There was rapid political bloodletting to create a new government for a Tory Brexit on 31 October, in order to fight European imperialism with the methods of British imperialism and to prepare for a Trump style onslaught on workers, immigrants and women.
By Martin Ralph – ISL – Britain
Only hard line Brexiteers, including Dominic Raab, Priti Patel, Steve Barclay and Michael Gove are part of the cabinet. Johnson dreams of creating another GREAT Britain, of building on Churchillian actual blood-letting that caused the deaths of millions of workers and people in Britain and the “colonies” such as India, where their policies of taking food from the Indian sub-continent and in particular Bengal created a famine that killed at least 2 million people.
Churchill saw the end of the old empire. Today’s capitalism is facing a bigger crisis, The Financial Times 25 July says, “Britain is living through the most profound crisis it has faced in modern peacetime. Its politics are dysfunctional, its society badly fractured and its economy weakened. The UK union is imperilled. The Conservative party’s answer is to put a second-rate huckster in 10 Downing Street. Mr Johnson scorns truth and is blind to ethics.” The FT speaks for powerful sections of British capital.
Johnson will increase the crisis facing many workers and young people by deepening austerity and encouraging more repression by the police against protests such as over the environment, strikes etc. Precarious workers have increased from 2 to 4.7 million between 2016 and 2019. And this government will become more authoritarian as these workers increase their fights. But workers can win!
Johnson can wish what he wants for his Brexit, but the clash of the multi-nationals and European imperialist governments will not allow any certain process.
No, Britain will continue in very unstable and chaotic conditions. The central reason for that is Jeremy Corbyn never fought for a workers and socialist Brexit, and neither did the trade union leadership, nor do they call for workers mobilisations to bring the government down.
A strike and street movements can build on what is happening now with many small strikes and mobilisations, against the dictates of the EU and their attacks on public ownership and workers’ rights, and against Tory Brexit.
Johnson’s plans will cost the workers dear unless they build mobilisations against austerity, precarious work and attacks on the oppressed on the streets and fight to bring this government down.
Labour Party rallies (smaller than in the last few years) took place after Boris Johnson became Tory leader and Prime Minister. But Corbyn does not call for class action against the new government, he calls for a general election, that Labour will fight on a Remain programme.
He is not alone, the Socialist Party, the Socialist Workers Party and all trade union leaders also call for a general election without calling for a general strike to bring the government down. The SP and SWP call for demonstrations and rallies but like Corbyn they all look for a parliamentary solution and they hope the working class will follow. Actually in the SP and SWP statements after Johnson was elected not even the idea of combined strikes was used! The lexicon of all these parties and leaders does not stretch to the words and demand “General Strike”, not even in holiday speeches.
But that remains the only road for workers, to take class action and also help build European movements against the colonising EU over southern and eastern Europe, and Ireland and to break up the EU for a European socialist united states.
- Unite all the strikes against precarious work, pension attacks, job losses and wage cuts increases!
- Build mass civil disobedience – support the actions over the climate crisis!
- Don’t wait for a general election to bring this government down!
- For a general strike to bring this government down!
