Unions and the Labour Party

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://thoughcowardsflinch.com/2010/02/ ... er-labour/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Labour is, or should be, in hock to the unions. This should be extremely evident from the progressive collapse of New Labour’s base of personal donors and loan merchants. Yet the unions themselves look preposterous. In 2004, the Warwick Agreement was negotiated between Labour the the unions, as being key to what the unions wanted from this parliament: the demands themselves are pitiful, and some, as with Royal Mail, were plainly ignored.

Bureaucratic conservatism has been a key arm of the New Labour ‘coalition’. Within those unions, impressive heads of steam have built up specifically centred around moves to disaffiliate from Labour. In at least one union, combative non-Labour activists have been specifically targeted for expulsion. The fragmentation of the Labour-union link is also evidenced by the disaffiliation of the RMT, the FBU and the recent strong call from the CWU.

These moves are class-driven: if the unions and Labour cease to adequately represent the working class, then there will be moves first against union bureaucracies and the Labour Party, then away from unions and/or politics in general or worse, towards fascist politics. This is not going to be corrected merely by skilled political argumentation; it must be corrected by a change in the objective anti-working class processes sustained by Labour in government.

Here too, of course, there is an element of confused consciousness. Once the Tories get into power, unions will simply blame all the world’s ills on them and advocate a vote for the opposition – Labour – a position not open to them when Labour is in government. Yet this dissipation of pressure will serve to cement the union bureaucracy and centrist panderers rather than take the challenge further.

The only ray of hope I can spot is that at an Electoral Reform Society poll of TUC delegates back in late 2006 resulted in a majority supporting John McDonnell over Gordon Brown for leader of the Labour Party. It would be interesting to see how this has developed since then, so we have some idea of the direction political consciousness is going in.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

This is an extraction from a lengthy document that has some interesting topics.

[DaveSemple]

Thank you for your interest in the article. My theme of the broader document, to summarize, is that it makes no sense for socialists to be joining the Labour Party. More broadly, and elsewhere on that site, I and some friends have been arguing for national disaffiliation on the part of the unions from Labour, whilst retaining a political fund that will go towards securing proper representation of union interests in Parliament.

Where that means supporting Labour - such as veteran allies of the CWU, John McDonnell and the other LRC MPs - then great. But the creation of a broader socialist party, like Die Linke in Germany, which is challenging the rightward swing of the older Social Democratic Party (their equivalent of Labour) is necessary to compete in areas that the Left should win, but where New Labour politicians who vote for privatization rule the roost.

I'm not a postman, so I hope no one minds me intervening here; I just noticed some visitors to my Though Cowards Flinch website coming from this direction.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Thank you for your interest in the article. My theme of the broader document, to summarize, is that it makes no sense for socialists to be joining the Labour Party. More broadly, and elsewhere on that site, I and some friends have been arguing for national disaffiliation on the part of the unions from Labour, whilst retaining a political fund that will go towards securing proper representation of union interests in Parliament.

Where that means supporting Labour - such as veteran allies of the CWU, John McDonnell and the other LRC MPs - then great. But the creation of a broader socialist party, like Die Linke in Germany, which is challenging the rightward swing of the older Social Democratic Party (their equivalent of Labour) is necessary to compete in areas that the Left should win, but where New Labour politicians who vote for privatization rule the roost.

I'm not a postman, so I hope no one minds me intervening here; I just noticed some visitors to my Though Cowards Flinch website coming from this direction.

No definietly not - you are more than welcome. Likewise I hope you don't mind us using the extract - hopefully it will generate some discussion on here as well.

[BELIAL]

Well found TBT and welcome DaveSemple. Good thought provoking piece ,nice to have a new and alternative perspective on here. Hopefully you will find lots of threads of interest and I for one would welcome some fresh comments on many. Stuff like is our union truly democratic , why the deafening silence concerning DSA, funding the Labour party etc.

[clashcityrocker]

I'm not a postman.

I don't know that many of us will be for much longer.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

I haven't paid the political levy for years. Hardly anyone in my DO does. Personally, I would start paying it again if could be assured not one penny of mine found its way into Labour Party coffers.

[Danelectro]

Thank you for your interest in the article. My theme of the broader document, to summarize, is that it makes no sense for socialists to be joining the Labour Party. More broadly, and elsewhere on that site, I and some friends have been arguing for national disaffiliation on the part of the unions from Labour, whilst retaining a political fund that will go towards securing proper representation of union interests in Parliament.

