The
International Socialists work as part of Solidarity -
Delegates condemn New
Labour’s pro-big business policies
A highly successful
second conference of the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP) took place on
Saturday 12 May. A central
CNWP CHAIR, Dave Nellist,
opened the conference by saying it was apposite to be meeting in the same week
that Tony Blair announced his departure from power. But when Blair leaves
office on 27 June, "unfortunately he won’t be taking the entire cabinet
with him".
The world is a less safe
place as a result of the
Voters in elections are
not faced with "three competing parties" because "the Tories,
New Labour and the Liberal Democrats agree on all the essential issues – at
least between elections." The CNWP needs to build further on the 2,500
signatories it has so far, by sinking deep roots in local communities and trade
unions to help create the conditions as soon as possible for the existence of a
new party.
The assistant general
secretary of the PCS union, Chris Baugh, then addressed the conference (in a
personal capacity) and expressed his support for the CNWP. He condemned Gordon
Brown’s "arbitrary and swingeing" 100,000 job cuts plan in the civil
service and said such cuts will inevitably damage vital services. He also
condemned Brown as the chief architect of the NHS funding crisis, the huge
privatisation programme being forced on 20,000 workers in the Ministry of
Defence, and the vicious spending limits across the public sector. "PCS
members will take some convincing that there is any material difference between
Blair and Brown" he concluded. He reminded the conference that three
million public sector workers had threatened strike action in the run-up to the
last general election over the government’s plan to increase the pension age,
and that this forced a significant government climb down. More recently, on May
Day this month, successful PCS strike action shocked the government and was a
warning of further action if cuts continue.
TV actor and ‘Shrewsbury
Two’ campaigner Ricky Tomlinson gave a ‘virtual’ address to the conference,
through a video of a specially recorded interview. After outlining the campaign
still running over the jailing of 24 construction workers for picketing in
1972, he expressed his anger at the way New Labour has made things "worse
and worse" for workers in Britain. He went on to say: "I don’t think
there will be a difference between Blair and Brown because they’ve worked so closely
together.. New Labour doesn’t represent working class people.. I call on
workers to unite to form a left wing socialist party to represent the working
class. There’s no shortcuts, no easy fix.. If I’ve one thing to say about New
Labour, it’s: New Labour, my arse!"
THE FIRST conference
debate was on the CNWP’s charter. In proposing an updated charter, CNWP
assistant secretary, Hannah Sell, explained that its wording needed to cover
the period up until the next conference, so it deliberately concentrated on the
most enduring issues and government attacks (see cnwp.org.uk for the updated
charter text).
Hannah argued that it is
preferable to keep a clause stating the need for socialism in the charter. But
she argued against resolutions being put to the conference by Workers’ Power
(WP) and the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) wanting clauses for the
‘revolutionary overthrow’ of capitalism and how it could be achieved, because:
"It is not our job to sound as left and radical as possible. We need a
programme that is readily taken up by workers.., one that they can identify
with. Most of these workers have not yet drawn conclusions on how socialism
will be achieved".
In the debate that
followed, four organisations– the Socialist Alliance (SA), WP, the Campaign for
a Marxist Party and the CPGB moved four resolutions and amendments. The debate
also included contributions from conference delegates, including from Onay
Kasab of Greenwich Unison, who spoke on the battle against pay cuts by employees
of Greenwich council and from Alec Thraves, a Socialist Party candidate in the
Wales Assembly election, who concluded: "In Wales many people voted for
the party most likely to defeat New Labour because there is no mass workers’
party. They need a voice".
In the voting at the end
of the debate, the CNWP officers’ proposed updated charter was overwhelmingly
carried, along with the amendment from the SA. The three other amendments and
resolutions were defeated.
THE SECOND conference
debate was on the way forward for the CNWP. Secretary of the CNWP, Roger
Bannister, moved a resolution from the CNWP officers, which called for the CNWP
to "vigorously campaign to popularise the idea of a new mass workers’
party over the coming year" and outlined a number of steps towards doing
this (see cnwp.org.uk for the text). The debate that followed was opened by the
moving of three resolutions, from Berkshire CNWP (subsequently carried), the SA
(defeated) and Workers’ Power (defeated).
