So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y Volume 3 No 199 30 March 2011 30p/80p For a workers’ government Middle East Open letter to a direct Marx on the Paris round up page 3 action activist page 6 Commune page 10 After “March for the Alternative” See page 5 Now make our movement fit to fight! • POLITICALLY: REMAKE THE LABOUR PARTY • INDUSTRIALLY: STRIKE NOW! • IN IDEAS: FIGHT FOR EVERY JOB AND SERVICE; MAKE THE RICH PAY! EDUCATION What is the Alliance Victories for anti-cuts student candidates for Workers’ Liberty? By Sacha Ismail student revolt in London, in London), where Coun - One election not yet con - Today one class, the working class, lives by selling anti-cuts activists are now terfire/Coalition of Resist - cluded when we went to In recent student union its labour power to another, the capitalist class, firmly in control. ance activist Clare press is Westminster Uni - sabbatical elections we which owns the means of production. Society In other places where Solomon lost re-election to versity, where left-wingers, have seen many more the left did not win any an unpleasant right- including AWL member is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to left candidates — the re - increase their wealth. Capitalism causes sabbatical positions, left winger by a very narrow and incumbent Vice Presi - sult of an upsurge in stu - candidates received good margin. dent Education Jade Baker, poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives by dent anti-cuts activism. votes, and many part-time The ULU figures were, are battling Islamists Hizb overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the While there have not officers were elected. Vic - in fact, not bad for the left. ut-Tahrir in an extremely environment and much else. been dramatically more tories have been on the Left candidates won the tight race. A HT victory Against the accumulated wealth and power of the left victories, there have basis of a strong grassroots two other sabbatical posi - would be a disaster. The capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. been some interesting anti-cuts group, almost all tions and Clare’s vote election will close and the The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity developments. of which have revived went up quite a bit from result be known on Thurs - through struggle so that the working class can overthrow after the new year lull be - last time, when she only day 31 March. The left has won elec - Getting elected is one capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective ownership cause of the UCU strikes, won because her opponent tions at some very unex - thing. What is crucial is of industry and services, workers’ control and a democracy new occupations and the was disqualified. With pected places, including that the new crop of left- much fuller than the present system, with elected run-up to 26 March. Such more left-wing officers right-wing bastions. These wing sabbaticals con - representatives recallable at any time and an end to groups played a particu - than before, ULU may well include Royal Holloway, tinue to be integrated bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. larly important role in continue to be a base for Bristol and Liverpool uni - into the activist groups Royal Holloway and Liv - activism. But the headline We fight for the labour movement to break with “social versities (see article which helped elect them, erpool. is a left-wing president partnership” and assert working-class interests militantly below). Left-wing, anti- and act as a lever to The most dramatic de - being thrown out after a against the bosses. cuts candidates were also continue the revival of feat came in the University right-wing witch-hunt Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, elected at Southbank, Ed - student activism. of London Union (the fed - against her in the media — supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, inburgh and Birmingham. eration of the posher unis a definite setback. helping organise rank-and-file groups. At UCL, the centre of the We are also active among students and in many campaigns and alliances. We stand for: Continuing the G Independent working-class representation in politics. G A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour movement. G A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to anti-cuts fight strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. G Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education and jobs for all. Bob Sutton, a Workers’ The election was fought G A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Liberty member at the in the same week as the Full equality for women and social provision to free women University of Liverpool two days of strike action from the burden of housework. Free abortion on request. Full has been elected to a full- by the UCU on campus. equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Black and white time sabbatical position The combination of get - workers’ unity against racism. as a Vice-President of the ting people to lecturers’ G Open borders. Liverpool Guild of Stu - picket lines and demon - G Global solidarity against global capital — workers dents for 2011-12. Maev strations, and getting peo - everywhere have more in common with each other than with McDaid, also of the anti- ple out talking about the their capitalist or Stalinist rulers. cuts campaign, beat the election has served to rein - G Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest incumbent, Josh Wright vigorate the campaign UCL drops court threat workplace or community to global social organisation. into second place to win after a relative lull in the G Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal the presidency. Turnout new year and pull in a new over solidarity occupation rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big was 4726 — 27% of the layer of activists. and small. student body, beating a Most candidates con - record that has stood since fined themselves to giving The management at University College London has G Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. 1981. Bob reports. out sweets, building up dropped its decision to take twelve students and one G If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity worker to court for their part in a three-day occupa - I stood as the candidate personalities and relying to sell — and join us! on the loyalties of “their” tion of the University Registry in solidarity with UCU of the anti-cuts cam - strikers last week. 020 7394 8923 [email protected] paign, UoL Against Fees various societies, sports teams or whatever. 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, and Cuts, set up at the The UCU strike received very strong and widespread university in October in We went out and talked student solidarity. After the anti-cuts/fees upsurge, stu - London, SE1 3DG. response to the findings big politics, convinced peo - dent-worker solidarity is axiomatic among student ac - of the Browne review. ple of the basic argument tivists. NUS’s equivocation on the UCU action was that the student movement almost universally regarded as a disgrace. A big student We were the ones who can and must fight the cuts presence on most picket lines was crowned by flash oc - GET SOLIDARITY helped organise the mas - rather than accepting what cupations in support of UCU at a number of universities, sive student walkouts on has happened. including Edinburgh, Kent, UEA as well as UCL. the 24 and 30 November in To my knowledge or that UCL management’s climbdown comes after a solid, EVERY WEEK! Liverpool against the rais - of any comrade in the mass-mobilising campaign by both student and workers ing of the cap on tuition AWL or the wider labour in the targeted occupiers’ defence. This is a victory for Special offers fees to £9,000 and cuts to movement, this is the first student campaigners against a growing climate of re - higher and further educa - time in living memory that pression, symbolised not only by events at UCL but by G Trial sub, 6 issues £5 tion, and who subse - a left-winger has got in at the violent eviction of the occupation at Glasgow Uni on quently initiated the Liverpool. Now the real work 22TMhearceha. re other disciplinary matters and unspeci - G 22 issues (six months). £18 waged £9 unwaged Merseyside Network starts in making sure we Against Fees and Cuts, fied “legal costs” outstanding, so the campaign con - 44 issues (year). £35 waged £17 unwaged use this mandate and tinues, but UCL’s retreat is a victory that should give G which has pulled together space to organise to help the anti-cuts campaigns at everyone in the student movement a boost to keep G European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) or 50 euros (44 issues) the fight for the fate of fighting. different colleges and education. schools across the area. Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG Cheques (£) to “AWL”. Protests push Tories back on EMA Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. Immediately after the TUC anti-cuts demonstration, Name . All this is very limited — a 60 percent cut in EMA rather Tory education secretary Michael Gove announced a than a 90 percent cut. It is also far more vulnerable to arbi - concession on the government’s abolition of Educa - Address . trary decisions and manipulation, with money distributed tion Maintenance Allowances for sixth form students. by college principals. Nonetheless, without the huge protests by school and college students last year, and the The so-called replacement for EMAs was planned to .