Class struggle not stopping for Christmas this year

With more redundancies announced daily in South Wales, a major climate event, the UK national HOPI conference and the introduction of ID cards for foreign students, political struggle isn’t stopping to please the Christmas retailers this year. Following the Dec 6 National Climate march in London, CRSF have invited the chair of the climate change trade union action group to address the next forum on Dec 10. Sian Jones will be stressing the vital necessity of involving the labour movement in climate action: we invite all trade unionists concerned with the environment to hear how union branches are being drawn into the struggle. The meeting will be held in the Bute Building, King Edward VII Ave, Room 0.05 from 7pm (note time change) to 9pm.

Towards the end of the meeting there will also be the opportunity for a discussion on the wave of redundancies in South Wales and the response of socialists and class struggle anarchists to this: what should we be calling for and how can we maximise left unity in the process?

October’s forum discussed Iran and the need both to oppose imperialist intervention and fight for solidarity with Iranian workers and socialist intellectuals against the right-wing regime there. On Dec 13 the annual conference of Hands off the People of Iran takes place: those who came to our meeting and others sympathising with HOPI’s aims are encouraged to get in touch with us so we can arrange transport.

No Borders South Wales have been campaigning against the introduction of ID cards for foreign students. This is the thin end of the wedge which will lead to all of us carrying a card and being logged onto a national database. The next protest is at noon on Dec 10 outside the Border Agency on Newport Rd, Cardiff – more details on the No Borders website.

Amongst the many redundancies being announced in South Wales, the threatened closure of Hoover’s plant in Merthyr is of special significance and has led to widespread anger. A facebook group set up against the closure gained 2000 members in a week; a public meeting and march are now planned – more details to follow. See comment page for articles on this.

The coach for the 6 Dec climate march stops at CARDIFF MUSEUM 8am and NEWPORT BUS STATION 8.30am (Tickets £18 waged / £10 concession). To book a seat/enquiries email here.

Obama wins: crisis continues

As US electors were going to the polls last night, economist Keith Harvey was reminding the Cardiff Radical Socialist Forum that the course of the election campaign turned on the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the signal that the US banking system was in crisis.

The historic election of the US’s first black president will do nothing to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nor will it put a stop to a crisis rooted in the anarchy of capitalist finance.

Keith set out the two competing views of the economy current on the left today: the first, propounded by the SWP and others, holds that capitalism has been stagnant since the end of the long boom in the 70s; in a cycle of decline hidden by a growing mountain of debt. The second, argued by Permanent Revolution and a minority of other left economists, holds that capitalism underwent a vigorous expansion throughout the 90s and early 2000s and that the present crisis is a result of the inevitable overextension that occurs in every boom, a tendency accelerated by the deregulation of the banking system.

The forum debated different views of China and its significance to the world economy. While the US will remain the hegemonic power for the foreseeable future, China has a vital role as the source of finance for speculation. Some on the left predict that the collapse of the US economy will inevitably drag down China in its wake; Keith’s view was that China, in contrast, will remain a bulwark; its total exports last year only amounted to 1.5% of an 11% growth in GDP.

Only time will tell who is right. However, Keith had no doubt that the developing recession in the UK is about to have profound implications, from a huge rise in unemployment to a squeeze on pay to an even greater rate of home repossessions. Since the real impact is yet to be felt, and may be partly delayed by Labour’s desire to win the next election, it is not yet possible to know where struggle will erupt. It is a period of opportunity for the left, but following a series of failed left projects and in the face of a withered labour movement, socialists will have to prove themselves in the eyes of the masses as worthy leaders of struggle.

However, it has never been easier to talk about the dysfunctionality of private banking and the need for an open, accountable and rational system of financing the industry and services we need.

One of the aims of CRSF is to facilitate informed debate on the subjects of the day, not hiding differences between participants but discussing them in an open and comradely manner. It was good to see more new faces at this month’s event and once again we extend the invitation to all active socialists and anarchists to participate in the next one, which will be on Weds Dec 3, discussing the environment and in particular involving trade unions in the battle to prevent climate change.

Socialist views on Obama:

Workers Power

CPGB

Revolution

SWP

CPB

Respect supporters

Socialist Party

Workers Liberty

Halloween anti-bank protest attracts the FIT

“Bail out people not banks” was the message of last night’s halloween protest called by the SWP in support of their latest initiative, the People Before Profit charter.

Though the protest was small and peaceful, it had attracted the attention of the FIT (forward intelligence team) and was heavily policed. As is now the norm with city centre protests, all participants were photographed while random officers attempted to engage protesters in friendly chats in search of further information.

The aim of the protest was to draw attention to the fact that the government is nationalising banks in order to protect them, but doing nothing to protect home-owners threatened with repossessions or others suffering the effects of the credit crunch.

Next week’s socialist forum analysing the credit crunch attracted plenty of positive interest amongst demonstrators. The forum aims to arm activists with an understanding of the situation we find ourselves in, so as to identify where struggle might erupt and intervene with maximum unity. CRSF has promised to bring the best speakers to Cardiff for this purpose; we encourage everyone interested in learning more about the credit crunch and its implications to come and talk with Keith Harvey on Tuesday evening in the Bute Building.

The People before Profit charter is one of several being proposed in response to the economic crisis. See comments page for further examples.

Check out the Convention of the Left’s Northern Rock leaflet here.