Thousands say:
Blair out! New Labour out!
Build a new workers’ party
Part of the ISR contingent on the STWC march. Photos
Hannah seaman
TENS OF thousands of people demonstrated outside the Labour Party
conference in Manchester last Saturday to tell Blair that he, and his
fellow warmongers, should go now!
Bob Severn
Almost three and a half years since US president George Bush, and his
British poodle Blair, claimed victory in Iraq, the occupation, death and
violence continues. The Muslim month of Ramadan started with over 35
people being killed by a car bomb attack in Sadr City, Baghdad. On the
same day, nine severed heads were found in the city of Tikrit. The UN
has reported that 7,600 civilians were killed in Iraq in July and
August.
Blair has also backed the invasion of south Lebanon by the Israeli
Defence Force and sent troops to Afghanistan. Following the death of 14
British servicemen in an aircraft crash, a leaked email from a paratroop
major last week said that the air force’s role in Afghanistan was
"utterly, utterly useless". Another senior officer said that British
casualties in Afghanistan were far higher than officially estimated.
But what alternative do we have to Blair? Gordon Brown, if he follows
Blair as prime minister, has made it clear that he will continue to back
up US imperialism to the hilt!
The ‘New Labour project’
At the Labour Party conference Brown again made it clear that he
would "continue the New Labour project" of pro-big business polices of
cuts and privatisation.
As chancellor, Brown has lead the attacks on public services,
including 10,000 job cuts in the Department for Work and Pensions, with
20,000 more to come. Not to forget Brown’s full support for the
privatisation, job cuts and closures in the NHS, as well as in
universities and schools.
The only ‘new’ policy Brown has put forward at the conference is more
devolution for local and regional government.
This is not much of a ‘new’ policy at all. In 2004, the North East
referendum for a regional assembly returned a huge ‘no’ vote as people
saw it as less democracy, more bureaucracy!
Workers, unemployed and young people need a party that fights for
their interests – for good public services, decent pay, guaranteed
pensions and against war and occupation. No wonder they will not join
the Labour Party!
This is why the Socialist Party is helping to build the Campaign for
a New Workers’ Party, to represent the millions instead of the
millionaires.
858, London E11 1YG.
www.cnwp.org.uk
