‘This is the period of the world revolution,’ All Trades Union Alliance National Secretary Dave Wiltshire told 150 delegates at the News Line-ATUA Conference in London on Sunday.
Summing up the debate, he said: ‘What has emerged is this capitalist system has no time for the elderly and sick.
‘The only thing it cares about is profit.
‘Capitalism cannot advance humanity one little bit, all it can offer is war.
‘They went to war in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya.
‘But imperialism has been defeated and they are leaving Afghanistan with their tail between their legs.
‘They were defeated in Iraq and they will be defeated in Libya.
‘Libya’s enemy is our enemy. A victory for Libya is a victory for us and vice versa.’
Appealing to youth to come forward, he added: ‘Young people have nothing to lose. Help build the future, the future is yours.
‘Let’s build socialism, put an end to this system of profit.
‘Socialism will feed, clothe and house everybody.
‘Kick out the trade union and Labour traitors, build the revolutionary leadership and let’s go forward to the general strike.’
In his opening speech Wiltshire had said: ‘The working class is on the move, despite the trade union leaders.’
He warned: ‘The government won’t change its mind. It is driven by the capitalist crisis.’
He added: ‘Ed Balls, the Labour shadow chancellor, said the one-day strike (on June 30) was wrong and it should be called off.’
He warned: ‘What the trade union leaders are running a mile from is you cannot change the mind of the government, you can only bring it down.
‘They fear that bringing down this government will lead to a workers government and socialism.’
He stressed: ‘The general strike poses the issue of power.’
He added: ‘The TUC betrayed the 1926 General Strike because it posed taking power.
‘We need a new leadership in the unions. The present leaders will not take the fight to the end because of their reformist politics.
‘The Welfare State and the NHS cannot be defended by reformism, it can only be defended by revolution.’
He concluded: ‘The working class are prepared to fight, the issue is leadership.
‘We need a revolutionary leadership. It has to be built urgently.’
Micheline Mason of the Alliance for Inclusive Education, who is disabled herself, said: ‘I want to speak on behalf of all the people on the edge of society who are struggling to get by.
‘People have fought for many years to have dignity in their lives.
‘Many disabled people have struggled to get benefits so we can get out of institutions.
‘All these gains are being eroded or attacked.’
She added: ‘I’ve never seen the disabled community so fearful as now.’
Mr K Jana, from the British Tamil Forum, told the Conference: ‘I represent the community which is the victim of capitalism, colonialism, imperialism and racism.
‘We have suffered so many times because of political stupidity.
‘During the civil war 40,000 civilians were killed and 140,000 have been disappeared.
‘Many are still held in military prisons and the government continues its genocidal agenda.
‘Capitalist policies of the government are making the people pay dear.’
Young Socialists National Secretary Joshua Ogunleye declared: ‘We are living in a revolutionary time.
‘Young people want to go forward. In Algeria, Egypt, Greece, Spain, there’s a refusal to be pushed back.
‘Youth are refusing to have their future taken away from them.’
He added: ‘The revolution is here too. Last December students on the streets focused on the struggle for a future.
‘Next week, London Met students are demonstrating because 70 per cent of courses are being cut.
‘This government wants young people to work for nothing, calling it work experience. That’s an insult.
‘Young people across the world are leading this fight and are insisting this system must go.
‘We need a mass leadership that will take this struggle forward beyond the trade union leaders.
‘It’s a struggle to establish a new government and a future for young people. Young people will bring out the mass of workers.
‘We need to build a leadership to mobilise the working class to smash the government.’
Ex-rail worker Lennie Bean said: ‘We had everything going for us now its gone. The News Line is the only paper that supports working people. Take it every day.’
Chingford ASLEF chairman Bill Rogers told the conference: ‘We’ve been privatised for 17 years.
There’s a whole new tranche of privatisation and battles coming. McNulty wants more fragmentation.
‘Train crashes were caused by the drive for profits and privatisation.
‘Our branch also got involved in the struggle for the NHS. We formed a Council of Action to keep Chase Farm Hospital open.
‘Southern Cross faces bankruptcy and tens of thousands face eviction. Panorama showed mentally ill people being beaten up in a private hospital.
‘The consequences of privatisation are people die.
‘Only the News Line and Workers Revolutionary Party has the solution – bring down the government and go forward to a workers government and socialism.’
GMB member Ken Lawton said: ‘Privatisation of the gas industry has been a disaster.
‘They are not looking after the public. When they privatised it they said it would be cheaper. But the price is killing old people.’
Rob Bolton, CWU South Central No1 branch chair, warned: ‘The Postal Service Bill will open the industry to privatisation in the autumn.
‘We had strikes to defend our jobs in 2007 and 2009 and on both occasions our leaders backed down when we were on the brink of victory.
‘Over the last three years we’ve lost 65,000 jobs and there’s another 40,000 to go in the next three years.’
He added that London postal workers have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over the planned closing of mail centres.
Bolton said: ‘Recently, my branch passed a motion calling for a general strike. That went forward to the national CWU conference and was carried unanimously.
‘But you can’t win with this CWU leadership. We have to have leaders that will go all the way.’
YS editor Paul Lepper declared: ‘Now is the time for revolution.
‘People cannot live with what is being done to them – council housing, the NHS, benefits, that is what the Tory coalition is coming for.
‘Half a million marched on March 26. This summer there’s going to be a war over pensions and jobs.
‘We need to lead a struggle in our trade unions and fight for an indefinite general strike to bring down the government and go forwards to socialism.’
Shareen McLean from Hackney YS said: ‘People on income support are going to be punished. I have a young child. They won’t give me a job because of that.
‘We have to bring this government down. They say you have to work for your benefit. We have to work together to do something about this.’
Unemployed Ealing resident Laura Southern condemned the trade union leaders for failing to take action to stop the Iraq war.
Speaking in a personal capacity BMA Council member Anna Athow, said: ‘The Health and Social Care Bill has opened up the NHS to private providers.
‘Cameron’s red lines for the NHS have not gone.
‘The government still plans GP commissioning, a Commissioning Board and unlimited private patients.
‘This is the end of the NHS as we know it.
‘The Bill ends the redistribution of resources. Every consortium will be given a fixed budget.
‘They will have to ration care and giver contracts to companies operating for profit.’
She warned: ‘At the centre is the closing of NHS hospitals. Tens of thousands of nurses have been sacked already.
‘They plan to strip district general hospitals of A&E departments across the country.
‘They have to be kept open. We have to occupy them.’
Athow added: ‘Lansley wants to force the Bill through.
‘There has been opposition from the unions. Because of this they had to call a pause.
‘But the Bill they are putting forward is fundamentally the same.
‘More than ever, the fight to stop the NHS being privatised has to be stepped up.
‘The whole Bill has to go, it will only be defeated once this government is brought down.
‘Build a new leadership in the trade unions and go forward to a workers government and socialism.’
