SATURDAY’S massive turnout for the trade union sponsored mass demonstration with its lead banner declaring ‘Not One Day More – Tories out’ has spread shock waves through the ruling class and also the trade union bureaucracy.
Some capitalist observers managed to count just 10,000 on the march – if that was the case there would clearly be no problem. In fact hundreds of thousands marched, up to 300,000 and were full of determination to carry out the message of the lead banner ‘Not One Day More’ for the Tory government.
In the tenth year of austerity, with living standards on zero, the Grenfell Tower fire – when scores of tenants were burnt to death as a direct result of massive deregulation to cut costs and boost profits while the fire and emergency services were slashed to pieces – was the last straw. Now the floodgates have begun to open.
The badly wounded Tory government must now be brought down by the trade unions taking general strike action, to bring in a workers government that will begin the socialist reorganisation of the completely bankrupt and criminal capitalist society.
However, Unison leader Prentis has released a post march statement saying: ‘Today I addressed tens of thousands of people in central London at the People’s Assembly demonstration. It was great to see such crowds out in force to tell Theresa May, her party and her DUP allies that it’s time for an end to austerity, to the pay cap and to this failing Tory government.
‘In this vital week – when Parliament came just a handful of votes from overturning the pay cap – it’s so important for everyone in our movement to keep the pressure on the Tories.
‘Austerity – that cruel political choice and terrible political project – is coming to an end. That’s clear not just to those who marched today, but to the millions around the country who voted for change on June 8th, and millions more who are waking up to the possibility of a different country and a different way of doing things.
‘The end to the arbitrary pay cap needs to be the first stage in austerity’s downfall, because the ambulance worker, the housing officer and the hospital porter have gone far too long without the fair wage they deserve – especially when they do so much for all of us. Enough is enough.’
Prentis is talking about forcing the Tory government to drop its policies ‘in stages’ not by mobilising to bring it down now! At the march rally itself, McCluskey of Unite made a long speech during which he proposed no action against the Tories but instead to appeal to them: ‘Let Labour take over. Prime Minister, go and go now.’
One of the first speakers in Parliament Square was TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady. The TUC had refused to support the march, but she was obviously advised that if she boycotted the rally her job would be vacant.
O’Grady expressed surprise at recent political developments, made a tame joke about May now knowing what it’s like to be on a zero-hours contract, and then asked, as if it’s nothing to do with the TUC: ‘Who knows what’s going to happen next?’ She concluded by saying: ‘We want a public sector pay rise. Scrap the pay cap and scrap it now.’ She remains as politically bankrupt as ever!
Labour leader, John McDonnell, turned the struggle towards parliament saying: ‘We need to bring an end to this government at the first opportunity. Over there,’ pointing to Parliament, he added: ‘We’ll use every device we can to bring them down. But there’s work to be done outside parliament. We’ve had over 100,000 on the streets today. In every community we want people and the trade unions to stand up and say enough is enough.
‘Not just a Labour government, but a socialist government under Jeremy Corbyn. Another world is in sight. Let’s seize the moment comrades.’
Seizing the moment means not allowing the Tories with the support of the DUP to hang on for up to two more years in the House of Commons doing massive harm to the working class of the world.
The momentum of the ‘Not One More Day’ march must be stepped up. This means that Prentis, McCluskey, Serwotka and other union leaders have to convene an emergency meeting of the TUC general council to call a general strike, if necessary sacking O’Grady in the process. With the Tories at their weakest and the masses on the march now is the time to act!
