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Tories Out!

General election Now!

Theresa May’s government is on the brink. This morning the resignations began. Esther McVey and Dominic Raab were first out the door, along with a number of junior ministers.

More could potentially follow them in the hours ahead. Coups, plots and leadership challenges are all being openly discussed.

The trade union and labour movement must intervene now.

Jeremy Corbyn and the trade union leaders should meet immediately to call and organise mass, emergency protest action to fight to kick out the Tory government and force a general election – a real ‘people’s vote’.

We call for:

  • General election now! Jeremy Corbyn and the trade unions must meet urgently to call mass action, including organising an emergency national demonstration, to kick out the Tories.
  • Tories out, Corbyn in. The 2017 general election showed that an anti-austerity programme is deeply popular. Jeremy Corbyn should build on this success, adopting clear, socialist policies that can point a way forward in the interests of the 99%, including on the question of Brexit.
  • No support for the Tory deal – it’s been struck in the interests of big business and the super-rich. Re-open negotiations on the basis of opposition to all EU single market and customs union rules – like those on state aid, ‘market liberalisation’, or the posted workers’ directives – that go against the interests of the working class.
  • Kick out the Blairite saboteurs. Some on the Labour right are considering saving the Tory government by backing May’s Brexit deal in a parliamentary vote. Corbyn should make it clear now that any Labour MP who votes to save the government will have the Labour whip withdrawn. This would allow for selection contests in the relevant constituencies so that Labour members and trade unions could choose a candidate prepared to stand up for working-class people to contest the next election.
  • Mandatory re-selection of MPs – with unions having the right to directly nominate candidates onto parliamentary shortlists.
  • An emergency labour movement conference, open to all genuinely anti-austerity forces to discuss the transformation of the Labour Party along democratic, socialist lines. This should include discussion on: restoring the policy-making power of Labour party conference – including a democratically exercised role for trade unions; the introduction of a new socialist ‘clause 4’, replacing the one introduced by Tony Blair with one committing to democratic public ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange; the opening up of the Labour party to all socialist and anti-austerity forces to participate on the basis of a renewed, federal structure.
  • A socialist alternative to the EU. Corbyn should take as a starting point in EU negotiations the need to protect the interests of working class people. This means seeking to build a European-wide campaign of socialists and workers’ organisations to use the talks to tear up the current pro-big business rules of the EU bosses’ club.
  • Nationalise the banks and major monopolies under democratic working class control and management. This could prevent attempts by the capitalist class to use economic sabotage to attempt to force Corbyn to retreat from implementing his programme. It can pave the way for a socialist plan of production in order to meet the needs of all.
  • For a new collaboration of the peoples of Europe on a socialist basis – based on working class solidarity across borders.

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 15 November 2018 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.