Take the fight to the Tories - For Socialist Solutions - Inside: Jeremy Corbyn MP Richard Burgon MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP Holly Turner Rachel Garnham
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Summer
Update
2021
t to th e T orie s -
Take the figh
t So lu tio n s
For Socialis
Alisdare Hickson CC BY NC Steve Eason CC BY NC SA Alisdare Hickson CC BY SA
Inside:
P
Jeremy Corbyn M
MP
Richard Burgon
y MP
Bell Ribeiro-Add
Holly Turner
Rachel Garnham
Read Labour Outlook at www.labouroutlook.org and @LabourOutlook
Steve Eason CC BY NC SA
Socialist solutions to the crisis Richard Burgon
MP
This crisis has not only shone a I am optimistic we can win the and taxes on the super-rich, then that’s
spotlight on the huge inequalities in progressive change needed because the very least Labour should be arguing
our society – it has deepened them. the public agree with us. Polls show for.
people want a more inclusive and
It’s been a good crisis for some. British Even the Tories have had to adopt the
equal society out of this crisis.
billionaires increased their wealth by language of ‘levelling up’ and ‘building
£106bn during the pandemic. But it’s And I am optimistic because the back better’. Of course that’s empty
been a disaster for the majority. Thatcherite ideas rammed down rhetoric.
people’s throats for decades are on the
Tens of thousands of people needlessly But the left can use that space to fight
ropes. It wasn’t long ago that we were
lost their lives. We’ve seen a growing for a better society - from a wealth
told the state should play no role in the
corporate takeover of government and tax on the super-rich, to a Green New
economy. After the banking crisis and
the stench of corruption as billions in Deal that means we don’t deal with
now this crisis, nobody can seriously
Covid contracts are handed to those the climate crisis as badly as the Covid
argue that.
with friends in high places. crises. For a National Care Service that
So change is in the air. But if left to its treats older people with dignity and
We’ve seen the crisis used as cover for
own devices that change will mean a for a 15% pay raise for NHS staff. For
further outsourcing – with Serco and
Tory Party using the state to bail out a minimum wage of £10 per hour, for
others put in charge of Test and Trace.
the billionaires while leaving the rest of millions of new council homes and for
We’ve seen an education recovery fund society to sink. so much more, this is the moment for
that gives working class kids just £1 progressives to seize the agenda and
So we on the left need to be winning
per day. And we’ve seen the crisis used fight for a society that serves the many,
the argument – in our party, in our
to drive down wages and conditions not the few.
unions, in our communities for a
through “fire and rehire”.
progressive way out of this crisis. • Richard Burgon is MP for Leeds
This crisis must be the moment when East and Secretary of the Socialist
The wind is in our sails. When even a
we ditch the free-market model that Campaign Group of MPs
centrist US President is announcing
has failed people and planet and
the end of trickle down economics, a
replace it with a better society.
massive public investment programme
We need system change,
not climate change!
In November, Britain will host COP 26, an annual summit of all the countries which
are part of the UN’s climate change treaty.
This will be a vital moment to strengthen the climate justice movement and
demand real action from the UK, US and international community to tackle climate
catastrophe, with a global climate strike day on November 5 and mobilisations
around the country on November 6.
• Find out more from the Campaign Against Climate Change:
www.campaigncc.org
FOE Scotland CC BY
Labour Outlook
No to Tory class
warfare - for
an economy
Siân Errington,
that delivers Labour Assembl
y
y
Against Austerit
for people and
planet as ‘fire and rehire’ rip), escalating poverty
and deepening wealth inequalities that
public transport, universal, world class
public services and homes for all - and
could be ended. for substantial increases in public sector
Despite the Tory spin, faithfully echoed pay and the minimum wage as part of
by much of the media, Boris Johnson’s It is women, Black and Asian and
raising incomes for everyone.
