LETTER from Tom Smith – Newport West Labour Party Member
The state can be defined, in the last analysis, as armed bodies of men. As far as I can see, the police are used as a battering ram against movements for democracy all over the world. They are used by the rich and powerful leaders to maintain the status quo when capitalist governments are challenged by ordinary people in the streets who fight against the injustices such systems generate. This of course true given the economic crisis facing those in Britain.
The police are also used by governments to spy on trade unions, spy on left wing groups and hammer demonstrations. I have been used to this type of activity for years. The miners’ strike saw night raids on activists, beating up of pickets and downright lying in the courts to achieve jail sentences. The Tories have now handed out draconian powers to put demonstration leaders behind bars. The assistance to big business in drawing up blacklists that permanently keep trade unionists unemployed, the use by undercover police of initiating sexual relations with women to gain deeper acceptance in left wing organisations, and the immunity granted to police who break the law – many of us have witnessed all of this for decades!
Of course, it is necessary to take a balanced view. Many workers see the police mainly in their role of fighting crime and protecting the public from dangerous criminals and mass murderers, saving lives. Numbers of police are killed doing so and earn the loyalty and support of the public for their sacrifice. In that sense the police can be seen as workers in uniform, undertaking a vital task, and I note the legitimacy of those feelings.
Situation becoming worse
However, more recently, I believe the situation is becoming dramatically worse! In my opinion, we are facing the prospects of a right-wing dictatorship in this country. The Home Secretary has powers to define law breaking activities without resorting to Parliament. What’s more, giving ex-pats the vote, gerrymandering constituency borders and sweeping away the vote for the poor and minority groups, who are unlikely to own a passport or driving licence, will all combine to produce Tory majorities in future general elections and set up real obstacles to prevent an alternative government from being elected.
No wonder activists feel a sense of outrage with the Labour leadership, which expels left wingers from the party, crushes freedom of speech and closes constituencies that threaten to recall right wing MPs. Increasingly, it means that the mass of workers has no political voice: no independent Labour programme to give hope to millions of voters. You can see what happened in Liverpool and Glasgow when left-wingers were selected as candidates or tipped to win the selection contest.
No coincidence or accident
These anti-democratic moves from the government coming at this time are no coincidence or accident. The Tories have no choice. January saw the worst trade figures for twenty years. The fishing industry has been wrecked, jobs are draining away from the UK into Europe and trillions of pounds risk being transferred from the City of London to the Eurozone, which has the focused the attention of the Bank of England. Even without Covid, a serious economic crisis is inevitable.
A new pandemic could arise at any time, which would make a mockery of economic forecasts. All of this at the same time as the NHS private contracts and farming food standards are being put up for negotiation in trade talks. Already, we can see the Northern Ireland Protocol under threat as the economy suffers. This combination of crises is likely to lead to widespread unrest. Hence the need for legal powers to suppress organised protests in the future. Of course, the BBC can also be relied on to distort the truth and the right-wing media will froth at mouth as usual.
However, these social and economic crises cannot be resolved simply by use of a police baton. The labour movement is far from being defeated. Now is the time for those who want to see a return to the principles of the old Clause 4 and democracy in the labour party to rally, to defend democracy in the Labour Party, and to defeat the attacks on democracy from the government.
