin in 1991, world capitalist power has traded even into protracted crisis including world war, between Smore on the idea that there is no alternative to capi - about 1914 and about 1950. Opportunities for the he collapse of European Stalinism in 1989-91 talism. There never was; there never will be; there working-class to replace capitalist rule with its own also cleared the way for the revival of the cannot be. rule did exist in “the epoch of wars and revolutions”. left. Socialism would now be deflated, but We should, as David Marsland said at a debate But the working-class was defeated. And in a strange real. The real left gained a chance to live and organised by Workers’ Liberty in 1991, “marvel at the and unprecedented way. The victors in the defeat of grow again, to clear the old battlefields, to define market’s gifts to mankind”. Be grateful for the things the working class and the destruction of Bolshevism itself anew, and to develop its influence in the work - God gives you! Don’t dream, don’t scheme, don’t presented themselves — and even thought of them - ing-class movement. rebel! For, warn the ideologues — and the old Labour selves — as representing the working class. They pre - TThe way was cleared for the re-elaboration of our tra - Party reform-socialists too — if you rebel, then you will sented their system, in which the working class was ditions and our ideas, for the re-growth of the social - stumble into the nightmare of state terrorism, into the enslaved more than in most capitalist states, as work - ism of Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Mehring, Lenin, Gulag, into the Stalinist archipelago of slave labour ing-class socialism. Trotsky, and Gramsci. camps and mass murder. That confused all the maps and signposts. In Britain We have not yet done that. They trade on the claim that Stalinism was in 1940, when a German invasion seemed imminent, True, international capitalism has, until the recent Bolshevism; that Bolshevism was not negated in the the road signs were removed so as to confuse the eruption of the global credit crisis, been going through Stalinist counter-revolution, as it in fact was, but con - invaders. Something like that happened to the social - a vast expansion under the banners of free trade, neo- tinued and developed by the logic of its own nature ists. The Marxist signposts have yet to be sorted out liberalism, and globalisation. The social conditions into Stalinism. and re-erected. have not been friendly to the conviction of the necessi - The Stalinist counter-revolution against Bolshevism Capitalism revived; it eventually overwhelmed, in ty of replacing capitalism with socialism, the need for was, they claim, Bolshevism itself. Bolshevism, which economic, military and political competition, the aber - a socialist revolution, the belief that, historically, capi - fought Stalinism to the death of the rearguard rant, historically freakish and unviable Stalinist talism has outlived itself. Bolsheviks, was only infant Stalinism. The anti- bureaucratic collectivism which in the mid-twentieth These conditions helped many ex-Stalinists mutate Stalinist Bolsheviks were fighting against their other century had seemed to many to be the alternative to into born-again advocates of bourgeois democracy and self. capitalism. capitalism — something, all in all, better than their for - In fact, in all this, the triumphant bourgeoisie has The twentieth century crisis of capitalism (and the mer Stalinist political personae. Working class democ - merely appropriated the core lies of Stalinism. The failure of the left) knocked out of post-Trotsky racy was never even potentially real for those power- story is demonstrably nonsense — nonsense as ridicu - Trotskyism the “evolutionary floor” which Marx and worshippers, and naturally they do not regard it as a lous as Stalin’s indictment of the old Bolsheviks in the Engels gave to communism. Socialist revolution possibility. mid-thirties as having been working for British and became not a matter of the positive development and But the world working class is expanding; it has, other intelligence services when they were leading the education of the working class movement, but a quasi- maybe, doubled in size over the last 30 years. That is, 1917 Revolution! mechanical consequence of the ever-present “crisis” as capitalism is rearing up armies of its own gravedig - Yet aspects of the post-Stalinist left, for instance the soon as general mass discontent and the building of a gers. “Objective conditions” would have allowed us to accommodation of the kitsch-left to Islamist terrorism, revolutionary-party “machine” should rise high achieve a great deal than we have. have been as if designed to prove the bourgeois ideo - enough. We have seen not a revival of the left, but a riot of logues’ point. The post-Trotskyist movement went through its own bourgeois triumphalism, and a continuing, indeed, long “Third Period”. Proletarian revolution was UTOPIANISM STILL CENTRAL increasing, accelerated, disarray and decline — politi - 2. always imminent or in process. Strange and alien phe - cal, moral, intellectual decline — of the “actually exist - nomena — in the first place, those of Stalinism — were misidentified as aspects of it. That was an aspect of ing” left. he great and prolonged crisis of capitalism in the In so far as the bulk of the would-be left has rede - twentieth century properly roused revolutionary reversion to utopianism. fined itself, it has in the last decade been in terms of an TMarxists to the idea that the eras of peaceful and pro - The orthodox Trotskyists built on Trotsky’s identifi - alliance with one of the most reactionary forces on the gressive capitalist development were gone forever. cation of the USSR as a “degenerated” workers’ state planet, “political Islam”, or Islamic clerical fascism. “The point was to change it”, to overthrow it now: and their own definition of the new Stalinist states as The rise after 11 September 2001 of international that was all. The philosophers had interpreted History; “deformed” workers’ states to shed Trotsky’s idea that “anti-imperialist” terrorism by Islamic clerical-fascist and History had favourably pronounced on the Stalinist Russia was an unviable freak social formation movements, and the invasions of Afghanistan and philosophers with the seeming collapse of capitalism. that would in the short term collapse, either before Iraq, threw