Government is carrying forward their disabled people that have been the
decade of economic class warfare – as hardest hit by both Tory austerity Instead of the meek opposition being
exemplified by year upon year of vicious and their disastrous handling of the provided by Keir Starmer, now is the time
austerity and cuts - by using the crisis pandemic. for Labour to put forward a radical vision
to continue their restructure of our of the future, putting people’s jobs and
And we know the Tories do not have the
economy to further benefit the very livelihoods ahead of the needs of the
ambitious policies needed to address the
wealthiest. mega-rich. To win again, Labour must
climate emergency – any action they do
stand for an ambitious, bold economic
Millions of people every day experience take is insufficient and designed to look
alternative on the scale needed to match
the destruction and privatisation of our after the wealthiest first.
the challenges we face and that can
public services, the real-terms pay cuts But there is an alternative – polling shows deliver a truly green, equal and socially
for public service workers and beyond, the popularity of socialist policies. This just economy.
the drastic increase in job losses (with includes policies such as expanding
many more to come unless further action • Join over 20,000 in signing the
public ownership and a massive
is taken) the rise and rise of insecure People’s Plan for jobs and livelihoods
programme of public investment to –
work (ensured by letting practices such at bit.ly/planforthepeople
amongst other things – rebuild decent
NHS staff fight It’s no surprise that we have 100,000
vacancies across the NHS (predicted to
rate which will have consequences for us
all.
rise to 250,000 by 2030), when we have
for pay justice seen our pay cut by up to a fifth. We
know from polling that 1 in 3 Nurses
After a decade of cuts to our wages, the
government’s recent offer of a 1 percent
pay rise increase – a further real terms
want to quit so we are hurtling into an
pay cut - is a kick in the teeth and adds
Holly Turner,
increasingly alarming situation. How
insult to severe injury. We have publicly
y No on earth can we be expected to retain
NHS Workers Sa our highly skilled and experienced staff
urged the Labour Party Leadership to
take more action and support us in
when they are repeatedly beaten down
our fight for pay justice. Keir Starmer
and degraded by this Government? As
has failed to make clear what he thinks
workers we have been left trying to plug
acceptable pay rise should be, other than
the recruitment crisis, whilst not being
it should be “at least 2.1%” and “fair”.
paid properly and even as we continue
This is not good enough, as leader of the
to give our all, we are repeatedly
opposition and representing a party with
ignored regarding our pay and now
a proud history of championing public
this Government has delayed our pay
services and fair treatment of workers,
anniversary which should have been in
we should be able to count on his
April - why?
support. We expect to see the party that
We all need to be taking this situation formed the NHS, get behind the workers
very seriously, because if we don’t force in their fight to save it.
change the NHS will become increasingly
What we are seeing now is workers
Last summer a group of Nurses created dangerous. This is about safety and
becoming organised, building power
NHS Workers Say No, a campaign standards is why we are fighting for pay
within their unions and increasing the
group fighting for pay justice for all justice as safety is intrinsically linked to
pressure in fighting for we are owed, and
NHS workers after a decade of real that. Without a restorative pay increase
we are united in doing that. So if you are
terms cuts to our wages. We kicked off an already chronically understaffed
a nurse or healthcare worker, or an ally
the #NHSPay15 movement to increase workforce will be destroyed, and would
of our profession, then please support us
pressure on the Government to pay us be a move which would speed up
in our fight.
what we are owed. Major Health Trade privatisation in the NHS. We will see
Unions such as GMB and UNITE also more NHS staff leaving or potentially • Follow the campaign at twitter.com/
support our demands and are actively working for outsourced companies and NurseSayNO
campaigning with us. privatisation will speed up at an alarming
www.labouroutlook.org @LabourOutlook
Stand up to the Hence, they’ve fallen back on their
favourite tried and tested tactic: divide
Say no
and rule. Faced with a resurgent
racist Tories’ Tory Party that openly boasts about
prosecuting a ‘war on woke’, Labour can’t to Tory
divide and rule sit on the fence or, worse still, elect to
take part in it. Some Labour grandees
denial of
seem to have missed a fundamental
y MP
institutional
point: the more ground we cede to the
Bell Ribeiro-Add Tories, the more they win.
