Should the CWU union fund Labour

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=18489" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The attacks that postal workers are facing are being driven through by Royal Mail bosses who know they have the backing of the Labour government.

Despite this the postal workers’ CWU union continues to spend thousands of pounds in affiliation fees and donations to New Labour.

The London division of the CWU announced last month that it intends to ballot its members on whether they wish to continue the union’s support for Labour.

Paul Cox, a senior CWU rep at the Nine Elms mail centre in south London told Socialist Worker that he believes that his members would deliver a resounding no in any such vote.

Paul said, “We may have forced the government to back-off from privatisation but important battles are still ahead of us.

“There is the question of our pensions and there is the future of Royal Mail as a business.

“Lord Mandelson’s attitude so far has been to throw his toys out of the pram.

“He’s saying, ‘If you won’t accept privatisation, I’m not going to accept that the government is responsible for the deficit in the Royal Mail pension scheme.”

Paul said that this approach has angered many of his workmates, including many who have been lifelong Labour supporters.

“If the party doesn’t start re-engaging with its core supporters then it could lose even more heavily than it did in the recent European elections,” he said.

“It could come third behind the Lib Dems.

“Worse still, we could see the continued growth of the British National Party (BNP).

“That’s not because postal workers will be voting for it in large numbers, but because they will no longer be prepared to go out and put their cross against Labour.

“Some people might think that the growth of the BNP is being overstated.

“But ask yourself this, five years ago could you have predicted that it would win two seats in the European parliament?”

© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.

[andy2007]

No they shouldn't!

[BELIAL]

SHOULD WE TALK TO BLACKLEGS, NO WE SHOULDN"T

[DGP1]

Can we dig it? Yes we can

[flaminmoses]

no we shouldnt fund the tories errr i mean new labour

[andy2007]

no we shouldnt fund the tories errr i mean new labour

Is there a difference between them?

[pinstripe]

Is there a difference between them?

Yes, one is a right wing, almost dictatorial party run with the interests of and for the benefit of the rich and big business, the other is the Tories. (Oh, the old ones are the best!)

[andy2007]

Is there a difference between them?

Yes, one is a right wing, almost dictatorial party run with the interests of and for the benefit of the rich and big business, the other is the Tories. (Oh, the old ones are the best!)

LMFAO!

[k979aaa]

Find or set up a true workers party for all unions they NEW LABOUR are nothing without us all But unions can and will have influence for ever if we are not dictated too by the bourgeoisie :cfo & :lfo & :mfo blair brown and the rest!.

[PrestwickPostie]

no f*ck Liebour and all who sail on her .... maybe the CWU should send a lorry full of horse/cow manure and dump it at the headquarters of the Liebour Party with a note "compiliments from the CWU and our membership"

[k979aaa]

no f*ck Liebour and all who sail on her .... maybe the CWU should send a lorry full of horse/cow manure and dump it at the headquarters of the Liebour Party with a note "compiliments from the CWU and our membership"

Beats balloons and sends a message IT STINKS!.

[turkeyboy]

unions should fund the labour party,but not this shower of shite,the sooner they are kicked out of office the better and with any luck we may get our socalist labour party back, to represent the working people of this country

[westlondonpostie]

We should carry on supporting the MP's who have supported us by signing the motion against Part Privatisation, all the rest off the Under cover tories can go f**k themselves, :mfo

[andy2007]

Exactly! Why should we pick a Political Party, and support them as a whole. Surely it's better to support individual MPs, based on merit. Does it really matter which Party they're members of?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

unions should fund the labour party,but not this shower of shite,the sooner they are kicked out of office the better and with any luck we may get our socalist labour party back, to represent the working people of this country

The Labour Party never really was a socialist party. It was a party which contained some socialists, but from its founding it wasn't much further left than the old left-wing of the Liberal Party under Gladstone. It's high point was the 1945 Government which extended the welfare state. Even that Government was the first post-war Government to recognise Franco's Government. It also carried out atrocities against Asian and African people, so it was hardly socialist in practice. I'm not a fan of political parties myself, but if I were, I'd say it's time for the left to put its arguments behind them and start building for the election after next.