So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 242 18 April 2012 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government Gove and French left on Trotskyists in the edubusiness Mélenchon Spanish revolution page 3 pages 8-9 pages 13-14 Government policies widen wealth gap but don’t cure slump Inequality Gateway Family Services, working with poor families in Edgbaston, Birmingham, recently revealed they are providing food parcels to pregnant women, some of whom are going a week without crisis a proper meal G Handouts to banks G Social cuts G Wages pushed down – see page 5 NEWS What is the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty? The fight for secularism Today one class, the working class, lives by selling Andrew Copson, Chief Ex - If you choose to address its labour power to another, the capitalist class, ecutive of the British Hu - these as problems than one which owns the means of production. Society manist Association, spoke possible basis for doing so is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to to Ira Berkovic. is that they spring from a increase their wealth. Capitalism causes false idea and so I don’t poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives by What’s behind the resur - gence in self-confidence think that an emphasis on overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the on the part of organised the lack of a foundation for environment and much else. religion? religious belief in reality is Against the accumulated wealth and power of the a wrong-headed approach. capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. In many ways the appar - I have met many people The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity ent resurgence is only ap - in the course of my work through struggle so that the working class can overthrow parent and not as real as it who have had their reli - capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective ownership seems. The situation is that gious opinions changed by of industry and services, workers’ control and a democracy of a diminishing group of Richard’s books. If you much fuller than the present system, with elected individuals shouting Praying outside an abortion clinic. Why are political acts by want to address the other representatives recallable at any time and an end to louder rather, than a grow - religious groups on the increase? motivations that people bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. ing group speaking up have for religious identities We fight for the labour movement to break with “social with increasing confidence. — those other than sincere How can we develop a partnership” and assert working-class interests militantly However, it is certainly dence becomes available. belief — I suppose you critique of that which de - against the bosses. true that in the absence of need strategies that will other easily identifiable fends the idea of a multi - One of me criticisms of provide those things that Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, and self-promoting group - cultural society but e.g. Dawkins would be religious people get from supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, ings, politicians are increas - critiques this establish - that he seems to con - religion, like community helping organise rank-and-file groups. ingly turning to ment multiculturalism? ceive of religious belief and meaning. We are also active among students and in many campaigns ready-made religious as merely a stupid, wrong and alliances. It’s a major problem. In - idea and that if everyone What can progressive groups whose leaders, even atheists, secularists and though they are often self- creasingly, the Government was an Oxbridge intellec - is offering strong encour - tual like him then the humanists most usefully We stand for: appointed, can present do in the current climate G Independent working-class representation in politics. themselves as speaking for agement to religious world would be fine. How groups to take on a role in can we develop critiques to reassert basic ideas G A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the a large group. Perhaps this and values against an ap - labour movement. is a failure of politics. local communities and to of religion and religious local government to wel - ideas that also under - parent resurgence of or - G A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to In the context of the ganised religion and strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. come such religious groups stand them in their mate - growth of the far-right, as “partners”. rial, social context and religious ideas? G Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, and its “anti-Islamic” or Insofar as these arrange - education and jobs for all. understand the reasons The purpose of the “anti-Muslim” edge, how ments are no more than why people turn to such G A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. can anti-racist secular - British Humanist Associa - what would be offered to ideas? tion is to give support to Full equality for women and social provision to free women ists create a political any local group with strong from the burden of housework. Free abortion on request. Full space that allows for Most people who iden - those with non-religious links with the local com - beliefs and to counter reli - equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. secularist, atheist and munity, they might be ac - tify themselves as a mem - Black and white workers’ unity against racism. humanist criticism of ber of a religious group do gious privilege and dis - ceptable. crimination. I think that G Open borders. Islam (and all religions) so for reasons other than a Religious groups and non-religious people (who Global solidarity against global capital — workers while rejecting/opposing sincere doctrinal convic - G communities have been in the UK tend to have everywhere have more in common with each other than with anti-Muslim racism? singled out by Government tion. There is even evidence to suggest that most people views that we could call their capitalist or Stalinist rulers. It is important to point as having a special impor - humanist) need to be more G Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest tance and being in need of who practice a religion are out that many religious similarly without profound self-confident in seeing workplace or community to global social organisation. people are secularists — special attention and assis - their own worldview as co - G Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal tance, mostly in isolation belief. that is, they believe that the The comfortable habit of herent and respectable, rich rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big shared political life of a di - from other communities in values and in ways of and small. and almost always to the worship and observance, verse community needs to the solidarity of a commu - maI kthiningkmtehaantisnegciunlalirfeis.ts Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. exclusion of the non-reli - G be governed in a way that nity — both real and imag - — religious and non-reli - G If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity does not disadvantage or gious. This is harmful for two reasons. ined, the cultural loyalties gious — need to be ro - to sell — and join us! privilege people on that generates, the yearning bust in making the case grounds of their religion or Firstly because it wastes 020 7394 8923 [email protected] the opportunity of social for a better life to come or a for a politics that treats belief. bigger story of which we us all as equal citizens of Religious people benefit cohesion and other com - 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, munity initiatives fo - can be part: all these are a single community from that as it is what gives just as important in the ad - rather than as members London, SE1 3DG. them the freedom to be - cussing on the contribution that all individuals and herence of individuals to of groups, privileging reli - lieve, worship and dissent religious identities. gious categories. as they wish — a freedom groups in the community that does not exist in non- can make and generating GET SOLIDARITY secular states. cohesion that way. Atheist critiques of theis - Secondly, because it en - Workers rally against EDL tic religions focus on the courages separatism and EVERY WEEK! fact they are not true, and communalist politics. If we By Luke Atterton this is very important, but move the focus from Special offers it may not be very impor - groups towards individuals The far-right, racist English Defence League demon - tant in political terms. and society as a whole then strated outside the Home Office in central London G Trial sub, 6 issues £5 Humanist critiques of re - I think we can cut through on 17 April. ligions focus — as well on this. G 22 issues (six months). £18 waged £9 unwaged The protest was formally against the government’s the question of truth — on Some of the criticism of failure to deport Islamist ideologue Abu Qatada (though the negative social, cultural the most high-profile G 44 issues (year). £35 waged £17 unwaged the Guardian reported on the same day that the govern - and political effects of reli - secularists, atheists and ment has in fact arrested Qatada and is making fresh at - European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) or 50 euros (44 issues) gions. I think this is helpful humanists — most G tempts to deport him). in distinguishing humanist prominently Richard In reality the EDL action was, predictably, a bile-filled critiques of religious belief, Dawkins — claims he’s Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: demonstration of anti-Muslim hatred, with sieg heils and religious organisations and just as “fanatical” as his death threats against counter-protesters.