Our Future Lies in the Fight for the Alternative!

- Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), October 20, 2012 -

The challenge as the working class movement goes into motion for a future that works is how the working class can effectively shoulder its responsibility for the fate of society.

The working class and people are faced with the Cameron/Clegg dictatorship, which is intent on forcing on society a so-called austerity programme which openly favours the rich and attacks all that the working people hold dear.

It goes without saying that they must strengthen their organisation, and consolidate their unity in order to resist not only the attacks on their livelihoods, pensions and living standards but also the wrecking of society itself in the name of “balancing the budget” and “austerity”.

In these circumstances, it is the working class which is the social force which has the responsibility to come forward to elaborate and fight for a change of direction in the economy and for society as a whole.

It is in this context the working class movement is taking steps to analyse what is needed in order to turn things around, combining this with action. It will then be in a position to further sum up the next stage of its battle for the future of society. It is already strengthening the organisations of the workers – the trade unions, the groups of writers and disseminators, the trades councils, shop stewards committees, and other organisations – and is determined to build on the decisions of its delegates at the TUC, and to further co-ordinate its actions and its resistance. This is the power the working class movement has at this time, and step by step it must utilise this power of unity, organisation and numbers. It is a power of opposing the wrecking of society and the attacks on the working class and people which are being made under the pretexts of being one nation and all in this together. And it is a power which must develop in the direction of becoming a power to deprive the rich, the financial oligarchy, of their own power to impose their interests on the whole of society.

The stand of the working class movement is to oppose the rich and their government seeking to isolate everyone as individuals as if they were competing for the best opportunities for themselves, which has the aim of driving down wages, pensions and living conditions. The outlook of the working class is that a livelihood is a human right, that a decent pension is a right, that health, education and other social programmes are a right and that society must be organised so as to guarantee those rights and ensure the public good.

While the present stage of history demands that the social economy is developed, what is blocking this development is private monopoly ownership and the domination of decision-making by the financial oligarchy, which is using its dictate to ensure that anarchy of production prevails to further enrich a tiny elite. This is summed up in the whole agenda of neo-liberal globalisation. The working class does not need this agenda, nor does it even need the owners of capital. The working class must reject this whole agenda using the weapons it presently has at its disposal of organisation, of unity, of one class, one programme, and set a new direction for society, a future which works.

The programme which unites the whole working class movement is the programme to Stop Paying the Rich! and Increase Investments in Social Programmes! This is a programme for the working class whose time is now. It is a programme which underlies the crux of the struggle at this time, the struggle between the old direction represented by paying the rich and imposing austerity on the poor, and the new direction represented by increasing the investments in social programmes and putting more into the economy than is taken out. This is the alternative, in the fight for which lies the future for a society which is organised for the benefit of its members, and guarantees all their rights without discrimination on any grounds.

Society faces the necessity for economic and political renewal. The working class movement must fight for itself to have that power to decide the direction of society and the economy. Workers can and must develop their own thinking as to how society is organised so that public right prevails over monopoly right, so that the working class can take its place as the leader of society, as the architect and builder of the new! This is the future!

Stop Paying the Rich!
Increase Investments in Social Programmes
Build the Workers’ Opposition!
Fight for a New Direction for the Economy!
Our Future Lies in the Fight for the Alternative!

Motion 5

Resisting austerity measures

Congress welcomes the Future that Works demonstration on 20 October 2012 and recognises this as being an effective platform and foundation to resist the damaging austerity measures that are damaging the very fabric of our society in Great Britain.

Further, Congress recognises that after the demonstration there needs to be a strong voice from all TUC affiliated unions to protect public and private sector workers, the unemployed, our children, the elderly and all those in our society who are vulnerable.

Congress accepts that the trade union movement must continue leading from the front against this uncaring government with a coalition of resistance taking coordinated action where possible with far reaching campaigns including the consideration and practicalities of a general strike.

Composite Motion 1

A Future That Works campaign

Congress rejects this government’s economic programme of austerity, which has caused a double-dip recession and a stagnant economy heading to the deterioration of living standards for ordinary people.

The austerity programme has been challenged by a number of eminent economists and concerns about prospects for UK growth have been expressed by the Bank of England, as well as the IMF and OECD.

Congress notes that since the coalition government came to power unemployment is higher, growth lower, and living standards are falling.

Congress believes that increasing unemployment, and particularly youth unemployment, is a deliberate policy aim of this government, as evidence by the record number of public sector job losses, at 730,000 double the initial 2010 coalition prediction.

Budget cuts, job losses, regional pay and privatisation will add to unemployment and weaken the prospects for economic growth; they will prevent the public from accessing the services and infrastructure this country needs for a future that works for everyone.

Congress rejects the idea that the UK public sector had in recent years become “too big” or inflated with unproductive “non-jobs”. Congress deplores the Coalition’s ideological attempts to reduce the size of the state. These are replacing collectivist responses to people’s needs, based on ensuring that basic rights are met as summed up by Beveridge in 1944, with a backward philosophy that sees no role for society. Congress utterly rejects such an approach that is based on further enshrining inequality within the UK and ignoring the needs of the majority. Congress believes that cuts in public spending make no economic sense. Congress therefore opposes all cuts to public services, jobs, pensions and pay.

Congress believes that a balanced, prosperous and sustainable economy must include all citizens, and that to ensure everyone has a stake, public investment and employment to deliver essential infrastructure and high quality services are essential. Congress recognises that the government’s austerity policies are making the UK economic situation worse.

Congress condemns the government for the hardship suffered by millions of people losing their jobs, local services or receiving cuts in their pay, pensions or benefits, and for deepening inequality in our society. Congress believes that the scale of the cuts and increased privatisation will fundamentally undermine our public services.

