Tories out! photo Mary Finch, photo Mary Finch (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
We say:
- No trust in pro-austerity politicians
- General election now
- Left union leaders should initiate the organising of mass protests
- Corbyn can win with socialist policies
- No to the bosses’ EU
- For an EU exit deal that defends jobs and workers’ interests
Parliament is closed but there’s still open warfare in the Tory party. Meanwhile, in the real world, working-class people continue to suffer from austerity and exploitation at work.
Hospitals, schools and local services are collapsing under the strain of years of cuts and underfunding. Recently we were told we work some of the longest hours in Europe.
Yet, at the same time, thousands of young people face the nightmare of zero-hour contracts and precarious jobs. Others are having to work more than one job just to keep their heads above water.
More people might be in jobs but real wages are £5 a week less than they were eleven years ago. And if an acrimonious no-deal crash out happens, it will be working-class people who pay again through higher food prices and job losses.
Cuts
Johnson promises an end to austerity. But after a decade of vicious cuts we can’t believe a word that he and the Tories say. They are the party of the 0.01% who have seen their share of income triple since 1995; the 1,000 richest people whose wealth increased by nearly £48 billion last year.
In 2017 Corbyn inspired millions with his anti-austerity programme – his pledge to scrap tuition fees, introduce a minimum wage of £10 an hour and promote workers’ rights. These are the kind of policies we need. Corbyn and the unions who back him should be energetically campaigning for a general election around such a programme.
Corbyn must not let the Blairites in the Labour Party drown that message out with their calls for unity with pro-austerity MPs who do not speak for working-class and young people. We need to make sure that our voices are heard above the Brexit/Remain parliamentary racket.
- Trade union movement must put its stamp on swirling events – editorial
