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Direct Action
A Solidarity Federation Publication. 2024 Issue 2
* New Leaders Same Old Problems
* Education Not Marketisation, by higher education members of SFEU
* Inequality in the UK
* Black Women in History
* Wellness Schemes At Work Don’t Work
* About Direct Action and Solidarity Federation
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http://solfed.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/da2.pdf
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New Leaders Same Old Problems.
So now we have another set of clowns running the circus. Those who bothered to vote went for Labour, hoping for something better. People realised the Tories are selfish, corrupt, sleazy, and only out to make money for themselves and their wealthy friends.
Meanwhile in Scotland the SNP is having its own troubles and look to lose the dominance they have established over Scottish politics.
This looks like good news for the Labour party. They are ahead in the polls and seemingly pushing at an open door. Yet the cautious approach adopted by Kier Starmer has angered those on the left especially those who were giddy when Jeremy Corbyn was unexpectedly made leader.
Many have declared that they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for this re-brand of « New Labour. » On election day though, a good proportion followed their learned behaviour and dutifully put their cross next to the Labour candidate even though they disagree with every policy of the party, including Labour’s support for the State of Israel which is engaging in genocide.
In their minds there is still the old illusion; supporters believe any Labour government is preferable to the Tories and once in power they can be persuaded to move leftwards and adopt more progressive policies. This is a farce.
Many British people are cynical and see all politics and politicians as corrupt and frauds. This is not to say they are adopting a revolutionary view but a resigned acceptance to parliamentary democracy. Some stayed away but others voted against the Tories believing this will change things.
So what can we expect? Well, much of the same. For the poor, disadvantaged and oppressed not much will change. The mantra will be the same as now: ‘we would like to do certain things but there is no money.’ Of course, that is a lie. There is enough money, but political decisions are made on who and what to spend it on.
Even though a majority now want to take the water and energy industries into « public » ownership, (nationalisation) as well as the railways, and certainly nearly everyone wants more public investment and less private enterprise in the NHS, the Labour Party, ever wary of being labelled extremist, shy away from this.
Should we be surprised though? The record of previous Labour governments shows that they always adopt a cautious approach when in power.
The first two pre-second world war administrations went out of their way to appear ‘sensible’ and ‘capable’ of managing capitalism. Even the much-lauded Atlee government of 1945, elected on a landslide, failed to carry through everything they could have.
In 1942 a report was written by Liberal MP William Beveridge which proposed nationalising much of the economy and healthcare. The Beveridge Report was incredibly popular and both Tory and Labour made promises for the expansion of welfare and the creation of a nationalised health service. Labour was seen as more committed to reform and the Tories were associated with unemployment and the depression.
Atlee’s Labour oversaw the implementation of the NHS that was to care for all from the ‘cradle to grave’ (to paraphrase Churchill). But even this achievement was marred by the introduction of charges for dental and optical treatment to pay for the expanding defence budget and the development of a British nuclear deterrent.
They nationalised sectors of the economy, but this was in failing industries that the owners were glad to get rid of especially given the generous compensation they were offered. The nationalised industries previously had years of under-investment and the money paid in compensation would have been better used to improve the infrastructure of the industries. The new managers were appointed not by the workers but on a ‘jobs for the boys’ philosophy.
When it came to the most profitable industry, iron and steel, the nationalisation was delayed and then done in such a half-hearted way it was easy to re-privatise by the next Tory government.
Labour are the new caretakers for capitalism. Nothing fundamental will change, we’ll still be exploited and poor. Unemployment and homelessness will continue. Wages and living conditions will be the same, the environment will continue to be polluted. The rich will continue to get richer and the whole rotten system will continue. Unless we organise and fight for ourselves, to build a working class movement independent and opposed to all political parties and reformist unions. A movement based on class struggle, solidarity and direct action, to i
Source: Solfed