Socialist Action has invited various political views and figures in the labour movement to respond to • Labour's alliance rolling we asked John Ross to give Socialist Action's response.
supporters of the Labour Coordinating Committee, Marxism Today, and many others. We invite our readers to contribute.
The tirst reason Tonv Benn's article is important dows tional argument, as opposed to sectarian slanging. to be carried out among socialists.
What is most striking of all however is its inicgration of the overall strategic goals of the labour movement with the tasks that need to be achieved now. In reality it sets out an agenda for the left for several years.
Readers can judge for themselves Tony views. But we can indicate points where there agreement disagreement.
The points of agree ment really do touch basic fundamental issues.
They be simply Cal. catalogued for they centre link between democratic socialism and the nature of the Labour itself or more precisely the real 'party of which must become both to successfully fight and build a socialist socie. ty.
What is unique about une present staton or tne labour movement the which constitutes both the dangers potential or ine present political situation in Briis the nature of •Thatcherism' itself. for socialism'. To get the ball From next week we will be opening our pages to Thatcherism government attempting to carry throud reactionary going reactionary change in sociely. bul Dased on a Conservative Party which does llave thorough-going lilass popular support. Thatcher It cannot be repeated too often that Thatcher's 42 per cent vote at the last election was not a popular arosuce. I was une lowest real proportion of the vote Prime Minister LOI anly with safe majority in parliament British history. The result government carrying through tremendous reorganisation of British DUL popular consent. That explains really both rapid anana ses atter June 1983 and then the renewed mass struggles in sprieresult result is an inevitable and violent assault on democracy Thatcher must abolishn the metropolitan councils because She i elections. She must have extraordinary paraphenalia of secrecy and arbitrary actions, as at GCHQ, because she lacks mandate for what she is doing in these fields. Attempting to combat the most reactionary government for fifty years, the movement finds itself fighting not only lor socials in the future but for and the most elementary rights today.
democratic socialism, of Marxism. derelle connected we tre defence welfare state of 1s. of wages, elementary democratic rights.
In struggle, because defending just everyling tha wort defending In British and LIC labour movement has the opportunity. and need. to place itself at the head of socialist nuinely democratic force society ana io articulate their demands and aspirations. Socialism As Marx said a struggle for socialism becomes possible only when all evil in society becomes concentrated at one pole and all that represents progress at another All proportions guarded, the struggle over nas become a nign abou the entire future of a society. the stakes involved the turmoil produced.
Such struggle about far more than simp economic wenare demands - vital to all as inese are. Labour Has lu organise an enormous COCa progress, socialism. A real historic bloc that can smash Thatcherism and open up the way to a socialist society in To achieve that the not just specific interests within capitals! displace that society altogether. Labour must project an econ social, cultural and moral order which is superior to that of capitalist society. must, in short, become a truly socialist party To achieve that change its own, organisaHOld nature alic LuIC. must be expanded not only to the organised working and trade unions which formed but also to the new Cole. ranks of white collar workers, public sector workers, women's organisations, black organisacurrents and groups which Have grown up since the Labour Party was formed in 1900.
To be victorious in its struggle Labour therefore must also transform, and enormously expand, its own political nature. The struggle for democratic socialismn Is necessarily a found' higher level. That is why, in a very real sense, bring ing the Labour Partv up to date means going back to its origins.
Those, in our words, are what seems to us the real tasks of the movement in Britain today.
FREEDOM They could be termed a Marxist Gramscist, or reviving the traditions British socials! LOSAOCK people, Leninist. The words don't matter. What is important is that they provide framework for approach and work by the left wing of the labour movement.
This perspective. which is based on the ke! 1eea democrall socialism, and what Tony benn lens Labour as a. the 'alliance for progress' (and which we would term of sharply counterposed to another perspective that of the 'popular front' and coalition with the SDP /Liberals which has Erio Hossaae associated Eric These two strategies torm the sold conerent perspectives for the labour movement today They will continue to dominate the fight inside the Labour rarty in ine years to come.
But if there big areas of agreement with Tony Benn, what are the ditterences! hev can be outlined, dealing with the and that means first and foremost into capital's domination of Such a society requires an economy which is socialised in the true sense - both democratically planned fields to ensure the distribution of Its the meeting of its people's many needs. It is a society with a full and universal right of its citizens to vote - an enormous extension of it. restriction.
It Is, in snort. a societi far closer to the original viSIOn Ol Marx thar ally. thing which exists today in casterr Europe — no matter what their achievements in other nelas Society To begin to create that vision of society, to link it to the struggles halicks 1o defend the figh tor liberation of women. eliminate the of many other evils of capitalist society 1S the single greatest achievement of the left today. To translate that vision into the living struggles of the working class 1s the biggest task facing us. nothing Labour has done since 1945 has been. Just look at the response in the Along the way there will be many tests of who is right and who is wrong on finally such a society . Thẹ im will be achieved portant fighting History will judge along the way who was correct. Marxism Lenin liked to remark that Marxism was powerful because was true. Socialists who have confidence in their ideas have no reason TenI the judgement of nor to engage in petty sectarian squabbles Hallouvics Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto that socialists 'have no interests seperate and apart from those of the working as whole'. No special manouvres, tricks shibboleths. Just defence of the interests of the working class and the whenever and wherever it is threatened. Just to participate in the struggle of people to take the running of society into their own hands.
That still remains the beginning and the end of