the remnants of the left into a mortal polit - The point was to change it — and that narrowed down bourgeois onslaught or working-class revolution, or ical and ideological crisis. into “Build the Revolutionary Party”. have to be reconceptualised as a new form of exploita - In retrospect, the collapse and disarray in the left This idea persisted long after the crisis that tive class society (see The USSR In War , and Again And after 1991 was understandable, and inevitable, after unleashed it was over and long after history had taken Once More On The Nature Of The USSR , both in In the way the left had been shaped in previous decades. unexpected turns, with the consolidation of Russian Defence Of Marxism ). They moved to an implicit accept - Though the old European Stalinism, holding state Stalinism, and the spread of Stalinism across one third ance of “socialism in one country” — the development power, is dead, socialists, including the heirs of the of the globe. of the USSR, and now other backward states of anti-Stalinists, live still in the grip of the moral, politi - The perspective of hopeless capitalist collapse was Stalinism, in parallel with and eventually outstripping, cal and intellectual chaos created by Stalinism. The kept in place by the dominant “orthodox” Trotskyist advanced capitalism [note 2]. moral and political crisis of the present-day left is fun - doctrine that the Stalinist states were “post-capitalist”, They relegated Trotsky to the status of a posthumous damentally a confusion of ideas, of identity, of an unex - the deformed embodiment of a still developing and utopian savant. The “word” was given, thereafter in plored, and often startlingly unknown, history, and of expanding albeit distorted proletarian world revolu - capitalism no progress was possible. Capitalism was our language of politics. tion, and thus proof that it was still “the age of wars unconditionally and universally reactionary. That then The crisis of the would-be left today consists in the and revolutions”. It persisted despite capitalist revival meant: reactionary against Stalinism — and has now continued influence within it, in its ways of seeing the and prosperity in the most advanced countries, and come to mean: reactionary against no matter whom. world, of un-purged and essentially unrecognised fast capitalist growth in many poorer countries. For the post-Trotsky ‘orthodox Trotskyists’, the basic Stalinist politics, patterns, attitudes. This is true of Long before the fall of European Stalinism, and socialist democratic programme of self-determination most of these who think they stand in the Trotsky tra - Francis Fukuyama’s thesis, derived from it, that we and opposition to colonialism came to be submerged dition, too. had reached “the end of history”, post-Trotsky into the notion of Stalinist deformed revolution in The all-shaping fact about the post-Stalinist left, Trotskyists had applied a similar idea to capitalism. backward parts of the world such as China. including most of the left that sees its own roots in the History, they thought, had reached a point beyond “Imperialism” was the advanced capitalist states, as antipode of Stalinism, Trotsky’s movement, is that it is which almost everything in advanced capitalism was counterposed to the states and movements of not in fact, in real political life, post-Stalinist. Stalinism reactionary. The SWP-UK had its own dialect of this Stalinism, and allied with Stalinism, which embodied still shapes it and still ruins it. Now, in the new era of idea, a core idea of its sectarianism — a thesis that “anti-imperialism”. Class criteria, and Marxist pro - capitalist crisis, and the new age of austerity, that when world capitalism became ripe for socialism, grammes, were subverted and destroyed. Stalinist shaping threatens to make the left as sterile thereafter everything capitalist became reactionary From a loss of historic perspective here has followed and impotent as it was in the last two-thirds of the [note 1]. It was the method of the great utopian social - the all-shaping negativism of the “left” towards twentieth century. ists — once the socialist idea has been invented, every - advanced capitalism. The power of the idea that capitalism was in its death 16 SOLIDARITY SOCIALISM

agony to motivate and mobilise made it of great value to apparatus Marxists. Trotsky once recommended the idea for its mobilising powers — he did not mean, fal - sify reality so as to be able to use it! Our alternative to capitalism is a socialism that retains, spreads and deepens the conquests of bour - geois civilisation from the Renaissance and earlier onwards. These include rational, critical, realistic assessments of our world, of our alternative to capital - ism, of ourselves. That too was often lost. We need to remind ourselves of the fundamental ideas of Marxist socialism, which I outlined in part two of this series. For Marxists advanced capitalism is the irreplaceable mother of our socialism. (And not a good mother: a poisonous old harridan-spider who has repeatedly eaten her own young! Or tries her best to!) Socialism has become possible only because capitalism has creat - ed a mass proletariat and, created means of production which, liberated of the drives and unreason of capital - ism, can create abundance for all in the basics of life. We base our socialist programme on this Marxist idea of the necessary evolution of capitalist society, of Balkans War was a turning point for the left its forces of production, as the irreplaceable ground- preparer for socialism; on the social, intellectual and political preparation of the proletariat through both early Communist International and had support in the Yet others were one-sided pacifists, or old style capitalist evolution and communist education and Algerian trade union movement and among Algerian Neanderthal anti-Germans, like Tony Benn. They spent organisational work, to make it able to seize power in trade unionists in France. The International Socialist the war re-enacting a foolish parody of the sort of capitalist society. League (Shachtman); the Cannon segment of the split Stalinist antics that over decades destroyed independ - These “evolutionary” aspects of modern commu - orthodox-Trotskyist world movement, including the ent working-class politics. nism were central to the contribution of Marx and Lambertists in France; the SWP’s predecessor Socialist The state of the British left