Time for a new party to represent the trade unions, says ex-MP
A press release from the Socialist Party:
Following on from Ed Miliband’s speech at the TUC today, former Labour MP Dave Nellist, now a member of the Socialist Party and Chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), said:
I’ve spoken to TUC delegates who told me that the room was so quiet during Miliband’s speech you could hear the penny dropping for many more trade union members.
Ed Miliband has proven time and again that he does not want the Labour Party to represent organised workers within the trade union movement – and his policies don’t represent the interests of the workers and their families.
Only last week Labour were forced to admit that there was no grounds for the suspension of trade union members in Falkirk – but that hasn’t stopped Labour pouncing on these events to further divorce the unions from the party they set up.
The GMB cut their funding to Labour to represent the numbers who took part in the Labour leadership contest – a cut of nearly 90%. This shows that there is no enthusiasm for continuing the link with Labour.
Cameron was defeated in parliament in his attempt to take Britain to war in Syria, showing up how weak this government is.
Without the tacit backing of Labour, many more defeats could have been made to the Tory-Liberal austerity programme.
But the reality is that Labour, like the Tories or Lib-Dems, represents the interests of the millionaires, not those of the millions.
As Bob Crow, TUSC steering committee member and RMT general secretary said today: “What trade unions are realising is that the three main parties all support privatisation, all support anti-trade union laws, and all support, from time to time, illegal wars around the world”.
It is time for a new party that represents trade union members, workers, and the unemployed and young people.
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is aiming to start that ball rolling, and has a target of standing in 600 seats in the May 2014 council elections.
TUSC will be standing on a clear platform of opposition to all cuts, supporting workers’ struggles, fighting for trade union rights and for a living minimum wage for all.
