20 October Demonstration Against Cuts
On Saturday 20 October the
TUC called on the working class to march, once again, up to the top of the
hill (Hyde Park Corner in this case) and march back down again.
Thousands did exactly
that: at one point, roughly halfway through, there were as many coming out as
there were going in! Numbers said to have been on the demo vary, as always,
between the police figures of 100,000 and the 150,000 claimed by the TUC but
what cannot be disputed is that they were well down on last year’s big TUC
march and rally as the feelings of dé jà vu and not getting anywhere
sink into the worker’s brains.
Working people, for the most part, have long since
worked out that the Labour Party will not be leading them into some socialist
paradise, a fact restated by Ed Miliband at the rally when he confirmed (if any
confirmation was needed) that Labour in power would also be indulging in cuts
to save capitalism! The boos he received for this ‘revelation’ showed a
growing political maturity in the British working class but it still has a long
way to go before it is ready to use the only effective remedy to their
collective ills, revolution!
Of course, simply inviting Miliband onto the
platform was a display of unity between the TUC and Labour Party in their
anti-working class ideology.
The TUC had printed a pamphlet for the day entitled
“Austerity is Failing. We Need a Future that Works,” which held up France and the USA as political models to emulate – thus showing the total bankruptcy of the
social-democratic leadership of the British labour movement provided by both
the TUC and the Labour Party. Both are nothing but agents of imperialism in
our midst.
The Trotskyist Socialist Party made as much sense
to workers on the march with their call, spelt out on two huge billboards, for
a “24 hour strike, now!” What’s the point of that? Was the most common
question/remark by those who made any comment on it.
One worker, asked to explain his negativity to this
slogan replied, “if we have a 24 hour strike enough notice will be given to
ensure that work can be re-planned before the event or caught up with a bit of
overtime afterwards and in the main the only effect on the capitalists is
saving them a day’s pay!” We heard no member of the Socialist Party able to
answer this logic.
So what is required? A long hard slog to throw off
the hold that social-democracy has on the organised labour movement, starting
with a break of the link between the unions and the Labour Party. Start
immediately educating yourself and others in the science of Marxism-Leninism
leading to the revolutionary coming to power of the working class.
No, it’s not an instant answer, nor is it easy, but
it is a tried and proven method. Imperialism will not die of its own accord and
the British working class is not capable, without the necessary ML ideology, of
killing it. Our class must learn and grow strong. Then we may “build a
future that works” – but not without a certain amount of demolition and
clearing first.
Build
the knowledge of the British working class.
Build and support the Party
(CPGB-ML) of the working class.
Then deliver the death blow
to imperialism!