The tube workers' strike, the strike of prison
officers in August, the call by rank and file police to be granted the right to
strike, and other similar disputes mark an important change in Britain. The
workers of this country have had enough and they are starting to fight back.
This is the final part of the British Perspectives document. The issues which it
covers are the trade unions and the Labour party, and the Marxists'
orientation towards the mass organisations. Also covered is the
importance of the youth, emphasing the importance of theory and the
training of Marxist cadres for the enormous events that impend in
Britain and elsewhere.
In this section we deal with the question of the Blair government, the
increasing abstentions of the working class, and the growing discontent
affecting all sections. It also deals with the Conservative party, the
natural party of the ruling class, which has shifted to the “centre”
ground and won back
a layer that voted Liberal Democrat.
Ten years ago in Britain, at the time of the sudden death of
Diana, we witnessed an outburst of popular feeling without precedent in recent
British history. It was an entirely new phenomenon, reflecting an entirely new
situation in Britain. Here we republish Alan Woods’ article written in 1997 which
looked at the serious crisis the monarchy and the British establishment were
facing at the time.
On Thursday 18th July comrades of the British Socialist Appeal showed their
solidarity with the Peoples Youth Block (BJP) by protesting outside the
embassy of El Savador against the repressive measures employed by the
government. A letter of protest was received, signed by leading trade
unionists from the NUJ, PCS, CWU, ASLEF, UNISON and the TGWU.