WeeklyWorker

16.12.2004

International demonstration

March 19 numbers game

Initially, the French and Italian delegation at the ESF in London proposed that on March 19 2005 everybody should converge in Brussels for a unified demonstration on the EU constitution: on March 22-23 the European Council will meet in the city in order to discuss plans for the imposition of their constitution across the EU. Many people, however, argued that, in addition to a Brussels demo, mobilisations should also take place simultaneously in other countries - on the same subject.

When this was agreed, the SWP and its allies in the International Socialist Tendency argued that the demonstrations should also include the fight against the war and the occupation of Iraq. After a long - and quite torturous debate - the rest of the European left agreed to include the war in the list of things these demonstrations are directed against.

The statement of the Assembly of Social Movements (agreed after the London ESF) reads: “On March 22 and 23 the European Council meets in Brussels. March 20 2005 marks the second anniversary of the start of the war against Iraq. We call for national mobilisations in all European countries. We call for a central demonstration in Brussels on March 19 against war, racism and against a neoliberal Europe, against privatisation, against the Bolkenstein project and against the attacks on working time; for a Europe of rights and solidarity between the peoples. We call all the social movements and the European trade union movements to take to the streets on this day.”

However, the SWP-led Stop the War Coalition has now simply reduced the theme of the demo to ‘End the occupation of Iraq, bring the troops home’. No mention of Europe, no mention of the attacks against the working class. Of course, mobilisation against the occupation of Iraq is a key political task not only for the British left, but for the European (and world) working class. But what about coordinating our opposition to the onslaught on the attacks on social benefits and pensions - just like the demonstration in Brussels will do? Why is the SWP not interested in that?

Well, we know why: economistic short-sightedness. The SWP totally dismisses the EU and its constitution. It has no vision for Europe and therefore views these matters as totally irrelevant. Leave it to Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi to sort out - nothing to do with us. That also leads it to downplay the need for an all-Europe fightback, where it cannot call the shots.

But the war brought two million people onto the streets of London. So the Stop the War Coalition, which is controlled and led by the SWP, simply attempts to recreate these mass turnouts over and over again - as a conduit for recruits into the SWP. The numbers brought out is almost the only thing that matters. But it has no political strategy for bringing back the troops from Iraq - just as numbers alone could not stop the war. And what should the STWC’s attitude be towards kidnappings and videoed executions? What about the Iraqi trade union movement? What about the danger of another Iran? And surely the anti-war movement needs to become a movement for democracy if it is going to challenge the system that produces and fosters war.

Unfortunately, it has proven almost impossible to attempt to steer the STWC in a different political direction. Branch meetings are simply rallies with no room for real debate or decision-making. The Stop the War Coalition’s executive - from which the CPGB with its minority viewpoint has been excluded - meets in secrecy. The first time a CPGB member tried to sit in as an observer, the committee ruled that henceforth the meetings would have to take place in closed session only - and all other observers were dutifully thrown out along with the CPGB representative. No agenda items are published, no minutes circulated. The working class is simply told when the next demo takes place.

However, the fact that the SWP has lost a substantial amount of members over the recent politically heightened period should really tell the comrades something: their tactic is short-sighted, opportunistic and totally inadequate. Communists and socialists must fight on all political levels if we are serious about presenting a viable alternative to the current system.