Resist the Tories and the Blairites

Organise to fight endless austerity

Photo Iain Dalton

Photo Iain Dalton   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

After making a stand over budget Corbyn must organise supporters

Seeing that a Westminster party has made a ‘u-turn’ would usually make us sigh and wonder what horrors are in store for the working class. Not so with the new Labour leadership’s changed stance on the Tories’ ‘charter for fiscal responsibility’.

In fact, the majority of ordinary people will have cheered when they saw that shadow chancellor John McDonnell had reversed his position and pledged that Labour will vote against the charter. It would tie all future governments into a ‘budget surplus’ in normal economic conditions – a recipe for endless austerity.

Jeremy Corbyn

In a letter to Labour MPs explaining the change John correctly said: “As the nature and scale of the cuts Osborne is planning are emerging, there is a growing reaction not just in our communities but even within the Conservative Party…

“I believe that we need to underline our position as an anti-austerity party by voting against the charter.”

To continue this stand against austerity, including the fight against the Blairites, the Socialist Party calls for a mass movement around a fighting programme:

  • End all cuts – austerity is a choice – make the 1% pay
  • Defend trade union rights – stop the trade union bill
  • Organise mass coordinated trade union action
  • Build a political voice for the 99% – link up those inside and outside the Labour Party to fight the Blairites and Tories
  • Fight for socialism – for a society that puts the needs of the majority before the profits of the few

This change of position is a positive sign of resistance from Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters against the Blairite wing of the Labour Party. And the right wing made its contempt for the decision clear immediately.

By all accounts a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party to discuss the vote descended into chaos. Afterwards right wingers disparaged Corbyn and McDonnell to the press and on social media.

This is a further indication of what the Socialist Party has argued – there is a battle commencing in the Labour Party and the Corbynistas must get organised and engage in it, or lose.

It is a recognition of this need which has led those involved in the Jeremy Corbyn for leadership campaign to launch ‘Momentum’ – which is open to those in and out of the Labour Party and aims to create a “movement for change”. To be effective, it should be developed into a vibrant, democratic, socialist organisation which stands firmly against all cuts.

Corbyn should issue a call to arms to the thousands who voted for and supported him to get active in the fight against the Blairites and the fight against austerity. He should embark on an open, energetic campaign to democratise the structures of the Labour Party to enable these supporters to back him up effectively.

These points have been dealt with extensively in previous articles in the Socialist.