at the start of the 21st cen - Engels and their school of politics. They have largely Review, and Healy’s group in Britain, which published tury was most horribly depicted in the demagogic, been lost by the kitsch Left. a pamphlet with a portrait of Messali Hadj on the cover one-sidedly pacifistic “anti-imperialism” which it 3. ABSOLUTE ANTI -CAPITALISM : THE POVERTY — they all backed Messali, against the more recently deployed to build that pro-Milosevic “stop the war” emerged and formally more right-wing and initially movement in April-June 1999. OF “ANTI -IMPERIALISM ” purely nationalist FLN. In an overflow meeting at the Friends Meeting For some of them, Messali was their substitute for a House on the Euston Road, the CND Catholic ex- ot only has the present-day “anti-Stalinist” Communist Party, and for the Stalinists who had Bishop Bruce Kent denounced the then Minister of would-be left has taken into itself many of the already made “deformed” “socialist” revolutions in Defence George Robertson, a man of Scottish working Npolitical features of old Stalinism. Some of the ideas Yugoslavia, China and North Vietnam. class background, in the tone and manner of a Duchess and attitudes of the would-be left now are starkly The Pablo-Mandel orthodox-Trotskyists backed the talking of a careless dustbin man, as “that l-i-t-t-l-e more irrational than were these ideas in their other nationalist organisation, the FLN, the eventual man!” Stalinist version. rulers of Algeria. The central “demand” of the anti-war movement of Ideas that made their own sense when the supposed - It became known that the MNA was putting up 1999 was for NATO to stop the war before it had ly socialist or travelling-towards-socialism USSR was much less of a fight than the FLN, and eventually, secured its immediate objective of forcing the Serbs in at the centre of a world view — for instance, the around 1958, that in some areas it had arrangements of Kosova to desist and withdraw their troops. Translated absolute hostility to advanced capitalism, and auto - coexistence with the occupying French forces. There into the real political world, that meant: let the Serbs matic support for the “camp” in conflict with it — are are perhaps parallels with the rival anti-German forces get on with it! in early-1940s Yugoslavia, Stalinist and Chetnik- rendered utterly nonsensical now that the USSR is no D. THE IRAQ ANTI -WAR MOVEMENT more. No socialist can even half-seriously believe that Royalist, and with the two IRAs of the 1970s, the Iran or Taliban-ruled Afghanistan show a desirable Stalinist-led “Official Republicans” and the initially future to humankind, as the devotees of Stalinist right-wing breakaway, the “Provisional IRA”. hree years later in Britain the same people recy - Russia thought they could. In the polemical war between the different cled their “anti-war movement” as an opposition The easiest way into the maze of post-Stalinist polit - Trotskyists, the Pablo-Mandel group eventually won Tto war with Iraq. ical remnants in the contemporary left is to deal first hands down against the champions of the MNA and Now they took on the colours of the Ba’th Party — with one of the would-be left’s all-shaping “positions” Messali. I know of no balance sheet drawn up by any Galloway on the platforms left no doubt of that — and — the centrality of “anti-imperialism”. of the champions of Messali and the MNA. after the occupation of Iraq, of the “resistance” which The anti-imperialist politics that seemed to triumph they supported there, made up of Sunni supremacists, A. VIETNAM then, of unconditional solidarity with those leading the Al Qaeda, and other clerical fascists, including, on and anti-imperialist fight irrespective of politics, dominat - off, the Shia-based Sadr movement. ed the left thereafter. This experience was fed into the he would-be left of today is rooted in the “1968 The Iraq anti-war movement of 2002-3 consisted of a Left”. It was right for that 1968 left to oppose the anti-Vietnam war movement by Trotskyist groups number of very large demonstrations. Vast numbers of TVietnam war and fight to end it — right to side influenced greatly by their experience over Algeria, people came out to proclaim that they did not want against America in Vietnam, to express horror at a and by the IS organisation, the future SWP-UK [note 3]. war, or, after the war, the occupation of Iraq. A smaller very savage war, at mechanised destruction rained C. THE NEW TURN IN THE 1999 WAR AGAINST number came out to protest against Israel in the Israel- down by the greatest power on earth on a peasant Hezbollah war of August 2006. people, at the prospect that “victory” against the SERBIA The ongoing campaign, between demonstrations Stalinists would have required “bombing Indo- and long after they had passed, consisted of a group of China into the stone age”, or “destroying it in order people with politics that were not necessarily those of The confusionist politics of the would-be left on to save it”, as a US major said of a Vietnamese city in the marchers: the Communist Party of Britain, the “imperialism” stretches way back, and is rooted in the 1968. Socialist Workers Party, the Muslim Association of selective anti-imperialism of the Stalinist movement. But in the left reshaped by opposition to the Vietnam Britain (which proudly proclaimed its links to the But something new emerged — or new in the clarity in war and “reconstructed” by “1968” and after, there was Muslim Brotherhood), George Galloway MP, the long- which events posed the issues — in the Balkans war of a powerful strain of reactionary anti-imperialism. It time voice in Britain of the fascistic Saddam Hussein 1999. It was the prelude to the would-be left’s craziness was no accident that know-nothing western Maoists regime in Iraq, and others. with political Islam after 9/11. played such a big part in the anti-war movement. Its These gave the campaign its slogans and rallying By way of campaigning “against the war”, NATO’s slogans — like “Victory to the NLF” — implied posi - cries and, so to speak, constituted the face and voice of war, and “against imperialism”, that is against the tively siding with the Stalinists. It was a formative, the anti-war movement: they also (the SWP mainly) NATO powers, which made war to stop genocide in reshaping experience, saturated as it was with mil - provided the many thousands of placards distributed Kosova, the would-be