25.06.2015
Huge cheers for Corbyn
We need both a political strategy and a sense of perspective, urges Peter Manson
That tens of thousands answered the call made by the People’s Assembly to march from the Bank of England to Parliament Square on June 20 will undoubtedly boost morale. It symbolised mass defiance. Lindsey German of Counterfire, the organisation that helped set up the PA, reported to marchers that she had been asked in a radio interview that morning what was the point of demonstrating just a month after the general election. She was right to say that the answer was provided by the sheer numbers of those on the streets.
Of course, this paper has pointed out many times that such mobilisations in themselves cannot stop austerity or bring down the government. But they can help to focus minds on the necessary political response - often despite the intentions of the likes of the PA leadership, who believe that, above all, the movement must be ‘broad’ and therefore unencumbered by clear and principled working class politics.
However, the demonstration got a boost from the campaign to elect Jeremy Corbyn leader of the Labour Party. As readers will know, under Ed Miliband Labour ditched the old electoral college and adopted a new system based on ‘One person, one vote’. Anyone can register as a Labour supporter for £3 and take part in the election. While the aim was no doubt to ape the US system of ‘primaries’, which are heavily influenced by the rightwing media, it could be that instead we will see the election of a longstanding champion of the Labour left - a result which would throw the Labour establishment into turmoil and open up big opportunities for the whole of the left.
Corbyn’s challenge was mentioned by several speakers at both the opening rally at Bank and the big gathering outside parliament. At Bank, Matt Wrack of the Fire Brigades Union said that one of the aims of austerity was to “cow workers”, and three things should be done in response: there must be coordinated industrial action, other forms of direct action and, centrally, “a debate around the political alternative”. The last point is linked to the leadership election, he said: “The unions must support Jeremy Corbyn.”
Similarly Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, told the thousands in Parliament Square that is was essential to address “not just what’s wrong, but what we’re going to do”. He also called for a three-part immediate response, the first part being: “Register and vote for Jeremy Corbyn”. The other two were: “Organise marches across Britain”; and “The unions should strike together”.
Comrade Corbyn himself in his own modest way referred to the Labour leadership contest only tangentially, when he said: “This is a movement: it’s not about individuals.” He declared: “It is possible to have a different world”, a world based on socialism - which he described as “a society where each would care for all”. He reminded us of the “visionaries” of the Chartist movement, who may not have won everything they demanded immediately, but left a lasting legacy nevertheless. For us the priority was not to “pay off the debt”, he continued, but to “eliminate homelessness and inequality”.
As did so many other speakers, Corbyn stated that the banking crisis had not been created by those bearing the brunt of austerity, but, he said, resulted from an “unregulated banking system”. As for homelessness in particular, the answer was, firstly, “Build council housing” and, secondly, “Regulate the rented sector.”
Some of the biggest cheers came in response to this speech and it is likely that demonstrators from many political backgrounds - from Greens, through trade unionists, to revolutionaries - will come together in this particular common political action: ie, voting for the leftwing anti-austerity candidate. The Weekly Worker, with its front page on the Corbyn campaign, struck a real chord with the crowds. We sold well over 200 copies, while the badges sold by CPGB comrades in support of the campaign went down a treat.
Vague
While most platform speakers are no doubt sympathetic towards Corbyn, too many steered clear of openly identifying with his campaign and instead resorted to tired clichés.
So, for example, at the Bank rally chair Anita Wright talked vaguely about the need to “change this country into a place of hope, solidarity and peace”, while Candy Udwin, Socialist Workers Party member and victimised National Gallery union rep, contented herself with advocating “more demonstrations, more protests, more strikes” as the way forward. Her fellow SWP member, Weyman Bennett of Unite Against Fascism, was his usual lucid self: “It wasn’t migrants who caused the crisis - it’s that bank over there.” True to form, neither comrade had anything to say about voting for Corbyn.
Unfortunately, it was the same with Kate Hudson, Left Unity’s national secretary, who was speaking in her capacity as general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She said: “It’s a lie that there’s not enough money to go round” - after all, what about the “millions of pounds for each Cruise missile they fire into someone else’s community”? While she talked about the “values of peace, justice and education”, that was as far as the politics went. Left Unity was not mentioned, either by herself or the chair in introducing her.
Diane Abbott was more concerned about herself: “Unite against austerity - that’s why I’m standing to be London mayor,” she said, while Lee Jasper of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts focused on the scapegoating that he said had resulted from austerity: “But it’s not blacks, Muslims, Roma or east Europeans who are responsible: the bankers are responsible.” In connection to last week’s Charleston killings of nine black church-goers, he did not like the talk about a “lone wolf” who was “mentally disturbed”. The slaughter was part of a “racist movement”, he asserted.
