Britain

As the world enters a new
turbulent period of wars and revolutions Rob Sewell looks at the situation in Europe in
the period of the 1930s and 1940s

On November 17 we published an article on the crisis in the British Conservative
Party, Tories in Crisis – The Plots Thicken.
The purpose of the article was to show how the Tories' crisis, and especially the crisis of their
leadership, is an expression of the crisis of the capitalist system, which
affects all classes in society. We explained how the 'Old Guard' of the
Tories would prefer the leader of the party to be elected by the MPs and not the
rank and file, because the present rank and file are so right wing and out of
touch with the real needs of the ruling class. The latest statements of some of
the old guard Tory leaders now confirm our analysis.

On the one hand, Blair prepares to send troops into Iraq behind the coattails
of the Americans to overthrow Saddam. On the other hand, he and ‘two Jags’
Prescott prepare to send in troops to break the picket lines of the
firefighters. If you adopt the policies of capitalism abroad, inevitably you
will adopt them in domestic policy.

The dearth of leadership in the Tory Party is not the cause of their crisis,
but it is not an accident either. The failings of these leaders faithfully
reflect the impasse of their system. Nye Bevan once said of the Tory leaders
(including Churchill) they have nothing to say about tomorrow, and harp on about
the past because they have no part to play in the future. They are a doomed
party representing a doomed class and a doomed system. The crisis in the Tory
Party is symptomatic of the impasse facing the profit system. The sickness of
that system spreads like a cancer affecting every aspect of society.

It’s amazing how people change. And it’s even more terrible when you forget
your roots. This is surely the case with poor old John Prescott, once National
Union of Seamen firebrand, and now "responsible" statesman and
minister in charge of the Labour Government’s stand against the just demands of
Britain’s firefighters.

Strikes in Britain are at their highest level for thirteen years and the
trend is upwards. The recent council workers’ strike involving over one
million people was the largest strike by women workers ever seen in this
country. Fire fighters have voted unanimously at their recall conference to
ballot for strike action over a 40% rise in pay! If this takes place, it
will be the first national strike in 25 years. Rail and tube workers, who
have their own disputes, have threatened to refuse to work on grounds of
safety if there is no fire cover. The general public, according to a recent
Guardian/ICM poll, appear to sympathise with them. The days of workplace
"servitude" seem finally to be coming to an end.

This article deals with the scandalous so-called "Private Finance Initiative" in Britain. This process allows private companies to be involved in the building and running of what were formerly public services, such as hospitals, railways, and even schools. Mick Brooks shows quite clearly that the only people to benefit from PFI have been the fat cat capitalists who run the private firms.

Steve Jones from the British Marxist magazine Socialist Appeal looks at the World Cup and also the game closer to home, with the ITV Digital catastrophe.

The Jubilee has come and gone. India and Pakistan stood on the brink of nuclear war. Suicide bombers were striking in Israel and Belfast was aflame with sectarian conflict. But on the streets of London and other British cities, millions of people cheerfully participated in street parties in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Yet this year’s festivities totally lacked the grassroots "spontaneity" of the Silver Jubilee, 25 years ago. The enthusiasm for the monarchy that has been whipped up by the media in recent weeks is at best superficial. The mood is quite different to 1977 and even more distant from that of 1952.