left actively sided with the prim - lenarian expectations for the victory of the socialist rev - to marchers. Thus they determined that the demon - itive Serb ethno-imperialism of Slobodan Milosevic olution, soon. For the orthodox Trotskyist ancestors of strations had a markedly Islamist and anti-Israel and worked to whip up an “anti-war movement” in the present left (the writer amongst them), there was dimension, demanding the destruction of Israel in such support of those engaged in a war to kill or drive out much of political indifference about Stalinism: ”don’t slogans as “Palestine must be free — from the river to the Albanian population (over 90%) of Serbia’s colony, confuse me with complexities”. the sea” — often carried by young people who had not Kosova. grasped the implications of such slogans. B. THE ALGERIAN WAR AND OPPOSITION TO IT Some did this because they had not quite got rid of It became a pro-Islamist “anti-war movement” after the idea that the Milosevic regime, the most Stalinist of 2002, although, when it had first taken shape in 1999, all the successor regimes in the former Stalinist states, its SWP core had made it into a murderously anti- ietnam came a decade after an earlier shaping was somehow “still” progressive, or even still “social - Muslim movement... experience for the modern left, the Algerian war ist”. of liberation against France. The SWP-UK’s “Respect (George Galloway)” party, V Others — the SWP — simply thought that a big anti- On that, much of the revolutionary left tried to exer - rooted in the anti-war movement, campaigned in the war movement on any basis would rouse young peo - cise political judgement as between Algerian organisa - 2004 Euro-election as “fighters for Muslims”. ple to action and thus help build up the forces of the tions — which were engaged in a bloody rivalry — and The chameleon political quick-change antics would SWP. So the crowd came in response to their demagog - backed the “left-wing” of the national liberation move - denote utter political disorientation even without any ic agitation, they cared not what came to the ment, the MNA, led by Messali Hadj. Albanians... Messali was understood to have had links with the Continued on page 18 SOLIDARITY 17 SOCIALISM

of the “anti-imperialist” extravagances that went with The economy stifled, haemorrhaging people. workers of the advanced world. Or as “anti-imperial - them. “Partial” anti-imperialism of that populist and ist” movements in which communist working class nationalist sort is, in general, regressive and reac - local forces, allied to, augmented and in part defined in E DIFFERENT IMPERIALISMS AND DIFFERENT . tionary. It is of limited effectiveness and duration. In their political character by their links with the world “ANTI -IMPERIALISMS ” some cases it is possible for industry to grow up movement, could compete with reactionary “anti- behind “nursery tariffs”, as in its day 19th century imperialists” for political and social dominance, and German industry did; but generally the populist anti- shape the movement into a working-class-led anti-cap - There are many different sorts of imperialism, and imperialism does not even lay foundations on which italist “permanent revolution”. The Comintern did not therefore of anti-imperialism, in history. Up to the mid - the economy can build once reintegrated into the inter - expect that the colonies would become independent dle of the 20th century, and in some cases beyond, the national division of labour from which it has with - under capitalism — least of in a world in which com - world was divided into great colonial empires — drawn to one extent or another. munism has disappeared as a mass force. British, French, Belgian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian. At best it proposes more or less serious interim ame - Today, “anti-imperialism” is often only a detached Russia waged the last of the old-style wars of colonial liorations — protectionism, nationalisation of foreign fragment of the programme of the Communist conquest for the decade after it invaded Afghanistan, owned industries, etc. It aims to strengthen “national” International. The frame and the prospect of short or in 1979. capitalism against “foreign” capitalism. These amelio - medium term working-class victory is no longer part That colonial imperialism has gone out of existence, rations may in themselves be worthwhile, play impor - of it, except in the heads of people who shout about as a result of revolt against the rulers, or because the tant roles in developing the economy of a given state “permanent revolution”, not as a strategic orientation rulers found continued occupation unprofitable. In the for a period, in changing the relative places of develop - in which the working class can really fight for power, capitalist world after World War Two, the USA exerted ing states, but “imperialism” will not in that way be but as a magic mantra. It is a foolish mystifications and a great pressure on the old colonial empires to liqui - overthrown. Other than the proletarian revolution no in practice a mechanism for accommodation — and de date; using its superior economic power, it stopped the anti-imperialist programme exists except a reactionary facto political submission to — alien class and political British-French-Israeli “Suez Adventure”, the invasion one, more or less reactionary according to the degree of forces. Forces, it needs to be said bluntly, that are some - of Egypt in 1956. regression to economic autarky. times reactionary compared to a straightforward capi - To an important extent the repression of peoples that We live in a world where the most important victims talist society. Iran, and its 1979 revolution, is the semi - was a routine part of colonial imperialism continues, of imperialism in the time of Lenin’s and Trotsky’s nal modern experience here. now worked by the successor states, many of them Communist International, India and China are becom - In Iran, the clerical-fascists have been in power 30 bureaucratic administrative units, not nations, created ing super-powers... In which Iran, occupied as late as years and will rule for some incalculable time yet. by colonialism, to contain “alien” segments of the 1946 (by Britain and Russia), and Iraq, a British protec - For the kitsch anti-imperialists of the would-be left, it state’s population. torate until fifty years ago (1958), long ago grew to be is not