Labour touts the Employment Rights Act as “the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation”. In reality, the new law is full of holes. Trade unions should seize what advantages it has given them, and go on the offensive against Starmer!
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar recently made headlines with his calls for Keir Starmer to step down over the Mandelson affair. But it’s not just the Westminster parties mired in scandal. Both Scottish Labour and the SNP are part of the sleazy establishment.
The Epstein scandal has set off a stack of dynamite at the heart of British politics, exposing the rot throughout the entire capitalist establishment. Workers and youth must mobilise to kick out Starmer and overthrow the decrepit system he represents.
In yet another setback for Starmer’s beleaguered government, the High Court has ruled that Labour’s proscription of Palestine Action is “disproportionate” and “unlawful”. This is a victory for the Palestine movement, and exposes the crisis of the ruling regime.
Desperate to wrap up the heroic eleven-month bin strikes, believing it will save councillors’ skins at May’s local elections, Birmingham City Council are now going for an injunction against megapickets. Defend the right to protest with militant union action!
Starmer’s future lies in the balance following sordid revelations about his Blairite ally, Peter Mandelson. The fallout from the Epstein scandal could drag down this crisis-ridden government, opening up a new chapter of instability in British politics.
The mass, collective action of the Minnesotan masses against ICE shows the way forward in the fightback against Starmer ramping up state repression. The lesson is clear: the way to fight back against state terror is with class struggle!
RCP members hit the streets of Manchester last weekend to get a sense of the mood around the Gorton & Denton by-election. It’s clear that ordinary Mancunians are fed up with establishment politics, and despise Starmer’s Labour Party.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a raft of ‘law-and-order’ reforms to British policing. But beneath the blustering bravado about forces being made ‘match fit’, these measures are pathetically inadequate to solve the establishment’s problems.
Keir Starmer is looking weak, paranoid, and isolated, after facing off Andy Burnham’s bid to return to Westminster. The Gorton & Denton by-election, meanwhile, is set to be a referendum on Starmer’s government, and could spell the beginning of the end for the Prime Minister.
Labour, Reform, and the Tories are all singing from the same ‘law and order’ hymn sheet in Westminster: upholding the ‘rule of law’ and being ‘tough on crime’. This is complete hypocrisy. The real criminals are in Westminster!
Labour’s plan to scrap juries in criminal court cases has been scaled back amidst widespread backlash. But the state remains an apparatus made by the ruling class, for the ruling class. We can only defend our democratic rights through struggle.
Labour’s Home Secretary has unveiled shocking plans to send asylum seekers to military barracks and subject them to dehumanising measures. But these plans are expensive, unworkable, and will fail to put the brakes on the government’s plummeting support.
On the eve of the Autumn Budget, the bond markets – the investors who bankroll the British state – are getting jittery. The capitalists are losing faith in Labour’s ability to carry out the necessary cuts to ‘balance the books’. But what alternatives do they have?
Britain is plunging ever-deeper into one of the worst housing crises in generations. Yet, over a year into Starmer’s promise to build 1.5 million homes by 2029, the chance of coming anywhere near this target is looking increasingly unlikely.
Last week, the Welsh town of Caerphilly delivered a shock to Starmer’s Labour, with voters unseating the party from one of its former strongholds. As Britain’s political landscape fractures, we can expect many more such earthquakes in the years ahead.
While Britain’s children go hungry, and pensioners fear freezing to death, Starmer’s Labour decided to set aside time in parliament to overturn a ban on violent Zionist hooligans from attending a football game in Birmingham. What a sick joke!
Not content with supporting arch-bureaucrat Christina McAnea in Unison’s elections, the misnamed ‘Communist Party’ of Britain have backed Starmer’s favourite Bridget Phillipson in Labour’s deputy leader challenge.
The latest Labour conference, taking place in Liverpool this week, marked another milestone in the terminal crisis facing Starmer and his government. These cretins have nothing to offer workers and youth. It’s time to get organised as communists.
Since ‘working-class warrior’ Angela Rayner was ditched from Starmer’s cabinet, the union leaders have been inconsolable. Their ‘woman on the inside’ is gone, their Employment Rights Bill is being butchered, and their strategy of cosying up to Labour is bankrupt.
Ten years ago today, Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party, transforming the landscape of British politics forever. To make sense of developments today, we must study this important chapter from Britain’s not-so-distant past.
Last Saturday saw police officers arrest, intimidate, and brutalise hundreds more peaceful pro-Palestine protestors, at Starmer’s request. Fiona Lali and Khaled Malachi give an eye-witness report, explaining how this has only served to expose the government’s weakness.
“A house, a house, my kingdom for a house!” The tragedy of Sir Keir Starmer is reaching new pathetic lows, after his “working-class foil” Angela Rayner fell from grace. Nothing Starmer can do will save him. British capitalism is tobogganing towards disaster.
Tomorrow, thousands of workers and youth will take to the streets of central London in protest against the genocide in Gaza, and in solidarity with repressed pro-Palestine activists. This question has become a mighty headache for Starmer’s government.
While claiming to be a party for workers, Starmer’s Labour has become a home for profiteers and parasites. While former homelessness minister (!) Rushanara Ali turfed out her tenants, Tulip Siddiq denies profiting from her auntie’s corrupt, murderous regime in Bangladesh.
After 15 years of austerity, cuts and declining living standards, Nigel Farage would have you believe ‘broken Britain’ is because of immigrants and refugees. But the real culprits are Starmer and the capitalist establishment!
On Tuesday, Keir Starmer dangled the prospect of recognising Palestinian statehood out as a diplomatic bargaining chip. Starmer’s crocodile tears have fooled nobody. It is actions, not words, that matter in politics.
Starmer recently met with the French President in yet another choreographed (and irrelevant) display of statesmanship. One product of these talks is another hare-brained scheme to appear ‘tough’ on immigration. These reactionary attacks on migrants are a divisive distraction.
British weather is known to be volatile, and the political climate is beginning to match this. With financial worries, imperialist tensions, and political instability to contend with, Starmer is feeling the heat. The communists, meanwhile, are making hay while the sun shines!
With Starmer’s government presiding over chaos, this year’s ‘Big Meeting’ came at a turning point for the labour movement. Trade union and left leaders must now turn their radical words into action, and build genuine opposition to Labour’s austerity and militarism.
As Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza escalates, the British establishment is clamping down ever-harder on Palestine activists. The labour movement must mobilise against imperialism and repression, and organise to overthrow the war criminals.
The SNP has faced another embarrassing setback following their defeat to Labour in a recent by-election. With nothing on offer to fight Starmer’s austerity or secure Scottish independence, the party is in a vulnerable position. One wrong move could easily upend the status quo.
Reform has set its sights on winning over working-class voters in Wales, by tapping into anger at Welsh Labour and the establishment, and promising to bring back jobs and industry. But can Farage’s party deliver on these plans? And can we trust the liberals to fight Reform?
Left MP Zarah Sultana has publicly announced her resignation from the Labour Party and called for the formation of a new left party, co-led by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Fiona Lali of the RCP discusses the bold revolutionary programme needed to build a political movement for genuine change.
Today’s anniversary of a year in office offers no cause for celebration for Keir Starmer and his ministers. His Labour government is on the ropes. It is only a matter of time before the Prime Minister goes the way of his hapless Tory predecessors.
As the global crisis of capitalism deepens, political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are finding themselves to be a hostage to events: pulled and pressured by powerful forces beyond their control, as the status quo crumbles around them.
Keir Starmer was given a bloody nose in Parliament yesterday, as Labour MPs forced the government to retreat on its Dickensian welfare cuts. This opens up a Pandora’s Box for the Labour leaders, who are caught between a rock and a hard place.
In the run-up to next week’s NATO summit, Starmer’s Labour has announced more new plans to ramp up military spending, using the threat of a ‘Russian invasion’ to carry out attacks on workers at home. Down with militarism! For welfare, not warfare!
In its first year of power, Starmer’s ‘electoral fortress’ has suffered the same sorry fate as the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic. With stormier waters ahead, Reeves’ Spending Review is merely rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship. Time to throw these capitalist shills overboard!
This Saturday, tens of thousands – including hundreds of RCP comrades – will march in London against austerity. Starmer and Reeves are facing growing opposition to their programme of cuts. The communists call for revolution against the billionaires!
Starmer has announced a new set of anti-immigrant policies, prompting unrest within the Labour backbenches. This desperate attempt to outflank Reform from the right is a divisive distraction from Labour’s own failures. Our enemies are not immigrants, but the bosses and billionaires that Starmer represents.
Labour has dominated Welsh politics for over a century. But after decades of austerity and decline, Welsh Labour’s support is collapsing. Meanwhile, Reform UK and Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru are surging in the polls . Volatility and radicalisation lie ahead.
Electoral success for Nigel Farage’s Reform in yesterday’s local and regional contests has provoked panic in Labour and Tory HQs alike. Britain’s political landscape is fracturing, as the centre ground collapses. Revolutionary upheavals impend.
Some anti-racist activists suggest that Labour is a ‘lesser evil’ in upcoming elections, compared to the likes of Reform UK and the Tories. But Labour’s track record on attacking migrants – both in words and deeds – is giving both parties a run for their money.
As Birmingham gets buried in bins, refuse workers continue their all-out battle against Labour council leaders, Starmer’s government, and both’s austerity programme. Their fight forebodes the titanic struggles to come for Britain’s workers. Victory to the strike!
In an embarrassing diplomatic snub for Labour, the Israeli state has deported two British MPs on a trip to the West Bank. The entire rotten establishment has been more animated over this row than Israel’s genocidal actions over the last eighteen months.
Reform UK’s nationwide tour culminates in Birmingham tomorrow. The counter-demonstration should be the starting shot for a mass campaign to unite workers and youth against ALL of the liars, warmongers, and racists in Westminster.
Rachel Reeves has just announced that the government will slash billions from the benefits bill. While the rich feast themselves, Labour are feeding workers and the poor into the meat-grinder. Make the billionaires pay for this crisis! For welfare, not warfare!
The first by-election of the current parliament is coming up, with Reform predicted to win despite a massive Labour majority last year. Unfortunately, Stand Up To Racism’s campaign against Reform leaves Starmer off the hook, and will only bolster Farage’s party.
In a declaration of war, Labour have announced they will be cutting £5 billion from the welfare benefits budget by 2030. This will leave the most vulnerable in society at breaking point. Calls to ‘tax the rich’ are not enough.
Starmer and the establishment are on a crusade of flag-waving jingoism: puffing out their chests on the world stage, and using the cover of militarism to prepare for attacks on workers at home. We say: down with these deluded warmongers!
Labour has just announced billions in cuts to benefits, in an effort to drive the sick and ailing back to work, get the economy growing, and redirect money to ‘defence’. But the capitalist class are powerless to tackle Britain’s unemployment dilemma.
Starmer’s cuts to foreign aid have caused backlash among his ranks and within the liberal establishment. But both sides of this furore are merely trying to salvage Britain’s declining power. We say: No to militarism! Down with liberal hypocrisy!
With Reform rising in the polls, Starmer’s Labour are desperately trying to win back their dwindling voter base. Their ‘new strategy’, however, is nothing but more culture war and migrant-bashing. We need a real, class alternative.
Keir Starmer wants to put thousands of British “boots on the ground” to ‘keep the peace’ in Ukraine, while pledging to spend billions more on ‘defence’. We say: no to Starmer’s militarism and austerity! For healthcare, not warfare! Books not bombs!
The Labour-run Bradford Council is hiking council tax by 9.9 percent, while making cuts to vital local services. Workers and young people are being made to foot the bill for the crisis in local government. No to austerity! Make the billionaires pay!
The Labour Party was originally formed as a working class party. But since it first came to power over a century ago, its leaders have ruled on behalf of the capitalists. In this article, James Kilby explains how this happened, and the lessons for today.
Starmer’s government is desperate to “kickstart” the flailing UK economy, with a flurry of recent announcements designed to boost growth. But it is clear that any uplift will come at workers’ expense. The stage is set for explosive class battles.
Not impressed with Reeves’ autumn budget, and concerned about the long-term health of British capitalism, leading investors are ramping up the pressure on Labour to get the economy back on track. It is high time we expropriated these parasites.
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who is tasked with investigating corruption for the government, has been engulfed in corruption scandals of her own! Her ties to the deposed tyrant Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh have come to the surface. Tulip, you’re in a blooming mess – time for you to go!
Yesterday, ‘counter-terrorism’ police raided a Kurdish community centre and arrested several people. This follows Starmer and Lammy’s recent cosying-up to Erdoğan’s bloodstained regime. Down with Labour’s hypocrisy! Solidarity with the Kurds!
Former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott died yesterday. The ex-union official played a key role in Blair’s government, serving as a left cover for New Labour’s big business agenda. The lesson for the left is clear: beware of false friends.
Starmer and Lammy wasted no time in sending grovelling congratulations to the new President-elect. But from trade wars to geopolitical shifts, a Trump administration spells chaos for British capitalism, and more resentment towards Labour.
In his latest bid to become even more hated by young people, Starmer has hiked tuition fees to a record level. Labour is drowning students in debt to protect universities’ bottom-lines. We say: Down with this austerity government! Free education for all!
This week on Communist Radio, Fiona Lali and Nelson Wan discuss why Labour’s recent budget won’t be able to paper over the cracks, and why world capitalism has been in crisis ever since the 2008 financial crash.
Starmer recently blamed Russia for disrupting food aid to Gaza, and having no respect for international law. Meanwhile, Britain’s allies in Israel starve, bomb, and massacre tens of thousands, with Labour’s full support. Down with imperialist hypocrisy!
