Britain: Defend Corbyn and his supporters against Blairite and Zionist Witchhunt!
Split Labour NOW to form a New Workers Party!
Article by Laurence Humphries, RCIT Britain, 10 November 2020, www.thecommunist.net
On the 29th October Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of Labour, was suspended from the party. The decision was taken by Keir Starmer, the current Blairite leader. The pro-zionist elements in the Labour party argued that the expulsion was based on the results of the recent report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission into “perceived anti-Semitism in the Labour Party”. This report claimed widespread anti-Semitic practices in the Labour party under Corbyn’s leadership, again mixing any criticism against the Apartheid state Israel with anti-Semitism.
“Labour has suspended Jeremy Corbyn from the party over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism. The human rights watchdog found Labour responsible for "unlawful" harassment and discrimination during Mr Corbyn's four-and-a-half years as leader. But he later said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been "dramatically overstated" by opponents. Sir Keir Starmer, who became Labour leader in April, said the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) report had brought "a day of shame" for the party.” [1]
In reality, the EHRC as a tool of the Zionists found very little evidence to back up its claims. In addition, the Tory Party rife with Islamophobic and racists comments about Muslims and has never been investigated. Corbyn is definetly not a racist. He has a record of supporting and defending the Palestinians who are oppressed, displaced and slaughtered by the Zionist state. There are daily killings of Palestinians (nearly all civilians) by the Zionist Military. Starmer on the other hand, is a self-confessed Zionist who is determined to purge the Labour Party of anti-Zionists and Socialists. This former state agent who worked for the Crown prosecution service before he entered Parliament liaised with the CIA and the NSA security agencies in the USA to murder and assainate innocent victims during and after the Iraq war. This is Starmer’s heritage and he is proud of his support for rendition by the USA.
“The unprecedented move was defended by Sir Keir - who took over as leader from Mr Corbyn six months ago - as the "right" thing to do. He also said there was no reason for the party to descend into "civil war" over it. Sir Keir told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I made it clear the Labour Party I lead will not tolerate anti-Semitism, neither will it tolerate the argument that denies or minimises anti-Semitism in the Labour Party on the basis that it's exaggerated or a factional row." [2].
Starmer intends to Purge the Party of all Opposition
Keir Starmer, the rightful heir to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown intends to expel, suspend and purge the slightest opposition to the openly pro-capitalist trajectory of the Labour Party. The ruling class has seen in Starmer someone they could trust. For them, there is no doubt that the Labour Party must be cleansed of any sign of socialist principles. Corbyn represented a great threat to their aims. However, in recent weeks Starmer has shown how he will work with the ruling class on every issue including his complete acceptance of the proposed lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic. Starmer is keen to form a coalition government with Boris Johnson. His politics are nearly identical to Boris Johnson. That is why it is necessary for him to get rid of Corbyn and his supporters. David Evans, the General Secretary of the party has written to all Labour Party units instructing them that there must be no criticism of the EHRC report either verbally or on social media. Failure to do so will result in expulsion from the Party. What a highly undemocratic attack against the rank-and-file!
Corbyn's Weakness as a Leader of the Labour Left
Jeremy Corbyn was elected because the poor and the working class hoped for a change in British politics. Corbyn advocated anti-austerity, opposition to Imperialist war and basic redistribution of wealth. All this was anathema to the pro-Imperialist wing in the Labour Party and they fought first to overthrow him and later denigrate him and tell lies about him. Corbyn failed to confront the Blairites and Zionists in his own party and allowed Ken Livingstone to resign and Jackie Walker, Marc Wadsworth and Chris Williamson to be expelled from the party. He colluded with these expulsions without raising a hand to defend them. This was align with his general reformist policy.
A much better job was done by the initiative “Labour against the witch-hunt”, which has shown the role of the EHRC and the issue of anti-Semitism inside the Labour party.