racism
The very framing of culture war carries
The latest the implication that the issues discussed
Queen’s under its aegis somehow float free from
Speech was material reality, as if trans people aren’t
a reminder MPs Bell Ribeiro Addy MP, Diane
subject to disproportionate levels of
that the Abbott, Apsana Begum and
poverty, violence and homelessness, or
Government Zarah Sultana, leading trade
as if the Black Lives Matter movement
is more unionists, black community
wasn’t a response to the actual racism
interested organisations and others
experienced by Black people in Britain.
in cracking are amongst signatories to a
down than Our 2017 General Election campaign was Stand Up To Racism campaign
levelling up. The 31 bills announced this by far the best answer we’ve had to a statement demanding that the
year laid out a clear anti-democratic collapsing vote share and the undiluted Government recognise that
agenda, building on some of the similarly social conservatism the Tories have “Institutional racism is neither a
authoritarian legislation brought adopted in the wake of Brexit. By talking perception nor a narrative, nor
forwards in the last Parliament: voter about the material issues facing people in an anachronism. It is a reality
suppression, strongarming student our country, we were able to short-circuit embedded in the police, criminal
societies, cracking down on protest and the Brexit debate and get a fresh hearing. justice system, health, education
looking to shore up their grip on power. Ultimately, the culture war is just one and employment.”
They sent a clear message that Boris front of the wider Tory war on working • Add your name at
Johnson’s Government is more interested class people and the few against the http://bit.ly/SUTRstatement
in centralising wealth and power whilst many. Rather than pandering to the
stoking the divisions they exploited to imagined prejudices of Red Wall voters
gain power in the first place. and taking the culture war on its own
terms, Labour needs to find a new
STAND UP
We need to understand that the erosions
of civil liberties come from a place of
way of talking about these issues that
centres the idea of social solidarity and
TO RACISM
BLACK
anxiety as well as strength. The Tories are strengthens the bonds between class and
terrified firstly by the immediate threat race.
of a growing groups of social discontents
after a decade of vicious austerity, • Bell Ribeiro-Addy is MP fo Streatham
secondly by the long-term demographic and co-chair of the Socialist Campaign
LIVES
challenge they face as a party deserted Group of MPs
by young people and thirdly by the
evident lack of a plan for dealing with
these things.
MATTER
No justice
No peace
Not to be flyposted
D @AntiRacismDay K standuptoracism.org.uk
Alisdare Hickson CC BY NC
Labour Outlook
The battle for Labour Party democracy
governing on a programme of people through imposition of candidates, abuse
,
Rachel Garnham first, investment not cuts, and supporting of disciplinary processes, and Starmer’s
paign for
Vice Chair, Cam public services, has been able to regain disregard of the pledges on which he was
ocracy
Labour Party Dem
majorities in seats lost in 2019 and win a elected. We as grassroots members need
significant victory in the Senedd elec- to continue to defend and make the most
tions. This is a direct outcome of Party of available processes – for example, we
Recent elections and polling demonstrate democracy – a huge benefit to people in must win policies and places on the new
that only through building a coalition Wales, and to all of us in demonstrating National Women’s Committee at Labour
of those who want to see a challenge to a centre-left Labour government is not Party women’s conference, we have
this profit-before-people, incompetent only possible but successful. important elections to the Conference
and corrupt Tory government and who Arrangements Committee and Nation-
Labour was created to represent working
support a society for many not the few, al Constitutional Committee over the
people in parliament. To successfully
particularly engaging young voters, can summer and we have annual conference
do this we need to grow and inspire
we win progressive administrations who coming up, where we can promote mo-
our membership, empowering those
will challenge the status quo. To do that tions to maintain a left, popular platform
members, representing ordinary people
we must defend our democratic pro- and, according to media reports, win a
across the full diversity of the popu-
cesses within the Labour Party, trying to rule change to restore the whip to Jeremy
lation, to have a genuine influence on
ensure our leaderships at every level are Corbyn. There are many hurdles, but
candidates and to develop the policies
in touch with grassroots members and in 2017 we showed against all the odds
we need to achieve a transformational
trade unionists and thereby in touch with that a left Labour government could be
Labour government.
the communities in which they need to possible. Only through defending, and
win support to win elections. Our current democratic structures making the most of, Party democracy can
include members’ rights to select can- we hope to win in the future.