After months of dither and delay, Labour’s flagship workers’ rights policy has finally dropped. To no one’s surprise, it is a watered-down washout. A few crumbs from the bosses’ table won’t stem the class struggle. We need a militant programme of action.
As the murderous Israeli regime rains down hellfire upon Palestinian hospitals and Lebanese neighbourhoods, Labour have nothing to offer but empty words, sickening hypocrisy, and toothless measures. Starmer and Lammy are complicit in these crimes.
At the recent International Investment Summit, Starmer delivered a programme of deregulation and attacks on workers, in order to woo his paymasters. We say: down with this billionaires’ government! Expropriate the rich!
This week on Communist Radio, Fiona and Ben discuss Israel’s killing of hundreds in Lebanon; the first one hundred days of Starmer’s anti-worker, imperialist Labour government; and how we can build a revolutionary party like Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Starmer’s government has been one of crisis since day one – rocked by riots, rebellions, and scandals. All of this overshadowed this year’s party conference, spoiling the celebrations that the Labour leaders were expecting. But worse is yet to come.
Nurses organised in the RCN have voted to reject the government’s pathetic pay offer, which does nothing to address the years of wage erosion that NHS workers have faced. The stage is set for a new wave of struggle across the public sector.
As delegates arrive in Liverpool this weekend for Labour’s annual conference, they will be met by a display of protest from Palestine solidarity activists. Starmer and his government are complicit in the Gazan genocide. Down with the warmongers!
Recent revelations have highlighted the pernicious role played by the Jewish Chronicle in spreading lies on behalf of the Zionist lobby – including the part this newspaper played, in league with the Blairites, in the anti-Corbyn smear campaign.
Discussing the parlous state of Britain’s public finances yesterday, Keir Starmer warned of “painful” times ahead for ordinary families. The working class is being asked to foot the bill for capitalism’s crisis. We say: make the billionaires pay!
One key policy in Labour’s manifesto was a promise to establish a National Wealth Fund to stimulate investment in green industries. But far from addressing the climate crisis, this greenwashing proposal provides public subsidies to profiteers.
Yesterday, Labour leader Keir Starmer scandalously suspended seven MPs for voting against his government’s austerity policies. This harsh move underlines the capitalist interests that Britain’s new PM represents. The left must prepare for battle.
Keir Starmer has lost no time in proving his loyalty to western imperialism: reaffirming the ‘special relationship’ with Washington; promising to increase military spending; and bolstering British support for Ukraine. We say: for books, not bombs!
The establishment and its mouthpieces have praised Labour for winning a massive parliamentary majority at the recent elections. But the truth is that Starmer’s government has dynamite built into its foundations. Prepare for explosive events!
The Tories have suffered a devastating defeat, allowing Starmer into Number 10 with a massive majority. But this new Labour government will be one of intense crises. Workers and youth must prepare for battle. Join the RCP!
In an effort to outflank the Tories and whip up xenophobia, Starmer is threatening to continue the government’s deportation policies and anti-migrant attacks. This is only adding to the anger against Labour. We say: the real enemy is in Westminster!
In their campaigning, Starmer’s Labour are promoting themselves as being both “pro-worker” and “pro-business”. And unfortunately, many union leaders buy into this nonsense. Instead, the movement must militantly struggle for clear class demands.
Labour’s election manifesto delivers exactly what most workers have come to expect from the party: nothing. Aping the Tories on every major policy, this is a programme for the bosses and bankers, not the working class. We say: No trust in Starmer!
Keir Starmer has spent the first week of his election campaign blocking leftwingers from standing, on the one hand, whilst wooing big business, on the other. Workers and youth must have no trust in Labour. Help build the forces of communism!
With Labour preparing to enter government, its MPs are pitching their case for a ‘progressive realist’ foreign policy. In reality, this is nothing more than business as usual for British imperialism, as it continues its decline on the world stage.
This Thursday, voters in the capital will go to the polls for the London mayoral election. But none of the candidates for City Hall have any solutions to the problems facing workers and youth. We must fight to build a revolutionary alternative.
Stalwart left-wing MP Diane Abbott has endured a lifetime of racist and sexist abuse. The latest sickening example of this, from a wealthy Conservative donor, has exposed both the hypocrisy of the Tories and the cynicism of Starmer’s Labour.
With a general election approaching this year, the Labour leaders are jettisoning any spending pledges, in an effort to reassure the ruling class. A Starmer government will be one of deep crisis. Workers must trust only in their own strength.
As Starmer’s Labour gets closer to power, the harsh reality of its ‘tough decisions’ is becoming clearer. This is provoking murmurs of opposition in the party and the unions – a harbinger of future splits and turmoil under a government of crisis.
Starmer’s Labour recently announced its programme for education. But as with other questions, the party is promising little but Tory-lite policies. To save our schools, staff and students must fight for a clear socialist alternative.
Jamie Driscoll, the left-wing North of Tyne Mayor, is the latest victim of Starmer’s purge, having been blocked by the party from standing as a Labour candidate. This episode emphasises once again the need to build a revolutionary leadership.
Starmer and co. have recently set out their stall on migration, demanding skilled jobs for British workers. Instead of aping the Tories’ divisive policies and dog-whistle racism, the labour movement must fight the bosses with united class struggle.
In a recent speech, Keir Starmer outlined his plans for a future Labour government, promising to outflank the Tories to the right on the economy and jingoism. Workers and youth must have no trust in Starmer, but organise to fight for revolution.
‘Sir’ Keir Starmer has predictably thrown students under the bus by finally scrapping his pledge to abolish tuition fees. We demand free and high-quality education for all, by expropriating the wealth of the bosses.
Left-wing MP Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party, accused of racism by Starmer and the right wing. But this is stinking hypocrisy, coming from these agents of the ruling class. We say: Fight racism! Fight capitalism!
In recent weeks, ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer has attempted to outflank the Tories on the question of policing and crime. The Labour leader is desperate to prove to the establishment that he will defend their system. Instead, we must fight to overthrow it.
This week, Labour’s ruling body voted to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour MP. Subsequently, many on the left have raised the idea of a new workers’ party. The key unresolved question, however, is that of revolutionary leadership.
‘Sir’ Keir Starmer is attending the “billionaires’ jamboree” in Davos this week – the latest episode in his bid to woo big business. The left must have no illusions about whose interests a Labour government under his leadership would serve.
Keir Starmer is trying to give his Labour Party a radical gloss by hinting at the abolition of the House of Lords and other possible reforms. But instead of constitutional tweaks, we need workers’ power to combat the crisis of capitalism.
The Labour right wing felt the wind in their sails at this year’s conference, having taken control of the party, and currently riding high in the polls. But workers should have no trust in the prospect of a capitalist Starmer government.
The much-awaited Forde report has been released, revealing the sabotage undertaken by the Labour right wing against Corbyn and his supporters. The left must learn from this episode: there can be no compromise with these class enemies.
Feeling the wind in their sails, the Labour right wing is on the offensive. And now they are coming for left MPs such as Apsana Begum in Tower Hamlets. The lesson is clear: we need a bold socialist leadership in the labour movement.
After presiding over years of cuts to services, attacks on workers, and rising inequality, the Tower Hamlets Labour council has been dealt a blow by local residents, who have voted out the incumbent Labour Mayor.
‘Sir’ Keir Starmer has cynically used Russia’s attack on Ukraine as an excuse to attack the anti-imperialist left, and to prove his loyalty to the establishment. The labour movement must fight the enemy at home, not the ‘enemy within’.
With the Tories mired in crisis, the ruling class is increasingly building up ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer as a possible future occupant of Number 10. But the Labour right wing has nothing to offer workers and youth. We must build the forces of Marxism.
Starmer and the right wing are continuing their purge of left-wing activists from the Labour Party. Socialist Appeal supporters and grassroots members in the North East are the latest victims of this scandalous witch-hunt.
The Labour right wing is continuing its clearout of socialists from the party. The left is demoralised and in disarray. Yet workers and youth are moving into action. We need to build the forces of Marxism – in the unions and on the streets.
Keir Starmer has offered a warm welcome to recent Tory defector Christian Wakeford. Meanwhile, socialists are being purged from the party, and Jeremy Corbyn has not had the whip restored. Labour should be appealing to workers, not Tories.
Having strengthened their grip at the recent party conference, the Labour right wing are undertaking a fresh wave of expulsions of Socialist Appeal activists. But Starmer’s purge cannot break the link between Marxism and the labour movement.
Labour leader ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer has recently written for the Sun, rightfully causing disgust from across the labour movement, and particularly in Liverpool. As Starmer cosies up to the Murdoch press, we say: Starmer out!
Left-wing director Ken Loach recently spoke with Socialist Appeal, discussing the civil war inside the Labour Party and the prospects for the left. As Ken emphasises, the ideas of Marxism will play a vital role in the struggles ahead.
Starmer and the right wing used the recent Labour conference to consolidate their grip over the party. As Rob Sewell discusses, an examination of their big business backers reveals clearly the capitalist interests that they represent and defend.
This year’s Labour conference has ended in a victory for the right wing. The left must learn the lessons from the rise and fall of the Corbyn movement. The only way forward is to build the forces of Marxism. Join us in this vital task.
The Labour right wing has won a series of important votes at this year’s party conference, provoking anger and outrage amongst left delegates through their bureaucratic antics. Amongst this mess, the ideas of Marxism have gained a strong echo.
After a year’s hiatus, Labour’s annual conference begins this weekend. The event is set to be a showdown between Starmer, on one side, and grassroots members and left unions, on the other. The left must boldly take the fight to the right.
The Labour right wing have carried out a brazen attack on press freedoms, explicitly denying Socialist Appeal journalists entrance to the party’s upcoming Labour conference on political grounds. We urge readers to rally against this injustice.
With conference just over a week away, Starmer and the right wing are going into overdrive with their purge, threatening left delegates with expulsion. The stage is set for one of the most tense and explosive Labour conferences in decades.
Battles are breaking out across the labour movement, with Starmer purging socialists from the party, and the Unison bureaucracy sabotaging the union’s left-wing NEC. The left must make a stand and clear out these agents of the establishment.
Revelations this week have shone a light on the appalling treatment of the Young Labour national committee by the Labour right wing. Grassroots members must mobilise to defend the YL leaders, and organise to defy David Evans’ diktats.
The scandalous expulsion of left-wing film director Ken Loach has provoked widespread anger amongst Labour’s rank and file. The fight against the purge must be both a struggle to clear out the right and a struggle for bold socialist policies.
The expulsion of socialists from the Labour Party has spilt over onto university campuses, with Lancaster Uni Labour Club proposing to ban Marxist society members. Activists must defy the right wing, join the Marxists, and fight the purge.
Ben Gliniecki recently received a letter of automatic exclusion from the Labour Party officialdom for the ‘crime’ of supporting Socialist Appeal. Here is his reply to the Labour bureaucracy.
In response to the Labour right wing’s move to purge socialists from the party, solidarity motions and statements have come in from across the rank and file of the labour movement. Now the left must mobilise to drive out Starmer and the right.
After years of harassment from the Labour right wing, the local council, and the Tory press, left-wing MP Apsana Begum has been acquitted of all the trumped-up charges levelled at her. Now it is time for her opponents to face justice.
Labour is in a parlous financial state, due to the rightwards shift undertaken by Starmer, and the resultant exodus of members. The right wing are destroying the party, as they seek to appease the establishment. They must be shown the door.
For decades, militant trade union activists have been targeted by the bosses. Now Marxists in the Labour Party will face similar victimisation, as part of Starmer’s purge. The scourge of blacklisting must be fought across the labour movement.
Socialist Appeal, the Marxist voice of Labour and youth, has been expelled from the Labour Party, with the right wing saying we are ‘alien’ and ‘toxic’ to the party’s ‘aims and values’. Rob Sewell answers the lies, smears, and slanders.
Labour’s right-wing dominated NEC has ruled that all candidate selections in the city of Liverpool will come under the control of the national party. This attack on grassroots democracy must be resisted by the whole left of the party.
Join Rob Sewell and Adam Booth to hear about the Labour right’s plan to kick Socialist Appeal supporters out of the Labour party, and why the left must organise to fight back against this direct political attack.
Thousands of Labour members are set to be expelled, following a vote by the party’s ruling body today to permanently ban Socialist Appeal and other left groups. But we will not be cowed by this attack. Join us in the struggle for socialism.
Following confirmation that the Labour right wing are set to proscribe Socialist Appeal at tomorrow’s NEC meeting, solidarity has flooded in from across the labour movement. The left must fight back against this politically-motivated attack.
The Labour right wing are bureaucratically maneuvering to permanently ban Socialist Appeal from the party. This scandalous political attack is the latest attempt to crush the left. Activists across the left must mobilise and fight back.
With Labour’s annual conference approaching, the right wing have stepped up their attacks on party democracy and grassroots members. The left must organise to drive out Starmer and the right wing, and to transform Labour along socialist lines.
Labour’s civil war is currently playing out at a local level, with the right-wing maneuvering in order to seize control of CLPs. The scene is set for a sharp struggle at annual conference. The left must organise and go on the offensive.
Labour have scraped to victory in the Batley & Spen by-election. The right wing have spun this as a major win. In reality, it is a humiliating result. Under Starmer, the party is heading for disaster. We need a new leadership. Starmer out!
With another ominous by-election approaching, this time in Batley and Spen, Labour is losing support across the board. The right-wing leadership is driving the party over a cliff. The Left must mobilise to show Starmer the door.
Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour is heading for disaster. The party is in a deep crisis. Yet the right wing are attacking the left more than the Tories. But grassroots members are fighting back, saying: Starmer out! Fight for socialism!
Labour’s right-wing leadership continues to give its support to the reactionary Israeli state. Genuine internationalists must take up the struggle of the Palestinians, which includes the struggle against British imperialism.
Adam Booth discusses the direction of Labour, and why we need to remove Starmer and transform the party from top to bottom.
Having won another term as London Mayor, Sadiq Khan now faces huge challenges. The Tories are intent on punishing working-class Londoners for their support for Labour. Austerity and attacks are on the agenda. A militant fightback is required.
Keir Starmer is rapidly losing support on both sides of the Labour Party. Nevertheless, pushed on by Blairites such as Peter Mandelson, he is ramping up the flag-waving and appeals to business. The left must mobilise to show Starmer the door.
Recent polling shows that Labour is heading for disaster in the upcoming May elections. At the same time, there is strong support for left-wing policies. It is time for the unions to flex their muscles and take the fight to the right.
The right wing in the Labour Party is seeking to make support for proportional representation a key party policy. The left should steer clear of this establishment trap, which would only push Labour further down the path of class collaboration.
Labour Party officials have imposed a single parliamentary candidate for the upcoming by-election in Hartlepool. The left must organise to implement real party democracy, as part of a political struggle for a bold socialist programme.
Showing their contempt for democracy, Labour’s right-wing dominated NEC has rejected members’ call for a recall conference. The left must organise a conference of its own – to draw up a battle plan and mobilise to remove this disastrous leadership.
The campaign for an emergency recall conference of the Labour Party has found a strong echo across the labour movement. In this online rally, prominent left-wing speakers explain why they are joining the fight to reclaim democracy.
The campaign for a recall Labour conference has been gathering steam over the past week. This is the chance to begin a serious fightback against the right. Join us tomorrow for a rally to reclaim democracy and take back control!
The Labour right wing’s clampdown on democracy continues apace. At the same time, the campaign for an immediate recall conference is gaining momentum. It is time to ‘rise like lions’. Reclaim democracy! Recall conference now!
As part of the latest attack on party democracy, the Labour right wing have scrapped the shortlist to select the party’s candidate for Liverpool Mayor. Activists must fight back against this bureaucratic move. We say: Let the members decide!
Facing criticism that he lacks ‘vision’, Keir Starmer yesterday announced his Big Idea to the nation: the British Recovery Bond. But this attempt at Keynesianism-meets-patriotism will do nothing to solve the deep crisis of capitalism.
Following a fortnight of blunders, Keir Starmer and the Labour right wing are on the defensive. Bold calls for a recall conference are clearly making a mark. The left must press forward and take the fight to the right.
Left-wing groups and trade unions have come together to launch a united campaign for an immediate recall Labour conference, to fight back against the right wing’s attacks on party democracy. We say: Put power in the membership’s hands!
Looking ahead to Labour conference 2021, Momentum are seeking policy proposals to campaign on. The crisis in the NHS must be urgently addressed. We call on activists to push this model motion and fight for a socialist solution.
In a recent revealing speech, the Labour leadership have outlined their economic strategy. Their message of ‘fiscal responsibility’ is aimed at appeasing big business. But only a bold socialist programme can offer a future to workers.
Under pressure from Keir Starmer and wealthy donors, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has stepped down. The right wing wants to expunge all remnants of Corbynism from the party. But this will only hasten its decline.
The Labour right wing are determined to drive left activists out of the party, in an attempt to appease the establishment. We spoke to comrades singled out in this witch-hunt, discussing the need to fight back and put members in control.
The situation inside Labour is at an impasse. The right wing are attacking grassroots members, carrying out suspensions and banning democratic discussion. Only an immediate national conference can resolve this crisis.
Keir Starmer and the Labour right wing have stepped up their attacks against the left, with a spate of scandalous suspensions taking place recently. The left must go on the offensive, with the aim of driving out Starmer and the right.
Jeremy Corbyn has launched a new think tank type organisation aimed at promoting equality, peace, and democracy internationally. Despite its noble aims, this project falls short of what is needed: workers’ struggle for socialist demands.
Soft-left, Remain-supporting Labour MPs such as Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome have recently relaunched themselves as the ‘Love Socialism’ group. But behind their ‘socialist’ rhetoric lies a programme of compromise and class collaboration.
Recent events have demonstrated that the Labour leadership has no genuine concern about tackling racism – in the party or in society. The left must expose this hypocrisy, and organise members to take the fight to the right.
Labour’s right wing have torn up the rule book in their purge of the left. They will not stop until the left are broken and driven from the party. This is a war, and the left leadership must start acting as such.
Provocations by the Labour right are hardening the mood amongst grassroots members. Activists are fighting back, passing motions in defiance of the party leadership and HQ, including votes of no confidence. We say: Starmer out! Corbyn in!
Events in the Labour Party have demonstrated the ruthlessness of the right – as well as the timidity of the left. The problem boils down to a crisis of leadership. We call on readers to join us and help build the forces of Marxism.
Jeremy Corbyn is back in the Labour Party, after apologising for earlier remarks. But no amount of appeasement will satisfy the right wing. Starmer’s spiteful decision not to restore the whip shows that this war is far from over.
Victory in the Labour NEC elections shows the potential strength of the left. But this is currently being squandered by the left leaders. Instead of seeking compromise, we must mobilise members for an all-out struggle against the right.
Attempts to oppose Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour Party have been blocked by the right-wing bureaucracy. But grassroots members in Bristol have shown that it is possible to smash through these barriers and fight back.
The suspension of Jeremy Corbyn is a declaration of war. The Labour left is faced with a stark choice: either to capitulate, or to fight to the finish. There is no middle road. Appeasement will not work. Now more than ever, we need bold leadership.
In a special broadcast of Marxist Voice, Rob Sewell discusses the incendiary events surrounding the release of the EHRC report into Labour and anti-semitism.
The Labour right wing have shown that they are ruthless in their aim of purging the left. The leaders of the Corbyn movement must show equal determination and resolve. We need a fighting leadership, armed with a bold socialist programme.
By suspending Jeremy Corbyn, the right wing has thrown down the gauntlet. A full on witch-hunt is underway – to purge the left and make Labour a reliable party for big business. The left must mobilise and boldly fight back.
Elections for the leadership of Young Labour are in full swing. On the left, the ‘For a Socialist Future’ slate is looking to become a rallying point for radical youth. Candidate Lewis Griffiths reports on the campaign for a socialist YL.
Voting begins today for the Young Labour elections. Now more than ever, we need a fighting socialist leadership. The militant stance taken by the Labour Party Young Socialists provides an inspiring reference point for activists today.
With Boris Johnson dragging his feet over the escalating epidemic, Keir Starmer has come out in support of a new temporary national lockdown. How can the labour movement ensure that workers do not foot the bill for this crisis?
Next week, ballots open for elections to the Labour Party’s ruling body, the NEC. These elections mark a key battleground in the ongoing Labour civil war. It is vital that the left organises and mobilises to ensure victory.
In search of a magic formula to win over the working class, some ‘Marxist’ commentators have called for the left to pander to patriotism. The labour movement must ignore these siren calls and fight for socialist internationalism.
Under orders from Starmer, most Labour MPs this week abstained on a Tory bill that seeks to defend the crimes of British imperialism. Those opposing the bill were punished. Grassroots members must fight for socialist internationalism.
Keir Starmer has gone to great effort this week to break with his predecessor and draw a line under the Corbyn era. Left-wing policies are to be ditched and replaced with appeals to ‘patriotism’. Grassroots activists must fight back.
Lewis Griffiths, the official left candidate for Wales representative in the upcoming Young Labour elections, explains why Young Labour needs to become a rallying point for workers and students looking to fight the Tories and capitalism’s crises.
Right-wingers in Scottish Labour have tried to oust leader Richard Leonard. The establishment wants to bolster Labour in Scotland, so they can do the Tories’ dirty work in defending the Union. This is the path to self-destruction.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary since Jeremy Corbyn was first elected Labour leader. This marked an enormous turning point for the Left in Britain. Now, at another crossroads, we must learn from the experience of the Corbyn era.
Local Labour parties are meeting this month to decide who to back for the upcoming NEC elections. We call on readers to support left-wing candidates and nominate socialist comrades in your CLP. We must fight for a socialist Labour Party.
Results are in from the Momentum primaries to decide the left slate in the upcoming Young Labour elections. The ‘Marxist Voice’ platform saw strong support, standing on a bold socialist programme. Now fight for a militant Young Labour!
Left-wing MP Richard Burgon recently outlined a 10-point policy proposal to galvanise the left. But the Keynesian ideas put forward are not enough. We need to mobilise workers and youth around bold socialist demands.
Primary elections to choose Momentum’s slate for Young Labour open tomorrow. Socialist Appeal supporters are standing as the ‘Marxist Voice’ platform. We call on young activists to vote for these comrades and join the campaign.
A recent survey of Labour members shows a growing disillusionment with Starmer’s leadership, alongside strong support for left-wing policies. The ground is being prepared for a renewed outbreak of the Labour civil war.
We publish here a contribution by John McInally, an experienced trade union activist from the PCS, about the perspectives for the labour movement in Britain. We need to build a strong socialist opposition to the Tories and Labour right wing.
Elections are coming up for the Young Labour national committee, with primaries underway to decide which candidates are backed by Momentum. We urge readers to vote for the ‘Marxist Voice for Young Labour’ platform.
Len McCluskey has fired a shot across the bows with threats to withdraw funds in response to Starmer’s rightward turn of the Labour Party. With NEC elections approaching, the left must mobilise around bold socialist policies.
Labour has issued an apology to former employees who were involved in sabotage. Keir Starmer and the right wing are attempting to bury the story. Activists must organise to demand justice – and to fight the Blairite bureaucrats.
Since splitting from Labour, former MPs Chuka Umunna and Angela Smith have gone on to take well-paid positions in the boardrooms of big business. These Blairites should have been booted out long ago. We say: clear out the careerists!
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Labour activist and Socialist Appeal writer Joe Attard discusses Keir Starmer’s dismissal of Rebecca Long-Bailey, and what this means for the fight inside the Labour Party.
Elections for Momentum’s leading body have produced a victory for the grassroots slate, winning on a promise of democratic change and socialist policies. This should empower activists to get organised and fight the right.
The Labour right wing have taken advantage of the lockdown to go on the offensive against the left. The sacking of RLB by Starmer is only the latest declaration of war. Grassroots activists must educate, agitate, and organise a fightback.
Keir Starmer has removed left-winger Rebecca Long-Bailey from the Shadow Cabinet, once again using anti-semitism smears to attack the left. The pretence of ‘unity’ has been shattered. Activists must prepare for battle.
A strong campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford has forced a U-turn from the Tory government, achieving more than Starmer’s sterile leadership has in months. Workers need a real opposition that will take the fight to the Tories.
Keir Starmer has given a tepid, equivocal response to the Black Lives Matter movement in Britain. What is needed from the Labour leaders is not hollow rhetoric or tokenistic kneeling, but firm and clear support to those fighting racism.
Weeks after the leaked report exposed the sabotage of the Labour bureaucracy, a purge has begun – of the left! The right wing wants to regain control of the party and stifle debate. Grassroots members must mobilise against these attacks.
Momentum chair Jon Lansman is stepping aside. And faced with a new right-wing leadership, the Labour left is being forced to reflect. It is vital that we learn the lessons of the last five years. There can be no more compromises.
UK renters are facing an uncertain future, as landlords come hunting for arrears. Labour should be campaigning to cancel rents. But instead, Starmer and his team are cosying up to parasitic landlords and big business.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has buckled to reactionary Hindu nationalism, unilaterally overturning agreed party policy on Kashmir. The labour movement must fight to show solidarity, not bend the knee to imperialism.
Lauded by the establishment for his ‘credible opposition’, Keir Starmer is also under pressure from workers to oppose reckless Tory measures. Instead of compromising with the government, Labour should be taking them to task.
The contest to replace Labour’s general secretary will open up a battle at the top of the party. The recent leaked report has shattered any idea of ‘unity’. The left must fight for party democracy and socialism.
Keir Starmer’s leadership victory was met with jubilation by the Blairites. These gangsters have actively conspired against the election of a Labour government. We must clear out these saboteurs and fight against any return to Blairism.
New Labour leader ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer has been notable by his absence in recent weeks. Yet he has earnt plaudits from establishment commentators for providing ‘credible opposition’. No wonder – he is bankrolled by big business.
Keir Starmer has made overtures about joining a government of national unity with the Conservatives. National unity is a reactionary fiction. What is needed is workers’ unity in the face of this crisis.
A recently leaked report on the shenanigans of officials at Labour HQ reveals a cesspit of bullying and bureaucracy, designed explictly to undermine the Corbyn movement. Labour activists must organise and fight to sweep out the saboteurs.
Only two days into his leadership, and the establishment are already demanding that Keir Starmer prove his credentials by marching to their tune. But the Labour right wing will have a hard time reversing the gains of the Corbyn movement.
Keir Starmer has won the Labour leadership contest. His Blairite backers are already baying for blood, calling for the Corbyn movement to be purged from the party. The left must rally around socialist policies and prepare to fight back.
A series of powerful speeches by left-wing MPs in support of RLB’s Labour leadership bid emphasised the policies that activists must fight for: open selection, a new Clause IV, and socialist policies to fight austerity and the climate crisis.
