Richard Burgon Alex Beard
I had the opportunity to speak briefly to the Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group and MP for Leeds East Richard Burgon following a talk he gave to OULC in Week 4. We recorded the conversation, which is transcribed in full here. Afterwards, when I returned Richard to the train station, our conversation turned from the future of socialism to his love for heavy metal. I found Richard to be avuncular and thought-provoking, and I hope you enjoying reading what he had to say. Alex Beard: One of the things that you mentioned during your talk was the idea of a three-pronged labour movement consisting of trade unions, grassroots protest groups and the institutional Labour party. Between 2015 and 2019, these three prongs were very much galvanised by Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Do you think that there needs to be something like the Socialist Campaign Group to lead this? If so, what should give it its direction – does there need to be a figurehead? Richard Burgon: I think that it is true that the Labour party is a broad church and a collation – it always has been. The Labour party was founded by the trade unions with socialist societies. I look at it these days and I think ‘The Labour party itself is a
coalition of socialists, social democrats and trade unionists.’ In wider society, I made the point that there are three ways of fighting back against unjust and unpopular Tory policies. Firstly, it’s through the ballot box where people are hopefully voting Labour. Secondly, it’s through taking industrial action and strike action. And third it’s through protests and what you see is the Conservatives being acutely aware that they are pushing an unpopular policy programme – and one which will include many more policies as this crisis deepens that people will object to and oppose – and they want to remove people’s ability to fight back against that unjust policy programme. That is why they have introduced voter ID to suppress the working-class vote, particularly the black and minority ethnic working-class vote. That’s why they’ve introduced anti-trade union laws, to make it harder and harder for unions to take strike action legally. And that’s why they are bringing in this draconian anti-protest bill, trying to criminalise protest. What you have got is a really concerning, authoritarian drift from this Conservative government and it is one that we must organise against, mobilise against and defeat. AB: Another of the points you made
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