This is demonstrated most clearly in
didates, agree policies, and organise at
Wales, where Mark Drakeford as Leader, • To get involved, visit the Campaign
a local level to promote Labour values.
elected on a left platform by grassroots for Labour Party Democracy at
But Party democracy is under attack,
members and trade unionists and now www.clpd.org.uk
Women Will Not Be Silenced
Labour Outlook was proud to support is a pressing need for us to reconnect Twitter: twitter.com/NoSilence101
the recent launch of Women Will with one another and rebuild our
Facebook: fb.com/
Not Be Silenced. We publish below a solidarity to enable us to continue our
WomenWillNotBeSilenced
statement from their launch and ways struggle for women’s most basic and
you can get in touch: fundamental human rights. Web: womenwillnotbesilenced.
co.uk
“Sisters, we have observed that society We believe that women have a basic
is becoming a difficult and more right to be safe, to speak up and to be You can read the full version of this
hostile place for women and the gains heard. We also have a right to have statement at www.labouroutlook.
great women leaders have fought for control over our own bodies, but org
over many decades are being rolled these rights are under assault. Women
back. must have a right to resources and
to fair and equitable access to every
We believe that women have not
institution within society.”
achieved equality on any level. There
www.labouroutlook.org @LabourOutlook
We need a push for peace, not nukes and NATO
from abroad. That project lives on today its repeated violation of the human rights
bour
Sam Browse, La – wars on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, of Palestinians and their right to self-
utor
Outlook contrib
despite the lofty promises of so-called determination.
“muscular liberals”, have left millions
And we should fight against attempts to
dead and lives devastated, while private
The Tory Government’s disastrous move Labour’s foreign policy to the right
corporations profit from access to oil
response to the ongoing Coronavirus and ditch the anti-war internationalism of
and contracts won by miraculously new
crisis has enriched big business while the Jeremy Corbyn years, as represented
found political influence.
3 million go without support and many by recent attempts to push the party
struggle on pitiful levels of Statutory And now, as the new multipolar global into backing more nuclear weapons and
Sick Pay; reduced some incomes to less economy erodes the dominance of a US- NATO expansion.
than minimum wage; and created an based ruling class, America and its allies
Our fight, today, is global. It demands an
unemployment crisis predicted to reach resuscitate the logic of mid-20th century
internationalist and an anti-imperialist
a horrifying 2.2 million out of work. international relations to prosecute a
response – one that opposes the
Cold War against China.
For the Left, it’s important to also rush to war and the threat of nuclear
understand that this Tory approach of Rather than defend empire in decline annihilation, while it supports those
protecting profits, not people, extends and the profits of British and American struggling everywhere for a world that
beyond Britain’s borders. big business, we should embrace the new puts people before profit.
multipolarity and commit to addressing
That’s what motivates the recently
the real cross-border challenges faced by
announced £16.5bn increase in military
the global “many”: tackling the climate
spending, it’s what drives Boris Johnsons’
emergency, vaccinating the globe against
announcement that Britain – despite
this pandemic and those of the future,
its legal obligations under the nuclear
and extending support to the millions of
non-proliferation treaty – will expand
refugees, fleeing from war, persecution,
its nuclear arsenal, and it’s what has
and the damage caused to their homes
instigated the order to send an aircraft
and livelihoods by catastrophic global
carrier to the South Pacific.
heating.