Voting has begun for the Labour leadership contest. With their champion Keir Starmer, the establishment hopes to regain control of the Labour Party. We must fight to continue the ‘Corbyn revolution’.
Richard Burgon’s campaign for the deputy Labour leader position has gained the backing of rank-and-file activists, thanks to the MP’s bold demands for open selection and a new socialist Clause IV. Support Burgon for deputy!
The ballot opens today for the Labour leadership contest. Keir Starmer is currently the favourite, based on an opportunistic campaign with hollow promises of ‘unity’ and ‘electability’. Members must not be fooled by this wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Richard Burgon is the left candidate in the current deputy Labour leadership contest. We support Richard because of his calls for open selection and a new Clause IV based on public ownership – which he recently discussed with us.
The ballot for the Labour leadership contest opens this week. Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon are the clear candidates of the left. But to beat their right-wing rivals, RLB and Burgon must mobilise grassroots members around bold socialist demands.
In a bold move, leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey has called for open selection. This is a clear challenge to the Labour right wing – one that should inspire activists to secure a left victory and complete the Corbyn revolution.
Despite losing good left-wing MPs such as Laura Pidcock at the last election, a new generation of Labour lefts have entered into Parliament to carry the torch of the Corbyn movement. Their speeches and actions provide a bold example for others to follow.
The first round of the leadership contest is over. The key battle will be fought between Rebecca Long-Bailey on the left and Keir Starmer on the right. We must go on the attack and drive out the remnants of Blairism. Complete the Corbyn revolution!
Brexit was central to Labour’s election defeat. Concessions to the Blairites alienated working-class voters in the north and Midlands. In order to move forwards and fight, it is vital to learn the lessons of where it went wrong for the left.
The contest to succeed Corbyn as Labour leader has begun, with six candidates already declaring their intention to run. The left must mobilise behind Rebecca Long-Bailey and fight a bold campaign based on clear socialist demands.
After the disappointment of the election result, Labour activists must gather their strength and regroup to choose a new left leader. Members must use this as an opportunity to call for mandatory reselection and bold socialist policies.
The time has almost arrived. Tomorrow voters go to the polls in a historic election. Let’s finish the job. Vote for Corbyn! Fight for socialism!
John McDonnell yesterday outlined the key tasks facing a Labour government in its opening weeks. But the response from big business highlights the threats facing such a government too. Labour must fight back with bold socialist measures.
Boris Johnson and the Tories have attempted to make this election one solely focussed on Brexit. But left-wing Labour candidates in Leave-voting areas are trying to win over workers and youth with class-based policies.
With just days until voters go to the polls, Corbyn is touring the country in one last push for a Labour victory. His visit to Wales last weekend highlights the enormous enthusiasm that exists amongst workers and youth everywhere.
As we enter the final week of the election, activists are stepping up their efforts for a Corbyn victory. No matter what the outcome on 12 December, a mass political movement has been created. This genie cannot be put back in its bottle.
Due to the privatisation of the telecoms industry, internet infrastructure in Britain has been outdated for decades. Monopoly conditions allow company bosses to make a killing from poor quality infrastructure. Labour’s recent proposals are a good start.
The establishment is doing their best to dampen spirits surrounding Labour’s election campaign. But with with a radical manifesto in hand and a mass movement on the streets, we can still narrow the gap and put Corbyn in Number 10.
Jeremy Corbyn today launched Labour’s manifesto for this election. It contains a whole host of radical policies that will enthuse workers and youth. But will this programme be enough to provide the ‘real change’ that Labour is promising?
Last election Labour made significant gains in London. This time, there are a number of marginals that Labour can win. Labour activists, and Socialist Appeal supporters, have been mobilising to fight for a socialist Labour government.
In exactly one month’s time, voters will go to the polls. As Labour’s campaign grows and gains, the Tories are going into full panic mode. Keep up the pressure! Fight the Johnson-Farage alliance with bold socialist policies!
Tom Watson’s resignation surprised many. As the focal point of right-wing sabotage in the party, he criticised the likes of Chuka Umunna for ‘prematurely’ jumping ship. His premature departure reflects the demoralisation of the Blairite faction.
Following an NEC decision to prevent Chris Williamson from standing, he has chosen to run as an independent. The left must not let frustrations get in the way of the fight against the Tories.
Streatham CLP was a stronghold for the right wing. Since the departure of local MP Chuka Umunna, there has been a significant shift to the left. Now there is a left-wing candidate and members are mobilising to fight for a socialist Labour government.
Labour activists came out in force in Uxbridge and South Ruislip yesterday in the latest push to unseat Boris Johnson. In 2017, Johnson’s majority was halved. His seat is winnable. This energy must be maintained to boot Boris out of Number 10.
Labour activists have hit the ground running in the campaign to kick out Boris Johnson and his government of the rich. Across the country, supporters are getting organised and taking to the streets in the fight for a Corbyn government.
December 12th will be the most important election in decades. Labour will put forward a radical programme, offering progressive change for workers and students. The Marxist Student Federation is organising to fight for a Corbyn government.
Streatham CLP is in the process of a shift to the left since the departure of Chuka Umunna, with an organised left pushing a motion to redraft a Socialist Clause IV and a selection contest that could lead to a pro-Corbyn parliamentary candidate.
Labour4Clause4 successfully brought the reintroduction of Clause IV to the centre of the debate at conference, with 62% of CLP delegates in support. The campaign will continue to fight to commit the party to the goal of socialism.
News has emerged of a stitch-up of the candidate selection process ahead of a coming election. To win, Labour must unify activists around genuine left-wing candidates, not careerists. We need a democratic process of mandatory reselection.
The abolition of Labour Students presents an opportunity to re-establish a new organisation on a healthy basis. Socialist Appeal activists call for Labour Students to be rebuilt around democratic methods and bold socialist policies.
Events over the last week have underlined that we still have a long way to go in terms of fighting for democracy and justice within the Labour Party. Members must rally to defend Chris Williamson and demand mandatory reselection.
Three Blairite MPs have been triggered as Labour members look to democratically take control of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The Blairites are fighting back the only way they know how, through bureaucratic manouvres. Boot out the Blairites.
Margaret Hodge faces a reselection contest. Blairites defend her ‘anti-racist’ record, when her anti-immigrant housing policies were supported by the BNP. Her rhetoric against anti-semitism has been weaponised against Corbyn. Deselect now!
Paranoid about the ‘red’ threat, elements of the British security services and the CIA plotted against Harold Wilson. A Corbyn government would be subject to a similar threat, unless Labour purges the armed forces, civil service and the judiciary.
After an exhilarating five days in Brighton, Labour conference has come to a close. In effect, this was a pre-election rally, with a string of radical pledges to enthuse members and voters. Now to take the fight to the Tories!
A packed room of grassroots Labour activists heard from John McDonnell and leading trade unionists at the Labour4Clause4 fringe meeting on Monday evening. All the speakers pledged their support for Clause 4.
Labour Party Conference 2019 is ongoing. So far the atmosphere has been radical, with the party rank and file supporting, amongst others, the motion to restore Clause IV. We post here four short articles on the events of the conference so far.
Britain is in a deep crisis, the ruling class has completely lost control and another election is fast approaching. Big business is threatening mass sabotage against a potential Labour government, Labour must respond with bold socialist policies.
This year’s Labour conference will be pivotal. Delegates will have the opportunity to define the direction of the party and sculpt the most radical manifesto ever. We call on delegates to fight for bold socialist policies.
Labour’s NEC recently voted to get rid of Labour Students. The organisation has shown disdain for democracy, rigging elections to ensure right-wingers remain in control. We need a Labour Students organisation that will fight for socialist policies.
After losing her trigger ballot, Diana Johnson, MP for Hull North, faces the first selection process under new rules. If Blairite MPs genuinely represented their members, they would have nothing to fear. Their howls of ‘unfair’ show the truth.
The question of bringing back Clause 4 is on the agenda of this year’s Labour conference, thanks to motions passed by five different CLPs. We urge all delegates to support this rule change to restore Labour’s socialist clause!
Young Labour members in London met last Saturday for a day of political discussion and debate. Amongst the policies voted on, there was overwhelming support for a motion to restore Clause 4. This shows the thirst for socialist ideas.
Labour has launched a call for a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’. But what does this environmental programme entail? What kind of ‘revolution’ do we need? And how do we achieve it?
A recent Labour report outlines plans to curb outsourcing and bring public services back in-house. Such a move could not come soon enough. The profiteers and parasites have been getting fat off of the public purse for far too long.
Young Labour groups are being set up across the country, as young activists get organised to fight against Boris and the Tories, against climate change, and for a socialist Labour government.
The bigoted base of the Tory Party have chosen Boris Johnson to be the new Prime Minister. But Labour activists are organising to remove him from Parliament altogether.
The establishment and their representatives inside the Labour Party are getting increasingly desperate. Far from being ‘unelectable’, the Blairites and big business know that Corbyn could soon be in Number 10.
A new report looks at measures that can be taken to address the enormous inequalities and social problems arising from the highly uneven distribution of land ownership in the UK. Nationalisation of all land must be the first step.
Last night’s Panorama ‘exposé’ about alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party was nothing but a right-wing hatchet job. It is yet another attempt to smear the Labour left and sabotage Corbyn. These slanders must stop.
Chris Williamson MP faces possible expulsion from the Labour Party, following a barrage of hysterical attacks from the right wing of the PLP. Grassroots Labour activists must support Chris and oppose this Blair smear campaign.
The Labour left Arise Festival provided a valuable opportunity to discuss how we fight for a Corbyn Labour government. With a general election on the horizon, Labour needs to inspire workers and youth with bold socialist ideas.
Motions to this year’s Labour Party conference will reflect the radicalisation and transformation taking place inside the party. But right-wingers, opposed to bold change, are putting up a resistance.
The Labour Party leadership is touring the country in order to build enthusiasm and mobilise activists in advance of a general election. Last weekend’s launch event highlights the potential for our movement.
We present here Socialist Appeal’s suggested motions for Labour members to raise in their local parties in advance of this year’s conference. If passed, these policies will be an important step forward in the fight for socialism.
Labour activists have called on shadow defence secretary Nia Griffiths to stand down after she endorsed a Tory pledge to defend army personnel against prosecution. Labour must fight against imperialism, its institutions, and its warmongers.
The ‘Preston Model’ is being pushed by some on the left as a way for local councils to manage in an age of austerity and build ‘municipal socialism’. But instead, Labour must fight the cuts and nationalise the monopolies.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested last week in London, with a warrant put out by the US for his extradition. Assange’s case has become yet another stick for the Labour right wing to cynically hit Corbyn with.
Recent events have demonstrated that the Blairite smear campaign over anti-Semitism shows no signs of dying down. Socialists must stand firm against these McCarthyite attacks.
We publish here two reports from local Labour activists, which give an indication of the growing strength of the left-wing within the Labour Party. Despite the attacks, the Corbyn movement marches on.
The recent AGM of London Young Labour was a missed opportunity to discuss the way forward in the fight to kick out the Tories and bring in a socialist Labour government.
Brexit has created constitutional chaos. May and the Tories are now a government in name only. The ruling class has completely lost control. Only the election of a socialist Labour government can end the parliamentary paralysis.
Things are heating up in the Labour Party, with the split away of the Independent Group and the continuing intrigues of the right wing in the PLP. Grassroots activists provide here a picture of the militant mood on the ground.
An intense battle is taking place for the future of the Labour Party. Under attack from the Blairites, concessions are being made. But the left must stand firm. Defend Corbyn and fight for socialism!
Chris Williamson MP has been suspended from the Labour Party, hounded by the Labour right wing. We call on all our supporters to defend Williamson against these Blairite attacks.
Jeremy Corbyn has promised the possibility of a second referendum in an attempt to pacify the Blairites. But such compromises will only embolden the Labour right wing. These careerists must instead be shown the door.
Left-winger Jamie Driscoll has seen off a challenge from the right to be chosen as Labour candidate in the race to be the North of Tyne Mayor. This demonstrates the changing balance of forces in the Labour Party.
The fight inside the Labour Party is intensifying by the day, with right-wing MPs splitting away and others threatening to walk too. But instead of joining this struggle, some sectarians are giving lectures from the sidelines.
Seven right-wing MPs have split away from the Labour Party, much to the relief of grassroots members. But many of their treacherous ilk have been left behind. They must be replaced at the first opportunity.
Grassroots Labour members should be able to hold their representatives to account. But Labour right-wingers have vehemently opposed this basic democratic principle.
With the crucial Brexit vote taking place tomorrow, some Labour MPs are buckling under pressure and offering support for May’s fated deal. Instead, they must fight for a general election.
Given the political paralysis in Parliament, the question of a ‘People’s Vote’ has become increasingly prominent. But rather than stabilising a convulsive political situation, a fresh referendum would only intensify the chaos.
Markus Keaney, chair of Luton South CLP, explains how grassroots members have had enough of the sabotaging shenanigans of right-wing Labour MPs. We need mandatory reselection.
Victory for the left-wing candidate in the Welsh Labour leadership contest shows the desire amongst grassroots members for genuine change. This means fighting for bold socialist policies.
Angela Smith, the right-wing Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has received a no confidence vote from members of her CLP. This is why we need mandatory reselection.
Marxist students offer their full support and solidarity to left-wing Labour MP Chris Williamson. Enough is enough – this right-wing smear campaign must stop. The Labour left should stand firm against these slanders.
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has gone one better than his Tory counterpart’s promise to end austerity, pledging to reverse all cuts. But what economic measures will a Corbyn Labour government need to take?