enough to criticise the great powers, tell the full Against old colonial imperialism, the Communist competing regional imperialisms, and spent most of truth about their goals and methods, and the conse - International advocated struggle for national inde - the 1980s locked in a World War One-style regional quences of what they do — in Iraq now, for the perti - pendence, led by “revolutionary” nationalists or by the imperialist war of attrition, with horrendous World nent example. They believe that “Leninist”, “anti- Communist Party, or both in alliance. This was seen as War One-level casualties on both sides. imperialist” political virtue demands that they side part of the movement towards world revolution and In this world, the residual elements of “anti-colonial - explicitly with the enemies of their “imperialist” ene - the global removal of capitalism, in which the working ism” will be auxiliary and subordinate to working- mies, no matter how reactionary is what they counter - class, especially the working class of the advanced class socialist anti-imperialism. Otherwise “anti-impe - pose to imperialism and its Iraqi allies. They also coun - countries considered ripe for socialism, would be the rialism” becomes a siding with anything else against terpose their “anti-imperialism” to the working-class protagonist and leader of the rest of the plebeian pop - the dominant capitalist powers, and comes to include communist version of anti-imperialism. ulation. The proletarian revolution was the central siding with lesser, weaker imperialisms and regional Slogans have become detached from their conscious “anti-imperialism”, the answer to the domination of imperialisms, like Iran or Iraq. meaning; they have turned into fetishes — into things the world by the rich countries We are against imperialism as such, on the lines with more of the nature of religious mysticism to them With the liquidation of old colonialism, what is sketched by the Second Congress of the Comintern? than rationally deployed political tools. “Troops Out imperialism? Primarily, the workings of the capitalist Yes, but the point is that “anti-imperialism” is not an Now” is a pointed way of siding with the enemies of world market. What, now, is anti-imperialism? It is the absolute imperative, not outside of context, not outside our enemies, of calling for their defeat. Sometimes it working class anti-capitalist revolution! of the concrete truths of world politics. The Comintern can be a reductio ad absurdum of self-determination, Against the “imperialism of free trade, and econom - theses themselves made a modification, an exception, conceived of as progress. ic might, and military clout”, of the USA now, the only insisting on “the need to combat pan-Islamism and It is a purely negative thing here: another sloganistic feasible, serious, real “anti-imperialism” is inseparable similar trends, which strive to combine the liberation fetish-object. The idea of self determination is separat - from working-class anti-capitalism. movement against European and American imperial - ed from the whole complex of ideas and goals, and Against colonialism and military occupation, anti- ism with an attempt to strengthen the positions of the... processes which, for Marxists and in the Marxist pro - colonial struggle for self-determination has definable, mullahs, etc.” gramme, it is part. There is no time-perspective; no reachable, achievable, limited objectives. The anti- idea of letting things develop until they become — or F CHAMELEON ANTI IMPERIALISM imperialism which denounces ineradicable aspects of . - may become — more favourable to a desirable positive the natural and necessary relationship of capitalist outcome. The negative-only outlook devours that states where the world market is God — which con - ameless, class-less, anti-imperialism, specifying dimension. Here too the lack of historic perspective is demns inequalities of wealth and what goes with only what it is against, is in existing conditions a all-devouring! them, which denounces state egotism and self-aggran - trap and a snare. It is not the “anti-imperialists’” indignation against disement — is, if translated into the realities of our N Despite the froth-at-the-mouth hostility to “imperial - advanced capitalist society and power politics which world, denouncing capitalism. ism”, it is only as progressive or otherwise as the “anti- socialists reject, but their crazily improvised alliances Populist anti-imperialism, as distinct from working- imperialist” forces it identifies with. Anti-imperialism and the alternatives which their allies propose, and class anti-imperialism, denounces capitalism in a mys - is only a negative, and, so to speak, politically translu - which they — to put at its weakest — “go along with”. tified and mystifying, and fundamentally confused cent, undefined, shading in politics. It is a form of The craziest current example is the support by some and incomplete, way. It does not propose to overthrow chameleonism, taking on the colours of the chosen of the would-be left of the “right” of the ruling Iranian capitalism, and hence has no serious anti-imperialist “anti-imperialist” forces, including lesser imperialisms mullahs to have nuclear weapons! Iranian self-deter - programme. in conflict with the USA. mination and “independence” demands the further As the Theses of the Second World Congress of the Pure and simple negativism towards the USA and proliferation of nuclear weapons, and in particular Communist International noted in 1920, the unequal the advanced capitalist countries can and does lead their possession by the mystics of a clerical-fascist weight of different independent countries is as natural those “anti-imperialists” — people operating by emo - regime, some of whom, certainly, are capable of want - a consequence of market relationships as is inequality tion, positive but above all negative, without a map of ing nuclear annihilation for the greater glory of Allah in wealth between formally equal citizens within a the political terrain in which they operate or a living and their own ascent into a Hollywood bordello-heav - bourgeois democracy. It can perhaps be ameliorated in conception of a socialist “destination” — into self- en. both cases, but then the inequalities pile up again. It is righteous political reactionism. They take on the colour Those who accept as “anti-imperialist” progress the like hacking down