New Labour hypocrisy on racism

New Labour hypocrisy

Hazel Blears, New Labour Secretary of State for Communities, said over the weekend that “where the BNP wins votes, it is often the result of local political failure. Estates that have been ignored for decades; voters taken for granted; local services that have failed; white skilled working-class voters who feel politicians are on a different planet.” This is utter hypocrisy from a Blairite New Labour minister.

New Labour have not just “ignored” working-class people across the country, but have slashed and privatised public services, allowed hundreds of thousands of jobs to disappear and pandered to big business. Blears voted for foundation hospitals, the Iraq war and university top-up fees and many of the other New Labour policies that led working-class people to abandon the Labour Party. The publication of this list underlines the urgent need for a genuine working-class political alternative. The trade unions, with their millions of members and clear anti-racist policies, have the potential to build this.