The Blairites were in full retreat in Liverpool this week. By contrast, the confidence of the Corbyn movement was on display throughout: in the motions passed and in the militant speeches of left-wing MPs.
The shadow chancellor’s endorsement of the old Clause IV is a welcome step forward. Labour must now firmly commit itself to a bold socialist programme. Nationalisation without compensation!
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have made a number of bold and much-welcomed pledges in order to fix the “broken economy”. But what kind of economic programme should a Labour government carry out?
Conservative elements within Labour’s ruling body are thwarting attempts to put more power in the hands of grassroots members.
A local Labour member paints a picture of the real mood on Merseyside in the wake of the Blairite MP’s resignation from the Labour whip.
Appeasement by Labour’s leading body won’t stop the attacks on Corbyn from the Blairites and the establishment.
The ruling class in Britain is in a deep crisis. But instead of fighting to bring down the Tory government, the Labour right wing is doing their best to prop up the failed status quo.
LYL is taking positive steps to turn outwards and link up with workers in struggle. But the organisation is still being held back by a lack of democratic political debate.
The Blairite-led campaign to undermine Corbyn and the left through allegations of anti-semitism has erupted back onto the scene. But nobody will believe this latest hysterical mud-slinging from the right wing.
Local Labour members are moving to get rid of their Brexit-supporting MPs. These right-wingers should take all their careerist friends with them on their way out.
The resignation of the Labour right-winger John Woodcock leaves one less Blairite in the Parliamentary Labour Party. But we need to get rid of them all.
Blairite MPs have made a killing on the back of their political careers. It is time to cut this rot out of our party.
How far would the establishment go to prevent a radical Labour government carrying out its programme?
Labour’s ‘State of the Economy’ conference showed how far the Party has come in recent times – but also how far we have still to go.
After a brief hibernation, the Blairites have begun to resurface, once again creating an outcry over nothing. A spate of hysterical attacks against Corbyn in the past fortnight shows why mandatory reselection remains a necessary demand.
Socialist Appeal supporters in South Wales report from the recent AGM of Welsh Labour Grassroots, where an enthusing discussion took place around the restoration of Labour’s socialist clause.
The Labour right wing have lept to their feet recently in support of Theresa May and her jingoistic rhetoric against Russia. This is a dress rehearsal for their future sabotage of a Corbyn Labour government.
As Jennie Formby and Jon Lansman compete to replace Iain McNicol, the Labour right wing has been left licking its wounds. All attention now, Adam Booth writes, must be on democratising the party and fighting for a socialist Labour government.
Iain McNicol, the general secretary of the Labour Party, announced his resignation late last week. This marks a further shift in the balance of power in Corbyn’s favour. Now is the time to overturn the expulsions carried out by McNicol.
Socialist Appeal supporters report on the recent AGM of London Young Labour, which marks another victory for the Corbyn movement in the fight to reclaim the Labour Party from the Blairites.
This Saturday (3rd February) sees the regional AGM of Young Labour in London. Matt Rider of Swansea West CLP discusses the steps Young Labour needs to take in order to capitalise on the enthusiasm and energy of the Corbyn ‘youthquake’.
Corbyn’s initiative for a review of Labour’s democratic structures is a welcome break from Blairite bureaucracy. But it has one notable absence: the democratic accountability of MPs and councillors.
The Left’s clear victory in the Labour NEC elections must be used as a platform for sweeping changes across the Party, Adam Booth writes. We need mandatory reselection and socialist policies.
Roy Hattersley’s recent article in the Guardian offered a telling insight into the mind of the Blairites. With his semi-coherent ramblings, the former deputy Labour leader provides a perfect example of just how out of touch Labour’s so-called ‘moderates’ are from grasping the real mood in society, and how powerless their position has become.
Over the past few weeks, a series of local Labour council candidate selections have prompted various outcries of a Momentum-led ‘Labour purge’ in the mainstream media. Reza Mohammadi of the Hornsey and Wood Green CLP discusses what really happened: this was no purge, just democracy and accountability in action.
Investment banking giant Morgan Stanley recently published a report that warned its clients about the possibility of a Corbyn-led Labour government. Such an outcome, the bankers described, would be a “worse threat to business than Brexit”. The Labour leader responded by saying to the financial firm: “we are a threat”. But what kind of movement and programme do we need to really threaten the capitalists?
Daniel Morley reviews the recent BBC Two documentary highlighting the dramatic transformation that has taken place inside the Labour Party in the past six months. As a result of the shock general election result and the rise of the mass movement around Corbyn, the Blairites are now completely demoralised and sidelined.
Gordon Brown has released his autobiography, entitled My Life, Our Times. In this, and in other recent interviews, the former prime minister has acknowledged the failings of his government and that of New Labour more generally. Unlike the out-of-touch Tony Blair, Adam Booth writes, Brown has sensed which way the wind is blowing politically in Britain.
From the beginning, the regional Labour leadership in Wales has been firmly against Jeremy Corbyn and the programme that he stands for. As a result of their Blairite approach, the Welsh Labour leaders have risked losing the party’s support amongst workers and youth in Wales. Maciej Krzymieniecki from Swansea West CLP looks at the changes needed in Welsh Labour if it is to offer a way forward for ordinary people.
Like the Labour Party manifesto at the most recent general election, Corbyn’s closing speech to the Labour conference last week has electrified the party, his supporters, and the Left in general by pushing the tone and policies significantly further to the left. The vital question is: how can we ensure that this programme is implemented?
Following a confident closing speech at this year’s Labour Party conference, it is clear to all that Jeremy Corbyn is set to be the next Prime Minister. The capitalist class, in turn, is now looking at how they can control him and soften the programme of a Left Labour government. Corbyn’s Labour must fight back against any sabotage by carrying out a bold socialist programme.
This year’s annual Labour conference, held in Brighton, has now ended, with the Left clearly on the rise. One recurring question came up time and again throughout the conference: where are the Blairites? Steve Jones looks at the grim prospects facing Labour’s right wing as the Corbyn movement grows and gains confidence.
This year’s Labour Party conference is currently place. Already, the party’s recent transformation is noticeable in the mood of the conference and the left-wing composition of the delegates – not to mention the air of confidence in Corbyn’s stride. Adam Booth reports from the first couple of days’ events in Brighton.
As grassroots members and activists make their way to Brighton for the Labour Party annual conference, Rob Sewell looks at the current Labour manifesto and discusses the programme and policies needed to fight austerity.
Labour’s National Executive Committee earlier this week decided on a number of important organisational issues that will have a critical bearing on the future direction of the party. This sets the scene for a wider battle at the Labour Party conference this weekend, as Corbyn supporters seek to consolidate the Left’s position and reclaim the party from the Blairite bureaucracy.
Despite Labour riding high in the polls, Corbyn’s critics are desperate to appease big business and the banks by remaining in the European Union and maintaining the status quo. As a result of vocal outrage from the right-wing of the party, Labour have made a U-turn on the question of Brexit. Corbyn and the Left should be fighting for a socialist alternative.
Right-wing Labour MPs are pressuring Jeremy Corbyn to condemn the government in Venezuela. Having kept relatively quiet since the Party’s impressive general election result, the Blairites now see events in Venezuela as a chink in Corbyn’s armour and hope to stick the knife in.
The proposed formation of a so-called English Labour Network by Jon Cruddas MP represents another desperate attempt by elements inside the PLP at Westminster to undermine Corbyn and his left-wing programme. Rather than blaming migrants and promoting “patriotism”, Labour should be fight for socialist policies.
The results of recent internal elections in three Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) in Merseyside show the advance of socialist ideas – but also that there is still much to do to create a mass party that truly represents the interests of the working class. Mike Hogan of Merseyside Momentum reports on the battle to transform the Labour Party.
The momentum generated by Labour’s election campaign and surprise success has continued, strengthened, and gathered pace. Rank and file activists are continuing to mobilise and organise in an effort to complete Labour’s transformation, reclaiming the Party from the Blairites and creating a powerful weapon to fight for the interests of the working class.
Stunned by Labour’s shock success on the basis of a bold left-wing programme, the Blairites are now changing tack. Whilst offering faint praise for Corbyn, Steve Jones explains, they are continuing to undermine him by arguing that Labour needs to appeal to “traditional” working class voters on the basis of nationalism, jingoism and xenophobia.
Many factors contributed to the recent shock election result, including a layer of disaffected former Labour voters returning from UKIP and strong support in working class areas and cities. However, as Joe Attard explains, Labour owes the bulk of its advances to overwhelming support from young people, thanks to Corbyn’s inspiring campaign.
Corbyn has defied the expectations of all his critics, leaving them silenced and impotent. The Blairites are firmly on the back foot. The hundreds of thousands of new Labour members and radicalised workers and youth must now be organised in order to complete the Labour Party’s transformation.
Corbyn’s election campaign has continued to gather momentum, becoming a mass movement of workers and youth. With less than a week until election day, the vulnerability of May and the Tories is now clear for all to see. Latest studies reveal the possibility of a hung parliament. Time to go on the attack!
The Labour Party under Corbyn’s leadership pledged today that tuition fees would be entirely abolished in time for students starting university in the autumn of 2018. Today is the last chance to register to vote. Students and young people must mobilise, vote for Labour, and fight for a Corbyn-led government on a socialist programme.
The recent local elections provide important lessons for the labour movement as a whole. Instead of helping to implement and administer Tory austerity locally, Labour councillors need to be mobilising the entire labour movement and leading a mass campaign to fight against the cuts.
Labour’s campaign to boot out the Tories is gathering momentum. Despite a concerted effort by the Tories, the right-wing press, and the Blairites to discredit Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader and his campaign are cutting through the web of lies and slanders by appealing directly to workers and youth with a bold and radical programme.
An anonymous source last night leaked the Labour Party’s draft manifesto for the upcoming general election. It is without doubt the boldest and most left-wing manifesto that Labour has stood on in decades. This manifesto must now be a platform for Corbyn and Labour to take the fight to the Tories.
In a confident anti-establishment speech last Saturday, Corbyn launched the Labour Party’s slogan for the upcoming general election. With promises to build more housing, tax the rich, and provide more funding for public services, Corbyn’s more militant tone over the last couple of weeks has tapped into the seething hatred that exists towards the Tories.
With the upcoming general election to be fought primarily over the issue of Brexit, Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary yesterday outlined Labour’s confused position on this key question. The only way forward for Corbyn and Labour is to draw a clear line in the sand and fight this election on the basis of a bold alternative of socialist policies.
Ken Livingstone’s suspension from the Labour Party for “bringing the party into disrepute” has provoked a cacophony of protests from the party’s right wing, demanding his immediate expulsion. It is not Livingstone who is bringing the party into disrepute, however, but the constant sabotage of these Tory infiltrators. They must be shown the door.
We publish here a letter by Socialist Appeal supporter Luke Wilson, who responds to the calls by the prominent Guardian journalist, Owen Jones, for Corbyn to stand down. Instead of demanding compromise and retreat, Jones – an influential figure on the Left – should be calling for Corbyn to go on the offensive against the Blairites and the Tories.
Despite all the talk of “unity” by those at the top of the Labour Party, proof of a politically-motivated plot to rid the Party of socialists has recently come to light, as detailed here by Socialist Appeal supporter and expelled Labour member, Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick. This plot involves right-wingers from all levels of the Party, including MPs and Labour staff.
Grassroots Momentum held its founding conference last weekend, at which around 200 activists voted on the faction’s aims and values as the radical voice of local Momentum groups. The militancy on display at the conference now needs to be channelled into transforming Labour into a fighting mass movement with a bold socialist programme.
John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor and veteran of the Labour Left, has warned of a “soft coup” being orchestrated to undermine Corbyn’s Labour leadership. Owen Jones, meanwhile, has called on Corbyn to stand down and “do a deal” with the Blairites in order to pass on the baton to a left successor. The only way forward for the Left, however, is to boldly go on the offensive.
The resignation of Clive Lewis from the Labour front bench has dealt yet another blow to Corbyn’s leadership, as Brexit continues to torment the Labour Party. The public resignation of one of Corbyn’s most well known supporters may prove to be a fatal blow for the Labour leader, as the party is torn apart amidst a crisis of social democracy.
At a stroke, Momentum’s democratic structures have been abolished; the tireless work of thousands of Corbyn supporters over the past year-and-a-half thrown out the window. Overnight, grassroots activists have been shunted to the side in what can only be described as a coup. Momentum’s rank-and-file members must not stand for this behaviour.
Another week, another terrible headline for Corbyn in the Guardian, this time courtesy of their friends in the Fabian Society. But the shock announcement that “Labour could slump to below 150 MPs” is just a thin veneer to mask the Labour right wing’s desire to see the party fail and provide an excuse for another coup against Corbyn.
Over one year on from its formation, and after months of internal wrangling about its democratic structures, and Momentum still lacks both any pace or direction. Amidst this acrimony, most tragically, crucial political questions have been neglected. Momentum needs to set on the task of transforming the Labour Party and fighting for socialism.
Earlier this year, Socialist Appeal supporter and UNISON activist Terry McPartlan received a letter from Iain McNicol, Labour Party general secretary, stating that he’d been expelled from the Party after 36 years of continuous membership. We publish here an extended letter from Terry about his thoughts on the Labour purge.
Any doubts that might have persisted as to whether Owen Smith MP was indeed the establishment candidate in the recent Labour leadership election must have been quickly washed away by the revelation that Smith received nearly £1 million in donations to his campaign. Steve Jones looks at the well-funded right-wing forces hoping to regain control of Labour.
