CP BRiTAiN
CP BRiTAiN
communist-party.org.uk
June 2018
Only a left-wing Labour government can solve Britain’s social crisis BRITAIN
T
he GReNfeLL scandal is the most dramatic illustration of Britain's housing crisis and grotesque levels of social inequality and injustice Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths told the party's May executive Committee meeting. he slammed both Dame Judith hackitt's review of building regulations in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and the Tory response. She had stopped short of calling for a ban on combustible cladding, while housing and Communities secretary James Brokenshire offered ‘consultation’ on the hackitt report followed by unspecified legislation. This then is the ‘British way’ to limit the reckless, anti-social, profiteering
Mike Quille NiTY! ReADeRS know all about economic struggle. it’s a constant struggle for many people nowadays to make ends meet on low incomes and inadequate benefits, because these have been deliberately frozen and even cut by governments of the rich and powerful. it’s hard work just to keep your job these days – let alone get more pay, win better terms and conditions, and get some satisfaction out of work. That’s why the trade union movement is vital to protecting workers’ economic interests, and why it has been attacked and obstructed by recent governments, which by and large act in the interests of owners, not workers.
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activities of big business. Guidance notes, voluntary codes of practice, toothless ombudspersons, light-touch regulation and – when things go horrendously wrong – committees of inquiry, judicial reviews, empty declarations and occasionally a royal commission he said. ‘In fact,’ said Griffiths, anything except legislative bans and powerful action to enforce them’. Grenfell shows that Britain's social crisis is deepening and it confirms the urgent need to replace Theresa May's minority regime with a left-led Labour government, said the Communist Party. The party condemned the sell-off of social housing to private developers, property speculators and ‘giant US multinational corporations such as Blackstone’ and attacked so-called 'socially affordable' housing clauses in
private sector housebuilding contracts as a ‘cruel hoax’. Only a massive programme to build more public sector houses and apartments rather than the large-scale revival of the private rental sector will ensure decent, affordable and secure homes for all. Robert Griffiths highlighted Britain's ‘institutionally racist’ immigration system and severe funding and staff shortages in the NhS as two other significant aspects of a wider and deeper social crisis. The Communist Party executive reaffirmed its support for the election of a left-led Labour government and warned that only an upsurge in mass, extra-parliamentary campaigns will create the most favourable conditions for victory. H
And that’s why political struggle is so important for us in the labour movement. it’s why we need to campaign politically as well as economically, supporting and joining political parties which will genuinely try and change a system which is so obviously rigged against us. There is another struggle, though – the cultural struggle. And culture is not just the arts, it is all the things we do to entertain, educate and enlighten ourselves, usually with others. it includes sport, television, eating and drinking, the internet, religious and spiritual activity – all those things which bring meaning, purpose, enjoyment and happiness into our lives. in each and every one of those activities, working people face a struggle. in the arts, it’s getting harder to become a musician or actor or writer without rich relatives to support you. in sport, the ticket prices for football matches, for example, exclude families on tight budgets from attending together. in the media, most of the press and broadcasters are blatantly biased against progressive politicians and labour leaders.
Culture Matters Co-Operative ltd has been set up to help the labour movement develop the cultural struggle, so that working people can join in and enjoy all cultural activities. We promote a democratic and socialist approach to art, culture and politics, which aims to assert our common humanity against divisions of class, gender, race and the other social divisions engendered by capitalism. We run a website which publishes creative and critical material on politics and culture; we manage Bread and Roses arts awards; deliver cultural education workshops to trade unionists; publish books; and contribute to the development of culture policy in the labour movement. Join us in the fight for a better world! H if you would like to help or contribute material to CultureMatters contact us at: info@culturematters.org.uk. Culture Matters Co-Operative ltd culturematters.org.uk twitter.com/Culturesmatterfacebook.com/cult uremattersuk
Workers of all lands, unite!
TRADe UNION ORGANISeRS AND yOUNG wORkeRS in the zero hour contract, agency and casualised work sector packed the Marx library for the Communist Party/Young Communist league day school in May. John Hendy QC led on a Manifesto for Labour Law, which calls for a Ministry for labour and a new set of rights for workers especially aimed at pinning down gangmasters and ending bogus self employment. RMT train driver Alex Gordon, opened on alternative ways of structuring employment and a political and economic programme to put the interests of workers first. Public service union officer Tony Conway (who convenes the party’s anti racist and anti fascist commission) launched a new pamphlet Workers of All Lands - a labour movement policy on migration, labour and refugees. in the afternoon it started to get tough! with a mix of training and policy sessions led by union organisers active in the sector. elly Baker led on recruiting and organising, Rhys McCarthy on organising and winning recognition and rights at work, Pierre Marshall led a youthful and combative session on using social media to organise unions and Ann Field on running effective meetings and union organisation. Daragh O’Neill for the YCl, winner of a TuC award for organising, reported on the Sheffield needs a pay rise campaign. A lively final session decided to establish an online network to support those attending the school when organising and produce a pamphlet on the theme of the day for distribution to delegates at the 150th anniversary TuC in Manchester in September. A series of video shorts are also being prepared to launch at the same time, covering organising, workers rights and an economic programme for the people. H INSeCURe wORk The Communist Party has backed the four-point plan proposed by Communication Workers’ leader Dave Ward which was outlined in the Morning Star on 12 May. The plan calls for a common bargaining agenda for unions to tackle insecure work. This will be backed up with a labour movement summit to agree a charter of cooperation for organising non-union workers and a manifesto of policies that would provide a ‘new deal’ for workers. Dave Ward called for this year’s TuC conference to agree a day of action and other initatives in 2019. H The COMMUNIST PARTy is mobilising for the 30 June NHS demonstration and in opposition at Tory Party conference in Birmingham on 30 September –3 October. H The party will support protests against Trump’s visit while emphasising the class character uS administration and uS imperialism. H The party’s Housing Commission – made up of tenant’s activists, construction workers and housing professionalsis – is to draw up a radical policy for the labour movement. H The Communist Party has reiterated its opposition to second eu referendum before implementation of 2016 result. H The MASSACRe IN GAzA and the callous killings elsewhere urgently remind us of our duty to secure justice for the Palestinian people. The actions of the governments of israel and of the united States now directly threaten world peace. Yet the British government continues to allow the sale of arms to the israeli army and British banks to supply credit. Our country, allied through NATO with the uS, is directly complicit in these crimes. The labour movement in Britain needs to act to: H Strengthen measures for boycott, disinvestment and sanctions H Demand the imposition of sanctions by the British government H Support the call for medical aid to hospitals in Palestine H Call for the release of Marwan Barghouti and other political prisoners H Call for an immediate resumption of peace negotiations on the basis of uN resolutions and the creation of a Palestinian state within its pre-1967 borders with its capital in east Jerusalem. H The party’s International Bulletin on Palestine can be read at https://issuu.com/communist_party docs/cpb_international_2018_no_2