Nationalists. Populists. Insurgents. Independents. None of the above. These were the assorted winners of yesterday’s May elections. The losers? Labour, the Tories, and the two-party system. We are entering into a new era of heightened instability: economically, politically, and socially.
On day five of the Strike, Prime Minister Baldwin gave the first emergency radio broadcast to the country, where he warned: “I am a man of peace… but I will not surrender the safety and the security of the British Constitution”. This pressure was acutely felt by the TUC leaders.
In this issue’s installment of ‘bastard bosses of the week’, readers of The Communist discuss organising in the charity sector, corner-cutting managers, William Hill redundancies, and more!
The fourth day of the strike saw the trade union leaders continue their attempts to do secret deals with the government to end the strike. While the TUC appealed for calm, the workers were left to lead the struggle themselves.
Last weekend, the RCP held its Third Congress: a milestone for the party, filled with vibrant political discussion. This inspirational event will set the tone for our next step forward, as we strive to reach 1,500 members in our ‘wipe out the Epstein class’ campaign.
By the third day of the General Strike both sides had started to accept the reality of the struggle. Workers could feel their strength, and could see that the government was at its wits’ end. But their leaders were desperate to reach a settlement.
Kensington Palace is showcasing a new exhibition titled ‘The Last Princesses of Punjab’. Despite some omissions and partial explanations, you are left illuminated into a world and lives which took very unexpected directions.
On the second day of the strike the government rolled out its carefully prepared plans to crush it. But the class balance of forces had been revealed: 30,000 strikebreaking volunteers had been mobilised, but 3 million workers were on strike.
Tuesday 4 May was the opening shot of a titanic class battle. Bit by bit, the arteries of economic life in Britain were methodically shut down as the workers answered the TUC’s call. For the government and the bosses, nothing had prepared them for the completeness of the stoppage.
48 years ago today, a young Bengali textile worker Altab Ali was murdered in a racist attack in Whitechapel east London. The murder sparked the legendary ‘Battle of Brick Lane’, where over the year 1978, Bengali youth spearheaded and defeated the fascist National Front.
Between August 1925 and May 1926, battle lines were drawn on the field of class war. On one side stood the owners of capital, with the might of the British state behind them. On the other stood a powerful labour movement. By 1 May, this tense situation could no longer be ignored.
100 years on from the British General Strike, we are excited to announce a new two-week article series following the events of the strike day by day, across the regions of Britain. The RCP is keeping the flame of 1926 alive, and passing on these valuable lessons to a new generation of class fighters.