grass, that is densely seeded and of the “anti-imperialists” (including real or aspirant various strands of anti-western politics and military abundantly watered: the effect is soon undone by lesser imperialisms, for example again Iraq or Iran). campaigns, rampant in and around the Muslim world, nature, so long as seeds and roots remain in place. The same approach would have led them in World War and to an extent in the countries of western Europe Populist nationalists at most aspire to or attempt to Two to back Japan, the fundamentally weak and less wherever Muslims are a sizeable part of the population create “economic independence” — autarky. That too developed imperialist power; and Japan talked of — they are “reactionary anti-imperialists”, like those is limited in its possibilities, economically regressive, “Asia for the Asians” and of itself as embodying that they reflect. and unsustainable. It was the policy of ruling Stalinists course. — Trotsky itemised as one of Stalinism’s most reac - G. LENIN ’S CRITIQUE OF “ANTI -IMPERIALISM ” In our world, chameleon “anti-imperialism” neces - tionary aspects its policy of cutting off from the world sarily signifies not only residual struggles for national market, as distinct from regulating and controlling independence, but also, and more powerfully, the anti- t the same time as Lenin denounced the “high relations with it. imperialism and “anti-capitalism” of people who reject imperialism” of his day, condemning it as having For decades now, populist nationalists in Latin everything socialists see as progressive in capitalism led ineluctably to the catastrophe of World War One, America have been denouncing “Yankee imperialism”. A and liberal-democratic bourgeois society, everything he also criticised the different sorts of anti-imperi - What can they do against imperialism, as populist on which we must build socialism — religious maniacs alisms, as Marx and Engels had criticised the differ - “anti-imperialists”? Not a lot, and nothing fundamen - of the various currents of political and fundamentalist ent socialisms and anti-capitalisms in their day (the tal. Islam. Many of them consciously support regional Communist Manifesto). That sort of “anti-imperialism” ruled in independent imperialisms such as Iran and Iraq, and not a few of “There is not, nor can there be, such a thing as a ‘negative’ Ireland for the quarter century before 1958. It implied them pine for the restoration of the pre-1918 Turkish Social-Democratic slogan that serves only to ‘sharpen prole - autarky, cutting off from the international division of Empire — “the Caliphate”! tarian consciousness against imperialism’. A negative slo - labour. From 1958, the same politicians who set it up, When the Communist International codified its gan unconnected with a definite positive solution will not with the same individual in the lead, Sean Lemass, guiding principles on such things, the victory of “rev - ‘sharpen’, but dull consciousness, for such a slogan is a hol - began to dismantle it. olutionary nationalists” could be seen as a part of a low phrase, mere shouting, meaningless declamation”. Behind high tariff walls, it created some native small general movement against imperialism spearheaded “The bourgeoisie makes it its business to promote trusts, industries, which couldn’t compete internationally. by the drive against capitalism of the Communist drive women and children into the factories, subject them to

18 SOLIDARITY SOCIALISM

corruption and suffering, condemn them to extreme poverty. their criticism of capitalist industrial society and its sion of the same attitudes. We do not ‘demand’ such development, we do not ‘support’ bourgeois rulers with a perspective of the development During World War One, Trotsky wrote: “Let us for a it. We fight it. But how do we fight? We explain that trusts of the actual, real, evolving society which they lived in moment admit that German militarism succeeds in and the employment of women in industry are progressive. and criticised. actually carrying out the compulsory half-union of We do not want a return to the handicraft system, pre- They had a positive alternative to offer, though one Europe, just as Prussian militarism once achieved the monopoly capitalism, domestic drudgery for women. historically, and in terms of social development, behind half-union of Germany, what would then be the central Forward through the trusts, etc., and beyond them to social - existing society. In part it was an imaginary older sys - slogan of the European proletariat? ism!” tem they advocated — an utopia, based on idealisation “Would it be the dissolution of the forced European “Imperialism is as much our ‘mortal’ enemy as is capital - of what had once existed. They were radical critics of coalition and the return of all peoples under the roof of ism. That is so. No Marxist will forget, however, that capi - capitalist society too alienated to do much about it. The isolated national states? Or the restoration of tariffs, talism is progressive compared with feudalism, and that criticism of Thomas Carlyle, a political reactionary and ‘national’ coinage, ‘national’ social legislation, and so imperialism is progressive compared with pre-monopoly cap - of John Ruskin was used in anti-capitalist educational forth? Certainly not. italism. Hence, it is not every struggle against imperialism work until well into the twentieth century.) “The program of the European revolutionary move - that we should support. We will not support a struggle of the The would-be left has, by way of accommodation to ment would then be: The destruction of the compulso - reactionary classes against imperialism; we will not support “anti-capitalists” like clerical-fascist Islam, taken over ry anti-democratic form of the coalition, with the an uprising of the reactionary classes against imperialism this reactionary, critical, alienated, impotent role of the preservation and furtherance of its foundations, in the and capitalism”. reactionary socialists of the 19th century. Does it have form of complete annihilation of tariff barriers, the uni - If we support national uprisings against imperial an “ideal”? Nothing so worked out as that of the fication of legislation, above all of labour laws, etc. In rule, wrote Lenin — and we do — then that is not just “back-there-somewhere” reactionary socialists. other words, the slogan of the United States of Europe because we are “against” imperialism, but because we The severe rejection of utopianism by Marx and his — without monarchy and standing armies — would are positively for national freedom. followers restrains the elaboration by would-be under the foregoing circumstances become the unify - When Marxists, continuing the policy of the anti- Marxists of ideal societies. So the alternative is defined ing and guiding slogan of the European revolution”. imperialism of early twentieth century Marxism and only negatively. And that opens the way for even cler - Trotsky underestimated the degree of nationalist communism, support even the most undeveloped vic - ical fascism to be embraced — or at least to be held recoil from such a German-imposed European unifica - tims of capitalism against their advanced capitalist- hands with — on the basis of the single cardinal virtue tion, but the whole approach is enormously instructive imperialist conquerors, would-be conquerors, mal - of being against “imperialism” . in a world in which opposition to the European Union treaters and exploiters — for example, the Ethiopians But, aside from and as well as the effects on it of and to European unification under the bourgeoisie has under the leadership of the feudal monarch, Haile accommodating to reactionary anti-capitalist or “anti- for decades been a “left-wing” article of faith. Selassie against the Italian invasion in 1935 — we do imperialist” forces, the kitsch leftists are made into To be continued. not adapt to, and still less do we idealise, such forces sterile critics like the “reactionary socialists” by a too- and their dominant views of the world. We do not all-cutting-off negativism towards capitalist society — NOTES champion such views against the typical world out - the society on which, in the Marxist perspective, we looks of advanced capitalism. must build to erect our socialism. This is one of the pre- We do what we do from our own class viewpoint on requisites of their accommodation to Islamic clerical 1. See Tony Cliff’s Russia — A Marxist Analysis . The claim history, on advanced capitalism, and on what pro - fascism. that all capitalist development had become reactionary was grammatically we fight for as an alternative. Cliff’s way of avoiding, ducking, the conclusion which Those who uphold reactionary anti-imperialism on I. OPPOSITION TO EUROPEAN UNITY implicitly saturated his own version of state capitalist analy - the left today conflate that old communist policy with sis of Stalinism — that the Stalinist economic system, present - idealising and glorifying anti-US forces and accepting ed by him as better-developing than “western” capitalism, he most long-standing example of the regressive was therefore relatively progressive. them as a viable programmatic alternative to capitalist — archaic-nationalist, right wing — character of imperialism. His picture of Russian Stalinism paralleled that developed Tthe would-be left is the way that a large part of it has by the orthodox Trotskyists. It was, beneath the name “state For some of those who tried to build an anti-war made opposition to a capitalist European Union a movement in support of the Serbian regime of capitalism”, one of its dialects of the orthodox Trotskyist central policy, indeed a principle. account. Russian Stalinism had, he wrote, quoting the assess - Slobodan Milosevic over Kosova in 1999, “anti-imperi - “No to the Bosses’ Europe — Yes to the Socialist ment by Marx and Engels of early capitalism in the alism” came to mean condoning attempted genocide United States of Europe”, the slogan of the Trotskisant Communist Manifesto, created wonders greater than any of because it was done by a “progressive” regime left, sounds good, but in practice it means and, in the the wonders of the ancient world. When he finally arrived in opposed by “imperialism”... absence of immediate prospects of a European work - 1963 at a general theory of state capitalism which supposed - The way that much of the left today courts and flat - ing-class revolution, must mean, supporting the con - ly unified his radically different theories of state capitalism in ters Islamist clerical fascism, painting up its “anti- tinuation or re-erection of barriers between countries Russian and in China, it was that state capitalism was the imperialism”, etc., is the clearest and most terrible in Europe. only way that backward countries could develop. The role of example here. The Communist International never did For the pioneers in this question, the Communist state capitalism in underdeveloped countries was analogous that, nor did the Fourth International of Trotsky. Nor Parties and their sympathisers, and the USSR which to the role of the bourgeoisie in the development of ordinary even, for a very long time the Fourth International after guided them, that is what they wanted it to mean. capitalism in Europe. It was progressive? Yes by the logic of Trotsky, despite its partial political disorientation, and Their de facto advocacy of the continued what he wrote, and by the logic of his historical analogies. But its putting “The Colonial Revolution” at the centre of “Balkanisation” of Europe flowed from their opposi - he avoided that conclusion with the cancelling out statement its conception of an ongoing socialist revolution, tion to that which gave the movement to a united that because world capitalism was ripe for socialism, there - Stalinist-led “for now”. We never abandoned or subor - Europe much of its impetus — Europe as an effective fore this state capitalism, though it was developing the means dinated our critical attitude to, and political war antagonist of the USSR. Described candidly, it was lit - of production in a large part of the world, could not be pro - against alien, non-working class, criticisms of imperial - erally opposition to progress outside Russia, outside gressive. It was reactionary. The conclusion was entirely arbi - trary. ism. the “utopian socialist” colony. 