In moving the Berkshire
resolution, Terry Pearce reported on a "spirited" campaign in his
area to defend council housing, and called for a regular CNWP newsletter to be
produced that can report on all campaigns around the country.
Vanessa from the health
service campaign PUSH spoke in this session on the need to build for a protest
against NHS cuts and privatisation in
Burslem postal worker,
Jane, explained why she and other local postal workers had been forced to take
nine days of strike action. During the second strike, 400 managers had been
drafted in to do the work of 100 workers!
Well-received in this
second conference session was a contribution from newly elected Democratic
Labour Party (DLP) councillor Pete Smith from
Paying tribute to the
role of the Socialist Party (SP) in the CNWP, presently in a majority, CNWP
press officer, Pete McClaren, himself a member of the minority SA, said to the
conference that his press releases went out without any unwelcome political
edits by other CNWP officers, in this way making it clear that he was happy
with the working relationship. There was however a difference at the conference
between the SP and SA on the present structure of the CNWP, with the SA calling
for individual membership to be introduced now and there to be a right of
representation on the steering committee regardless of the size of affiliated
organisations. These issues should be discussed further in the coming period to
attempt to reach agreement.
Following commissions
(see below) and the election of a new steering committee, the conference was
closed with an inspiring speech by Tony Mulhearn, who was president of the
Liverpool District Labour Party (DLP) during the 1980s battles of
SOCIALIST PARTY member
Lindsay Currie, candidate in May’s elections in St Michael’s ward
GLENN KELLY from UNISON
and Rob Williams from TGWU (now part of Unite), introduced this session. There
was a very positive discussion which mainly revolved around how to build
support for the CNWP amongst grass-roots activists. It is clear that the
leadership of most of the affiliated unions will do all they can to avoid a
split from the Labour Party and in some cases are doing their best to even
avoid the issue being discussed at the trade union conferences.
Several speakers explained
the need to organise debates at trade union branch meetings and shop steward
meetings, so that the issues can be discussed amongst those trade unionists who
never get to conferences and other national meetings.
Contact details were
exchanged so the work can be co-ordinated better within each union.
I DID the first
introduction to this commission on building the CNWP in trade unions that are
not affiliated to the Labour Party. While the NUT does not yet have a political
fund, it certainly can’t afford to be independent of politics. As well as trade
union struggles, a political struggle is necessary.
An important step in
changing consciousness on this issue will be to argue for unions to stand - or
support – election candidates supporting union policies and fighting cuts,
closures and privatisation measures, such as academy schools. The second
introductory speaker, Katrine Williams from the PCS, explained how the PCS’s
‘make your vote count’ campaign had raised the need for that union to have a
political voice.
In the discussion, RMT
members from London Underground argued that the RMT should consider
standing its own candidates in the London Assembly elections. Another theme
taken up was that as more workers move into struggle, more would draw political
conclusions and see the need to campaign for a new workers' party.
A PACKED commission
discussed how best to combat the far-right racist BNP. Andy Bentley from Stoke
explained how enormous anger against the Labour Party has led some workers to
vote BNP in protest. We need to reach these workers with a genuine alternative,
as opposed to campaigns based on moral outrage that often involve the very
politicians who have opened the door to the BNP.
The media's role in
building support for the BNP was a big issue, particularly newspapers whipping
up prejudice against migrants. Real answers need to be given to the concerns
people have about pressure on overstretched public services, housing and jobs,
and the cynical exploitation of the bosses exposed and fought against. As
Bobbie from
WHILE MANY young people
may not be interested in the main political parties that exist at the moment,
this session made the need for a political voice for young workers and students
absolutely clear. Introduced by Tracy Edwards, organiser of the PCS youth
network, the discussion underlined the conditions young people face at work and
in education. Speakers pointed out the need for the many struggles they were
participating in to be linked to campaigning for a political voice.
MIKE DAVIES from the
NB: trade unionists
speaking in the above commissions were speaking in a personal capacity.