The weekend of April 14th and 15th saw
the biggest gathering of the supporters of Socialist Appeal and the
Marxist Tendency in 20 years. This year’s conference discussed the World
situation and the ongoing global capitalist crisis, which is developing
into the deepest in the history of capitalism. The perspectives for
Britain were discussed, with special reference to the question of a
referendum on Scottish independence.
The weekend of April 14th and 15th saw
the biggest gathering of the supporters of Socialist Appeal and the
Marxist Tendency in 20 years. This year’s conference discussed the World
situation and the ongoing global capitalist crisis, which is developing
into the deepest in the history of capitalism. The perspectives for
Britain were discussed, with special reference to the question of a
referendum on Scottish independence.
On
the Sunday, following on from the discussion on the World and British
political situation, and with the aims of the Tendency clarified for the
coming period, the comrades proceeded to evaluate their political work
since the last conference in 2011. They discussed the priorities and
most impending tasks in order to build the forces of Marxism in the
immediate situation, as a means of arming the working class with the
perspective of the socialist transformation of society in Britain and
internationally.
The meeting was noticeable for the many new faces, young and old, who
came to participate in the conference. Comrades left ever more
convinced of the need for a bold revolutionary alternative as the only
solution to the impasse humanity finds itself in in this period of
capitalist decline.
A number of young comrades have written reports on the various sessions. This is what they had to say:
World Perspectives discussion
By Josh Holroyd, Manchester
This year’s National Conference opened with a full and varied
discussion on World Perspectives. It has long been a tradition of
Marxists to analyse the situation in their own country in light of
international events and the importance of this was stressed throughout
the conference.
The discussion was introduced by Alan Woods, editor of the In Defence of Marxism
website, who highlighted the gravity and rapid tempo of events in this
period. He pointed out that in the context of arguably the deepest
crisis in the history of capitalism (and certainly since the 1930s), the
driving forces of the global economy have become enormous fetters on
society, causing tremendous shifts in the political and social plane.
This led him to conclude that we have entered into the most turbulent
period in the whole of human history.
colossal burden of debt in the public and private sector, the
instability and crisis of the Euro and the enormous amount of excess
capacity in industry were all prominent features in the discussion. The
extension of credit, the capturing of markets and the production of
commodities are all crucial elements of the capitalist economy, and yet
during this period they are expressed not as progressive forces but
instead as terrible contradictions that the capitalist system is
completely unable to resolve. This is demonstrated by the sheer
blindness and panic that can be seen in the theories of bourgeois
economists worldwide.
Another important theme of the discussion was the bankruptcy of
reformism. In every country the reformist parties are being forced to
implement or advocate vicious cuts and austerity measures. This is
because of their inability to look beyond the limits of capitalism and
fight for a socialist solution to the crisis. On this basis they cannot
offer workers a single concession, let alone meaningful reforms and so
represent no alternative to the policies of the right-wing parties.
However, every attempt that is made to restore order to the economy
causes major tremors in society. The inspiring events of the Arab
Revolution, the pre-revolutionary situation in Greece, the movement of
the Indignados in Spain and the Occupy Movement in the USA are all
dramatic examples of this fact.
What was also stressed in the discussion was that the austerity
imposed in order to save the capitalist system will last for many years,
even decades to come. In this context, further events on a similar and
even greater scale to those of the last 12-18 months are inevitable and
with each struggle the working class will draw increasingly
revolutionary conclusions. It is therefore imperative that we continue
to build the International Marxist Tendency in every country. Only by
building the forces of genuine Marxism will it be possible to break with
the anarchy and misery of capitalism and transform society on a
Socialist basis.
British Perspectives discussion
Michael Allan, Glasgow
Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, led the discussion
on the current state of affairs for the British economy and the working
class movement amidst the weakest recovery from a slump in Britain for
180 years.
began by underlining the global nature of the crisis of capitalism,
placing Britain in a global context where it is not just the UK but also
every other nation among the developed capitalist countries that are
facing poor economic performance and little prospect of better in the
future. This is of great historical significance, as it represents a
turning point in a post-war era characterised by periodic, relatively
short slumps and instead indicates a new epoch of protracted decline
with little hope of recovery similar to that experienced in the 1920s –
or, as economists have called it, ‘the long depression’, with years of
austerity ahead. Since the crisis struck four years ago the Bank of
England has had to revise down the growth figures for the British
economy in every financial quarter – 16 times in a row. This shows the
extent to which the Marxist analysis that capitalism has reached its
productive limits has been (perhaps unconsciously) accepted by bourgeois
commentators!
