Capitalists, Tremble! More Nonsense From the “Workers’ Press”
The Socialist Labour League, in a May-Day Manifesto, has issued an “urgent call to action” to “all Socialists and class-conscious workers”. They must set up “Councils of Action”, they say, and these Councils of Action “will unite all political tendencies of the working class”, Labour Party, Communist Party, Socialist Labour League, International Socialists, and International Marxist Group to “fight against the Tory Government”.
The funny thing is that on the same page of Workers’ Press (April 30th) we are told that the Communist Party “is incapable of waging an independent fight against the Government”, which is the result of its “reformist peaceful road to Socialism which was drafted by Stalin”. And the S.L.L. “wages a relentless campaign against Stalinism”, although they “will fight to defend the USSR, China and Eastern Europe against imperialist aggressors.”
Seeing that “Comrade” Brezhnev went to Washington last week to conclude an Imperialist agreement, it looks as if the S.L.L. will be out of business on that one.
As for the trade union leaders, they are “a bureaucracy which essentially represent the opportunist degeneration of the workers’ movement”, but they “could not function without the connivance of the Communist Party”.
The S.L.L. “knows that the present leaders of the Labour movement have no intention of implementing Socialist policies”. What the S.L.L. and Workers’ Press call “Socialist policies” will be listed later. For the moment let it be said that they are anything (and almost everything) but Socialism.
Anyway, this motley crew of “bureaucrats” (L.P.), “class collaborationists” (C.P.), “middle class centrists of I.S. and I.M.G.” — Workers’ Press, April 23rd — with the unemployed (who can’t strike anyhow) and tenants, have to “organize a General Strike”, to “force the Government to resign” (Workers’ Press, April 29th). When they have done this, a “Labour Government must be elected . . . pledged by the mass action of the working class to implement Socialist policies”.
Why a Government has to be elected, when a mass movement of Action has already forced one to resign, is not explained. In any case, the programme (for the newly elected Labour Government) is to “force the Labour leaders to carry out Socialist policies”. Now comes the moment of truth: the S.L.L. knows that the Labour leaders will not do this. So: “if the working class is strong enough to force the Tories out, it is strong enough to deal with the traitors in its own midst”.
Poor old Socialist Labour League Trotskyists, this is not even as “r-revolutionary” as the good old 1920 C.P. which at least didn’t monkey about with election nonsense but would replace the Government with Soviets. (What has become of the Soviets?) Anyway, after the treacherous Labour leaders have jibbed at “Socialist policies”, more mass action by the workers will “deal with the traitors” until Gerry Healy is Prime Minister. This is a bit like the French Revolution, which relentlessly destroyed one faction after the other until Napoleon seized power. But they started from the Left, whereas the S.L.L. starts from the Right.
So it looks as if we are in for quite-a bit of “mass action”, and the S.L.L. wants £100,000 to build a r-r-r-revolutionary party to do it. It is not quite explicitly stated what the hundred thousand quid is for. If all those workers in the Labour Party, C.P., S.L.L.. I.M.G., I.S., tenants, Uncle Tom Cobley and all were really intent on a political general strike, presumably they could do it without £100,000. Even the 1926 lot didn’t wait to collect £100,000 first!
But the cream of the joke is the “Socialist policies” which the “mass-actioned” Labour Government is “to be forced to implement” against its will. Capitalists, tremble! Bankers, beware! Let the bosses face this lot:
First, repeal the Industrial Relations Act.
Second, “The Right to Work”. (Oh, Christ!)
Third, “The Right to Strike”.
Fourth, “The Right to Defend Rights”.
Fifth: “The Right to a higher standard of living” (Nationalization).
Sixth, “The Right to Health Benefit”.
Seventh, “The Right to Decent Housing”.
(Workers’ Press, April 29th)
They’d have a job to get Enoch Powell to disagree with those. And for these we are to urgently “unite for mass action” like “occupying the factories”. And where is Socialism? Nowhere.
The Socialist Party of Great Britain has always held a very clear and straightforward idea about political and industrial action. Political action is that which concerns the whole working class, industrial action that of industries or trades. There is no way of getting control of the political machine of Government except by voting. Even if a government resigns as a result of a strike, it is still not known how many want something else, and what they positively want.
Incidentally, nothing could be more absurd than the S.L.L. claims that the capitalists want to “smash the unions”. This is the last thing the capitalists want. They love the trade unions, because they can’t do without them. It is true that Karl Marx urged the trade unions to inscribe on their trade-union banners “Abolition of the Wages System”, which is political; but obviously, having in mind the creation of a revolutionary political party to do it. “Abolition of the Wages System” is political; increases in wages are industrial, and leave capitalism intact.
Political strikes are fatuous nonsense which will only lead the workers into futile disaster. Trade unions resist the encroachments of capital. A political party, pledged to every one of its understanding members, is necessary for Socialism. Neither is it true that because Socialists deplore the stupid folly of marching and rioting for the “Right to Work”, that the work of the S.P.G.B. is dull or tedious. There is no greater task than to dispel Ignorance “which never helped anybody”.
HORATIO