All these actions entail a view of Britain
We should also express our solidarity
which derogates to it a right to intervene,
with those fighting back against the rule
with impunity, in the affairs of other
of profit over people – most recently
countries – a view which, as the Black
in Peru and Bolivia, where the left
Lives Matter protestors remind us, has
have formed governments, but also in
historically justified an imperialism
Palestine, where the US relies on an ally
dedicated to extracting profits, by force,
for regional influence – Israel – despite
Keep speaking up for Palestine Matt Willgress,
Arise
Millions of people around the world, The fundamental injustices remain. Group of Labour MPs said, “A long-
including here in Britain, protested For 54 years Gaza and the West Bank, lasting peace for both Palestinians and
against the Israeli Government’s recent including East Jerusalem, have been Israelis can only be secured through a
attacks on the Palestinian people. illegally occupied by Israel. Gaza just solution that tackles the underlying
has been under siege for 14 years. injustices: Israel’s illegal occupation, its
Those who stand in solidarity with
Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are colonial settlements, its denial of the
Palestine will welcome the ceasefire but
denied equal rights and millions more right of Palestinian refugees to return,
will not stop speaking up against the
are scattered across the region and wider its violations of human rights and
illegal occupation of Palestine and for the
world as refugees. international law and its siege of Gaza.”
Palestinian peoples’ rights.
The overwhelming might and firepower Keep speaking up, keep protesting and
of Israel - its military, police and armed build solidarity in the labour movement
citizens - means that this is not a conflict, and beyond for justice for Palestine!
it is the systematic oppression of the
• Join the Palestine Solidarity
Palestinians. We
Campaign at www.
must stand with
palestinecampaign.org/
the oppressed
join
against the
oppressor. • Follow Labour &
Palestine at twitter.
As the recent
com/LabourPalestine
statement from
and fb.com/
the Socialist
LabourandPalestine
Campaign
Alisdare Hickson CC BY NC
Labour Outlook
Solidarity to reverse some of the 240 anti-Cuba
No return to
measures imposed under Trump. Unfor-
tunately, there is little evidence of this
with Cuba being a priority and there is a powerful
right-wing Cuban American lobby in the
Blair Wars
against the US US working very hard to stop it.
The blockade continues to be the main
Within Labour in recent months,
blockade
we have seen numerous voices –
obstacle to Cuba’s economic devel-
including Shadow Defence Minister
opment, and during the height of the
John Healey MP and the ‘Open
pandemic, the US blocked a shipment of
Labour’ group – try to argue for a
Ryan Smith, Cuba
vital medical supplies from China from
turn away from the foreign policies
ign entering Cuba. The shipment included
Solidarity Campa more than two million masks, 400,000
of the Jeremy Corbyn years and
towards backing NATO, nuclear
rapid diagnostic kits and 104 ventilators.
weapons and a general return
In June, the world voted on the illegal US The Cuban Government labelled the
to the failed politics of ‘liberal
blockade of Cuba at the United Nations move as “another twist of this genocidal,
interventionism’ which led to the
General Assembly for the twenty-ninth inhumane policy.”
disastrous wars in Iraq, Libya and
time. When the last vote took place in It is because of this that solidarity with elsewhere.
2019, 187 countries voted in favour of Cuba is as vital as ever.
Cuba’s resolution calling for an ‘end to Andrew Murray and Lindsey German
the economic, commercial and financial • TAKE ACTION: Ask your MP to of the Stop the War Coalition have
embargo’ imposed by the United States. oppose the US blockade at www. produced a must-read response to
cuba-solidarity.org.uk/edm a publication from ‘Open Labour’,
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign had setting out clearly the case for anti-
hoped that Biden administration take a A longer version of this article can be
war internationalism and opposing a
constructive approach by acting swiftly found at www.labouroutlook.org
new Cold War, with a foreword from
Jeremy Corbyn MP.
As the introduction to the pamphlet
Bolivia shows a (MAS) led by Luis Arce securing victory by
a massive 27% margin in the Presidential
says “not only are the main lines
of Stop the War’s policies popular
election in October 2020, after massive
better world is
in the country, but they are also
street protests rocked the coup regime. overwhelmingly popular among the
Labour Party membership. And the
possible
The new government has faced an enor-
mous task after Añez’s coup regime was contemporary international situation
characterised by widespread repression, makes them as relevant as ever.”
