On Saturday 20 October the TUC called on the working class to march, once again, up to the top of the hill (Hyde Park Corner in this case) and march back down again.
Thousands did exactly that: at one point, roughly halfway through, there were as many coming out as there were going in! Numbers said to have been on the demo vary, as always, between the police figures of 100,000 and the 150,000 claimed by the TUC but what cannot be disputed is that they were well down on last year’s big TUC march and rally as the feelings of dé jà vu and not getting anywhere sink into the worker’s brains.
Working people, for the most part, have long since worked out that the Labour Party will not be leading them into some socialist paradise, a fact restated by Ed Miliband at the rally when he confirmed (if any confirmation was needed) that Labour in power would also be indulging in cuts to save capitalism! The boos he received for this ‘revelation’ showed a growing political maturity in the British working class but it still has a long way to go before it is ready to use the only effective remedy to their collective ills, revolution!
Of course, simply inviting Miliband onto the platform was a display of unity between the TUC and Labour Party in their anti-working class ideology.
The TUC had printed a pamphlet for the day entitled “Austerity is Failing. We Need a Future that Works,” which held up France and the USA as political models to emulate – thus showing the total bankruptcy of the social-democratic leadership of the British labour movement provided by both the TUC and the Labour Party. Both are nothing but agents of imperialism in our midst.
The Trotskyist Socialist Party made as much sense to workers on the march with their call, spelt out on two huge billboards, for a “24 hour strike, now!” What’s the point of that? Was the most common question/remark by those who made any comment on it.
One worker, asked to explain his negativity to this slogan replied, “if we have a 24 hour strike enough notice will be given to ensure that work can be re-planned before the event or caught up with a bit of overtime afterwards and in the main the only effect on the capitalists is saving them a day’s pay!” We heard no member of the Socialist Party able to answer this logic.
So what is required? A long hard slog to throw off the hold that social-democracy has on the organised labour movement, starting with a break of the link between the unions and the Labour Party. Start immediately educating yourself and others in the science of Marxism-Leninism leading to the revolutionary coming to power of the working class.
No, it’s not an instant answer, nor is it easy, but it is a tried and proven method. Imperialism will not die of its own accord and the British working class is not capable, without the necessary ML ideology, of killing it. Our class must learn and grow strong. Then we may “build a future that works” – but not without a certain amount of demolition and clearing first.
Build the knowledge of the British working class.
Build and support the Party (CPGB-ML) of the working class.
Then deliver the death blow to imperialism!
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