Congress is also alarmed at the slump in the UK’s manufacturing output with new orders having fallen at their fastest level since 2009 – clear evidence of the failure of the UK government’s economic policies, and a clear indication that the private sector will not provide jobs for those made redundant due to cuts in the public sector. The decline reflects a sharp weakening in domestic orders, with export orders also falling.

Congress condemns the UK ‘ConDem’ government’s policies of austerity and cuts, and further condemns the fact that UK businesses are effectively engaged in an ‘investment strike’, stockpiling cash equivalent to 50 per cent of GDP.

We support campaigning activity for an alternative to austerity. Congress also condemns the government policies that have resulted in the ‘take home’ pay of workers falling in real terms, rising unemployment, and ‘hidden’ unemployment as the number of workers seeking full-time employment but in part-time jobs has grown dramatically.

Congress congratulates trade unionists on strike action over public pensions on 30 November and 10 May. Congress believes that coordinated action is necessary to win concessions from the government.

Congress reaffirms its support for the principles outlined in the People’s Charter and Women’s Charter and calls for all affiliates to build support in workplaces, communities and within trades councils.

Congress calls for an alternative economic strategy that provides for growth, jobs and fairness. Congress instructs the General Council to continue to argue the case for an alternative to the economics of cuts and austerity, and do all it can to ensure that maximum turnout on the demonstration called by the TUC on 20 October 2012. Congress calls on the Labour Party leadership to support our campaigns and specifically to reverse its misguided support for the government’s public sector pay policy.

Congress supports the TUC’s A Future that Works campaign and calls on the General Council to campaign vigorously for an alternative to austerity that delivers jobs, homes and a decent standard of living for working people. Congress recognises the role of government in delivering an economy that works for ordinary people and serves society.

This shall include:

1. campaigning vigorously for its economic alternative

2. prioritising building for the 20 October demonstration – to make it the largest anti-cuts protest in UK history

3. full defending public services and rejecting the privatisation agenda

4. an end to the cuts that are sucking demand out of the economy

5. sectoral and regional re-balancing of the economy

6. an active industrial policy that supports manufacturing, makes strategic use of government procurement and helps develop a greener and more sustainable economy

7. strengthening manufacturing policy

8. investment in infrastructure including affordable and social housing, transport and energy

9. preservation of the welfare state

10. reform of the banking sector to work for the real economy, greater democratic control of financial institutions and the establishment of a National Investment Bank

11. tax justice, ensuring the rich pay their fair share through clampdowns on tax avoidance and evasion and the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax

12. endorsing progressive taxation and all measures against tax avoidance and evasion

13. promoting fair pay and decent employment

14. giving full support to all groups of workers in the private or public sector who take industrial action against cuts or attacks on pay, jobs, pensions or conditions of service and coordinating unions taking strike action

15. stepping up the campaign for an economic alternative based on growth, investment, redistribution of wealth and fair taxation

16. supporting campaigning groups taking action against cuts, including UK Uncut, Disabled People Against Cuts and the Occupy movement as well as supporting the role of local trades councils in building anti-cuts campaigns among local communities.

The Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith announced on October 9 that the Coalition government plans to remove Housing Benefit from the under-25s.

They asked, “Is it right that school leavers should be able to move directly from school to a life on housing benefit without finding a job first?” Cameron had forewarned this was going to be government policy in June. He said, “There are many (claiming housing benefit) who will have a parental home and somewhere to stay – they just want more independence.”

The reality, however, is that most working people, even if housed adequately themselves, simply do not have the space to accommodate their grown up children adults. The fact is that in social housing tenants are forced to downsize and many people in the private rented sector have been forced to move to smaller accommodation because of Iain Duncan Smith’s new caps on Local Housing Allowance. Thus it seems inevitable that the effect of ending housing benefit for the under 25s will be to greatly increase homelessness amongst young people. The number of homeless people is growing rapidly and in London last year the numbers of people sleeping rough increased by 43%, according to homeless charity Broadway.

The Thatcher government in 1982 created Housing Benefit under the Social Security and Housing Benefit Act. Margaret Thatcher had undermined the principle of local authorities’ providing council housing by implementing her notorious policy of the so-called “Right to Buy” in the Housing Act 1980, as part of what she termed “popular capitalism”.

Under the Housing Act, local authorities were not permitted to use the money from the sale of council houses to build more council houses but were forced to spend the money on reducing their debts. Thus the provision of social housing fell increasingly on the private sector and the power of local authorities in providing essential social services was undermined.

In the 1988 Housing Act, the Thatcher government introduced the Assured Tenancy Agreement which, because Rent Officers were able to assign rents, now reflected the rates in the private sector rather than actual housing need. This Act began the deregulation of private sector rents, reduced protection for tenants and removed the right to independent assessment of "Fair Rents". In addition, the eligibility of students aged under 25 for Housing Benefit was substantially cut. As one source puts it (politics.co.uk): “This deregulation, alongside rising council and housing association rents, declining investment in social housing meant that Housing Benefit expenditure tripled from £3.8 billion in 1986-1987 to £12.2 billion in 1997-1998. During the same period, claimant numbers fell from 7 million to 5.5 million.”

When Cameron, Osborne and other Coalition government leaders put forward that the state cannot afford the cost of welfare benefits in order to attempt to justify their austerity programme, they cover over that the state has withdrawn from its responsibility to provide social housing. In fact, Housing Benefit acts as a huge subsidy to private landlords. In any modern civilised society, decent housing for all is a right and must be guaranteed by the government.