BNP – not a ‘radical alternative’ to New Labour

NEW LABOUR has betrayed the hopes of millions of working-class
people. This has dramatically hit their support, particularly in areas
like Stoke-on-Trent where they previously had such strong backing.

Andy Bentley

In Stoke-on-Trent, New Labour has stepped up the onslaught on our
jobs, services and communities. In 1945, there were 45 coal mines in the
area, now there are none. In 1975 the city’s pottery industry had 50,000
workers, now it’s down to around 10,000 and falling. Tens of thousands
of other manufacturing industry jobs have gone.

These jobs have been partially replaced with low paid, short-term
temporary jobs.

A staggering 100 private so-called Employment Agencies compete in the
city to provide dead-end jobs with no employment rights, no job
security, a lack of decent training and often dangerous working
conditions.

Conditions in the communities have seriously deteriorated.
Stoke-on-Trent has the sixth highest rate of child poverty. It has one
of the lowest life expectancy levels in Britain.

In January 2004, a local family doctor revealed he had 5,300 patients
on his books, three times more than the national average. Dozens of
schools, youth clubs, shops, cinemas, banks, libraries, doctor’s
surgeries, care homes, post offices etc. have closed.

No wonder working-class people in Stoke-on-Trent, as in the rest of
Britain, feel betrayed by New Labour. Let down by different parties
claiming to represent their interests, some temporarily abstain from
voting and others look for alternatives.

Mainly by scapegoating ethnic minorities and asylum-seekers, the
British National Party (BNP) have had some success in local elections
and now have two city councillors.

But do the BNP provide a radical alternative to New Labour? Do they
really represent the interests of working class people?


BNP oppose workers’ right to strike to defend jobs, services and
conditions

BACK IN 2003, millions of working people gave their support to the
firefighters in their struggle for better pay and to defend the fire
service from further cuts. The Socialist Party supported the
firefighters 100%, not just in words but in action.

The BNP did nothing. In fact they did worse than nothing. On their
website (2/12/03) they said that firefighters "must be placed on
the same level as military personnel and police officers and…..forego
their ambiguous position of using strike action".

In other words, the BNP would deny the right of firefighters and
other workers to take action to defend jobs, services and living
standards.

In March 2005, public-sector workers in five different trade unions
forced the New Labour government to back down in their attempt to impose
a cut in pensions and to increase the retirement age by five years. This
was done by threatening united strike action involving 1.4 million
workers on 23 March.

If it had been left to the BNP, this significant victory for millions
of working people in preventing New Labour imposing a system of
"work till you drop" would not have been possible. That is
because the BNP would abolish the democratic right to strike for many of
these workers.

No workers like taking strike action. But sometimes because of the
intransigence of employers or government they have no choice. The BNP’s
strikebreaking role should serve as a serious warning to all workers.


BNP support big council tax increases

IN 2004, BNP leaflets claimed: "The BNP are the only party that
opposes the year on year rises in council tax", and it,
"should only rise by the rate of inflation".

However, on council tax setting day, as Stoke Socialist Party members
handed over a 5,000-name petition opposing any increase in council tax,
BNP councillors joined with New Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and
Independents to vote in a dramatic rise in council tax that was almost
twice the rate of inflation.

This is on top of a massive 10% increase imposed the previous year on
Stoke-on-Trent’s notoriously low-paid workers.

Now, in March 2005 the BNP have again joined the other parties to
impose another council tax increase almost twice the rate of inflation!

Typically the BNP blamed asylum-seekers for council tax increases.
But it is the BNP who have, twice now, betrayed tens of thousands in the
city struggling to pay. People are sick of all these lying politicians.


BNP make excuses for the bosses

WHEN THE closure of Royal Doulton’s last factory in Stoke-on-Trent
was announced in March 2004, Stoke Socialist Party and others launched a
long-running campaign to save the 500 jobs at the factory.

All the BNP did was to go onto Radio Stoke and excuse Doulton’s Chief
Executive, Wayne Nutbeen, from any blame for closing the factory. A BNP
councillor said it wasn’t the management’s fault!

Doulton’s bosses have closed 11 factories and sacked thousands of
workers in just a few years. Wayne Nutbeen was employed on £313,000 a
year to carry out this carnage. He showed his contempt for people in the
area when he said: "The company isn’t owned by Stoke-on-Trent. It
is owned by the shareholders. The board has to ensure it does right by
them".

However, the profits Doulton workers earned for the bosses over 150
years of existence are enough to pay for this and other factories ten
times over.

Despite falsely claiming that they are "the fastest growing
political party in Britain", the BNP have done nothing to defend
workers. In fact, by making excuses for employers and the government,
they are aiding and abetting the slaughter of our jobs and services.


BNP divides workers and communities

THE BNP claims it is on the side of working-class people. But the
examples above show this is not true. It tries to put the blame for all
our problems onto ethnic minorities and asylum seekers. This only
divides workers and communities and diverts attention away from the real
culprits – big business and the government.

Every worker knows that unity is vital in any struggle to defend
jobs, pay, conditions and our communities. Public-sector workers have
clearly demonstrated how to force the government to retreat in their
attempt to cut pensions and make workers work an extra five years.

This was done by building unity of all workers across the public
sector, regardless of nationality or ethnic background. Without this
type of unity, effective struggles are not possible. Despite the BNP’s
claims, their divisive and racist tactics are helping the bosses and the
government to carry out their attacks on working-class people.

The BNP offer no solution. What is needed is a new mass party to
represent all working-class people – a party that builds the unity
necessary to fight against the attacks of big-business employers and the
government. Above all we need a party that fights for a socialist future
for all.


BNP’s Victorian attitude to abortion – a warning to all women

THE BNP want to turn the clock back decades for women. They say that
women making the very difficult choice about an abortion would become
criminals and condemned as part of a nationwide "child killing
industry" which the BNP would "close down".

In other words, left to the BNP, women would have to suffer again the
nightmare of the back-street abortion clinics prevalent before the
Abortion Act was passed in 1967. The Socialist Party defends a woman’s
right to choose when and whether to have children.


THE SOCIALIST Party is standing Jim Cessford as its candidate in
Stoke-on-Trent Central.

As Jim says: "For twenty years I have been proud to fight
alongside the people of Stoke-on-Trent in the communities and
workplaces. As a real Socialist MP I can be even more effective."



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