The parlous state of capitalism in Britain and its equally gloomy
prospects for the future was underlined by the various figures given.
Whilst the economy avoided a negative figure for GDP in the first
quarter of 2012 (which would have signalled a return to recession for
the British economy) growth in the last year was weak – around 0.8%.
This means that output is still 4% lower than pre-2008 figures.
The expectation by the bourgeois that private enterprise would pick
up the slack has also been shattered – it was speculated that private
investment would increase 7.7%, that in turn would compensate for cuts
in the public sector. Instead, it grew by a meagre 0.7%. Much emphasis
was also placed on the export of goods to help recovery as well – but
with other countries experiencing similarly poor or worse economic
conditions and many resorting to protectionism, this path also seems an
impossible one to traverse for the bourgeoisie.
Human impact
The human price behind these figures was highlighted also. Public
expenditure is to be slashed by 25%, with 800,000 public sector workers
to be laid off. This is likely to have the knock-on effect of 600,000
further redundancies in the private sector, adding more to the 2.7
million currently unemployed. Increased food and fuel prices mean the
cost of living has increased by around 10%. Research by Netmums, a
parenting website, found that 1 in 5 mothers skip meals so that they can
afford to feed their children. And all of this after only 12% of the
government’s cuts have been implemented, with the other 88% to be
slotted into the next 3 years.
This malaise can be seen as the product of a long-term decline in
British capitalism. The long-term destruction of the manufacturing
industry in Britain, combined with falling consumer demand as well as
the massively increased deficit in government spending to cover the cost
of the bank bailouts and the loss in state revenue, means that this
current situation represents the most extreme financial crisis ever
faced by British capitalism. Previously the bourgeois could have used
credit as a means to buy time and a way out of the crisis; however, with
the high debt levels built up by capital during the 1980s-2000s credit
no longer serves its purpose as a quick fix but instead plays the
inverse role, in the form of a lead weight of debt around the neck of
the British capitalist class. The move toward a rentier ‘services’ based
economy in the latter half of the 20th century and the destruction of
manufacturing – the generator of ‘real’ tangible wealth – has deeply
undermined the British economy. Rob highlighted this decline of British
capitalism in the post-war period with an apt illustration by comparing
the present year with the last time London hosted the Olympic Games in
1948. Back then the Attlee government had just promised to build one
million new homes for social housing and presided over what was still a
massive empire. Now, house building is at its lowest since 1923 and the
UK cannot even afford a single aircraft carrier!
The diseased nature of British capitalism underlines the necessity of
a struggle for socialism by the working class. In the past year there
have been stirrings of unrest in the class, as expressed first on March
26th of last year when there was the largest trade union demonstration
in British history with the protest aimed directly at the austerity
policies of the government which was followed by a strike of around
900,000 workers at the end of June. The riots across the UK in August
can be seen as the result of decades of de-industrialisation and
successive generations being cast upon the scrap heap of unemployment or
at best precarious low-paid employment and little prospect of a good
education thanks to the rise in tuition fees. These tensions,
exacerbated by rising youth unemployment (to 20% among 18-24 year olds)
saw this anger unleashed in the form of looting and violence. The
failure of the labour movement to provide an effective alternative for
this layer of the population also explains the violent and directionless
nature of a layer that as a result feels completely neglected. This
lack of leadership characterised the Occupy Movement, originating in the
US and with similar occupations appearing in Britain during September
and October.
Class struggle
the class pressures building up from below forced the unions into
action, with 29 different trade unions coming out on strike on November
30th in defence of pensions against planned government ‘reform’. This
represents the greatest number of people on strike in a single day in
Britain since the General Strike of 1926. Large demonstrations
underlined the extent of support with around 50,000 in London and
20-30,000 in Glasgow to name but a few. This was in conjunction with
polls that showed the strikes were very well supported – around 60% of
the British population supported them, 70% of Scots and 80% of 18-24
year olds were in favour of the action. Also notably, unions
representing sectors previously unorganised or sectors which in the past
were hostile to unions such as the civil service or head teachers came
out on strike; for the head teachers’ union NAHT it was the first strike
action taken by their organisation in 114 years. This represents a
seismic shift in the British working class, with events and
circumstances propelling consciousness toward one of more militant
action after two decades of relative quiet and an emptying out of these
mass organisations. However, the GMB and UNISON leaderships caved in to
the pressure of the government and accepted the deal, to great
demoralisation of their memberships who had been bolstered by this
action.
