British weather is known to be particularly volatile. Met Office forecasts are notoriously unreliable. On many days, the skies rapidly alternate between sunshine and showers. Planning outdoor activities is a game of roulette.
By comparison, the past month or so – with Britons enjoying / dreading (delete as appropriate) heatwave after heatwave – has felt remarkably consistent.
Increasingly, Britain’s political climate is coming to resemble its meteorological one.
Turbulence and unpredictability has become the new normal. The country is being hit by shock after shock, transforming the social and political landscape. And temperatures are rising, leading to relentless sweats and growing discomfort – especially for those in power.
As with the unbearable humidity that portends a violent downpour, it feels like society is on the brink of bursting. It is only a matter of time before the storm breaks and the deluge begins.
Clouds ahead
Looking to the horizon, there are nothing but clouds for British capitalism and its representatives.
Upon entering Downing Street a year ago, PM Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves promised that they would “fix the foundations” of the UK economy, and “turbocharge growth” through a mixture of fiscal discipline and supply-side ‘reforms’ – i.e. austerity and deregulation.
Today, these hopes lie shattered. The latest statistics (for April and May) show that the British economy contracted for two months in a row.
The government’s attempts to balance the books, meanwhile, have hit up against the rocks.
Under pressure from below, backbench Labour MPs have rebelled against Starmer’s push to cut welfare payments to pensioners and disabled people. This has irreparably damaged the Prime Minister’s authority, effectively leaving him and Reeves as lame-duck leaders.
Road to ruin
At the same time, the imperialist establishment – taking their orders from Washington – is demanding that billions more be spent on bombs, missiles, and other expensive forms of scrap metal.
And other crises, such as the collapse of Britain’s steel industry, are forcing the government to throw yet more money down the drain.
This toxic combo of stagnant growth, stubborn deficits, and political paralysis has frightened the financial markets, who want to ensure that the bankers and billionaires receive their pound of flesh.
For now, Starmer and his government have kicked the can down the road, promising to come back with a workable solution in their next Autumn Budget. But this merely delays the inevitable reckoning.
And according to one fund manager: “The Liz Truss Budget debacle back in September 2022 might seem like a tea party compared to what is coming down the line.”
In the final analysis, it is impossible to appease both the bloodthirsty capitalists and the enraged working class. Whatever path the Labour leaders choose, it is clear that all roads lead to ruin – and to fierce class battles ahead.
Imperialism and repression
Of course, none of this is taking place in a vacuum. Far from it. The global backdrop has never been so tumultuous.
Trump’s trade war rumbles on, with the US President amplifying the instability in the world economy with his tariff threats and his reckless ‘big beautiful bill’.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, meanwhile, show no signs of ceasing. Driven by his own narrow interests, and by the demands of the Zionist ruling class, Netanyahu is determined to pursue Israel’s murderous campaign in Gaza to the bitter end.
This is fuelling outrage and anger amongst workers and youth in the West, with imperialist governments both enabling the genocide abroad, and repressing the Palestine solidarity movement back home.
All of this is sharply radicalising consciousness for a whole generation.
The sight of hypocritical establishment politicians cutting welfare to pay for warfare is infuriating enough. But for these same bloodsoaked ladies and gentlemen to accuse ordinary activists and artists of being ‘terrorists’ really takes the biscuit.
It is time to overthrow all these war criminals, and sweep away their barbaric system, which breeds conflict, crisis, and cuts.
Enthusiasm and opposition
With Starmer’s government intent on carrying out Tory policies, workers and young people are crying out for a genuine political alternative; for a party that will stand up for Palestine, and commit to ending austerity.
Sensing this mood, left MP Zarah Sultana has announced that she and Jeremy Corbyn will launch a new party.
This has been met with enormous enthusiasm. Finally, voters will have something to the left of Starmer’s Blairite Labour Party to choose at the ballot box!
At the same time, the trade unions are also clashing with Labour, as rank-and-file members begin to move into action.
In Birmingham, for example, striking bin workers have found themselves attacked and smeared by the city’s ‘Labour’-controlled council – with the support of government ministers, including the supposedly ‘left-wing’ deputy PM Angela Rayner.
This has led to Unite members booting Rayner out of the union. And as further cuts begin to bite across industry and the public sector, more and more unions will be forced into opposition against Starmer’s big business government.
Political vacuum
This all demonstrates the incredible potential that exists in regards to a new left party. There is a gaping political vacuum in Britain, just waiting to be filled. Millions of working-class and young voters have no electoral home.
According to one recent poll, for example, 15 percent of voters would support a Corbyn-Sultana-led party – level pegging with Starmer’s Labour, and ahead of Lib Dems and the Greens. Among young people (aged 18-29), this figure goes up to 33 percent.
Another survey by YouGov suggests that 18 percent of Britons would consider voting for a left-wing party led by Jeremy Corbyn. And this is before anything has even been officially launched, with no concrete programme or policies.
If Corbyn and Sultana were to launch their new party on the basis of bold socialist demands, linking the fight against austerity and war to the fight against capitalism and imperialism, then this could completely shake up the status quo, and galvanise a mass political movement across the country.
Make hay while the sun shines
We do not know what will happen next. The situation could unfold in a number of directions.
As with those assigned the impossible task of forecasting the British weather, even a Marxist perspective cannot precisely predict the outcome of the complex processes taking place within the chaotic capitalist system.
But one thing is certain: the political atmosphere is completely charged. There is an incredible build-up of electric energy in society, just looking for a lightning rod. And there is an accumulation of combustible material, ready to ignite if given a spark.
The communists must make hay while the sun shines, and build a force capable of channelling this potential power towards revolutionary ends. There is no time to waste.
Burnham and Rayner – friends or foes?
Josh Upton, Manchester
Keir Starmer’s efforts to save British capitalism by waging war on the poor have led to splits and tensions within the Labour Party.
The Prime Minister is perhaps only one more crisis or scandal away from being kicked out of Number 10. A Labour leadership contest may therefore not be far off.
A couple of candidates are already jostling into position for this race: Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester; and Angela Rayner, the current Labour deputy leader.
Both Rayner and Burnham are presenting themselves as ‘soft left’ alternatives to the current Labour leadership – no doubt hoping to secure the backing of the unions.
A recent poll gave Burnham the highest support (57 percent) amongst Labour members as Starmer’s potential successor. 29 percent chose him as their top pick for leader. Rayner was close behind.
The devolved Manchester mayoralty has provided Burnham with a platform over the years. Recently, he has openly criticised Starmer’s anti-migrant rhetoric and austerity attacks.
Rayner, similarly, has used her position as deputy leader to boost her profile – for example, suggesting a mild ‘tax the rich’ alternative to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ programme of cuts.
Workers should not trust either of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, however. They are both political opportunists and careerists, who only pay lip service to ‘socialism’ and the working class in order to climb the greasy pole.
Neither are friends of the working class – as Unite members have correctly concluded regarding Rayner.
If elected as Labour leader, they would do as they have done for their entire political careers: defend the capitalist status quo, not fight for genuine socialist policies.
