Last Saturday saw protests across the country for a day of action against the cost of living crisis that is bearing down on the working class. Demands for reform do not go far enough. We need to fight inflation with socialist policies.
Hundreds of activists from across London gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday 12 February for a demonstration organised by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, demanding action to tackle the cost of living crisis.
This was part of a nationwide day of protest against rising energy bills, rents, and food prices, with official inflation figures shooting past 5% recently, and predictions that this number could rise to over 7% by April.
Class war
Speeches from the platform and conversations with attendees emphasised that this is part of a class war, declared by the Tories and capitalists against workers, the poor, and the youth.
Soaring living costs are coming alongside cuts to benefits and increases in National Insurance taxes. All the while, companies like Shell and BP are declaring massive profits.
It is clear, in other words, that we are not ‘all in this together’. While the working class is being squeezed ever-harder, the rich are getting ever-richer.
Added to this injustice is the anger against the lies and hypocrisy of the Tories surrounding #Partygate. Workers are being asked to foot the bill for the coronavirus crisis, through inflation and austerity. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson and his chums have been quaffing champagne and canapés together throughout lockdown at illicit Downing Street parties.
Common struggle
It was also evident from Saturday’s protest, however, that this indignation is not just limited to the corruption of the Tories, who were called out for doling out big COVID contracts to their friends.
The crowd were also palpably angered at Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, who have failed to provide any genuine opposition to this scandal-ridden government; and who are not offering any real solutions to tackle the cost of living catastrophe facing the working class.
But whilst there is clearly little trust in these establishment politicians, speakers from the trade unions received a warm welcome. Similarly, there was a noticeable presence of banners from trade union branches – such as the RMT, Unison, and UCU – and from local Labour parties.
All the speakers – including a finale contribution from Jeremy Corbyn – emphasised the links and common interests between the various struggles taking place: of higher education workers in the UCU; of outsourced hospital staff in Unite; and of activists fighting against police repression, racism, and the Tories’ ‘hostile environment’.
Some of the biggest cheers, meanwhile, were in response to those calling for the whole rotten system to be overthrown.
Reform or revolution?
Some contributions from the platform called for reforms to tackle inequality and inflation – demanding higher taxes on big business and the super-rich in order to subsidise rising household bills.
But such demands do not go far enough. Fossil fuel corporations and wealthy investors will always find ways to dodge taxes and hide their money abroad.
At the same time, this perspective fails to see the real cause of this crisis: the anarchy and chaos of the capitalist system, where production is for profit, not for need; and where all our lives and destinies are left in the invisible hands of the market.
In this respect, Socialist Appeal activists stood out on the march from Parliament Square to Downing Street, with a dynamic, energetic bloc calling for expropriation of the big energy monopolies, and shouting slogans such as: “They say price rise, we say nationalise!”
This drew the attention of other protestors, who joined in with these bold chants, and who expressed their enthusiasm for getting involved in the fight for revolution – the only real solution to capitalism’s crises.
Socialist Appeal comrades marching down Whitehall after the #CostOfLivingCrisis demonstration in London. They say price rise, we say nationalise! Put the energy sector under workers’ control! pic.twitter.com/yZKhuJEnYK
— Socialist Appeal (@socialist_app) February 12, 2022
