The morning after
Although I was peeved at the number of people dismissively saying dont mourn organise last night - of course I have been organising straight away!
We have a facebook group that although less than 18 hours old is at a hundred members already saying I didn't vote Tory, (a through back from the 80's badges I didn't vote Tory, and Don't blame me I voted Labour. ) https://login.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12799432837&ref=nf
A campaign to end the Standard's strangle hold on London http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11821439585&ref=nf
BORIS Watch - The campaign to kick out Boris in 2012 has started now.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boris-Watch/16137761282?ref=nf
As well as protests today at City Hall and again on Tuesday at 6pm.
The reason I got pissed off yesterday with people immediatly saying don't mourn organise isn't because I disagree but because they were doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing (See Luke Akehurst) and ignoring the message our voters were sending us - that we need a change of policies.
ken gvae a fantastic speech last night and didn't blame Brown at all when he could of - he was right to say he couldn't have asked any more from the party organisational wise we were all out and constantly campaigning but he fact remains that Ken lost because despite all our efforts in London - this New Labour Government are letting people down.
Ken did much better than Labour did nationally and that is because he follows more traditional Labour values.
The BNP gained a seat because New Labour have let them capitilise on New Labours failings towards the working class - mainly council housing. This policy more than anything needs to change IMO as a front line Local Government worker in Homeless I see first hand the effects our policies are having and people are suffering because of a lack of decent accommodation.
I hope Brown and the New Labour Government do listen to this clear message from our voters and start from today to turn things around.
6 comments:
Brown isn't going to shift to the left, MJ. We both know that.
But that doesn't mean that it is wrong to call for him to do so.
Actually, it does mean it's wrong to do that. Calling on Brown to move left is a move which has about as much point and reasonance as calling on a cow to turn into a horse. And the whole world knows it. It's a futile call upon someone who will not listen. Sad to say.
Clearly placing demands on a cow would be pointless (even if it were a demand to turn into a horse and get back in the stable...)
However placing demands upon the Leader of the Labour Party, or on Members of Parliament individually or collectively is not futile.
The left needs to articulate a political alternative and that invariably entails telling people in positions of power and authority what you think they should do, whether or not you think that they will listen to you.
The General Secretaries of the big trade unions will listen to socialists no more than Gordon Brown. Should we refrain from proposing policy directions for the trade unions because we know this?
No, because the unions have democratic structures and ties to the class that give traction to such a call. New Labour has no such structures any longer, meaning that such calls are no more than abstract propaganda, and that calling on Brown has no more purpose than calling on Nick Clegg, Cameron or Boris Johnson to do left-wing things.
I wish I was as optimistic about the efficacy of the democratic structures of our trade unions! I understand that you think that socialists in the Labour Party should (individually or collectively) walk away, but I don't think that is particularly likely. As long as thousands of socialists do look to the Labour Party (rightly or wrongly) then we, as socialists, need to have and express opinions about what the Party should do.
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