“The report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is pretty much a damp squib. It is noticeable that the report doesn’t even try to identify what antisemitism is, which after all its remit was. Nonetheless it did pretty much what it was supposed to do when the pro-Zionist groups ‘Jewish Labour Movement’ and the ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’ first lobbied it to launch an investigation into the Labour Party. It helped to paint the false picture that the Labour Party is overrun with anti-Semites. Not one of the EHRC’s nine commissioners is Black or Muslim. They are bankers, lawyers and business executives. Many of them have links to the Conservative Party it is a real shame that he did not say so when he was leader and could have made a real difference to the witch-hunt and the civil war in the Labour Party. Unfortunately, it was the Corbyn leadership’s silence and complicity in the witch-hunt that has made Corbyn’s suspension possible in the first place. Hundreds of socialists and Corbyn supporters have been suspended and expelled for comments that often do not amount to much more than what Corbyn said. But he stood by and watched as supporter after supporter was thrown to the wolves, all in the vain hope that appeasing the right would work, eventually.”[3]
What is Anti-Semitism...and what isn't
It is noticeable that at no time does the EHRC define their understanding of anti-Semitism. Another organization, the International Holocaust Remembrance Association defined anti-Semitism as any criticism of the Zionist state of Israel. It is quite obvious that only based on such a disastrously wrong and indeed Anti-Palestinian definition of anti-Semitism, the outcome of the report by the EHRC makes sense.
The RCIT has time and time again explained the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Indeed, most of the members of the Labour party are guilty of not truly understanding the difference rather than consistently defending the Palestinians. From its earliest days the Labour Party has had a strong Zionist presence in its ranks and the Labour Government in 1948 recognized the State of Israel. As the RCIT has stated in many statements the state of Israel is a racist, colonial, settler state with Imperialist features. Corbyn’s “weakness” was not to understand the difference and conflate the two – still he is attacked by the Zionists for not denouncing the basic rights of the Palestinian people. With his reformist politics, his indecisive approach towards the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people, he has opened the door to the witch hunters in many ways.
“The weakness of left reformism has shown that when the Blairites and Zionists launch attacks on Corbyn and his supporters, Corbyn fails to support them and buckles under the pressure. A number of left wing activists including Marc Wadsworth and Tony Greenstein have been expelled from the Labour party. Corbyn’s supporters continue to be suspended or expelled by the Labour party bureaucratic machine controlled by the Blairites and Zionists. Corbyn with a majority on the National executive committee refuses to use that majority to curb the worst excesses of the right wing and remains a hostage to the pro-imperialists in the Labour party. The attack on Livingstone and the expulsions of Marc Wadsworth and Tony Greenstein were all part of the ‘anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism’ witch-hunt. It is noticeable that when it came to laying charges the Labour Party avoided for legal reasons accusing people of anti-Semitism. Instead the catch all charge of ‘bringing the party into disrepute’ was used. Livingstone is the latest victim of a witch-hunt pursued by the pro-Israel lobby and the right-wing in the Labour Party. Anti-Semitism is a red herring used by the pro-imperialists in the Labour party like Blair, Watson and others to prevent the election of a Corbyn-led anti-austerity government. The Blairites and Zionists have strong connections with Mossad, the secret intelligence service of the Israeli state, and are determined to purge the Labour party of socialists and anyone who criticises Zionism or the state of Israel. The closest allies of Zionism are several Labour MP’s including Margaret Hodge, Ruth Smeeth and Luciana Berger. Most fascist groups in Britain, including the English Defence League under Tommy Robinson, are the closest supporters of Zionism and are the most extreme anti-Semites”.[4]
Split the Labour Party to form a New Workers Party
Prior to the Leadership election in 2015 when Jeremy Corbyn won, the RCIT characterised the Labour Party as a bourgeois workers party. Corbyn had a minimal reformist anti-austerity programme of nationalisation, repeal of the anti-union laws, opposition to Imperialist wars and support for the Palestinians. However, compared to the Labour Party before Corbyn took the lead even his limited left-reformist programme meant a strong push to the left. Thousands of new members entered Labour under Corbyn and revitalised the stagnating and even downwarding trend in membership. Today, under the impact of the divisions and contradictions of the world capitalist system the Labour Party has veered again to the right. More and more it is moving away from its worker's party character towards its bourgeois capitalist leadership with all vestiges of rank-and-file influence fading away. To really save the best elements of the Labour Party means to split it without hesitation.
