The Anti-Poll Tax campaign was a mass movement which brought down the Thatcher government, providing a wealth of lessons for the fight against Tory attacks today. We republish here a pamphlet written by Rob Sewell at the time.
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.
Since the death of Margaret Thatcher last week the British Establishment have been revelling in their past. In a similar manner to the death of Princess Diana, the Royal Wedding and the Olympics, they believe that this event could serve as another circus to distract working class people from their problems. We would all come together as one nation and forget our class differences. This has been a serious miscalculation.
On the day of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, we publish this statement from the Liverpool Trade Union Council on the death of Thatcher. The city of Liverpool was hit particularly hard by the policies of Thatcher’s government; but it was also at the forefront of the fight against the Tories in the 1980s, with the magnificant struggles of the Liverpool City Councillors.
Thousands of people in two Scottish cities took to the streets on 30th March to protest against the bedroom tax, which has now been brought in by the Tory-led government as part of a package of attacks on the welfare state and on the most vulnerable in society. Our correspondents from the Glasgow and Edinburgh Marxist societies provide reports of the demonstrations in these cities against the cuts.
The Thatcher period was a turbulent one, with many that shook the labour movement and the political situation in Britain. The articles presented here give a thorough background and analysis of these events, showing the real legacy of Thatcher.
Amongst the victims of Thatcherism include the miners in Britain, who fought a long battle against the Tory government of the 1980s. Here we present a letter from John Dunn of the Justice for Mineworkers campaign, who gives a personal view of hearing the news about Thatcher’s death. The letter is entitled: “The day Margaret Thatcher died and ruined my internal decor”.
The TV is full of the sycophantic outpourings of right-wing commentators and politicians about the sudden death of Margaret Thatcher. The news is full of tributes, portraying Thatcher as some kind of champion of freedom and liberty. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. She was a champion – a champion of capitalism, the ruling class, and all it represents. Rob Sewell looks back at the history of Thatcher and the class interests that she represented.
Margaret Thatcher, the former Tory Prime Minister and one of the most hated figures in the history of the labour movement, died today at the age of 87. Thatcher, more than anyone, personified the brutal attacks on the working class during the 1980s – attacks that the Tory-led Coalition are continuing today. With the news of Marget Thatcher’s death, the UCLU Marxist Society is hosting an event on “Thatcher’s Legacy and the Fight for Socialism”. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal and former national organiser for the Militant, will speak about the real legacy of Thatcher and the need to […]
Margaret Thatcher, the former Tory Prime Minister and one of the most hated figures in the history of the labour movement, died today at the age of 87. Thatcher, more than anyone, personified the brutal attacks on the working class during the 1980s – attacks that the Tory-led Coalition are continuing today. We publish here a short piece on Thatcher’s death, with more in depth analysis of her legacy to follow soon.
News that the self-avowed fascist Paolo Di Canio has been appointed to manage Sunderland AFC has been met with anger from big sections of Sunderland fans and other workers around the country. We provide here an article by Falce Martello, the Marxists in Italy, who provide some background and history to the life of Di Canio and his fascist beliefs.
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.