Monday 20 October 2008

Why the Labour Movement is correct to have no relations with indiviudals in Fascisst organisations!

WHY THE LABOUR MOVEMENT PRINCIPLE OF NO CONTACT WITH FASCISTS HAS TO BE MAINTAINED!

It is necessary to re-state a basic labour movement principle why the workers movement does not collaborate with individuals in Fascist organisations as amazingly several contributors to Socialist Unity website defend Andy Newman dealing with BNPers who can supposedly ‘broken from Fascism’. The historic role of Fascism is to crush all workers organisations so that Capital can save money on labour costs and other social expenditures.

In order to build a social base among middle class elements and deprived workers who are normally unemployed, usually unorganised from the labour movement Fascists use anti-Capitalist demagogy. They salvage Capitalism by making other nationalities; religions; and ethnicities as scapegoats for the socio-economic problems. As Trotsky said Fascism differs from all other forms of Bourgeois rule in that its aim is to crush all workers organisations. The labour movement in Britain in recent years correctly has attempted to unify all workers and have united fronts with all oppressed groups which strengthen the workers fight against Fascism.

Trotskyists fight to extend that alliance by fighting for Trade Unions to start fighting against Capitalism on all levels which forges alliance with layers of the middle class. This has two positive effects. If the working class is decisive large middle class layers will come over to our side. It is capitulating to the ruling class that drives the despairing middle class towards Fascism. It also deters the ruling class from going Fascist because they know they will face such a backlash from the organised labour movement and large layers from other oppressed groups which might spark a pre-revolutionary crisis.

World Capitalism is even in a greater state of decay than it was when Trotsky wrote about it during the 1930s Great Depression. This is clearly seen in the huge bailouts to the Capitalist banks which massively exceed what money was spent during the 1930s. We are moving into a period of increased radicalisation within the Imperialist countries and upturn of world revolution within Third Word countries; and possibility of mass anti-Capitalist/anti-Stalinist struggles within the Degenerated Workers’ States.

In Britain as I argued since 1997 the massive landslide victory for the Labour Party represented the beginning of mass radicalisations by workers and large numbers of middle class elements. The Tory party until the tactical adaptation of the Cameron leadership to this new consciousness have been in the wilderness. Until the financial crisis of recent weeks the Cameroon leadership’s strategy has been to get elected by coning the masses that they will not be qualitatively worse than Blair and Brown. This strategy was working because of the Trade Union bureaucracy have not built a serious opposition to Brown inside the Labour Party and the Ultra-Lefts and Popular Frontists played into their hands by not intervening to build a big left wing in the Labour Party which have been done skilfully changed the balance of class forces more in the workers favour and Trotskyism could have started to build a big base.

Instead what we have seen is until recently among certain layers is a move to the right by the Tory landslide in this year’s local elections and the rise of Fascist parties. The Griffin leadership has tried to hide their Fascism. This is why it plays into their hands by having any relations with BNP members because it strengthens their ability to gain more of a base by creating the impression ‘they are not Fascists, even elements of the left are dealing with their members’. It also plays into the state’s hands because they can create mis-trust among anti-Fascists by creating an atmosphere of double dealing. The changing ethnic composition of workers and middle class elements has led the Griffin leadership to appear less ‘racist’ and build their base through xenophobia. It is absolute treachery for anybody in the labour movement to deal with individuals in the BNP who inadvernatly play into the hands of the Griffin leadership who attempt to portray themselves as ‘not Fascist’, which if succeeded would disarm workers and other oppressed groups on what their historic role is.

The dialectics of history has turned into its opposite in terms of how the financial crisis is historically destroying Cameron’s strategy for the Tory Party to return to government. It represents again a process where workers are turning to their traditional organisations. This process will be hard to stop by Trade Union Bureaucrats and Ultra-Lefts. There are middle class elements sensing this change linking up with this process. These are semi-un-conscious sub-terrain processes which will at some stage explode on the stage with more explosive struggles. The Trotskyist tactics in this new situation is to deepen the schism between these Bourgeois elements and Social Democrats inside the Labour Party, and by going through an experience of Social Democracy breaks millions of workers from Social Democracy towards Trotskyism.

Class independence is crucial in rising class struggles. This is central to fighting Fascism. The parties’ voters vote for is determined by class battles and whether there is hope or despair in mass psychology. It is got to be made clear by labour movement activists that they will not be any collaboration with members of Fascist organisations because they aim to destroy our movement.

As part of our ideological struggle against Fascism we should point how the Fascists during the 1930s in Britain attacked demonstrations fighting for more relief for the unemployed. Trotskyism has great chances to grow. It is only if the workers fail their historic opportunity will Fascism rise. Trotsky was correct when he said Hitler had to crush the labour movement quickly because of the unstable nature of his middle class base. This is shown by the last 1932 parliamentary election when the Nazi vote declined and the German Communist Party seats increased from 81 to 100. That was a big factor in the German ruling class deciding to use the Fascists to put down the threat of Socialist revolution. Workers have gone through an experience with Fascism historically. This is why it is so criminal to play into the Fascists hands by creating an image that some of their members ‘are acceptable’.