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A recent poll of Labour Party members, published
in the Sunday Times shows why the New Labour clique around Gordon Brown were determined to keep
left challenger John McDonnell off the ballot paper.
Thanks
to the sabotage of some 300-odd members of the Parliamentary Labour Party,
ordinary Labour Party members and affiliates, who were expecting a leadership
election, ended up with no election and a "one member, no vote" imposed
candidate. The task now is to strengthen the left in preparation for future
battles.
The East London tube Line is to be extended overground south to West Croydon and North to Dalston Junction, both main line rail connections. This is a good idea. The Mayor's office tells us that the only way to finance this is by privatisation. If we look at the real picture a different story emerges.
Throughout the history of the labour movement we have witnessed the development of sectarianism within a section of the left. It reflects the inability to understand that the mass of the working class moves through its traditional mass organisations. The sectarian ignores this and believes that all you have to do is declare the "new party" and then the masses will come flocking.
We are reproducing here a letter sent by John McDonnell to all his supporters in which he stresses the need to now build the Left of the Labour. The campaigning work of the recent period is not wasted. It can be the basis for strengthening the left.
As expected Labour took a hammering in both the elections for the Scottish Parliament and in the local elections. The only way forward for the left in Scotland is to support the urgent need to build socialist programmes within the Labour and trade union movement.
The Reverend Tony Blair has announced his departure from the pulpit of the Trimdon Labour Club, Sedgefield. Ten years ago millions of workers hoped that the party would introduce fundamental change after two decades of Tory misrule. They were disappointed. For the working class, the departure of Blair is a blessing. He has become even more hated than Thatcher. The task now is to finish off Blairism, and the reactionary pro-capitalist creed associated with New Labour.
While the Blairites are licking their wounds after last week's elections results, the results of the Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity in Scotland and the Socialist Party in England should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that sectarian politics is a dead end.
