From workerspower.com
Workers Power welcomes the new political platform called the Trade Unionist and Socialists Coalition (TUSC), launched by a coalition of the Socialist Party (SP) and two union general secretaries: Bob Crow of the RMT transport union and Brian Caton of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), in personal capacity.
Its composition is broadly similar to the alliance which stood as No2EU at the European Elections in June, although this time the Communist Party of Britain, which publishes the Morning Star, and the RMT national executive, have not backed the campaign.
Its policies are an improvement on previous electoral initiatives of recent years. TUSC is opposed to the war on Iraq, privatisation of public services and “is united on the need for mass resistance to the ruling class offensive, and for an alternative programme of left-wing policies to help inspire and direct such resistance.”
The statement also states a commitment to “bringing into democratic public ownership the major companies and banks that dominate the economy, so that production and services can be planned to meet the needs of all and to protect the environment”.
Workers Power calls on all trade unionists, workers, socialist and anti-racist campaigners to vote for the coalition where it is standing.
To take the initiative forward the organising group should open it up and invite anticapitalist and socialist organisations to stand on this common ticket. Jeremy Drinkall, a member of Workers Power and candidate for the Vauxhall constituency in south London (see below), has already written to the organisers proposing he stands under the TUSC banner and we are looking forward to their quick response.
Critical assessment
Given the widespread disillusionment with the Labour Party, as well as the growing numbers of workers struggles and the historic capitalist crisis, clearly an enormous potential has existed over the past year to mount a challenge to Labour.
In this context it is really quite striking how little fanfare there has been around the launch of TUSC and, indeed, how late it has been left. An RMT-backed conference on working class political representation mooted the idea that this alliance would contest the general election last November.
Despite the lack of wider support, a closed meeting of the SP with Crow and Caton launched the initiative. This certainly was not the ‘open and democratic conference’ to discuss launching an alternative to Labour that many on the left had pushed and hoped for. Such a conference convened last September, for example, could have rallied hundreds of militants from the strikes behind the campaign and stood scores of candidates.
But instead it looks as though the TUSC will only stand a handful of candidates. This inability to engage with and incorporate a broader layer of workers in struggle is clearly disappointing.
Unfortunately it is another example of an initiative taken behind closed doors, where the political programme is then presented in a take-it-or-leave-it fashion.
Anticapitalism tops the agenda
Workers Power has energetically campaigned for a new anticapitalist party over the past period. We have collected over 400 signatures of supporters and have raised the call on demonstrations and in the unions. We believe a new workers’ party is essential for the political development of the working class in Britain and want to see the party formed on clear, class struggle anticapitalist policies to fight the crisis.
In this respect, we would have liked TUSC to say outright that the capitalist system is to blame for the offensive on our jobs and services and that society needs to dump the profit logic and challenge capitalist property if the working class is to win out.
Nonetheless, TUSC does potentially present an opportunity for a united challenge to Labour at the forthcoming election. A strong vote for TUSC will underline the need for a new anticapitalist party and we urge the broader left and workers to back it at the coming election.