Where that means supporting Labour - such as veteran allies of the CWU, John McDonnell and the other LRC MPs - then great. But the creation of a broader socialist party, like Die Linke in Germany, which is challenging the rightward swing of the older Social Democratic Party (their equivalent of Labour) is necessary to compete in areas that the Left should win, but where New Labour politicians who vote for privatization rule the roost.

I'm not a postman, so I hope no one minds me intervening here; I just noticed some visitors to my Though Cowards Flinch website coming from this direction.

Yeah read your article and food for thought.The left is broken up into so many factions in the uk that it makes very little impact.Here in Scotland we had the SSP and after news of the world revelations Tommy Sheridan leaves and starts another socialist party!Its bloody crazy.

Ive been meaning to get a book by an american left wing writer whose name escapes me but he looks like an overweight Leo Sayer!In the book he puts forward the concept of participatory economics and tries to put an umbrella over all the different left wing,anti capitalist and greens party to form a bigger alliance.

[DaveSemple]

Thankfully Tommy Sheridan's Solidarity is coming to an end, from what I gather. The Scottish Socialist Party hasn't been a complete success, it has it's own troubles, but I'm pretty sure it's the only show in town for most socialists.

I'm all for alliances between the smaller parties, if it can be done in such a way that regular activists, who aren't attached to a party, don't feel shut out. Just ask anyone down here about the disaster the Socialist Alliance turned out to be, because the two main groups, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party, basically warred against each other for control. The situation now, where the small Left parties are at least not running against each other in the same constituencies is an improvement on the recent past. But it needs the muscle and deep roots of the unions to actually make anything serious happen.

I don't trust most Green Parties though. You have situations like Ireland where they're just propping up the same people who are cutting jobs and privatising everything that isn't nailed down.

(Just discovered this emoticon: presume it's Adam Crozier - amazing! :cfo )

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Ive been meaning to get a book by an american left wing writer whose name escapes me but he looks like an overweight Leo Sayer!In the book he puts forward the concept of participatory economics and tries to put an umbrella over all the different left wing,anti capitalist and greens party to form a bigger alliance.

Would it be Staughton Lynd by any chance?

[Danelectro]

Thankfully Tommy Sheridan's Solidarity is coming to an end, from what I gather. The Scottish Socialist Party hasn't been a complete success, it has it's own troubles, but I'm pretty sure it's the only show in town for most socialists.

I'm all for alliances between the smaller parties, if it can be done in such a way that regular activists, who aren't attached to a party, don't feel shut out. Just ask anyone down here about the disaster the Socialist Alliance turned out to be, because the two main groups, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party, basically warred against each other for control. The situation now, where the small Left parties are at least not running against each other in the same constituencies is an improvement on the recent past. But it needs the muscle and deep roots of the unions to actually make anything serious happen.

I don't trust most Green Parties though. You have situations like Ireland where they're just propping up the same people who are cutting jobs and privatising everything that isn't nailed down.

(Just discovered this emoticon: presume it's Adam Crozier - amazing! :cfo )

Yes the union movement would be better putting off withdrawing its political levy from the labour party, there are still good people and some well intentioned people left in the labour party but they have very little influence.though some in the CWU would point to the EDM on royal mail backed by labour back benchers as saving us from privatisation,that even in the short term looks unlikely.

The problem for any party backed by the unions would be getting enough votes to gain power in parliament which under the first past the post system makes it nigh impossible in the near future.

[Danelectro]

Would it be Staughton Lynd by any chance?[/quote]

If Staughton Lynd looks like Leo Sayer on a Atkins diet then yes!

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Would it be Staughton Lynd by any chance?

If Staughton Lynd looks like Leo Sayer on a Atkins diet then yes![/quote]

He may well have done as a younger man! The description of the book puts me in mind of 'Wobblies and Zapatistas' by Staughton Lynd and Andrej Grobacic.

[Danelectro]

Would it be Staughton Lynd by any chance?

If Staughton Lynd looks like Leo Sayer on a Atkins diet then yes!

He may well have done as a younger man! The description of the book puts me in mind of 'Wobblies and Zapatistas' by Staughton Lynd and Andrej Grobacic.[/quote]

No its not Staughton Lynd the guys name is Michael Albert.Havnt read his stuff yet so no idea if hes worth listening to.Ive just been looking for new ideas to challenge capitalism because though i have no way of making sense of the global recession without a socialist view point,i feel theres something missing.

[Lemuel]

Hi Dunnzer
Search out znet.org. v good site. Michael Albert closely associated with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al.

We'll keep the red flag flying high!