More recently, the planned strike for March 28th failed to
materialise with various vacillations on the part of the leadership.
PCS, expected to take a fighting lead that could help motivate other
unions chose to postpone action despite balloting their members and
receiving a mandate for further strike action (the highest percentage in
the union’s history) because other unions such as the NUT were failing
to decisively lay down their position. The NUT in turn said that they
were reluctant to push forward as the UCU were not doing anything and on
it went! Clearly the awareness of the leaders of these unions is
lagging behind that of their membership.
Steve Kelly from Unite, one of the leading figures in the Sparks
dispute, explained the formation of the electricians’ unofficial rank
and file movement within Unite in response to the 8 largest construction
companies planning to withdraw from the JIB agreement as a means to
cutting electricians wages by 35%. The dragging of feet by the executive
on this led to organisation at rank and file level for the purpose of
applying pressure to the union leadership – not for splitting from the
union – which was ultimately successful, as it eventually saw official
backing by the union against the agreement which saw the companies
reversing their original policy leaving the wages intact. This victory
for workers amidst a vicious economic climate shows the power that the
working class has when prepared to take militant action through their
mass organisations.
From the mass organisations of the working class on the industrial
front the discussion moved to that of those on the political front with
the topic of the Labour Party. Rob pointed out that although the
struggles on the industrial front might have some successes, these were
ultimately constrained by the limits placed on them by capitalism and
could not completely halt the attacks on living standards demanded by a
capitalist system in decline. It is from this that these struggles must
be linked with the political struggle for working class power.
Crisis of reformism
At present the Labour leadership has failed to offer anything and on a
reformist programme cannot, for capitalism no longer has reforms to
give, as underlined by the fact that the Labour leadership talks of cuts
not reforms, or else talks of reforms that won’t cost anything – which
is a pure fantasy.
The recent victory of George Galloway on a ‘real Labour’ platform in
Bradford West over an insipid Labour candidate with no policies to offer
was symptomatic of this discontent with a Labour Party whose only
alternative to Con-Dem austerity is Labour austerity. If elected at the
next election in 2015 the prospect for a Labour government is of massive
demand from capitalism to implement further cuts. Rob pointed out that
this government would likely be a crisis government, being forced to put
through cuts that would be met with revulsion from the working class
across Britain. This would be a similar situation to that faced by the
Labour governments in the 1920s, especially the 1929-31 administration
which eventually split asunder due to the pressures of capitalist
crisis, with the right wing leaving the party. In similar circumstances
it would not be unfeasible for the same to happen again – in terms of
their programme the right wing of Labour and the government parties
differ little, although they differ greatly in the social base of their
parties and this is what could force a split in the ranks. In such a
situation there would be a flooding into Labour of the more politically
advanced workers seeking to link the industrial struggles with the
political, and the ferment in society and Labour would see the creation
of the conditions in which a sizeable Marxist tendency could develop
within the Labour Party.
At the end of British Perspectives, Ewan Gibbs from Glasgow outlined
the National Question in relation to Scotland, given the context of the
recently announced referendum on Scottish independence. He looked at the
historical development of Scotland as a nation and the development of
social relations over several hundred years, showing that the formation
of the modern nation state is tied to that of capitalism. The joining of
Scotland and England in the Union in 1707 was not simply a political
act but the final task of the Scottish bourgeois revolution,
facilitating the unfettered development of capitalism in Scotland by
providing access to English capital and the markets of the British
Empire. Unsurprisingly, at times when capitalism enters crisis the
national question re-emerges, as it has done in Scotland in recent
years. However, he placed this in context, as it is not only Scotland
where the national question has arisen in times of crisis, but also in
the likes of the former Yugoslavia, or at present in Belgium, Kurdistan
and the Basque country. Rob then summed up all the points made to finish
the session.
