On Political Survival Of Trade Unions

Welcome second guest post in a week on what the TU movement should do about Labour.

This time from @PhoenixHeartist

I've been meaning to blog about this for a week now. So thanks to Goddessdeeva for the invite to guest blog, it made it feel more exciting and I'm getting this down in an excited geeky way!

Listening to 'Any Questions' on BBCR4 regarding the Falkirk incident (#Unigate???) on Saturday 6 th July made me feel angry. I had to turn it off. Labour Party, What Labour Party?? The fact that the panel couldn't get half their facts right (Who is Ken McCluskey? Is he in Unison? Er no..) shows how little they really know and care about trade unions and the movement. As long as you can cause public outrage and take a pot-shot at the unions, well all good I suppose. Never let the facts get in the way of a good witch-hunt, huh?

In fact I wonder who has a more transparent way as to how donors are recorded in their party. Well it must be that prim and proper Conservative party. I mean, they wouldn't ever be hypocrites, would they? Noooooooooo.

Ed Milliband is conveniently falling into the Tory trap, become more like them by leaving the pesky working and middle class workers out of the big conversations. The Tory tactic of splitting communities (strivers vs skivers, everyone else vs civil servants, claimants vs taxpayers) against against each other is to stop us working together. Turn your back on us, Ed, those within your own party will still stab you when opportunity knocks.

So what options are trade unionists left with? I only see realistically three options on the table:

A) EVERY trade union member joins the 'Labour' Party. Take the power back, put the 'OUR' back in Labour. 6.5 million voters. 6.5 million voices, etc. Squeaky Bum territory in Whitehall, perhaps.

B) EVERY trade union member who is in the Labour party leaves. Start our own party. The ultimate withdrawal of support. You don't represent us any more, we'll call you 'LabTHEM'. We'll take our subs and go home to start out own gang.

C) Whinge and the actually do nothing really constructive at all.

The thing is, our opposition (which includes the likes of Milliband and Balls, et al.) are counting on us not being organised, being divisive, separating into the likes of the People's Front of Judea, Judean People's Front, etc. If we aren't organised they can fob us off and follow their agenda. We, the people are being ignored. There are currently three conservative parties out there, one wears blue, one wears yellow, one wears red. Three parties- one outdated tune. It's like the Austerity Borg have already assimilated Parliament, sorry, I mean the House of Privilege.

Austerity, be it Austerity light, is still a form of giving justification to mass deconstruction of our welfare system, health service and well, actually anything you've possibly ever known that is state owned. But nobody cares right? Right?? Sorry, I still can't hear you protesting from under the bed.

A march is not going to solve this, a bus is not going to solve this. Even a one day coordinated general strike isn't going to solve this. If it doesn't fit the media machine agenda, it won't get much of a mention.

The New Labour regime has lost many hardcore Labour voters, and well they don't care about that. They really don't. We need to make them care. Not all of Labour is dead or dismissive to its past. Values are still there in those who haven't shamefully discarded all trace of representation of workers and their rights in lieu of bright lights big business and starry eyed face time on the big screen. AND they never punished the bankers. The current lot NEVER will.

Back to the options then, which suits best?

A) Well, if EVERY trade union member joined the Labour party to "Take the power back" we'd have an unprecedented voice in modern politics. One member, one vote. Approx 6.5 million people to guide a party to represent them. Wow! That would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons. Vote out all the Austerity, pro- banker loving "shortcuts and soundbytes politicians" in the party and restore the core values to a once proud party. Sounds blooming good. Maybe it's not realistic to get everyone on board but even if just 20% of the 6.5 million TU members did this, we'd have 1.3 million members. Let's tell labour to close the tax gap, get the money to pay for the things we need for a prosperous society. And a HELL NO! to the Bedroom Tax. Heck, I can hear the voices of the ghosts of former Labour leaders jumping for joy at the mere mention of this ^_^ And let's not forget there are those in the Labour party who feel just as abandoned but still keep plugging on trying to get their voice herd. Not everyone in the upper echelons is a radical -privatising, billionaire courting, shareholder of shame. Not all of them.

B) Okay so we decide Labour is too broke to fix. We start our own party. All of us. Think of it as the TUC as a political party if you will. With actual power, voice in parliament (2015?). Member led politics with leaders who have to represent the majority view of the party, not just because one person who makes large donations has a word in your ear. We could take the concept of the People's Assembly to a higher level. OUR own party, again. However, what would we be? Socialist, Democratic, Socialist Workers, Just Trade Unionist.... Answers on a postcard please.

C) We continue to do what we've been doing. Get angry, but do nothing truly constructive with that energy. Hold protest meetings in darkened rooms to preach to the converted, where no one else can see or hear it. Drive a bus, go on a march. Well, look where that's got us so far. The mainstream media ain't interested in it. Social media is not even 50-50 with it. Apathy is winning. Yep, it's really going so well isn't it...

Personally, right now, I'd go for option A. It's not going to be easy, but standing around, letting Labour ignore the working class, piss on its roots and take above inflation pay rises whilst inflicting financial misery on the masses has to be one of the lowest points in the labour movement. They only shamefully hijack other groups protests if they think it's a vote winner (Bedroom Tax, etc.) Option B is more idealistic than achievable right now in my opinion and would mean abandoning the good people that are still there within the party. Option C is where we already are. If we choose to keep doing this, go ahead, whinge again and again. I'll be one of the ones not listening to you any more.

WE CAN BE SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS. BELIEVE. DREAM. DO !

Suggested listening: Rage Against the Machine "Take the Power Back" and "Wake Up" ;-)

Peace, joy, light and much love

♥ Phoenix Amethyst ~ The Heartist ♥