The case for a new workers’ party

What we think

The case for a new workers’ party

THREE YEARS on from the start of the war in Iraq, thousands are once
again taking to the streets to oppose the occupation. Today opposition
is at its highest ever level. But the 18 March demonstration, important
as it is, will not come close to the high water mark of the anti-war
movement – 15 February 2003 – when two million marched on the streets of
London as part of the biggest simultaneous movement in world history.

Anti-war mobilisations are now smaller partly because of the
situation in Iraq. Terrible as the ongoing brutal occupation is there is
an understandable, if mistaken, feeling that immediately withdrawing the
troops would make the situation worse and bring a full blown civil war
closer.

But also, the fact that the government went to war in the face of
such huge opposition left many feeling helpless at their inability to
change events. The Socialist Party argued that to force New Labour to
pull out of the war would take more than magnificent demonstrations. We
called for the trade union leaders that mobilised for 15 February to go
further and to call work stoppages against the war.

However, we also made another point. Once the war had begun millions
were left feeling powerless. But if a new political alternative – a new
party – had come out of the anti-war movement it would have offered a
way for the most thinking of the anti-war demonstrators to fight for
change.

Call for a new party

If one of the main speakers at the 15 February demonstration had
launched a call for such a party many thousands would have joined and
would have been able to channel their anger into a party that genuinely
represented them.

Instead, various left Labour MPs called on people to join the Labour
Party in order to try and change it. The other political alternative on
offer was Charles Kennedy, then leader of the Liberal Democrats, who
falsely claimed the anti-war mantle and then dropped opposition to the
war the moment it started.

A new party launched at the height of the anti-war movement would
obviously have had opposition to the war in Iraq as its central theme.
However, it would have inevitably and necessarily, gone beyond that.
Having gained momentum from the anti-war mood, it would have had to go
on to tackle the other issues which are central to the lives of working
class people – such as poverty pay and cuts and privatisation of health,
education and other services.

Alternatives

The opportunity of 15 February was missed, but the need for a new
party is clearer than ever. It is for that reason that the Socialist
Party has launched the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party. Our premise is
simple: the mainstream parties are all fundamentally the same in that
they represent the interests of big business; and that we urgently need
to campaign for the establishment of a new party that represents the
majority – working-class people.

We do not believe that New Labour’s course can be shifted back to the
left. New Labour’s utter degeneration under Blair was highlighted by
former Tory leader Michael Howard’s final speech to parliament where he
quoted Blair’s boast about New Labour: "I have taken from my party
everything they thought they believed in. I have stripped them of their
core beliefs. What keeps it together is power."

The democratic structures of the Labour Party have been destroyed.
Membership of the party has halved since 1997. The only way a serious
struggle could be launched to reclaim the Labour Party would be if tens
of thousands of workers and young people could be convinced to join to
fight to rebuild its democratic structures, but this is ruled out.

The Labour Representation Committee (LRC) tried to do just that at
the height of the anti-war movement. But they discovered that workers
and young people entering struggle have no interest in joining the party
they are fighting against. On the contrary, older trade unionists, who
had been Labour Party members for decades, are leaving in disgust. The
LRC itself has only 500 members.

Nor do we think that the Green Party offers a viable alternative. For
example, Green Party councillors on Brighton and Hove council voted in
favour of the privatisation of council housing in the city in the form
of an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO).

Respect, the coalition led by George Galloway and the Socialist
Workers’ Party has aimed to use the anti-war movement to build a new
electoral alternative. We welcome its electoral successes but do not
believe it marks a step towards a new mass party of the working class.

It may not seem the easiest path to fight to found a new party. But a
new mass party, made up predominantly of working-class people and which
fought in their interests, would have a huge effect in giving confidence
to those struggling against the attacks of big-business governments.

At the moment, any anti-war movement activist, or worker who goes on
strike, or campaigner who opposes privatisation or cuts, faces nothing
but vitriol from the mainstream media and politicians. Even just having
a major political party that told the other side of the story, and that
stood side-by-side with workers in struggle, would play a key role in
raising the working class of England and Wales from its knees and giving
it the confidence to fight back.

Struggle and solidarity

But a party would do more than that. It would attempt to cut across
the racist and divisive ideas peddled by the capitalist media. It would
be active and involved in every struggle of working people and would
assist in linking those struggles together. It would encourage
international solidarity and publicise the struggles of the working
class and oppressed worldwide which are almost completely ignored by the
capitalist media.

Fundamentally, a new party would be a force for working-class
emancipation. It would link together the day-to-day struggles to defend
and improve our living conditions with the long-term interests of the
working class.

However, it is crucial that a new party, if it is to succeed, is
open, democratic and welcoming and is politically something completely
different to the existing order.

It is only by breaking with the old, worn-out ideas of slavishly
following the free market, bowing before the dictats of global
capitalism, that it will be possible to build a party which can actually
attract the millions who have currently turned away from ‘politics’
because they see nothing on offer but continuing attacks on living
standards and the same lies and corruption.

Today, in Britain, around 150 companies completely dominate the lives
of 60 million people. Worldwide 500 multinational companies control 70%
of world production. But rather than aspiring to common ownership of the
vast resources that are currently in the hands of a few billionaires –
so that they can be used to meet the needs of humanity instead of for
the profit of a few – Blair has joined the Tories and Liberal Democrats
in prostrating himself before these billionaires.

This is the logical consequence of his acceptance of the capitalist
profit system. Instead, a new party will fight for a society where the
enormous wealth, science and technique created by capitalism will be
harnessed to meet the needs of all. The Socialist Party will argue that
this means the new party should adopt a democratic socialist programme.

The Campaign for a New Workers’ Party is not proposing to launch a
new party immediately – but to campaign and argue for such a party – to
popularise the idea as a step towards bringing a new party into being.

Already more than 1,200 activists have signed up to the campaign and
an initial conference is being held on Sunday 19 March. Speakers will
include Mark Serwotka general secretary of the PCS and a wide variety of
trade union and other speakers.

We urge trade unionists, anti-war protesters and community
campaigners to attend this conference and help build an alternative to
war, privatisation and the profit system.