"There is a whiff of The Last Days of Pompeii in the atmosphere." Samuel Brittan in
the Financial Times.
As
the Reverend Tony Blair heads off for a new career making millions from
publishing royalties and sermons, the North Korean-style "coronation" of Brown
as Labour leader has been met with widespread disappointment and anger. Thanks
to the sabotage of some 300-odd members of the Parliamentary Labour Party,
ordinary Labour Party members and affiliates, who were expecting a leadership
election, ended up with no election and a "one member, no vote" imposed
candidate.
In
addition to this kick in the teeth, Gordon Brown displayed his true contempt
for the rank and file and their views by stating: "The party has been unwilling
to give candidates of the far left any space to put forward their views,
because they simply don't have support in the Labour Party" (Gordon Brown, The
Guardian, 18 May 2007).
Of
course, it was not the "party" but the tiny parliamentary Establishment that
sabotaged a leadership challenge. This had nothing to do with lack of support
for the left. On the contrary, the election was blocked precisely because this
parliamentary cabal were terrified at John McDonnell's growing support. Clearly
the membership could not be relied upon to vote the right way. In such
circumstances, party democracy must be immediately ditched in favour of a papal
imposition from on high.
The
Brown camp believes they have now sewn up the leadership and the party good and
proper. But they are sadly mistaken. As reformist politicians, they cannot see
further than their own nose. This manoeuvre will inevitably blow up in their
faces. Their undemocratic veto is producing even greater discontent. Brown,
despite any new image he wants to cultivate, is set to continue with the deeply
unpopular Blairite policies of the past. He has already given assurances to
this effect to the bosses' trade union, the Confederation of British Industry.
On this basis, Brown's support will fall below even that of Tony Blair.
Labour's
depressing results in the local elections, as well as the elections in Scotland and
Wales were a reflection of deep-seated disillusionment with the last ten years
of Blair and Brown. Over that period, under the Blair/Brown stewardship, some
five million voters deserted the Labour Party. Under Brown, Labour's support is
set to fall even further.
The
call by John McDonnell for his tens of thousands of supporters to continue the
fight for left policies in the Labour and trade union movement is absolutely
correct. While John's failure to get on the ballot is a setback, it will only
be of a temporary nature. In the coming period left policies will become a
point of reference for millions of workers.
John
has put down a clear marker for a future leftwing challenge, when things go
pear shaped for Brown and his entourage. In quoting Joe Hill, "Don't mourn,
organize!" John has served to point the correct way forward.
Sectarians
As
always, there are sectarian groups on the fringes of the labour movement who
are rubbing their hands in glee at the failure of John McDonnell to get on the
ballot – as proof that the Labour Party can never be changed. "See, the left
can't even get on the ballot, let alone change the party. They are wasting
their time", comes the usual defeatist refrain. They fail to see that their
advice simply plays into the hands of the Blairites, who also want the left to
leave the party and want to break the Labour-trade union links.
As
with all sectarians, they foolishly believe that history begins with them.
However, history is littered with the corpses of ultra-left groups who have set
themselves up as the "alternative to Labour". The latest are the Scottish
Socialist Party and Solidarity in Scotland who have been wiped out in
the recent elections. The working class does not turn its back lightly on its
traditional organisations, like a man changing his shirt. If only life was so
simple, then every sectarian windbag would be a great strategist and leader!
So
in the real world, where do we go from here? John McDonnell has put down a
marker over the last ten months that cannot be wiped away. The left needs to
build upon this, particularly inside the unions. It is especially regrettable
that the bulk of trade union leaders refused openly to back McDonnell. The
likes of the TGWU, Amicus and Unison could have exerted pressure on trade
union-sponsored MPs to have at least allowed an election. Moreover, they could
have demanded that they support a candidate who backs union policies. Is this
too much to ask for? Unfortunately, many of these "leaders" are wedded to the
idea of a "sweetheart deal" with Brown and are relieved they will not be put in
the "embarrassing" position of having to publicly support McDonnell in an
election.
We
must demand answers from our elected representatives. We must demand that they
be accountable to the rank and file of the Labour movement. The imposition of
Gordon Brown and the danger of a Tory victory at the next election cannot be
brushed aside. The trade union movement created the Labour Party to represent
the interests of working people in Parliament. The Brown entourage believe that
they can simply carry on where the Blair camp left off. Such a road leads to
disaster for working people.
It
has precisely been the imposition of pro-capitalist policies over the last
decade that has brought us to this historic low point. The mass of people
opposed Tory policies in 1997, resulting in Labour's landslide victory. Under
the guise of "New Labour", they were treated to more of the same. Hence the
historic low-point of Labour's support.
The
trade unions must take back the Labour Party for the working class, for the
millions ground down by capitalism. This means clearing out the Tory
carpet-baggers from the Labour Party and fighting for real socialist policies
that will take over the commanding heights of the economy under workers'
control and management. Only then can we plan the economy democratically to
provide for the needs of the majority not the interests of a tiny minority of
millionaire parasites. Nothing less will guarantee success.