With Corbyn now re-elected on an increased majority, the Blairites are openly struggling to see what the way forward is for them and the forces they represent. Step forward the key architect of New Labour himself, Tony Blair, who has hinted that he make a political comeback in order to lead the “moderates” of the “centre-ground”.
Labour Party conferences have become very interesting all of a sudden. Without question, the left of the party have reason to celebrate, following the resounding second victory of Corbyn. But this year’s conference has served as a stark reminder and warning that the battle is very far from over and there remains a great deal of work to be done.
Corbyn’s re-election as Labour leader, with an even bigger majority than last year, is a bitter blow to the hopes of Labour’s right wing, who have now been pushed into a corner. They will now bide their time and try to slowly strangle Corbyn from their base within the PLP. The question of deselection, therefore, has not gone away.
Jeremy Corbyn has again won a decisive victory to become Labour leader, with an even bigger mandate than last September. All talk now is for “unity”. But the events of the last year cannot be swept under the carpet. The actions of the right wing have infuriated grassroots members, who will be energised now to defend Corbyn against further sabotage.
The ballot for Labour leader has ended. The result will be announced tomorrow at 12 noon. Barring a nuclear attack, all the indications are that Jeremy Corbyn will win convincingly against his challenger Owen Smith, probably with a bigger mandate. But the battle in the Labour Party is far from over.
Whilst the press attention has been on the “dangers” of so-called Trotskyist “entryism”, a number of right-wing groups inside Labour are hard at work preparing to sabotage the Party and undermine Corbyn’s leadership. Momentum, the trade unions, and the whole Corbyn movement need to respond by getting organised and fighting for a bold socialist programme.
A recent London meeting called by the Stop the Labour Purge campaign was attended by several dozen socialists and Corbyn supporters, all furious at the suspensions and expulsions being carried out by the Compliance Unit and the Labour Party bureaucracy. Socialist Appeal supporters, who were present on the platform and in the audience, report on the way forward in fighting the #LabourPurge.
The past couple of weeks have seen an acceleration of the purge against Corbyn supporters and socialists inside the Labour Party, in a desperate attempt to tilt the balance in favour of the Blairite-backed Owen Smith. We publish here statements from three Socialist Appeal supporters and long-standing Labour members who have been recently expelled.
Thousands of Labour members and supporters are likely to be denied a vote in the current leadership election as a result of a new wave of suspensions and expulsions by the Party bureaucracy. Despite such manoeuvres and machinations, however, the latest polling figures indicate that Corbyn is set to gain an even bigger democratic mandate by achieving another landslide victory.
Ballots go out today for the latest Labour leadership election. Despite the best efforts of the Blairites and the Establishment, Jeremy Corbyn is on course to comfortably win the contest – possibly by an even larger margin than last year. This would mark a major blow against Labour’s right-wing MPs. Vote for Corbyn! Fight for socialism!
A number of political donations to a new, shadowy organisation, “Labour Tomorrow”, have recently come to light after being declared to the electoral commission. This organisation, established by prominent Blairites such as Lord Blunkett and Baroness Dean, is another attempt by the right wing to counter the influence of Momentum and of Corbyn’s supporters on the left of the party, and is being touted as the potential organising centre of a split in coming months.
In his latest contribution from a series of hand-wringing articles lamenting the “existential crisis” within the Labour Party, Owen Jones has launched into a completely mistimed critique of Corbyn and the movement around him, full of “despair” about the “terrible plight” Labour faces under Corbyn. Now is not the time to weep, but to offer direction and leadership.
With the new Labour leadership contest well underway, Corbyn is already surging ahead of his only rival – the Blairite-backed Owen Smith. The current Labour leader’s support is most clearly expressed by the huge historic numbers that have already turned out to his campaign rallies in cities across the north of England.
The High Court yesterday rejected the legal challenge from a Labour Party “donor” to keep Jeremy Corbyn off the ballot in the upcoming leadership election. With Corbyn riding high in the polls amongst Labour members and supporters, it seems that the Blairites have run out of options in their strenuous efforts to oust the anti-austerity Labour leader.
Right-wing Labour MPs have now united behind one candidate in their bid to oust Jeremy Corbyn: Owen Smith, MP for Pontypridd. In a bid to distance himself from the hated Blairites, Smith has stated that he is “just as radical as Jeremy Corbyn”. Josh Holroyd takes a look at who Smith is and what he really stands for.
We are living in a period of sharp and sudden changes. The decision by Labour’s National Executive Committee to allow Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot for the leadership contest represents another important turning point. The situation in the Labour Party, Alan Woods writes, is now almost certaintly heading for a split.
Labour’s National Executive Committee yesterday confirmed that Corbyn would be automatically on the ballot paper in the upcoming Labour leadership contest. With hundreds of thousands joining the Party over the past year due to Corbyn’s leadership, the Blairite back-stabbers are now resigned to the fact that their attempted coup has failed.
After nearly two weeks of announcements and ultimatums, Angela Eagle has formally announced her formal bid to become Labour leader. Unable to force Corbyn to step down, those responsible for the attempted Blairite coup are preparing to face the membership – the one thing they had hoped to avoid.
The mouthpieces of the Establishment are now giving open advice to the Blairites as to how to split the Labour Party. The ruling class wants a “Second XI” of big business to replace the discredited Tories, but Corbyn and the mass of Labour members stand in the way of this plan. The labour movement must wake up to these plots being hatched.
Over the past week, thousands have turned out at demonstrations and rallies in cities across the country in protest against the Blairite coup and in defence of Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. We publish here a collection of brief reports, pictures, and videos that provide a vivid expression of the enormous rank-and-file movement behind Corbyn.
We are publishing here a model motion that Socialist Appeal supporters will be proposing at Labour Party branches and CLPs, Momentum meetings, and trade union branches across the country. We call on all our readers to pass similar motions in their areas. #KeepCorbyn! #DeselectThem!
The Blairite zombies were out in full force over the weekend calling on Corbyn to resign. They are still pressuring the Labour leader to resign, knowing they cannot beat him in a democratic leadership election. Behind closed doors, however, there are attempts to forge a dodgy compromise. We say: no to rotten deals with the Blairites! #KeepCorbyn!
After days of storm and bluster, the co-ordinated efforts of right-wing Labour MPs to oust Jeremy Corbyn seem to have ground to a temporary halt. Faced with a massive groundswell of opposition from rank-and-file Labour members and Corbyn supporters, the Blairites have had to re-think their plans. The situation is now at an impasse.
As the Blairites continue to plot their coup against Corbyn, mass meetings and rallies of Corbyn supporters have begun to sprout up in city after city across the country. A rebellion of Labour members against the careerists in the Parliamentary Labour Party has begun. We publish here a few reports from recent meetings and rallies that give a flavour of the mood.
The civil war in the Labour Party is intensifying on all fronts. Alongside the attempted coup against Corbyn, the bureaucracy within the Party is being used by the Blairite wing to conduct a purge of socialist activists from Labour. The manoeuvres to remove both Corbyn and his most determined supporters must be defeated by Labour’s rank-and-file.
A right-wing coup, instigated by a cabal of Blairite MPs, is under way to oust Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader. The full force of Momentum, the trade unions, and the Labour rank-and-file must now be mobilised to defend Corbyn, defeat the coup, and kick out these Blairite gangsters.
After the Brexit result, right-wing Labour MPs have mobilised once again to try to remove Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, calling for a vote of no confidence to be taken early next week. Corbyn and those who support him must now come out fighting. Defend Corbyn! Fight for socialism!
A Jewish left-wing activist has been blocked from standing for a position on Labour’s National Executive Committee because – according to the Blairites – her involvement with Momentum taints her with anti-semitism. This is the latest episode in the cynical attempt by Labour’s right wing to use the issue of anti-semitism against the Left.
On Sunday 5th June, Momentum Youth and Students held its founding conference. The mood was very positive thanks to the fact that there was a real sense of the tide having turned. Socialism is now back on the agenda and this is enthusing large swathes of young people who are new to politics.
Last August, thousands of Corbyn supporters were barred from voting in the Labour leadership election. Now the campaign against Corbyn’s supporters and allies has re-emerged, and a fresh wave of baseless expulsions and suspensions seems to be taking place, whose victims include a number of Socialist Appeal activists and supporters who have been expelled for “not supporting the aims and values of the Labour Party”.
Despite facing a barrage of attacks since his election as Labour leader last September, Jeremy Corbyn’s support amongst Labour members has not been dented. Indeed, according to the latest figures from YouGov opinion polls, Corbyn is even more popular with the rank-and-file of the Labour Party now than at the time of his election – much to the chagrin of the Blairites in the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Momentum – the pro-Corbyn movement inside and around the Labour Party – has taken the significant step of becoming a membership based organisation. By taking steps to tighten up the organisation of Momentum, the position of the Left within the Labour Party is being strengthened, serving to solidify Corbyn’s position against the right wing within the Party who are set on removing him.
After being initially denied membership of the Labour Party, two of Britain’s left-wing trade union leaders have been allowed to join the party this month. This is indicative of the shifting balance of power within the party, which is bolstering Corbyn’s position. Nevertheless, deep divisions in the party still remain.
This year’s Young Labour conference comes in the wake of the transformation in the Labour Party that began with the election of Jeremy Corbyn. The overall picture of the conference confirms that there has been a shift to the left in the Labour Party and its youth organisation. Now is the time to put socialism back on the agenda.
Since Corbyn’s landslide victory to become the leader of the Labour Party, a furious battle has opened up within the party. Tens of thousands have signed up to Momentum in order to defend Corbyn and argue for his policies. The task now is for Momentum to become a vehicle to transform Labour and fight for socialism.
The Corbyn movement that began last summer represented the beginning of a political revolution inside the Labour Party. But this transformation is not yet complete. Corbyn has weathered the storm of attacks from the Tory press and the Blairites, emerging stronger in his position as leader; but Labour’s civil war is far from over.
In the end it was by no means the “night of the long knives” that the national press were predicting. However, Jeremy Corbyn’s reshuffle of Labour’s shadow cabinet in Westminster was critical enough to enrage the Blairites who infest the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has brought to the surface a seemingly insoluble contradiction inside the Labour Party: there two wings of the party – Corbyn and his supporters; and the Blairite clique in parliament – which are irreconcilably divided. Mandatory reselection is the only way to genuinely unify the party and defeat the Tories.
We publish here the second part of an analysis of the Corbyn movement by Alan Woods, originally written in early November 2015 for the In Defence of Marxism magazine. In part two, Alan discusses the role of the Blairite right-wing within the Labour Party, and the future prospects of a Corbyn-led Labour government.
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, braced for terrible news from Oldham. The media was full of prophecies of doom for Corbyn, predicting that Labour would suffer at the hands of UKIP in last week’s by-election. In the end, the complete opposite occurred, providing a massive vindication of Corbyn and his leadership of the Labour Party.
We publish here of an analysis of the Corbyn movement by Alan Woods, originally written in early November 2015 for the In Defence of Marxism magazine. In part one, Alan discusses the international context and the astonishing rise of Corbyn to the position of Labour leader – a political earthquake that has transformed Britain and shaken the Establishment.
In February 2015, Young Labour will be hosting its annual national conference and electing a new national committee. Several Socialist Appeal supporters are standing, with the aim of bringing the Corbyn revolution and a socialist programme into Young Labour.
In spite of the relentless attacks from the media, his own MPs and even now some trade union leaders, Corbyn’s support is growing. Two divergent paths open up before us: either the right-wing clique in the Labour Party forces Corbyn out, or Corbyn and his supporters force them out.
Josh Booth, the newly elected Cheshire Young Labour rep, reports on the recent North West Young Labour (NWYL) conference – one of the first tests of the popularity of Corbyn’s ideas within the formal structures of the Labour Party since his election. The victory of the left in the NWYL elections is an indication of things to come.
Yesterday evening, November 11, Labour Young Socialists held a London-wide rally at which around 100 students and young workers assembled to discuss what left-wing youth should do now that Jeremy Corbyn is leader of the Labour Party. The Marxists highlighted the need to defend Andrew Fisher and other Corbyn supporters who have been attacked by the Labour bureaucracy.
On Friday 6th November, Andrew Fisher – a longstanding Labour left-winger, recently appointed as a political advisor to Jeremy Corbyn – was suspended from the Labour Party. These latest actions by the Labour Party bureaucracy are a clear provocation and attack against Corbyn and his supporters.
On Tuesday 27th October, around 200 Labour Party members, trade unionists, and local community activists crammed into the Wood Green Social Club for the founding meeting of Haringey Momentum. The size and variety amongst the crowd in attendance painted a vivid picture of the potential strength of the Corbyn movement.
Emily Cosentino and Joe Attard of the Labour Young Socialists’ steering committee discuss the programme and demands that are needed in order for the Corbyn-led Labour Party organise young people and workers in the fight against the Tories, against austerity, and against capitalism.
We publish below a selection of comments from the Hands Off Corbyn! online petition, by people outraged at the way the media is treating Jeremy Corbyn – a shameless attempt by wealthy media owners to smear a democratically elected Labour leader who is willing to stand up to them. These attacks must cease now! Defend Corbyn! Fight for Socialism!
Jeremy Corbyn’s first speech to Labour Party conference has provoked genuine enthusiasm from the Party’s rank and file, keen to break clearly from the Blairite gruel of past years. The conference marks a turning point in the fight against the Tories. The task now is to organise to defend Corbyn and fight for socialism.
Jeremy Corbyn’s first speech to Labour conference as party leader was greeted with genuine support and real applause, unlike many of the speeches that have been given by previous leaders, which were simply stage-managed affairs for the media. The task now is to convert the hope and promises into a reality.