2. So, after about 1947, did the heterodox Trotskyists of the In the 1960s and 70s, anti-EUism came to be part of H. ANTI -IMPERIALISM SHADES INTO REACTIONARY Workers Party/ISL, when Max Shachtman abandoned the Trotskisant left in the 1960s and ‘70s, for whom it ANTI -CAPITALISM Trotsky’s idea — which he had maintained despite deciding never made any political sense higher than keeping in that Russia was a new form of class society — that the USSR with the “big battalions” of the pseudo-left. was historically unviable. He came to see it as a viable alter - hat Marx and Engels, in the Communist Socialists and the labour movement cannot be conso - native to capitalism — indeed, to believe that it was winning Manifesto called “reactionary socialism” was nant with our own history and oppose the unification in the competition with capitalism and inevitably would win Wthe view of much of the traditional right at the time of Europe, even by the bourgeoisie, when the immedi - if a working class socialist revolution did not in good time of the Communist Manifesto. Strong strands of it can ate and short-term alternative is the old state system. replace capitalism. The battle between socialism and the be found in political Islam, as in Catholic-Christian Within the bourgeois moves to unification we, of looming threat of world Stalinism was what the old slogan clerical fascism. course, have our own programme — working-class “socialism or barbarism” now meant. If Shachtman was It was and never entirely ceased to be an aspect of unity across the fading frontiers, democratic structures “revisionist” vis a vis Trotsky and the Marxist tradition upon the Catholic Church. For example, even the mildly pro- and procedures. which he stood, it was here not in seeing the USSR as a new Nazi Pope Pius XII, whose church in Europe after the The Socialist United States of Europe has been part of class society, but in seeing it as able to defeat capitalism by war organised and itself became a network of escape our programme since World War One showed the competition from its periphery. and temporary refuge for clerical-fascist collaborators bloody bankruptcy of the European state system, and 3. The point at which “anti-imperialism” came to be used with the Nazis, who were often mass murderers them - indeed before that. Because of the multifarious defeats by orthodox Trotskyists as a euphemism for the Stalinist rev - selves (the Croatian Ustashe, for example) — even Pius of communism, the working class did not unite olutions can perhaps be pin-pointed in the second month XII, in his Christmas message for 1942, called for “leg - Europe. after the start of the Korean War in June 1950. For over a islation [to] prevent the worker, who is or will be a After the Second World War, the bourgeoisie, faced month after the outbreak of the war, the American orthodox father of a family, from being condemned to an eco - with the looming power of Stalinist Russia, looked to Trotskyists, the SWP, hovered on the brink of a “third camp” nomic dependence and slavery which is irreconcilable unite Europe in their own bourgeois-bureaucratic way, position, refusing to back either side. They had too sharp an awareness of what Stalinist rule brought to people and to with his rights as a person. Whether this slavery arises taking as their model the Zollverein, the customs union working classes not to be inhibited in backing Russia’s proxy from the exploitation of private capital or from the set up after the Napoleonic Wars by the myriad small — North Korea. Their segment of the orthodox Trotskyists German states, which over decades prepared the way power of the state, the result is the same...” (He also, as would not conclude that China was a “deformed workers’ other parts of that Statement show, was one of the for the unification of most of Germany half a century state” until five years later. They were only just bringing legion of those then who thought that capitalism was later. themselves to accept the idea, against which they had first coming to an apocalyptic end.) “Left” opposition to the unification originated with fought bitterly, that the Stalinist satellite states in Europe The socialist who therefore would have looked to the the Stalinists. Right-wing social-democrats like Hugh were deformed workers’ states. They resolved their dilemma Pope and his subordinates as allies would have been a Gaitskell opposed British involvement, orienting and came down solidly on the side of North Korea by way of certifiable political idiot! instead to the British Empire and Commonwealth. The ignoring was specific to Stalinist societies and rechristening For the reactionary anti-capitalists whom Marx and trade union bureaucracy and the Labour left followed Korean Stalinism as “the colonial revolution” in the Korean Engels discuss in the Communist Manifesto, it was a suit, adding their own little Englandism and national peninsula. James P Cannon, after a month’s indecision, wrote matter of criticising modern industrial society and reformism. an open letter to the President and Congress of the USA wanting to go back to a pre-industrial time, back to an The would-be revolutionary left first adapted to demanding they stop their attack on the “colonial revolution” idealised Middle Ages or rule by enlightened kings mainstream trade-union and Stalinist-influenced atti - in Korea. “Anti-imperialism” allowed him to square the polit - and aristocrats. Its essence was an incapacity to link tudes, then moved to their own “revolutionary” ver - ical circle. SOLIDARITY 19 WORKERS ’ L IBERTY & S OLIDARITY Fighting management belligerence London firefighters have stepped up their campaign to save jobs and are striking from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 November. Their bosses are determined to force through new contracts and media and threatening to sack thousands of firefighters in order to do that. The media has called the strikers lazy and selfish. In truth firefighters are not only defending their jobs but also the safety of all Londoners. hysteria • More, centre pages. Picture: Stratford Fire Station Support London firefighters! AGAINST SOARING FEES AND CUTS Take direct action!

BY ED MALTBY National Union of Students and University gainst £9,000 a year tuition fees and massive cuts to and College Union teaching budgets, students DEMONSTRATION need to organise direct AGAINST THE CUTS action on as many campuses as possi - ble, while linking up with the work - Wednesday 11 November ers' movement. We need to deliver a 12 noon, Horse Guards Apolitical blow to the government and Avenue galvanise trade union as well as fur - Free Education contingent ther student anti-cuts struggles. On 3 November students at Goldsmiths University occupied Deptford Town Hall (part of 11am, ULUm Malet Street the university) in protest at the cuts Continued on page 5

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