So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 273 6 February 2013 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government Lewisham Hospital: Syriza: reverse Spielberg’s fighting on drift to the right! Lincoln myth page 3 pages 6-7 page 8 Chancellor George DON’ T LET Osborne: his Banking Reform Bill will barely touch the power and THE BANKS wealth of the banks Antony Jenkins, chief exec of scandal-struck Barclays: waiving a £1 mllion bonus - this year, GET AWAY anyway Stephen Hester, RBS chief exec, enjoys the Chancellor’s confidence. The bank faces a £500m WITH IT! fine for Libor rate-fixing More scandals: see page 5 2 NEWS What is the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty? Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of Fight saves a library production. Society is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to increase their wealth. Capitalism causes poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives By Vicki Morris community to continue run - opened the library, stocked librarian is a priority. ... the by overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the ning a library in the build - with donated books. funding offered by the environment and much else. Save Friern Barnet Library ing. They had planned to Against the accumulated wealth and power of the Throughout, the cam - council does not cover a full capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. campaigners are cele - sell the building. paigners have demanded time librarian, but as the The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity through brating partial victory in This climbdown result that the library remain inte - two year lease is negoti - struggle so that the working class can overthrow capitalism. We want their fight to save their from a two-year campaign grated with Barnet’s li - ated... this will be kept at socialist revolution: collective ownership of industry and services, local library, closed by by residents, given an braries, staffed by library the front of the conversa - workers’ control and a democracy much fuller than the present system, Barnet Council in April added boost recently by Oc - professionals, and paid for tion. We are strongly op - with elected representatives recallable at any time and an end to 2012. cupy London activists com - by the Council. posed to austerity and all bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. Barnet Council has ing to squat the building. The squatters lost their the cuts, especially to the li - With the existing Save We fight for the labour movement to break with “social partnership” agreed to give a two-year case against eviction in De - brary service.” and assert working-class interests militantly against the bosses. Friern Barnet Library lease to a group from the cember and were given a Barnet Council has now Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, Group, the squatters re- month to leave. supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, helping moved to cut most of its With time running out professional librarians — organise rank-and-file groups. before the library was due We are also active among students and in many campaigns and keeping a proper library to revert to the Council, the alliances. British troops go to Mali service in the borough will campaigners accepted, re - be a fight for all of us, not luctantly, that the only way We stand for: just for Friern Barnet. By Colin Foster French government talks to save it for the time being ● Independent working-class representation in politics. The Labour group will of withdrawing soon. was to put in a “community ● A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour have to be pushed to com - On 29 January the Gov - Full French withdrawal bid” to run a volunteer li - movement. mit to reintegrating the li - ● A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to strike, to ernment announced that any time soon still remains brary. The Council has brary into Barnet Libraries picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. up to 400 British troops unlikely. The Islamist mili - agreed, it seems, to pay ● Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education will be sent to Mali to tias have retreated from £25,000 a year running should it win the 2014 coun - cil elections. and jobs for all. help the French interven - the towns to the desert, costs. The partial victory of the ● A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full tion, and maybe for over rather than being defeated The local Tory adminis - Friern Barnet Library equality for women and social provision to free women from the burden a year. in combat. tration will try to paint this of housework. Free abortion on request. Full equality for lesbian, gay, A stable and widely- campaign is an inspiration The French troops have as a victory for the “Big So - to all anti-cuts campaign - bisexual and transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity accepted political settle - ciety” idea, but the cam - against racism. now taken control of all ers, but we know that ment in Mali is still paigners reject such a spin. ● Open borders. three main towns in the remote. much remains to be ● Global solidarity against global capital — workers everywhere have north-west of Mali, and the In a statement they say: fought for. more in common with each other than with their capitalist or Stalinist “... putting in place a paid rulers. ● Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or community to global social organisation. Oppose cuts at Whittington Hospital Freedom ● Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big and small. By Daniel Rawnsley 570 workers face redun - CAMPAIGN DATES ● Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. dancy and, in total, a third bookshop ● If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity to sell — More than 70 people at - of the hospital site is being • Tuesday 12 February, De - and join us! tended a meeting at Cam - put up for sale. fend Whittington Coalition The anarchist and radi - den Town Hall to discuss At the meeting Shirley Public Meeting, Archway cal East London book - Contact us: halting cuts at Whittington Franklin, chair of Defend Methodist Hall, Archway shop Freedom, linked Hospital in Islington. Whittington Coalition, said Close, 7.30pm. to the Freedom Press ● 020 7394 8923 ● [email protected] • Monday 18 February, publishing house Whittington Health Trust involving workers from the The editor (Cathy Nugent), 20e Tower Workshops, Riley hospital was “absolutely es - Campaign Organising Meet - founded in Whitechapel Road, London, SE1 3DG. Board wants to close in-pa - ing, Archway Methodist by Peter Kropotkin in tient wards and reduce bed sential”, but also an uphill ● Printed by Trinity Mirror struggle. Hall, Archway Close, 1886, was firebombed numbers for the elderly and She accused hospital 7.30pm. on the morning of Fri - new parents, close and sell management of intimidat - • Wednesday 27 February, day 1 February. off all staff accommodation, ing workers, saying they Lobby of Whittington Hos - No-one was hurt, but and cap births at the hospi - had warned them to stay Get Solidarity every week! tal at 4,000 a year. pital Board Meeting, 2pm, the store’s stock, and the away from the campaign. details TBC. o archives of the Freedom ● Trial sub, 6 issues £5 newspaper, were badly ● 22 issues (six months). £18 waged o damaged. It is not yet £9 unwaged o Special offer on books by AWL authors known who carried out ● 44 issues (year). £35 waged o n Three-pack: Antonio Gramsci: working-class revolutionary (ed: Martin Thomas); Working- the attack, but Freedom class politics and anarchism (ed: Ira Berkovic); and What is capitalism? Can has previously suffered £17 unwaged o attacks by Nazi groups ● European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) o it last? (ed: Cathy Nugent). Three books for £10 (plus £2.20 postage within due to its links with anti- UK) fascist activism. or 50 euros (44 issues) o The shop has Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: n Four-pack: Gramsci; Anarchism; Capitalism; and How Solidarity Can launched an appeal to 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG Change The World (ed: Sean Matgamna). Four books for £12 (plus £2.20 help pay for repairs. postage) Hip-hop artist Skribbo Cheques (£) to “AWL”. has released a mixtape, Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. n Five-pack: Gramsci; Anarchism; Capitalism; Solidarity; and either Fate of featuring Workers’ Lib - the Russian Revolution (ed: Sean Matgamna) or Treason of the Intellectuals erty member The Ruby Name . Kid, to support the ap - (by Sean Matgamna). Five books for £17 (plus £7.40 postage) peal. Address . n Six-pack: All six books for £20 (plus £8.30 postage). • “How you can help”, Buy online: www.workersliberty.org/bookoffer. Cheques to AWL, 20E Tower Workshops, Riley from Freedom’s website: . bit.ly/11FOVqq Rd, London SE1 3DG. For postage prices for destinations outside UK, email I enclose £ . • Download the “De - [email protected]. Offer lasts until 16 February. manding the Impossible” mixtape: bit.ly/URoklV 3 NHS Hunt announces Lewisham cuts. The fight continues By Jill Mountford, “An A&E of the type de - guments for solidarity in country facing crisis point, Save Lewisham scribed (by Hunt) is little support of the NHS. To put wondering what to do with Hospital Campaign more than an Urgent Care pressure on Unite and the the eye-watering deficits as unit. Patients will still have TUC to call a national a result of paying hand over organising committee to be transported to other demonstration in defence of fist on PFI contracts.