No 176 Spring 2001 40p Newspaper of the Spartacist League .;:;:;::::::::::::::.: .... No vote to Labour: imperialist butchers! For four years the Labour government has proven to be an effective instrument for administering British imperialism. As in the rest of Europe, social democrats Economist have spearheaded the dismantling of the "welfare state"; Blair, Jospin, Schroder destroy by neglect the legitimacy of the etc have been serving their imperialist Government that's been elected" (Times, masters well, dishing out all-round at­ 23 March). tacks on the working class and whipping Enter the Socialist Alliance (SA) up racist hysteria. With the Tories in which claims it marks "the most serious disarray, Blair's New Labour is again the socialist challenge to the Labour Party in preferred party of government for the more than a generation". The SA is ruling class. dominated by the reformist Socialist Following capitalist counterrevolution Workers Party (SWP) with other fake­ in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Trotskyist outfits in tow Sllch as Workers Europe, which wreaked economic and Power, the Alliance for Workers Liberty, social devastation, rivalries between the Socialist Outlook and the Socialist Party. imperialist powers have sharpened. With One look at its election programme, the world capitalist economies teetering Peter Macdiarmid which from start to fmish is pure reform­ on the brink of a major recession, passed draconian legislation to enforce tests were initiated by petty-bourgeois ist drivel such as "Tax the rich to rebuild rivalries will escalate over the long­ all of the above. Meanwhile, economic farmers and hauliers, we called for a the welfare state", purely within the sought-after prize - the restoration of depression and the attendant growth in tanker drivers strike which could have confines of capitalism and within the capitalism in China. Labour was the unemployment create a breeding ground transformed the massively popular pro­ shores of Britain, makes clear that their most bellicose of the NATO govern­ for fascism. Labour and Tory politicians tests into a mighty class battle against goal is to pressure Labour to reform ments during the Balkans War, which have whipped up racism to the point the hated Labour government. More capitalism. We say: No vote to the So­ had nothing to do with protecting the where the Council of Europe berated recently, the multiethnic workforce of cialist Alliance! Despite their pretensions Kosovo Albanians and everything to do them for creating a "xenophobic and London Underground has staged one­ to being a socialist alternative, they are with establishing a NATO imperialist intolerant" climate and murderous at­ day strikes against privatisation which not opposed to New Labour. The SWP's presence in the region. Labour joins with tacks against blacks, Asians and other brought the city to a standstill. line in areas where the SA do not have a US imperialism in bombing Iraq; like­ minorities are commonplace. Outra­ Blair wants to remodel Labour as an candidate (ie the vast majority of seats) wise Blair supports Bush's military geously, Britain's Chinese population openly bourgeois party along the lines of is: "Our approach in the coming election machinations against the Chinese de- has been scapegoated by the government the Democratic Party. Its support among should be 'vote Socialist where you can, . formed workers state, including "Star for the foot-and-mouth epidemic . workers has fallen dramatically and the vote Labour where you must' " (Interna­ Wars" missile defence. We say: Defend However, there are clear signs that the Labour "left" is defunct. Tony Benn, tional Socialism, Spring 2001). The So­ China against imperialist attack! working class across Europe has had leader of the Labour "left" for decades, cialist Alliance are pimps for Tony Blair, The infrastructure of British capitalist enough. The current wave of class strug­ now retiring, is worried that in the midst seeking to channel the heartfelt anger of society is crumbling: it is unsafe to eat gles in France is a clear example and in of aftger and disaffection among work­ workers, youth and minorities back into the food and dangerous to travel on the Britain last year's fuel blockade put the ers, youth and minorities, illusions in the rotten mould ofparliamentary poli­ trains. Labour's record includes British widely despised Labour government on parliamentarism have been eroded. As a tics and to refurbish Labour's image. Army rampage in Northern Ireland; the ropes. We supported the blockades parting shot to parliament (in addition to We also say no vote to the Scottish privatisation schemes for the health and the demand for lower fuel prices, saying "I love the place") he said: "The Socialist Party (SSP) who have joined service, London Underground and air which is in the direct interest of workers, real danger to democracy is not that forces with the Socialist Alliance to form traffic control; mass sackings and plant while by and large the pro-Labour "left" someone will bum Buckingham Palace a Britain-wide