During freshers week the UEA Socialist Society had a chat with Clive Lewis, the left-wing MP for Norwich South and a firm supporter of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Here we publish an interview with Clive, where we found out his thoughts on the fight against austerity.
Day after day, there is a relentless barrage in the Tory media against the newly-elected Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. The whole Establishment, including the Blairite ring-wing in the Parliamentary Labour Party, has rallied to attack Corbyn and protect the privileges of the ruling class. Defend Corbyn! Fight for Socialism!
On Sunday 20th September, around 140 young activists and Corbyn supporters from across the country assembled at UCL university in London for the launching of the Labour Young Socialists, a new organisation that aims to mobile youth in defence of Corbyn and the fight for socialism. Two Marxist Student comrades were elected to its steering committee.
Assem Allam, a millionaire, owner of Hull City football club, and Blairite donor to the Labour Party, has reportedly stated that he will help fund right-wing MPs who wish to leave the Labour Party for the Lib Dems or form a new political party. The Blairites and their big business backers should be encouraged to leave, and the unions should step up their support for Corbyn.
In his first week as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn has faced an onslaught of attacks from the media, Tories, and Blairites, all intent on discrediting the newly elected leader and destablising the Corbyn-led Labour Party. Corbyn’s supports must rally to his defence!
Jeremy Corbyn’s stunning victory in the Labour leadership election has dealt a decisive blow to the right-wing of the party. Ben Gliniecki looks ahead to what kind of movement needs to be built now, and the role that young people can play in defending Corbyn and fighting for socialism.
100 days that shook Britain. That should be the name historians give to this summer’s Labour leadership campaign, if not for the fact that the next 100 days, in which Corbyn will most likely be leader of the party, will shake Britain much more still. Daniel Morley reports on the final Corbyn rally and examines the inspiring Corbyn movement of the past few months.
Earlier this week, thousands of Labour members received an email from John Prescott, the former New Labour deputy leader, encouraging voters to back Burnham for Labour leader. Darrall Cozens, a long-standing member of the Labour Party, replies to Prescott and calls on workers and youth to vote for Corbyn and fight for socialism!
Harvey Dodds of the Leeds Marxists outlines why Jeremy Corbyn is the only candidate offering a hope and a future for young people today. Marxist students must give Corbyn their full support and defend him against the manoeuvres of the right-wing. Vote for Corbyn! Fight for socialism!
The Labour leadership election is being stained by the purge of left-wing members and supporters from the Party. A Kafka-esque wave of letters sent out by Party bureaucrats informing thousands of people that they would not be allowed to vote. The Corbyn campaign and trade unions must use every available means to fight back against this attack on democracy.
We publish here a letter from a comrade in West Yorkshire, who highlights Jeremy Corbyn’s programme for culture and the arts. Rather than simply protecting funding for the arts, socialists should be arguing for a revolution in how art is created, displayed, and distributed – and, in turn, for a revolution in how society is run and organised.
A massive 11th hour surge in voter registration has given the Corbyn campaign for the Labour leadership a huge boost. Now the knives are out for Corbyn. The Blairites have let the smiling mask of democracy slip, revealing the ugly, ruthless, and Machiavellian face of the ruling class underneath.
To the dismay of the Establishment, a new opinion poll has suggested that the gap between Jeremy and his rivals is widening as the momentum behind the #JezWeCan movement grows. Meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to stop Corbyn, the Labour bureaucracy have launched a hysterical campaign to “root out” the “entryists” who are joining in order to vote for Jeremy.
Over the last few weeks, a succession of right-wing relics have risen up to attack Jeremy’s candidature and to call for a vote against him. A mood of hysteria has gripped the political establishment as the unbelievable seems to be happening: people are rallying around a new mass movement against austerity and the Westminster consensus.
Jeremy Corbyn has proposed the abolition of student fees and the reintroduction of maintenance grants for all students. Harry Bark, of the Leeds Marxists and Marxist Students for Corbyn, provides a socialist perspective on the question of free education and equality.
We publish here two recent letters that we have received from Socialist Appeal supporters in Coventry, which outline and explain the enthusiasm amongst workers and youth for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership campaign. As one comrade writes, Jeremy’s campaign and potential victory represents a “big step forward for our class”.
Following on from mass rallies in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Coventry in the past week, over two thousand people gathered in Camden, London, last night to hear Jeremy Corbyn speak about his alternative to austerity. It is clear that a new political movement is being forged, providing a point of reference for workers and youth.
Following on from the backing offered by Unite, FBU, RMT, and ASLEF unions, Corbyn’s campaign for the Labour leadership has now also received the support of the CWU (postal workers) and TSSA unions, as well as that of UNISON, the big public sector trade union. The unions now need to mobilise all their members to vote for Jeremy.
The vote on the Tories’ welfare reform bill, which would see £12 billion cut from the welfare budget, has revealed the depths of servility to which the Blairite leaders of the Labour Party like Harriet Harman are prepared to stoop. At the same time, it has highlighted the contrast between the Blairite leadership candidates and Corbyn.
After a week of frothing at the mouth, the New Labour acolytes have finally called forward their Messiah to try and push back the surging Corbyn tide. But so hated is Blair, that his intervention will have the opposite effect to that intended, pushing more voters towards Jeremy’s anti-austerity campaign.
To the shock and surprise of the Blairites, Jeremy Corbyn has emerged as the frontrunner in the race to become the next leader of the Labour Party. The right-wing are now hell-bent on doing everything they can to prevent Corbyn from winning. These professional politicians are completely out of touch and cannot understand why Jeremy’s anti-austerity message is so popular.
The news that the national executive of Unite, Britain’s largest union, has come out in support of Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign to become Labour leader will be welcomed by both Labour members and trade unionists. The trade union leaders must now throw their full weight behind Corbyn and argue for a strong socialist programme in order to galvanise the vote for Jeremy.
We publish here a letter from Ben Gliniecki, a Labour Party member and Socialist Appeal supporter, who responds to a comment from another London Young Labour member and Jeremy Corbyn supporter that “it’s the taking part that counts”. Far from being unelectable, Ben argues, with a bold socialist programme, Corbyn could make Labour a pole of attraction to workers and youth across Britain.
Corbyn’s campaign has helped to enthuse workers and youth, who are otherwise turned off by the Tory-lite policies of the Blairites. Darrall Cozens, of Coventry North West Labour Party (personal capacity), reports on the leadership hustings in Birmingham, which saw a large attendance, mainly as a result of those who are attracted by Corbyn’s anti-austerity message.
Luke Wilson, a Labour Party and Unite the Union member, examines the programme and position of Jeremy Corbyn, the left-wing Labour MP, whose campaign for the Labour leadership is gathering momentum on the basis of his anti-austerity, anti-war stance. How do we really fight the cuts and campaign against oppression and war internationally?
To the shock and surprise of mainstream political commentators, Jeremy Corbyn, the left-wing Labour MP, has emerged as the clear winner in the first televised Labour leadership hustings. The Blairites are becoming concerned by the popularity of Corbyn’s anti-austerity message and the possibility that he could actually win the leadership contest.
Jeremy Corbyn, the left wing Labour MP, has got on the ballot paper for Labour leader, with a last-minute surge of nominations. This is a remarkable and welcome turn of events, despite being achieved by the slimmest of margins. Corbyn’s challenge serves to break the right-wing mould and at last allows left-wing ideas to be aired throughout the movement.
After weeks of dreary boredom over the endless jostling by assorted Blairite candidates to get on the ballot paper for the labour leadership election, some life has been injected into the campaign by the announcement that the veteran left wing Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn has declared that he is putting himself forward to go on the ballot paper.
Daniel Morley analyses the latest developments in the Labour leadership election – a contest that is notable for its complete lack of originality, variety, or inspiration. The only options on offer to Labour supporters are between various shades of Blairism, none of which will solve the problems facing the working class in this time of deep capitalist crisis.
It is clear that the Tories must be kicked out; and it is only Labour that has the power to do so. However, with his endless series of political somersaults, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, risks allowing the hated Con-Dem Coalition to continue with its programme of cuts for another five years.
We publish here a letter from Darrall Cozens, longstanding member of the Coventry NW Labour Party and President of the Coventry TUC (personal capacity), who comments on the upcoming elections and points out the options facing the Labour leaders: either fight for a genuine socialist alternative, or carry out cuts and see support for the party wither even further.
With less than two months to go until the general election, the Labour Party should be charging ahead in the polls. Yet Labour find themselves neck-and-neck with the Conservatives. The responsibility for this lies entirely with the Labour leaders, who have failed to connect with the real mood of anger and radicalisation that exists across society.
In recent months, the ghosts of New Labour have resurfaced on the political scene, imploring the current Labour leaders to reclaim the so-called “centre ground”. But the reality is that capitalism in crisis and the traditional parties of the “centre ground” can offer no solution. Instead, there is a growing radicalisation, and a political polarisation taking place.
70 members turned up the 2014 Annual General Meeting of London Young Labour (LYL) last weekend, reflecting the fact that young people in general feel fundamentally disengaged from the policies of the Labour Party. Only with revolutionary socialist policies can the Labour Party hope to attract the radicalised youth of today to their banner.
After a period of silence, the Blairite careerist rump inside the Labour Party has started stirring things up again. Rumours have even been circulating of a plot to remove Ed Miliband as leader and replace him with the Blairite Alan Johnson. Steve Jones looks at the latest machinations of the Blairites.
We publish here an open letter from Darrall Cozens, President of the Coventry TUC and lifelong member of the Labour Party, who responds to the Labour leader, Ed Miliband’s, justification for supporting the recent vote in Parliament backing military action in Iraq.
By all accounts, Labour should be miles ahead in the opinion polls as more and more people turn against this coalition government of the rich. But Labour is now only a few points ahead of the Tories with just ten months to go before the next general election. Without a bold socialist programme, Rob Sewell argues, Labour are heading for disaster.
Recent opinion polls have put the Tories ahead of Labour for the first time since 2012. Does this mean that the public has made an historic shift to the right? In reality, the contradiction lies between the working class’ interests and the Labour leadership. Daniel Morley argue that the latest polls are a dire warning to Labour: they must fight on a pro-working class, socialist programme to win back support.
The death of Tony Benn after a long illness at the age of 88 marks the passing away of an outstanding leader of the British left. Although Tony Benn came from a very privileged class background, he became the standard bearer for the left and the militant working class in the 1970s and 1980s. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks back at the life of a greatly principled socialist.
Saturday 1st March saw the Labour Party Special Conference, venue for the vote on the Collins Report, the proposed changes regarding the trade union and Labour Party link. Steve Brown, delegate to the Special Conference, reports on the discussion and the meaning behind the changes, which were voted through.
The Young Labour National Conference was held over the weekend of the 22nd – 23rd February 2014. As with previous events of this kind, a large proportion of the agenda was given over to speeches by members of the Shadow Cabinet about the necessity of “fiscal responsibility”. Despite this, there was a noticeable shift leftwards in Young Labour, particularly noticeable among those who are newest into the Party. Ben Gliniecki reports from the conference.
Ordinary working people have faced an onslaught against their living standards over the past five years due to the crisis of capitalism. The leadership of the Labour Party should be offering concrete political proposals to combat this. Instead, however, the LP has spent the last four years concentrating on a reorganisation of the Party. Darrall Cozens examines the recent focus of the Labour leaders on organisational changes rather than political alternatives.
Labour Party members and trade unionists have been given just one short month to digest and discuss the new “reforms” on trade union affiliation to the Labour Party. Steve Jones examines the likely impact of the internal changes being presented by Ed Miliband.
The capitalist media have presented the recent policies of Miliband and Balls on the banking system and tax as revealing a ‘growing contempt for capitalism’ amongst Labour leaders. The reality, however, is of confused and contradictory policies that simply create the illusion of defending the poor whilst ultimately defending the capitalist system.
With less than 18 months until the next General Election, the past few months have seen the Tories step up their campaign against their main opposition, with a barrage of attacks on those associated with the Labour Party – primarily Unite the Union and the Co-Op Party. But with the Conservatives leading a coalition that is presiding over falling living standards, and which is rightly seen as supporting the bankers and fat-cat energy companies, it seems that the mud being slung by the Tories will not so easily stick.
A recently joined member of the Labour Party reports on the London Young Labour 2013 conference that took place on the first weekend of December. Frequently during the weekend, guest speakers addressed the attendees as ‘the future of Britain’, which put to the test the political level of the conference. However, leading London Young Labour members mainly used the day to run a series of caucuses and workshops, which gave little room for discussing wider political questions.
We publish here a letter from a Socialist Appeal supporter about his experiences of a recent local Labour Party meeting, which reflects the beginnings of a mood change within the Party. As the Coalition’s cuts take effect, and with the Labour leaders failing to provide a fighting, socialist alternative, many ordinary Party members are beginning to raise the voices in concern and demand a genuine opposition to austerity.
In 1908 a top Tory grandee, informed that there was to be a new, socialist party coming into being which would threaten the status quo in Britain, responded “Don’t worry – we’ll have our own people running it.” Today, this right-wing role within the Labour Party is played by the Blairites and the Progress group. Bob Stothard examines the various well-funded groups that have voiced the interests of capitalism inside the Labour Party over the decades.
Labour Party members and those in the movement fighting the brutal attacks of this Tory-led coalition government on jobs, benefits and services will be furious at the clearly co-ordinated efforts of the right in the party to push Labour back towards the so-called “centre ground” of the New Labour era. A selection of failed relics from the Tony Blair era have risen from the political grave to attack Labour’s “leftward” shift and to call for a return to the old “Tory-lite” approach.
