Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/550/6450
From The Socialist newspaper, 2 October 2008
Another nail in New Labour's coffin
WHILE BANKS are collapsing, the politicians are busy boasting and back-stabbing at party conferences. New Labour's conference achieved a lot - a lot of hot air, a lot of money wasted (£6 million), and a lot of chatter as another minister resigned. It achieved absolutely nothing for young and working-class people.
Hugh Caffrey
The media talked about prime minister Gordon Brown making the "speech of his life".
On Manchester's streets many words are used for Gordon Brown, and few of them are compliments.
No wonder, when on top of New Labour's right-wing policies, our council tax is footing part of the bill for their event!
The 20 September anti-war demonstration, reported in the last issue of The Socialist, was the first of several protests. Mental health workers protested outside the conference against the sacking of their union rep Karen Reissmann.
The next day, several hundred council workers in the Unite union protested against the real-terms pay cuts New Labour are forcing on them.
On Monday, hundreds of workers from post offices and postal services demonstrated against the closure of post offices and mail centres, the loss of jobs, and the selling off of our services to cowboy private companies.
Addressing the demonstrations, union leaders called for "a change of policy, not a change of leader". It's time for a change of policy all right - we need socialist policies like ones in The Socialist!
We do need a change of leader; but even more we need a change from the three all-the-same parties! What we need is a new party, one that stands up for the millions who are completely ignored by conferences like this.
This last week will come to be seen as another nail in New Labour's coffin, and another day closer to the founding of a new mass working-class party.
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In The Socialist 2 October 2008:
Socialist Party editorial
Credit crunch
Bradford & Bingley: We need real nationalisation
The bishop and the 'bank robbers'
What is short-selling and will the ban have any effect?
Another nail in New Labour's coffin
Socialist Students
Lots of new recruits for Socialist Students
Global Warming
Climate change calamities: Socialist planning needed
Cuts and privatisation threaten new floods
Socialist Party workplace news
Local government pay dispute in Scotland: solid support for strike
Unison goes to arbitration - a strategy or surrender?
Union calls ballot over health pay
Unions must fight to defend Ford jobs
Lincoln - fight council cuts plan
Socialist Party campaigns
Comment
Socialist Party review
Liberty by Glyn Maxwell at Shakespeare's Globe
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