campaign. While the closures; tuition fees for students. In quaked in fear of this protest against and run up the Red Flag but people SA's campaign is restricted to England anticipation of resistance they have "their" government. Although the pro- won't vote. If people don't vote they continued on page 2 expropriate the capitalist class and begin mean by revolution. There are revolu­ adorning the statue of Winston Churchill Labour ... the implementation of a collectivised and tions going on - there's a revolution in . with a mohican hairdo, which sent Tory (Continued from page 1) rationally planned economy could not be education, the Internet revolution, a and Labour politicians ballistic. The more compelling. The issues which shopping revolution - we want to see denizens of the Socialist Alliance were and Wales, the SSP intends to stand in propel workers and youth into strug­ society reorganised, we want to revolu­ otherwise engaged, electioneering for all 72 Scottish constituencies. Together gle - racism, de-industrialisation, impe­ tionise society"! These latter-day Labour Ken Livingstone who, true to form, fully the SA and SSP will present candidates rialist bombing, increasing poverty­ "lefts" act1,1ally manage to make "Old backed the massive police operation in roughly 25 per cent of all Westminster cannot be resolved within the framework Labour" parliamentarians look flaming mobilised against the demonstrators. seats. The SSP is a thoroughly refonnist, of capitalism, nor within the confmes of pink! Polly Toynbee aptly captured the And today, although the SWP goes abso­ parliamentarist party, identical in most Britain itself. Our perspective is ali inter­ measure ofthese housetrained Labourites lutely ga-ga over demonstrations against respects to the components of the Social­ national one. We seek to mobilise work­ when she wrote that their "real aim is to so-called "globalisation" in Seattle, ist Alliance except that where the ers in a fight for their class interests, shift Labour policies" (Guardian, 2 Washington, Prague, Nice and Genova, English-based groups capitulate to La­ transcending national boundaries. This March). London's MayDay 2000 doesn't rate a bour, the SSP adapts to the bourgeois means mobilising' the working class in The Socialist Alliance's gross capitu­ mention, because it was anti-Labour. Scottish National Party, who have been opposition to all forms of Labourism. lation to their own bourgeoisie is crystal The SWP's purpose in orienting towards steadily gaining ground at the expense of At the press conference launching the clear: consciously removing any hint of "anti-capitalist" mobilisations is to sink Labour in Scotland. Socialist Alliance election campaign on opposition to British troops in Northern their parIiamentarist Labourite hooks We said no vote to Labour in 1997, I March we asked a few questions which Ireland; refusing to oppose the bombing into radical youth. Their Labourism does unlike all the groups who now form the embarrassed the assembled "socialists". of Serbia, the biggest military conflagra- not sit well with many youth who cer- Socialist Alliance. And again we say: No Noting that the call for withdrawal of vote to Labour, imperialist butchers! The British troops from Northern Ireland and Spartacist LeaguelBritain, section of the from the Balkans had appeared in an International Communist League, fights earlier draft programme but had disap­ for the construction of an internationalist peared from the version distributed to the revolutionary party to lead a revolution bourgeois press, our comrade asked if which will overthrow the archaic this was because it was controversial "United" Kingdom, dominated by south­ within the Alliance, or just not consid­ DOWN WITH ern England finance capital and served ered important. SA chairman Dave by "Her Majesty's" parliament. The Nellist of the Socialist Party refused to 'I\RIHjH/li5 strategic task of revolutionaries is to answer, even when pressed by Guardian break the working class politically from journalist Polly Toynbee, saying the MtUIAU5T the grip of Labour and from all illusions issue had not been decided. Needless to Ufai{ Sft1£IM:; in obtaining a better deal through parlia­ say their "priority policies for the general ment. Throughout the last century these election" do not mention British troops, if lRAU! illusions, particularly when passed off as or Ireland. And as for Serbia, it's a case "socialist" policies by Labour "lefts", of "don't mention the war". have fettered the working class in every When asked if their brand of "social­ decisive confrontation with the British ism" can be achieved without a revolu­ ruling class. tion, Nellist tried to dodge the question, Workers Hammer The case for workers revolution to then sputtered: "it depends what you February 20: Spartacus Youth Group campus protest as US/Britain bomb Iraq. tion in Europe since W orId War II; they tainly didn't join the SWP to find them­ also refuse to defend China against im­ selves telling workers to vote for Blair, The fight for the dictatorship of perialism.