There is a debate going on about the meaning and significance of the October 20th TUC demonstration. This is a good thing and a natural thing, although beware, there is some right cobblers being peddled.
Was the demo a success? Compared to the last TUC march or the coordinated public sector strikes last year of course it was not. Half a million into one to two hundred thousand is a decline. But this is not comparing like with like. A year has passed in which several unions leaderships allowed pension dispute to die. No new national struggles have been organised, although the Olympic bus dispute was an interesting, rare phenomenon; an offensive strike that was (mostly) successful.
I was expecting the recent march to be much smaller than it was. The major union leaderships had no interest in delivering a conspicuously large demonstration that might raise members’ expectations. The leadership don’t want a fight, but some part of the union movement clearly does. It may be a minority, but it’s a big minority, and that’s where we start from.
So the question is, apparently, general strike or tax evasion campaign? Really, is that the best we can do?
Firstly, the proposed tax evasion campaign: why this is counter-posed to strike action (you probably know who I’m referring to)? The labour movement has just turned out another hundred thousand plus demonstration. We clearly are civilised human beings that can walk and chew gum at the same time. There are also tax evasion campaigns out there, successful ones that do not need to be replicated. Can’t the unions back those instead?
Finally on tax evasion, it is perfectly possible to be anti-tax evasion and pro-austerity. Tax evasion is part of the issue, it is not the issue. The issue is whether the capitalist class pass on the cost of the recession to the working class (and future generations of working class let’s not forget).
Secondly, on the matter of a general strike: of course the people who want a general strike or even co-ordinated industrial action are not in the driving seat. But we need not confuse strategy with tactics. It goes back to the minority we mentioned earlier, who do not want to duck a fight. The minority in the labour movement must come out of the shadows. A discussion about general strikes at this point is a way of getting the minority to recognise itself. Who wants to fight back? I do!
The Tory-led government has had far too easy a ride so far. It will take everything unless it is resisted. Unions resist by collective withdrawal of labour, and when they resist they draw support, inside and outside the union movement. This is because millions of people can see that the working class is finally in the game. This is what set piece industrial action does. We need increased resistance on the part of the unions. If we can’t have a general strike now we need one and we need to be discussing how to get one (whether this involves manoeuvring within existing unions structure or rank and file pressure, like the sparks campaigns is another argument for another time).
Lastly on the general strike, there will be one on November 14th across Europe. Its key support will be in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus. Why is such action good enough for them but not for us? Must we wait until we’re in the same wretched state as the Greeks before we lift a finger to defend ourselves?
We are at war, whether we want to be at not. Tax evasion campaigns or politely waiting for Labour, which is what’s actually being proposed here let’s be honest, amounts to pacifism.