Despite clashing with both the RISE festival in London and the
traditional Tollpuddle Rally in Dorset, the main hall at the TUC’s
Congress House was largely full for this year’s AGM and rally of the
Labour Representation Committee (LRC), the main new umbrella grouping
for Left activists inside the Labour Party. The shadow of the London
bombings hung over the conference with a minute silence being held for
the victims of London, Madrid and Fallujah. A number of speakers and
resolutions also drew attention to some of the lessons which the New
Labour government seems determined not to learn in the light of 7/7.
Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary, drew attention to the way in
which fire-fighters were seemingly being deliberately not mentioned by
government spokespeople in any briefings on the events following the
London Bombing – both as a form of punishment for going on strike two
years earlier and also because of the thorny question of the proposed
cuts to the fire service in London. Matt explained that these cuts will
reduce cover and make it more difficult to deal with problems posed by
any future terrorist activity in the capital city. No wonder the
government seems keen to airbrush fire-fighters out of the picture. An
RMT emergency resolution also drew attention to the government proposal
to scrap the railway fire safety regulations which were introduced
after the Kings Cross tube fire in 1987. As the resolution explains:
“These regulations are critical to tube and rail safety in setting out
minimum standards, including means of escape, means of fighting fire,
staff instruction and training and staffing levels… their removal
would seriously downgrade fire safety standards and security on
Underground and mainline stations.” In relation to the London bombings
in general, there was not only clear condemnation from both the
platform and floor of the conference but also a need both to oppose any
‘reprisal’ attacks on the Muslim communities and to understand that the
attacks have been a direct consequence of the illegal war on Iraq, a
war which has acted as a recruiting ground for terrorists. Conference,
in supporting a resolution moved by Labour Against The War, also
rejected any attacks on our civil liberties, and remaining rights,
which might be implemented as a result of the bombings. It was also
noted that ID cards would have played no part in preventing the
bombings – all the bombers were UK citizens and wanted their identities
to be known.
A number of the platform speakers from the trade union movement,
including Jeremy Dear (NUJ), Mark Serwotka (PCS) and Paul Mackney
(NATFHE) took time to outline the ongoing process of attacks against
the public sector being carried out by the government. An LRC statement
on public services attacked these cuts as a continuation of Thatcherism
and pledged its support to all those who take action against this,
including workers in the civil service, the post office and elsewhere.
Tony Benn noted that the electorate seemed to be to the left of the
government in opposing much of what Blair and co. have presented as
reforms of the public sector.
In the afternoon the conference turned to international matters and
again discussed the question of Iraq where clear opposition to the
continued illegal occupation was expressed. Conference also agreed
unanimously to support a resolution giving full solidarity to the
revolutionary struggle in Venezuela, opposing any US backed
intervention and agreeing to work with the Hands Off Venezuela
campaign, who had a stall at the conference. Jeremy Corbyn MP outlined
the growing importance of Latin America and the threat of US
intervention against the movements of the masses in that continent.
Conference agreed on a Programme for a Real Labour Government, which
contains a number of important measures which could be supported by
many on the Left. However, it fails to address the critical question of
ownership. Missing are any clear demands to nationalise the commanding
heights of the economy thereby enacting clause IV (of course!) of the
LRC which calls for the “implementation of a fundamental and
irreversible shift in the balance of wealth and power in favour of the
working class.” It is the fatal flaw of left reformism that it fudges
this question and does not tackle the basic issue of who controls
society. This matter cannot be avoided and will need to be taken up by
the LRC sooner rather than later. The struggle for socialism must be at
the heart of any programme of social reform that wishes to succeed and
not be crushed by the forces of capital.
The conference ended with a clear call to build the LRC and put
flesh on the organisation. The ongoing decision to develop political
discussion and alternative policies inside the Labour movement must be
welcome but must equally be matched by taking things beyond the
parliamentary arena and building inside the movement as a whole. The
LRC seems to be here to stay and it was good to see a large trade union
representation at the conference – but the work of creating a serious
Left voice inside the Labour movement has only just begun and the
progress of the first year of the LRC’s life must be developed and
expanded so that Blairism is both challenged and defeated.
