‘We’re getting ready for revolution in Britain as part of the world socialist revolution.’
That was the message delivered by workers revolutionary Party General Secretary, Frank Sweeney, to 200 youth and workers at the News Line Anniversary Rally in London yesterday.
‘This is a decisive rally for our party and the working class.
‘When we commemorate the Russian Revolution, we’re not doing it from historical interest alone, we see it as the beginning of the world socialist revolution.’
Sweeney said that military leaders and former military leaders in Britain were making open political statements.
He added: ‘On a world scale, British military expenditure is second only to the United States.
‘They’re getting vast amounts of money but they are talking about doubling the military budget. It’s going to be taken out of the welfare state.’
He said that trying to carry out the destruction of the welfare state in Britain ‘will produce an insurrectionary situation’.
He added that although Gordon Brown was willing to give big business what they wanted, ‘the Northern Rock bank is only one patient and there are lots of patients queueing up trying to get money out of the Bank of England.’
He concluded by urging: ‘Build our party and our youth movement into a mass youth movement. The working class is tired of Labour and trade union bureaucrats who hold the struggle back.
‘We’re getting ready for revolution in Britain as part of the world socialist revolution.’
Bill Rogers, secretary of the North East London Council of Action, said it was the lead given by the News Line and the WRP that led to the setting up of a council of action.
He said: ‘We held a mass demonstration through Enfield.
‘Over 3,000 people marched with us to stop Chase Farm being closed down.
‘The demand we put all along the way was “no to the closure of Chase Farm Hospital” and an occupation to keep it open.
‘The principle of the council of action is “by all means necessary to defend the NHS” and any hospital threatened with closure.’
Rogers called for the mobilisation of the entire working class ‘in a general strike to bring down this Brown government and form a workers government and plan the NHS to satisfy human need.’
CWU Harrow rep Richard Kassir told the rally that the secret ballot of postal workers on the Modernisation Agreement with Royal Mail ‘went through on 64 per cent vote of 54 per cent return, which means one third actually voted for it’.
He added: ‘I thank the News Line for its unflinching honesty and its fight for us and our rights and maintaining a strong story line for the postal workers during the strike action, boosting morale.’
Anna Athow, a consultant surgeon speaking in a personal capacity, said that all over the country there is a struggle taking place to keep hospitals open.
‘The Darzi plan has proclaimed that the days of the district general hospital are over.
‘Traditional GP practices are to be phased out and super surgeries tendered out to the private sector.’
She called for the mobilisation of ‘residents and trade unionists into councils of action’ and the building of a new leadership in the trade unions ‘to call for national strike action’.
Billy Colvill, a Peckham CWU rep, said: ‘The News Line told the truth about our leadership and its relations with Royal Mail and the TUC.
‘They sold us out, and I say this quite openly, they sold us out on the flexibility.
‘But, nevertheless, despite the whole union machine they had, and area leaders who told us: “you have to vote yes”, in that ballot a magnificent 30 per cent of members voted against that lousy agreement and that is unheard of.
‘We’ve got to build a new leadership in our union that’s going to take this struggle forward.’
Gate Gourmet sacked worker Lakhinder Saran, bringing greetings to the News Line, said: ‘You have supported us from Day One.
‘What Gate Gourmet did to us, other employers are doing today.
‘They are sacking their workers and bringing in cheap labour instead.
‘We are determined never to give in. We are determined to beat these ruthless privateers who destroy workers lives.’
Chagos Islands Community Association chair Hengride Permal, Hillingdon strike leader Malkiat Bilku, cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, Alex Pereira, and News Line editor Paddy O’Regan were among the other speakers.