This ended what had been an excellent discussion on British
Perspectives, with the tasks and prospects for the Marxists in the
labour movement in the coming year laid out very effectively.
Report on the work of the Marxists in Britain
Rachel Gibbs, Edinburgh
second day of the conference began with a discussion on the
organisational tasks of the Marxists in Britain. Daniel Morley’s
introduction gave a concise overview of the period the organisation has
gone through in the past year. First and foremost, it was clear for all
the comrades to see that, in addition to an increase in supporters, the forces of Marxism have undergone a qualitative change. This was perhaps most
clearly reflected in the number of new, young comrades present at the
conference.
As was remarked upon by Daniel, this presence is the result of the
positive and decisive turn to the youth made by Socialist Appeal over the
past period. The initiative of open work, mostly on university campuses,
has allowed the following for the Marxists to grow both in
numbers and in impact as Socialist Appeal has gained support from
enthusiastic comrades in towns up and down the country. Success with
these tactics has been felt by comrades all over Britain: in Scotland
our support has doubled in Edinburgh and Glasgow whilst new supporter
groups have been created in Manchester, Bristol and Sussex. As comrades
engaging in similar initiatives of Marxist Discussion Groups and
Societies we have been able to compare successes, mistakes and discuss
experiences, which has led to the Marxists becoming more
professionally organised and effective.
the current global financial crisis, coupled with the various
international movements against capitalism over the past year, it is
hardly surprising that we are meeting more and more young people
interested in Marxism. Our societies and discussion groups have allowed
us to meet and discuss with these young people; many of whom have then
gone on to realise that Marxism is anything but an armchair debate; on
the contrary, it is a call to action. While there is a large,
radicalised layer of young people on campuses and in the schools, the
traditional organs of the labour movement remain weak, particularly in
terms of attracting youth and young radicalised workers. However, with
resistance beginning to build up against the cuts being implemented, we
have begun to see movements within the trade unions (particularly with
November 30th). This has allowed us to link the aspirations of this new
layer of Marxist youth to the working class struggle and show them the
importance of the labour movement, whilst also enabling us to meet and
discuss ideas with some of the best elements of the workers’ movement.
Our task in the coming year is to continue to professionalise our
work through learning from our experiences as an entire organisation.
The priority must be to continue discussing with our new comrades in
order for them to become fully consolidated in the ideas of Marxism. Of
course, we must also continue meeting and discussing with new, young
people through our discussion groups whilst participating in the labour
movement. Given the period that we are living through and the radicalism
spreading throughout the world, our ideas have never before had such
relevance. Now is the time for us to spread the ideas of socialism
whilst building a strong tendency committed to the importance of Marxist
theory.
Report on the work of the International Marxist Tendency
Paul Cummings, Edinburgh
Before reporting on the state of the International, comrade Jorge Martín of the In Defence of Marxism editorial board, praised the clear success of this meeting of the British Marxists and Socialist Appeal supporters, and suggested that the mood of enthusiasm was reflected across the International Marxist Tendency
(IMT). Since last year’s meeting there has been a marked increase in
enthusiasm for Marxist ideas and this has been reflected in the recent
successes of the IMT.
The Americas
years ago the IMT had no presence at all across both North and South
America apart from a solitary foothold in Mexico. Since then the IMT has
established a number of sections in several countries from Canada to
Argentina where Marxist ideas are finding a solid echo amongst workers
and youth.
In Canada supporters of the Marxist paper Fightback have
increased thanks to a bold orientation towards the youth. In particular
as the Marxists of the New Young Democrats and within the Universities
they have yielded good results, taking the ideas of Marx and Engels to
the Canadian movement. The Canadian Marxists feel that by consolidating
their support and continuing the work amongst the youth they can
continue to grow by the end of the year in order to develop a more
professional Marxist Tendency. The US Marxists have also made remarkable
progress in the recent period. Much of the recent success has come from
a solid intervention in the Occupy movement, particularly in New York
where many comrades have been recruited to the ideas of Marxism in the
past year. The Campaign for a Mass Party of Labour that is
being spearheaded by the American Marxists has also had an impact and is
making significant inroads into the American labour movement.
