05.05.2010

Reality gap

Laurie Smith attended London's TU May Day march

The march organised by Southern and Eastern TUC (Sertuc) to celebrate International Workers’ Day on Saturday May 1 was attended by over 5,000 people. This included the organisations of the British left, trade unionists and pensioners, but, as usual, a very visible majority of Turkish and Kurdish communists and leftwingers belonging to a dizzying variety of organisations. They included large numbers of young people.

The march started late from Clerkenwell Green, but the weather was good and no-one seemed in a mood to hurry. We were treated to renditions of the Internationale - recorded and live - in several languages before setting off. Led by a seemingly superfluous double-decker bus, the march was good-humoured and militant. CPGB members had stalls at the start and end of the march. We also sold the Weekly Worker and leafleted for Hands Off the People of Iran.

After arriving in Trafalgar Square, Megan Dobney of Sertuc began the speeches by reminding us that we had won universal suffrage 82 years ago and should make use of it on May 6, but in this election “most of us are voting for the least worst option”. Turning to the candidates of the far right, she urged us to use our vote to stop the British National Party and get behind Unite Against Fascism.

A speaker from UCU London region pledged that “whoever wins, we’ll fight back” and called for a 24-hour general strike of public sector workers against cuts. He asked for support for strike action by staff at UCL, Sussex and King’s College London on May 5. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of PCS, was unwell and Chris Baugh stepped in for him. Less forceful than Serwotka, he modestly said May Day was “an opportunity to restate the values and practice of trade unionism” - as a member of the Socialist Party in England and Wales, you might have thought comrade Baugh would regard May 1 as more of a political occasion. And instead of seriously grappling with the pressing issues of the day - the general election, impending cuts and abject political weakness of the working class - comrade Baugh told us that if only the state cracked down on tax evasion, it would be entirely possible to create “a million climate jobs”.

The RMT’s Alex Gordon was more interested in the election, saying there would not be another opportunity to defend the welfare state, and made a sly reference to the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition by highlighting the campaign (by Tusc!) to unseat Ed Miliband in Doncaster North. Two statements from Iranian organisations were read out. One called for the release of political prisoners and for child labour to be exposed. The second, from 10 Iranian labour organisations, demanded the release of prisoners and the abolition of the death penalty. Not mentioned was the growing threat of war or the necessity of opposing both wings of the regime, including the ‘reformists’.

Star speaker Tony Benn was in good form, but noticeably shaken by the prospect of a Conservative government. He said the struggle for the vote had led to the Labour Party and political representation for the working class. The Tories were opposed to public services, and we should never forget Thatcher’s reign. Globalisation meant the rule of bankers, not elected representatives, and we had to rebuild internationalism. The implication, as with most of the other speeches, was to hold your nose and vote Labour to keep the Tories out.

The gap between the reality of the abject failure of the Labour Party and the fantasy of either trying to ‘reclaim’ it or start a new one grows ever wider. This year’s May Day posed far more questions about the future of the working class movement than answers.