The demonstration set off at about 2pm and marched through the City, along Fleet Street, past Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall to Parliament Square. There was a whole variety of organisations taking part, including several national trade unions - the most prominent being Unite, Unison, PCS, the FBU (with its ‘Workers of the world, unite’ fire engine), the Rail, Maritime and Transport, National Union of Teachers and University and College Union.
Near the rear was the large contingent from the Green Party, just ahead of the red banners of the Communist Party of Britain. The SWP, as usual, provided lots of placards for marchers to carry. This time they advised us to “Defy the Tories” - we should “Strike, march, occupy” and that will do the trick. For its part, the Socialist Party in England and Wales divided its forces between three separate groups: SPEW itself, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and the National Shop Stewards Network.
Following the lead of the SWP, SPEW ensured that each of its three contingents had separate placards, which were also handed out to other demonstrators. In the case of the NSSN, there was its July 4 conference to promote, but, as for Tusc, apart from the placards there was nothing but left-over election material. Among the smaller left groups was Class War, whose banners informed us that politicians are “All fucking wankers” who should “fuck off and die”.
Despite the two noisy helicopters circling overhead, the atmosphere in Parliament Square was buoyant and militant. The co-chair, assistant general secretary of Unite Steve Turner, reminded us that we should be “in solidarity with those who keep our red flag flying high for socialism”, while his boss, general secretary Len McCluskey, called us “comrades”.
Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh thought that the massive turnout proved that “socialism is far from an anachronism”, while singer Charlotte Church spoke disparagingly about the “model of capitalism” that produced austerity. Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin’s deputy first minister in Northern Ireland did not talk about socialism or capitalism, but confirmed: “We are an anti-austerity party that has blocked cuts in Northern Ireland and given an uncompromising ‘no’ to the Tory government.” He declared: “David Cameron’s cabinet of millionaires are the real scroungers.”
Caroline Lucas of the Green Party got huge cheers from the crowd. She referred to “those of us on the progressive side of politics” who needed to “work together more”. I wonder if that includes voting for Jeremy Corbyn.
Numbers game
The figure of 250,000 has been given by the PA as an estimate of the number taking part and, surprisingly, this was by and large repeated by the media without contradiction. It was first mentioned on the day by comrade Turner, who, as co-chair of the Parliament Square rally, announced the figure and added - “and that is the police estimate”. The implication was that the real turnout was probably even greater.
In fact the BBC report stated: “The Met Police have not estimated how many people were there”1 - a remark repeated by other outlets, so it is difficult to understand where comrade Turner’s “police estimate” came from. For his part, Simon Hardy stated on the Left Unity website: “Over 200,000 people marched.”2 But this provoked an irritated response from John Rees of the PA and Counterfire, who berated LU on Facebook for “giving estimates of the numbers lower than in the Mirror and elsewhere”.
In fact even 200,000 is a huge exaggeration - there is no way so many people could fit into Parliament Square. Look at the aerial photograph attached to the same BBC report and you will see that, while there are many thousands in and around the 50m x 50m green, they are not exactly crushed together.
I went to the front of the march not long after it left Bank and waited until the last of the demonstrators had gone by - 65 minutes later. Even assuming that 1,000 passed me every minute (probably a little generous, given that several sections were quite spaced out and others were walking quite slowly), I make that 65,000. Of course, this is an estimate, but a more informed one than the claimed quarter million.
I subsequently walked on briskly, overtaking most of the marchers and arriving at Westminster just as the speeches were starting. It took me less than five minutes to edge towards the stage from the perimeter of the green and about the same time when I returned to the back after comrade Corbyn’s speech.
We are not doing ourselves any favours by overstating our support in this way. In order to have a realistic chance of winning a battle, it is essential to accurately assess our forces. Such absurd exaggerations in the end serve only to demoralise - we will not be able to deliver what would be possible with truly mass support.
But afterwards the People’s Assembly announced triumphantly: “A mass movement is born.”3 Now great things are expected on the PA’s July 8 national day of action, when George Osborne announces his emergency budget. Then there is the Tory conference in October to look forward to. As Sam Fairbairn, PA national secretary, told the Parliament Square rally, “We’re going to organise the biggest mass movement this country’s ever seen.” In fact we will “make sure the Tory conference is disrupted and cannot go ahead”.
According to Aaron Kiely, the National Union of Students black students officer, who co-chaired the Bank rally, already “The Tories and the government are quaking in their boots.” I don’t think so, comrades. We need both a sense of perspective and a realistic political approach - something that the People’s Assembly and its Counterfire leaders are completely lacking, I fear.
peter.manson@weeklyworker.co.uk
Notes
1. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33210014.