Alf Filer offers a personal opinion on the opportunity the Woolas affair opens up. This is probably a harbinger of future discussions about whether Labour’s “dented shield” is all the British working class needs.
A challenge and an opportunity to raise principled socialist politics is clearly emerging once again and now it is needed more than ever. The demise of Phil Woolas, appeal or no appeal, means there will be an election in for his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat in the near future.
Whilst he is busy trying to raise £200,000 to fund his appeal, the Left should be planning to set this forth coming election alight with an anti-capitalist challenge, rejecting the cuts, racism, scapegoating, Islamophobia, illegal wars and the failed business friendly policies of New Labour.
Of course we do not know when an election may take place and whether his appeal will be successful, but I am prepared to say there is a very high probability that there will be a bye-election and it will come as the full force of the anti- working class Con Dem policies are being laid bare for all to see.
Day after day we have new announcements exposing the attacks on public services and promises of more to come. Day after day, there are more responses by those affected by the cuts through industrial action, meetings, marches and street stalls.
It is not just Woolas who should be banned for 3 years from Parliament. There are many other MPs who have betrayed working people and got to power on our backs. Although disowned by the Labour Party, Ed and co support policies which have allowed the Tories back in.
Gordon Brown last year called for “British jobs for British workers”, Margaret Hodge in Dagenham called for tighter immigration controls and New Labour presided over the use of Yarl’s Wood to process the weakest in our society, young and innocent asylum seekers fleeing from World poverty, disasters and the carnage caused by civil wars and dictatorships. Immigration is not the problem and immigration controls are not the solution.
Woolas referred to Friday’s court verdict as a "rich man’s charter" because only the wealthy will be able to afford the legal bills involved in fighting their case. Well it was New Labour who favoured the rich with tax loopholes since 2007 and snuggled up to them when ever they could. A financially cash strapped Labour Party has had to spend £800,000 in Labour Party Insurance, to cover this expense. The chickens are coming home to roost and the smile is being whipped off the faces of many others.
No doubt, when an election is called, Labour will select a clean candidate, denouncing Tory cuts and having many photo-opportunities to give the impression that all is well and it was nothing to do with us. We will here appeals about how we must return a Labour MP to keep the Tories out. Well if Labour were to select democratically a prospective candidate committed to fighting the cuts, opposing immigration controls, defending asylum seekers and calling for an alternative programme putting people before profit, then a case could be argued for that. Of course there is a difference between Labour and Tories, but Labour must decide which side of the class line are they standing on? There will be those that will argue for a vote Labour no matter what approach. There are also the sceptics who say an alternative will never happen.
The danger is that if the Left fails to get their act together then we could face the prospect of a low turn out, with the BNP/EDL/NF and other far right groups competing for the racist vote. It will not be good enough for the UAF and others to simply say “vote anyone but the BNP”. Yes the electoral laws prevent groups from saying much but then if we intervene, we will have the local, national and international stage.
The impact of the international crises of capitalism requires an international response. It also requires a united Left response. If only local anti-cuts campaigners, working alongside COR, NSSP and the RTW, supported by trade union branches and the local labour movements could come together for this purpose, linking up with groups representing the dispossessed in society then what a prospect for reversing the situation. Added to that, if anti-war groups, campaigns in defence of immigrants and asylum seekers, anti-fascist organisations, Gay groups, women’s organisations and many others could be mobilised then such an alliance would show that an alternative is possible beyond managing the debt. Green groups promoting green jobs as a response to Climate Change would show the problem is not benefit fraud and the answer is not getting us to take out credit we cant afford on goods we do not need. Then of course, the youth and students , whose future is being ruined would be motivated to mobilise in campaigning.
No, power does not lie in Parliament but the prospects of an election would show that the Left can work together in the interest of working people and the oppressed, rather than being concerned about their own hegemony. And if this was to succeed then maybe it will help spark and support other local initiatives which can work together to build an alternative that is long over due. All groups and organisations are now invited to put this at the top of their agenda and not to stand against each other getting nowhere, but to stand together and succeed. That is the challenge, now will it be taken up?
Liam redux 
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