SA: Given the Blairite grip on the Labour Party, how do you see things
developing in the coming period?
Mick Rix: I believe we are witnessing the last days of Blairism within
the Labour Party. Although the project started by New Labour is not over yet,
Blairism is nearly over, whether it is next year or the next few years. I think
most people recognise that Tony Blair, as leader of the Party, is becoming a
liability. This gives opportunity to those active in the Party, those socialists
in the Party, to reclaim the agenda.
I wouldn’t claim that the Labour Party was always a socialist party, but
certainly it was, and is, a mass party of workers. Of course, there are many
movements within the working class structure, whether they believe in a
socialist programme or social democratic programme. However, over the last ten
years, we have witnessed the complete theft of our organisation by people from
the right, who have promoted ideas associated with Thatcherism.
The so-called third way is an attempt to control capitalism. But experience
has shown you cannot control capitalism. Capitalism is continually in crisis and
feeds on crisis. As socialists we believe in control of the economy, whereby
those who produce, that is the majority not the minority, get the benefits so
that we can build a more civilised society.
The challenge to those in and outside of the Labour Party who want to see a
genuine socialist government is do we accept the transition from Blairism to
Brownism or whoever is following the New Labour project, or do we put forward
our own programme, involving as many as possible, based on socialist values?
Surely we must challenge the status quo that defends their own class interests,
based upon power, wealth and heritage.
It is high time we now influenced the agenda and organised the Party in ways
it was set up to accomplish and represent the interests of working people in
this country.
SA: How do you see this coming about? What is the role of the new
Labour Representation Committee?
Mick: Firstly, rank-and-file activists in the unions, socialist
societies and other bodies need to come together within the Party. At the moment
there is a deliberate attempt to keep them apart to prevent dialogue or
discussion. New Labour loves moribund Constituency Parties. New Labour wants
compliant trade unions. It does not want a powerful national executive
committee. They want the Cabinet to determine all policy. To be blunt, we vote
for MPs to carry out policy; we don’t vote for them to determine policy for the
rest of us. Every individual Party member has a right to have an input into
policy and should have a vote on the correct way to proceed. That does not
happen in the Party. We therefore have to challenge the failed process that has
done so much damage to our Party. We need to ditch the policies pursued over the
last six years, which a lot of people are fed up with and see as no different to
Tory policies, such as involving the private sector in public services.
There is now a growing opportunity for people across the Party to make a
difference. We are in power, and it is not a matter of changing that. But why
can’t we have a different approach, debate and argument? Why can’t we choose the
MPs we want to represent us in our localities? Why can’t we choose the
councillors we want? This organisational approach is key to everything.
In the last six years we have seen the Party hierarchy imitate all the worst
features of the Liberals and Tories. If you come from a privileged background,
that seems to give you an automatic right to get onto the career ladder to
become an MP. Yet there are many working class people out there who can do a far
better job than they could ever do. The only difference is, they have not had
the privileges that these people have had. We have to challenge the status quo
on these matters.
SA: You have dealt with the position within the Labour Party, but what
about those outside the Party who are at present sadly disillusioned with
Blairism?
Mick: Our attitude to them is essential. If we are to maintain a party
of government, we have to give hope to these disaffected millions. As we saw in
1997, people rejected the notions of Thatcherism. They wanted a fairer and more
just society.
Labour must stand out ideologically from the Tory and Liberal parties, which
are capitalist parties. We must not only maintain the Labour-trade union link,
but strengthen it. We are one and the same body. We must have the input from the
socialist societies, so that we are all working in tandem with each other, which
is completely foreign to the New Labour agenda.
There are loads of trade unionists who are completely turned off by New
Labour, and there are millions of workers, not in trade unions, who do not
identity themselves with Labour because they do not believe there is any
difference between the parties. So we have a job to do within the Party, and
outside to reach out to those millions who are looking for an alternative. So we
have a task of completely transforming the political process, as the Labour
Party was set up to do in the first place. This has to be based upon working
people and socialist aspirations.
We must have no illusions. It is going to be a difficult task and there are
going to be some tough battles ahead. We need to create a united approach
amongst the different organisations within the Party. We have to convince them
the LRC can deliver. If we can achieve some of our objectives, then those
outside of the Party will be enthused and encouraged to become involved. In this
way we can be confident of victory.
November 2003.
