Solidarity 052, 27 May 2004

Strikes, not stunts, will defeat the fascists

The BNP is planning TV broadcasts on 28 May. "Unite Against Fascism" have called a protest against the BNP's broadcast at BBC Television Centre. They say: "Voice your complaint in the run up to the broadcast, call on the TV companies not to give platform to the BNP's race-hate politics." This seems woefully wrong to me. Surely we should be calling on or giving support to BECTU and the other broadcasting unions to boycott the broadcast. Surely we should be passing a motion through our union branches, promising action if anyone is victimised, and so on. The presence of BECTU in the demonstration...

Pro-Palestine or anti-Israel? The basic difference between AWL and the conventional Left on the Middle East (2004)

Dave Osler's letter (Solidarity 3/51) offers an opportunity to restate our position on the Jewish-Arab conflict. If Dave Osler thinks - and it seems he does - that any of us approach this question as Israeli nationalists, an outline of our position is sorely needed. Osler puts his finger on it when he asks the question: "What would be the AWL's logical objection to the... proposition that 'on one level, of course, the Palestinians are entitled to defend themselves against those who send helicopter gunships to their refugee camps, and the leaders of Israel are therefore legitimate Palestinian...

From the archives: Nay-saying, opportunism and principle

Revolutionary socialists take as their fundamental stand "intransigent opposition" to the entire capitalist system in which we live. But sometimes capitalist governments do things which help us, or are at least lesser evils. For example, socialists are for European unity, even under the bourgeoisie. Does that mean we should support those bourgeois politicians who are or may be promoting European unity? We say no. For example, Solidarity thinks it good that the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq has been smashed. Does that mean that we should have supported Bush or Blair's war? Does the political...

Is Iraq another Vietnam?

Chris Reynolds answers some important questions How is Iraq today different from Vietnam in the late 1960s? In Iraq there are workers', unemployed, and women's movements which oppose both the US and other occupation forces and the Islamist and neo-Ba'thist militias which fight them. Socialists' main duty is solidarity with those workers', unemployed, and women's movements. There was no "third force" like that in Vietnam? Anti-Stalinist socialists in the USA like Irving Howe, who were dissatisfied with just saying "US out now" because they saw that meant Stalinist victory which would crush all...

Postal workers boycotting the BNP

Postal workers in Somerset are refusing to deliver the racist election leaflets for the British National Party (BNP) The Communication Workers' Union said their members were following their consciences over the leaflets. Kevin Beazer of the union said: "We've got a national agreement between the union and the employer as regards the conscience clause. "This means our postmen and women don't have to deliver offensive material, and we find the BNP to be a fascist and racist party and therefore we don't have to deliver this material." The CWU has also produced its own brochure, Answering the...

Strategy needed to convince

By a rail worker A ballot of 7,000 Network Rail workers by the RMT union has gone in favour of industrial action. The result was 58% in favour (2,947) and 42% against (2,246). However, the RMT was forced to admit that only a very narrow majority of the signalling workers - they key section involved - voted for action. After the ballot result, Network Rail and the press immediately went on the offensive about the prospect of "massive disruption", etc. Having been adamant, and rightly so, that the result was a mandate for the action, the union has started talks with the employers and it must be...

Win for reserve staff

Solidarity supporters who produce the rank and file bulletin Tubeworker have been running a campaign for reserve/cover staff. The campaign was given a boost on 19 May. At a meeting of the Stations Functional Committee, the management agreed that 28 days notice of duties must be given and changes can not be made to those duties without consulting the staff concerned first. Management agreed to send out a joint management-union briefing explaining the rights of cover staff. They also agreed that the practice of telling staff that their duties had changed, rather than asking them if they would...

Strike ballot on the Tube

By a tubeworker The rail and tubeworkers' union RMT is in the process of balloting its members for strike action following the collapse of talks on pay and conditions within London Underground and Metronet. All three unions - RMT, ASLEF and (white collar staff) TSSA - have walked out of discussions. Only RMT is balloting its members. Despite the claims by London Underground that they wanted to reach a three or four year deal to bring a period of industrial peace to the Underground, they are proposing a series of strings in return for talks on the main points of the union's pay claim. The union...

Pay up for pensions - TUC march and rally

London, Saturday 19 June Assemble from 12 noon Temple tube, Embankment March 1pm Rally 2pm Trafalgar Square The TUC has called a national "Pay up for Pensions" demonstration in London on Saturday 19 June and it looks set to be well-attended. The demonstration is being supported by the National Pensioners' Convention. The TUC demands are in line with most trade unions' policies, but the key task will be making our unions fight on those policies after 19 June. A big turnout on 19 June will put us in a better position to organise rank and file pressure. Every trade unionist should be organising...

London: Bread and Circuses

by Jonathan Glancey, Verso £7 Since the 80s London has been turned over to the play of market forces. The institutions which previously had any form of public service remit have been broken up, sold off, underfunded and downgraded to second class provision or abolished by successive governments. The quality of life has fallen as the city becomes less and less 'livable' in the face of failing infrastructure, a higher cost of living and a widening gap between rich and poor. Jonathan Glancey - the Architecture Correspondent of the Guardian - contrasts London today with the best of public...

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