In Mexico the new Marxist paper La Izquierda Socialista has
been founded with an inaugural meeting where there was a very
encouraging turnout with over 280 people in attendance. In El Salvador,
as has been reported elsewhere, the Marxist Tendency has recently
suffered a setback after two leading comrades were injured in an
accident following a criminal attack on the bus they were travelling in,
although both comrades are recovering. Comrade Freddy who contributed a
lot to the Tendency in a leadership capacity is still in hospital. The
section is continuing on nonetheless and now has an active basis in the
country, with a growing readership for their paper and have orientated
towards the youth holding big meetings on campuses.
In Cuba the recent discussion on the restoration of capitalism have
had an effect on workers and youth in Cuba about where the revolution is
heading. Recently Alan Woods visited Cuba to take part in the
discussions where Marxist ideas of the IMT are increasingly considered
to be part of the debate.
In Venezuela there has been significant growth for the ideas of the
IMT. The growth is encouraging and comes at a crucial time for the
Venezuelan revolution with Presidential elections coming up and
uncertainties over President Chavez’s health. The comrades have
continued to take part in the movement and have been especially
intervening in the occupied factories. In Bolivia where the government
of Evo Morales has been coming under increasing pressure to move towards
the left, the Bolivian Marxists have been working with the youth to
build the Marxist Tendency, just recently establishing a group of
supporters for the paper El Militante in the capital, La Paz.
In Brazil the comrades have held some spectacularly successful
meeting recently with one in Sao Paulo where Estaban Volkov, the
grandson of Leon Trotsky, spoke attracting over 1000 people. As a result
the Brazilian Marxists have developed a large periphery of supporters.
The ideas of Marxism are also spreading in the trade unions. The
Argentinian Marxists are regularly publishing material on their website
and paper both entitled El Militante. The comrades also plan on
moving towards the youth by setting up Marxist Discussion Groups
similar to those successfully run in Britain.
Europe
In Sweden the Marxists are campaigning in the universities and regularly publish the newspaper Avanti! In Denmark supporters of the Danish paper Socialistisk Standpunkt
have increased thanks to the enthusiastic work of comrades who are
finding an echo amongst the youth. The IMT now has supporters in both
Norway and Iceland where work towards creating a supporters group is
underway. In Germany comrades around the Marxist paper Der Funke are working as the Marxist Tendency of Die Linke.
In Austria the comrades have made excellent progress since last year and are growing the forces of Der Funke, the Austrian Marxist newspaper, as well as particularly fruitful work amongst the youth in Switzerland where the support for Der Funke has doubled over the past year.
In Belgium the comrades who support the Marxist paper Vonk
are soon to be joined by a Dutch version of the paper, which will be
launched in time for May Day as the ideas of Marxism spread to the
Netherlands. In Ireland there are now a number of supporters of the
Irish Marxist paper Fightback, and the website has been winning respect and influence amongst radical layers of the Irish labour movement.
In Spain the supporters of the ideas of the IMT in the United Left
are increasing, where they publish a regular Marxist journal, Lucha de Classes. In Italy support for the Marxist paper FalceMartello
has grown, as the Marxist current of the Partito della Rifondazione
Comunista where the Marxists have established themselves as the main
left alternative to the leadership within the party.
In Greece, despite the chaotic situation, the Marxist Tendency
continues to grow, with a strong base in Athens and also a regular paper
and theoretical magazine. The comrades also publish a regular school
student paper, Revolution! In France the supporters of La Riposte,
the Marxist wing of the French Communist Party, are campaigning for a
vote for the Left Front candidate Melanchon in the upcoming elections.
In France the ideas of Marxism are gaining a greater echo amongst the
youth.
Africa
In Morocco the number of comrades who support the ideas of the IMT
has grown in the last year. The Moroccan Marxists also run the Marxist
Arab language website Marxy.com, which has a very large following throughout the Arab world.
During the general strike at the beginning of the year, supporters of the Nigerian Marxist Paper Workers Alternative
completely sold out of their paper. And now the Nigerian Marxists have a
much wider periphery of supporters and sympathisers around them.
Work is also underway for establishing an official supporters group
of the IMT in South Africa, where a small group of supporters hopes to
soon hold a founding congress.
Asia and Oceania
In New Zealand, one of the newest IMT supporters groups, work has
begun in spreading the ideas of Marxism with a regular website and paper
set up. The IMT also has a small presence in Australia.
