Editorial: Autumn of struggle

THIS SUMMER has been a truly momentous one. The riots that swept the country caused huge soul searching by liberal England and a reactionary backlash by the hang ’em and flog ’em brigade. Either way the youth of today responded with their own shock and awe against consumerism and the police in the kind of rioting we have not seen since the 1980s, the last time the Tories were in power.

Socialists know that the riots were not caused by a simple outbreak of criminality – the conditions of life for many young people in Britain today are bad, and getting worse. For many living in poverty, and with the threat of more poverty to come, such actions are an act of defiance against a society that they feel has abandoned them.
The cuts agenda of the government is only going to make this worse.
What is yet to come
This autumn is a crucial turning point in the fight against the government. There will be more strikes in November. There will doubtless be protests and demonstrations. But we need much more. We need serious escalation of the action to really scare the Con-Dems – more than that, we need to create the kind of organisations that can win.
We have to bring down the government, nothing less. Anyone who thinks there is room to negotiate or manoeuvre, that we can buy time by accepting some cuts here but not there, is wrong. The government will only use such sentiments to buy off certain sections whilst smashing us elsewhere. The British ruling class are masters of divide and rule, they have been practicing it for centuries.
Many of our trade union leaders and anti-cuts organisations are following suit and seem unwilling to unite the fight back. Despite earlier claims from Prentis of Unison that he would bring his troops out on the battlefield to fight alongside trade unionists in NUT, PCS and UCU, it now looks less likely that Unison will be involved in any major way. The anti-cuts organisations remain stubbornly divided with no signs of unity.
We need a united anti cuts movement and united trade union strike action. Workers Power will campaign on any front to escalate and intensify the action in order to bring pressure on the government and strengthen our movement.
Libya
The sudden victory of the rebels in Tripoli also saw a dramatic shift in the development of the Arab revolutions, and much debate and argument on the left. Is it right to support the Rebels or not, considering their alliance with Nato? Workers Power celebrates the victory of the rebels over the Gaddafi forces, but warns of the dangers. The west wants a loyal regime in Tripoli, a regime that will honour Gaddafi’s oil contracts. Now the battle is on to overthrow the NTC and build a genuine revolutionary government of the workers and poor.
Fighting fund
In this issue we are launching a new fighting fund to help us improve and expand our publications. We are relying on regular sales of our paper and donations from supporters and subscribers, as well as Workers Power members, to enable us to make an even better paper. Can you help? Please check the details on the front cover for how to contribute.