Thursday February 28th will go down in local labour history as the day that three Hull Labour councillors stood up for their principles and voted against the Tory led coalition cuts. Socialist Appeal supporters spoke with these courageous councillors, who are setting an example for other Labour controlled councils across the length and breadth of the UK to follow, and of course for the whole labour and trade union movement.
On Tuesday 12th March, over 100 local residents, trade unionists, and Labour Party members met in the Abney Hall in Hackney, London, to hear about the changes taking place to welfare and benefits and to discuss the way forward in the fight against these attacks. Adam Booth, Labour Party member from Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP, discusses the attacks on welfare and benefits, and the need to fight back.
A small leftward shift within Young Labour was detectable at this year’s national conference, held in Leicester on 2-3 March 2013. However, there is stil a way to go in the struggle for the democratic structures and socialist policies that Young Labour needs in order to become a fighting organisation for young workers and students in Britain.
On Thursday 28th February 2013, three Labour councillors in Hull stood up in front of a packed and cheering public gallery at the Guildhall and laid out why they were going to defy the Labour whip and vote against the Coalition’s cuts, proposed by the controlling Labour Group. Such defiance marks an important turning point in the fight against austerity and should act as a rallying call for the trade unions and other Labour councillors across the country.
Socialist Appeal will be holding a fringe meeting at the Young Labour national conference in Leicester this weekend on Saturday 2nd March at 7.30pm. The meeting is titled “The militant fight against cuts”, with guest speakers John Dunn (ex-Clay Cross councillor) and Gary Wareing (current Labour councillor opposing the cuts) talking on the struggles against austerity – past and present.
Sunday 17th February marked the 2013 AGM of London Young Labour, held in Stratford Town Hall in east London, with 60 young members of the Labour Party in attendance. Socialist Appeal supporters were present, arguing for the need for Young Labour to be a forum for political discussion and debate, whereby working class youth and students can argue for a genuine alternative to crisis austerity.
Within the next few months local councils will be voting through budgets for the coming financial year and are under extreme pressure from the government to make yet more serious cuts in jobs and services. Labour councils in particular are being asked to act as agents for the Tory-led Coalition at Westminster in the interests of big business. Socialist Appeal supporters interviewed several Labour Party councillors in Hull who are preparing to defy the cuts.
We have received the following letter from an LP activist, written as a
personal contribution to the ongoing discussion now taking place in the
local Labour and trade union movement, on the issues being raised by the
Rotherham by-election due to take place on November 29th. In view of
its length we are unable to publish it in its full form in the December
issue of Socialist Appeal so we are making the complete text available
online now in advance of publication.The author welcomes any comments on his letter.
Southampton Labour Councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas, who opposed
cuts in local services, have been expelled from the Labour Party.
As the party conference season comes to an end, we look back at what went on in Manchester and Birmingham. Here, Alun Morgan looks at the events surrounding Labour’s conference.
Councillors Don Thomas and Keith Morrell have been suspended for four
months from the Southampton Council ruling Labour Group. Their crime was
voting against the Group’s proposal to close a well supported swimming
pool in their area of Southampton to save about £250,000
Ben Peck takes a closer look at Labour MP John McDonnell’s new document on the alternative to the Tory programme of non-stop cuts
Back in June, Labourspokesperson Jim Murphy sent out an e-mail to Labour Party members on the subject of Armed Forces Day. Darrall Cozens from Coventry NW CLP sent a reply back (which was also printed in the July/Aug edition of Socialist Appeal) taking up some of his points. Since then a few more e-mails have been sent. Here we reproduce the texts of this interesting debate.
LRC supporter Keith Henderson, the secretary of Clacton Labour
party and parliamentary spokesperson has been suspended from
holding office following undisclosed allegations made against
him by persons unknown.
Despite the prediction that the Durham Miners Gala might be rained off,
and the recent flash floods in Tyneside, the weather was more or less
dry and calm on Saturday, but it appears that despite the apparent calm
one of the pages from Ed Miliband’s speech somehow was blown away by a
freak gust of wind. (…)
As Socialist Appeal has reported in the past, Progress is the right-wing Blairite organisation inside the Labour Party which has been funded by Lord Sainsbury and other big business backers. It still has considerable support in the parliamentary Labour Party in particular and its current president is MP Stephen Twigg, shadow minister of education.
In the recent local elections,
the Coalition parties took an electoral hammering to Labour’s gain. The
Conservatives and Lib Dems lost around 740 seats in total – and control of 13
councils – with Labour gaining 800 seats and majority control of 32 local
authorities
A day after the electoral authorities had announced massive gains for
Labour up and down the country, activists in London were left
disappointed as the Tories kept control of City Hall. In an incredibly
close contest, incumbent Boris Johnson beat Labour veteran and former
mayor Ken Livingstone by 1,054,811 votes to 992,273, after
second-preferences were counted. This contrasted sharply with the other
results: Labour gained 823 council seats nationally, with the Tories and
their Liberal Democrat stooges losing 741 between them.
George
Galloway’s remarkable victory in the recent Bradford West by-election
has again thrown the spotlight on the Labour Party’s lamentable failure to
provide an opposition to the Tories and the Coalition government’s vicious
attacks on the working class.
The
remarkable victory of George Galloway in the Bradford West by-election has sent
a massive cannon ball flying across the boughs of the Labour leadership. At a time of huge
unpopularity of the Coalition government, Labour should have romped home in
this traditional heartland. To their astonishment, Labour was driven into
second place behind George Galloway, who scored a massive 36.59% swing from
Labour to Respect.
There are significant signs that the trades unions affiliated to the
Labour Party are growing increasingly impatient with the Blairite wing
of the party and its shadowy support organisation, known ironically as
Progress. Because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tuition fees, ID
cards, PFI and a whole raft of neo-liberal policies, Tony Blair is now
completely discredited among the majority of the rank and file of the
Labour Party. But the organisation set up to support him in 1995 is
still functioning and campaigning for quasi-Tory policies inside the
Labour Party.
Four inches of snow had fallen
during the night and temperatures were well below freezing, but with breath
turning white in the icy air the socialists from Peterborough Labour Party were
out campaigning for Socialist Appeal supporter, Ron Graves, who is the
prospective candidate for Stanground Central in the May local government
elections.
The following is a motion written and
proposed by Adam Booth, Labour Party member and secretary of the
Cambridge Marxist Discussion Group. The resolution was written in
response to comments made recently by Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, the
leader of the Labour Party and Shadow Chancellor respectively, who have
outlined that the Labour Party cannot promise to reverse any of the
Coalition’s cuts if Labour is elected in the next election.
The recent remark by Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, that the Labour
party should join a Lib-Lab coalition, is another dangerous attempt to
push the party to the right
In response to pressure from the bosses’ press and Blairites, Labour leader, Ed Milliband has come out in favour of the government’s line on cuts and pay. Rob Sewell responds.
The recent Scottish Labour Leadership contest saw the
election of former deputy leader Johann Lamont to the role. With the
endorsement of most MPs, MSPs and trade unions, she was the clear choice
of the party leadership, and won with 51% of first preference votes.
If the report in Today’s edition of the Guardian (click here
to read it) is to be believed it seems that the Labour leadership has
decided to ignore any of the good stuff which may have come out of the
Refounding Labour consultation exercise and instead dig up some old
Blairite/New Labour garbage. Yet again, they want to dilute the union
presence in the party decision making process. Given that the mood in
the movement is for a more powerful annual conference rather than the
jamboree it became under Blair, Ed Miliband has offered up some
‘reforms’ of his own.
The Labour Party have launched a "consultation" exercise around a document called ‘Refounding Labour. ‘ What issues are involved and what response will best serve the movement now as the Tory led coalition government attacks our public services? These questions are considered in a response to the document written by a party activist from Coventry which we publish here.
Saturday 26th March 2011 marked a watershed point for the modern Labour
Party. The Trade Union Congress had called for workers, students,
pensioners and all those affected by the coalition cuts to converge on
the capital. The question was: would Labour show up to the party too?
Around 350 Labour Party members, trade unionists and socialists
attended the 2011 LRC (Labour Representation Committee) “Resist the
Cuts, Rebuild the Party” conference at Conway Hall in London on January
15th. LRC Conference tends to major on the big events of the day. Two
years ago it was the economic crash and last year the general election.
This year the conference was not surprisingly dominated by the threat of
cuts and the need to defeat them.
The depth and the scale of the damage that
the Tories and Liberal Democrats intend to impose on the public sector
will
become more apparent on the 20th October when the results of
the
Comprehensive Spending Review will be announced. Already the summer
budget has highlighted
the threat of between 25% and 40% cuts across government departments.
Against all the odds and against the wishes of the whole establishment from The Economist to The Sunday Times, Ed Miliband has emerged as Labour Party leader, simply by standing a little to the left of his brother. This clinched the trade union members vote, which shows in which direction workers want the party to go, clearly to the left. But which way will Ed Miliband go?
Socialist Appeal Editorial: The Labour leadership election contest will
be ending in September as the ballot papers finally go out. It could
have been an opportunity to discuss a balance-sheet of the right-wing
control of the party under New Labour and an opportunity to discuss a
socialist programme in face of the worst capitalist crisis since the
1930s. However, the contest has left most people cold.
We reproduce here a statement from the LRC on the campaign to decide who will be the next leader of the Labour Party.
More than a century after the
formation of the Labour Party, the
party still remains rooted in the organised working class. Despite
everything, the results of the recent general election confirm the
ingrained support for Labour throughout the working class areas of
Britain.
Further to
our earlier report that John McDonnell has withdrawn as a candidate for
election as Labour leader, it has now been confirmed that Diane Abbott
has now secured
enough nominations to get on the ballot. She will be up against the two
Milibands,
Ed Balls and Andy Burnham.
The following statement has just been released by John McDonnell
concerning his campaign to be on the ballot paper for Labour leader.
Nominations close at lunchtime today with the party NEC meeting this
afternoon. We will comment further on this once the situation becomes
clearer later today.
Last Saturday an excellent meeting of the Northern LRC was held in
Gateshead with John McDonnell, fighting to be on the ballot for the new
leader of the Labour Party, and Paul Holmes, candidate for GS of
Unison, amongst those in attendance. We reproduce here a report on the
meeting by Veronica Killen from the LRC
Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of UNITE,
in a speech at the union’s conference in Manchester, declared his
determination
to “take the party back” for working people. This is a positive step but
it
needs to be made concrete.
It cannot be denied that the historic global crisis of
capitalism has not, in Britain and America, led to an immediate corresponding
rise in class struggle (unlike say in Greece). Does this rule out the class struggle in the long term?
No. But in order to understand why it has been delayed, it is necessary for
socialists to concretely analyse all the conditions of the class.
Who has won the election? Everybody has lost. The ruling class was
quite clear what it wanted and needed. There is a crisis. They need to
unload the burden of the crisis on to the backs of the working class.
To achieve that they needed a strong majority Conservative government
ready and willing to put the boot in to jobs and public services. The
election hasn’t delivered it. Here is the editorial from the new issue of Socialist Appeal.
The
European election results were published last Monday, following on
from the local election results of a few days earlier. They showed
Labour behind not just the Tories, but even behind UKIP, a lunatic
fringe party, on just 15% of the vote. What does this mean? What should be done?
Further to our previous article the government has been defeated on their own attempt to stop a clear Labour Party manifesto commitment from gaining the force of law. On Friday 13th March a private member’s Bill moved by Lindsey Hoyle gained a second reading after being passed by 85 votes to 17. This is a small but significant victory, won against government skulduggery.
The political landscape in Britain is changing before our
very eyes. This morning’s prominent TV news is of the tanker drivers’ strike,
showing scenes of pickets with Red Flags turning away lorries at Shell
refineries. The next item is the deepening government crisis, followed by a
warning from Gazprom that oil prices could reach $250 a barrel. It was like a
typical news bulletin of the 1970s.
A recent poll of Labour Party members, published
in the Sunday Times shows why the New Labour clique around Gordon Brown were determined to keep
left challenger John McDonnell off the ballot paper.
The trade unions have the power to clear the Blairite clique from the Labour Party by putting their full weight behind John McDonnell instead of presiding over the coronation of Gordon Brown, who supports privatization, the anti-union laws, the sacking of 100,000 civil servants, wage cuts in the public sector and the war in Iraq.
John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, has announced
his intention to stand for the leadership of the Labour Party. He is
Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, the Labour Representation Committee,
and the 'Public Services Not Private Profit' anti-privatisation
campaign. He is also the national chair of Hands Off Venezuela and has
been at the forefront of the campaign to defend the Venezuelan
revolution. Socialist Appeal supports John's campaign as a real
opportunity to raise socialist ideas throughout the labour movement. We
asked John to tell us about his campaign and about the need to fight
for socialist policies inside the Labour Party.
The editorial of the September 2006 issue of Socialist Appeal looks at the climate of fear and Blair's dwindling support. The latest ICM poll for The Guardian shows that after three terms
of Labour government the Tories are now nine points ahead in the polls.
What an indictment of failure. Labour's support now stands at a
nineteen year low. This is Blair's legacy.
The Editorial of the latest issue of Socialist Appeal (July/August
2006) calls for a socialist candidate to oppose Brown in a Labour
leadership election. "The idea of a handover – with no election – that Blair and Brown had
imagined is clearly now dead in the water. There is a rising tide of
opposition to Brown’s succession.
What an ideal opportunity to raise socialist policies throughout the
labour movement!"