In Indonesia, another new supporter group of the IMT has successfully
taken off with groups in the country producing a monthly paper. The
Indonesian group has also taken on the commitment to help contribute
regularly to the cost of the In Defence of Marxism website, a sizable commitment for such a group. They are confident in making significant growth by the end of the year.
In Russia supporters of the IMT have established a website that
regularly posts articles in Russian. The Comrades intervened well in the
recent anti-Putin protests. The IMT also has small groups of supporters
in Serbia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia and efforts are
being made to expand the reach of Marxist ideas in these countries.
The Iranian Marxists also have growing support for their ideas inside and outside the country, among the Iranian Diaspora.
In Pakistan remarkable progress has been made recently. At the recent
Pakistani congress over 2600 supporters attended. Despite the very
difficult work of the Marxists in Pakistan support for the Marxist
Tendency has risen significantly. There is a solid presence throughout
every region. The work amongst Pakistani youth has been especially
excellent with the comrades running their own unemployed youth campaign.
The success of the IMT in Pakistan has also allowed for Marxist ideas
to spread further afield. In Afghanistan supporters are now publishing a
paper. Work towards establishing sections has begun in both India and
Bangladesh with groups of supporters in both countries looking to start
organisations in cooperation with the IMT.
Comrade Martín finished the report by emphasising that the IMT’s
influence goes beyond its already established membership. Throughout the
world an increasingly large layer of workers and youth are looking for
radical ideas as a result of the failures of capitalism. He highlighted
the success of the IMT’s In Defence of Marxism website where
since 2010 2.2 million views have been recorded, with hits coming from
far beyond where the International Marxist Tendency has a presence on
the ground. The existence of such an enormous appetite for the ideas of
Marxism should give heart to comrades and further their determination to
go out and build the Tendency for the colossal battles ahead.
Summing up the conference
In summing up the conference, Alan Woods commented on the
significance of the increased turnout as compared to previous years,
especially the high proportion of young members. In particular, the
conference showed the clarity of the ideas of Socialist Appeal as
opposed to the confusion of bourgeois commentators and the pessimism of
the left in the UK. He went on to emphasize the work that needs to be
done in constructing the necessary vehicle to change society. Despite
the enormously challenging task ahead, there is no greater enterprise
than the struggle for the emancipation of humanity from capitalism.
Paying tribute to the organisation’s founder, Ted Grant, who
consistently upheld the banner of the 4th International, Alan Woods
stressed the Tendency’s historical unprecedented and moral and political
authority. Reflecting on his own experience when he joined as a 16 year
old recruit to Marxism 50 years ago, Alan described the tiny group of
around 30 who were small in numbers and small in resources.
this, they had the correct ideas and an orientation towards the labour
movement. As a result, the small handful of Marxists eventually formed
the Militant Tendency with over 8,000 members in Britain, the most
powerful Marxist tendency since the Russian Left Opposition. It is the
correct ideas and orientation that builds the organisation, not the
other way around, as the some imagine. The criminal destruction of
Militant showed that it is hard to build but very easy to destroy.
Despite this, Alan argued that the conference was proof that after
huge defeats it is always possible to rebuild. During the previous boom,
for years the organisation was fighting against the stream, but the
tide has now turned. Now more than ever there are tens of thousands
searching for an alternative to capitalism and the comrades have nothing
to fear when attempting to connect Marxism with these new layers. Alan
mentioned the unanimous political clarity amongst comrades and argued
that this allowed for a solid basis to proceed with.
Alan insisted that the IMT is the only Marxist tendency that can
solve the problems of the working class and therefore humanity.
Finishing with a quote from Trotsky he added: “I am sure of the victory
of the 4th International, go forward!”
Conference was closed with the singing of the Red Flag and the Internationale.
Fighting Fund
Around £5,000 was raised for the Fighting Fund through Raffles, Food and Drink sales but mainly through a magnificent collection carried out following a financial appeal made on Saturday afternoon by Steve Jones. One comrade gave £1,500 to get things going with a number of other comrades chipping in with £200 and £100 donations. After a forrest of fifties and a swarm of tenners, the buckets were filled up by spare change and pound coins – it all adds up.
To add to the collection click here.