Many genuine left wingers and socialists mistakenly believe that they can change the direction of the Labour Party. Corbyn has managed this, so maybe it can happen again – they hope. However, it is those the limitation of the left-reformist leadership of Corbyn itself that proved such hopes to be only post-poning again what should have happened already since decades: a healthy, left split away from the Labour Party in order to build a new workers party – and this time on an authentic socialist base.
Unsurprisingly, the trade union bureaucracy and some centrist groups continue to peddle the fallacy of false hope that Labour can magically stop betraying the interests of the working class and the poor. Socialist Appeal with its deep entry tactic for example forget that already in the 1980’s under Neil Kinnock, ‘Militant’ and other socialists were purged and expelled from the party. That is the course that Starmer has chosen. Every day he resembles a bourgeois capitalist politician and like Tony Blair he is preparing the Labour Party for power - either in coalition or as a caretaker government.
“The RCIT in BRITAIN calls on all principled socialists and activists in the Labour Party to join with and support our call to split the Labour Party and build a New Workers Party on a genuine socialist base. This rapid lurch to the right with the election of Starmer as leader means that it becomes ever more necessary to split the party and to break with the rotten comprise done for so long with the pro-capitalist, pro-imperialist wing of Blairites and their lackeys.
The New Workers Party could and should be the platform for all socialists and militants to hammer out a programme for Socialism. Various centrist forces like Socialist Appeal continue to peddle the old illusion that somehow Labour can be transformed into a Socialist party only if Marxists stay long enough inside Labour. That is a pipe dream by people who orientate themselves blindly and uncritically towards (left) reformists. As the former comrades of Militant, the members of Socialist Appeal must know that Starmer and the Blairites will most likely do exactly what Kinnock and Blair did in the 1980’s - to expel and purge any opposition to them.
The surest way to socialism is through the construction of a Revolutionary Workers Party as part of the new International that can lead the struggle against the ruling class and against all of their direct or indirect supporters. The best elements of Labour must break away now and create a new workers party together with other organizations of the workers and oppressed! Genuine socialists must fight for a revolutionary program as a basis of such a new workers party” [5].
The RCIT puts forward the following programme:
* We call on Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters to split away from the Labour Party and help to build a New Workers Party!
* Revolutionaries have to fight for an authentic socialist programme as a basis of such a New Workers Party!
* Rank-and-file members of Labour must be supported in their fight for more democracy in the party including the right to criticise politics of Labour in public, form tendencies and factions, etc. However, revolutionaries have to explain that any believes in reforming Labour at this point are illusions and that the fight for inner democracy will result in either defeit or victorious split!
* A socialist programme includes an active orientation towards rallies on the street, assemblies at schools, universities and workplaces, strikes up to an indefinite general strike against the British government! Hence, only such a politicy can be the healthy basis for a Workers Party – and if Labour is rejecting this, the party is again proving to be incapable of the tasks to lead the workers and oppressed in their struggle! It must be clear that the only alternative to the conservative (i.e. bourgeois) government must be a workers government, achieved via overthrowing the current rule! Any plans of a joint government with the Tories or any other bourgeois party must be rejected by militant members of Labour!
Join the RCIT and let us fight together for a New Workers Party on a socialist base!
Footnotes
(1) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54730425
(2) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54742096
(3) http://www.labouragainstthewitchhunt.org/
(5) https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/britain-the-blairite-keir-starmer-is-elected-leader/