corruption and incompetence, but in a • Read it at http://bit.ly/blair-wars
Tim Young range of areas – from ending austerity,
Friends of Bolivia to kick-starting the economy by increas-
ing people’s spending power and public
investment, to increasing expenditure on Upcoming event
When a US-backed military coup in health to 10% for the first time, to oppos-
Why socialists
November 2019 denied Evo Morales ing privatisation of natural resources and
another term as Bolivia’s elected introducing a new wealth tax – Bolivia’s
President, he identified corporate left is again showing us that there is an
capitalism’s desire for the country’s vast
lithium resources as the driving factor –
alternative.
support
Internationalists must give our support
a united
to the usual chorus of denials.
to the people of Bolivia against any
But then followed the giveaway remark attempts by reactionary forces, inside
of Elon Musk, boss of the electric car firm
Tesla whose products depend on lithium:
and outside the country, to turn the clock
back against the advances in democracy, Ireland
“We will coup whoever we want. Deal equality and social progress. Saturday July 3 at 2pm
with it.”
• Friends of Bolivia on Twitter: twitter. Register at https://bit.ly/
But the coup regime under ‘interim presi- com/BoliviaFriends unitedirelandlabouroutlookforum
dent’ Jeanine Añez lasted less than a year,
with the Movement Towards Socialism Facebook: fb.com/BoliviaFriends With special guest Francie Molloy MP
(Sinn Fein) Chair Rachel Garnham
(former Labour NEC member) plus
more participants to be announced.
With plenty of time for questions
& discussion. This is the fourth in a
series of “Why Socialists...” forums
hosted by Labour Outlook.
Hosted by Labour Outlook. Kindly
streamed by Arise.
www.labouroutlook.org @LabourOutlook
Vaccine Justice: No-one is safe
until everyone is safe
P
Jeremy Corbyn M
While many people in the UK have Not only are richer countries hoarding
now had both vaccines, many poorer vaccines; they are preventing poorer
countries will have to wait years to countries from producing their own. The
protect their people. Some rich countries United States now supports a waiver –
have acquired enough doses to vaccinate albeit limited – of intellectual property
their entire populations nearly three law to allow all countries to produce
times over, while experts suggest that vaccines. But the UK, the EU, and other
nine out of ten people in poor countries major powers continue to block it.
will not receive a vaccine this year.
Our movement must put pressure on
The longer this situation continues, the them to change course, and to challenge
more the likelihood increases of more the rigged trade system as a whole that
vaccine-resistant variants emerging and routinely prevents vital products like
dragging the entire world frighteningly medicines getting to those who need • Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice
backwards. them. This pandemic has compounded Project is running a Pandemic
already existing crises of inequality. If Solidarity campaign.
This is to say nothing of the economic
we are to learn its lessons, we must You can find out more and sign up
impact; Oxfam calculates that the virus’
campaign for a society that works for the here: www.thecorbynproject.com/
economic impact may push half a billion
many, not the few. projects
people into poverty.
Build the resistance to the Tories – support the
People’s Assembly Against Austerity
The People’s Assembly Against Austerity unites those opposing the Tories’ reactionary agenda and has local groups all over the
country. Labour Outlook urges all readers to get involved.
Twitter: twitter.com/pplsassembly
Facebook: fb.com/ThePeoplesAssembly
Website: thepeoplesassembly.org.uk
Labour
If you are in the Labour Party, be sure to Assembly
Against
connect with the Labour Assembly Against
Austerity too at:
Twitter: twitter.com/LabourAssembly
Facebook: fb.com/labour.assembly.against.austerity
Austerity
Labour Outlook is the place to go for the
best news and views from the Left every
day, brough to you by the Arise – Read Labour Outlook every day at
A Festival of Labour’s Left Ideas team. www.labouroutlook.org
Regular columnists include Socialist
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Burgon, John McDonnell. Apsana Begum,
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We also feature campaigners from
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Up to Racism, the Cuba Solidarity
Campaign and Zero Covid UK, and the
latest updates from all those in the Donate at
frontline against the Tories in workplaces bit.ly/labouroutlookdonate
and on the streets, plus those fighting
Keir Starmer’s attacks on Labour Party
democracy and left policies.
www.labouroutlook.org @LabourOutlook
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