Rail union RMT supports new anti-war coalition RESPECT
Chris Edwards | 12.04.2004 15:17 | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles | Liverpool
Local branches of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are supporting the new anti-war coalition RESPECT. RMT members at Virgin Trains catering staff, Piccadilly Station, Manchester, are currently on strike...
To see a video clip of the picket line and some interviews with members of RMT and RESPECT, go to:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/04/1677136.php
Since the RMT national union conference democratised its political fund last year, local branches of the union have voted to support a new coalition that came out of the anti-war movement--RESPECT. Two branches in Manchester and three in London have already voted to support RESPECT.
The union had already supported the Scottish Socilaist Party (SSP) last year and this resulted in it being disaffiliated from the Labour Party some months ago. But until now, no political organisation in England and Wales appeared credible enough to gain support from this trades union. The launch of RESPECT has changed all of that and this means that the anti-racist and anti-war left can begin to offer a real, properly financed, electoral opposiiton ot the fascist British national Party and the Blairite warmongers..
This clips shows RMT catering staff working for Virgin Travel out on strike at Manchester's main rail station--Piccadilly. It feature interviews with an RMT spokesperson and also a RESPECT supporter explaining the party's support for the strikers.
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/04/1677136.php
Since the RMT national union conference democratised its political fund last year, local branches of the union have voted to support a new coalition that came out of the anti-war movement--RESPECT. Two branches in Manchester and three in London have already voted to support RESPECT.
The union had already supported the Scottish Socilaist Party (SSP) last year and this resulted in it being disaffiliated from the Labour Party some months ago. But until now, no political organisation in England and Wales appeared credible enough to gain support from this trades union. The launch of RESPECT has changed all of that and this means that the anti-racist and anti-war left can begin to offer a real, properly financed, electoral opposiiton ot the fascist British national Party and the Blairite warmongers..
This clips shows RMT catering staff working for Virgin Travel out on strike at Manchester's main rail station--Piccadilly. It feature interviews with an RMT spokesperson and also a RESPECT supporter explaining the party's support for the strikers.
Chris Edwards
Comments
Hide the following 13 comments
what a waste
13.04.2004 13:50
for the working class
Balance
13.04.2004 14:49
As this election approaches it is clear Respect is not going to go from 0 to 8% this region in just six months. The Greens can win a seat (and keep the BNP in 5th place) by going from 6 to 8%+. The Greens and Respect have a lot in common, so let's hope they are not competing with each other for much longer, so we can have a credible challenge to pro-war Labour MPs in 2005.
Apologies to Indymedia readers for the (inevitable) political bias in this response.
More debate at www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk
pingupete
e-mail: pingupete@hotmail.com
For a fight against the BNP
13.04.2004 15:08
His comments are also an insult to the intelligence of members of the RMT. These people have been at the sharp edge of the fight against privatisation and they are currently striking against vicious attacks on their working conditions. Trades unionists with a record like that are not stupid--as "for the working class" seems to be implying. They obviously know what the score is and have minds of their own. They voted to support RESPECT because they agree with it.
Lastly, since when has organising a huge campaign to challenge the BNP on the electoral terrain--which is what RESPECT is doing--been a "waste of time"? You are talking nonsense.
What is "for the working class" doing to stop the BNP leader becoming the MEP for the North West?
Naomi
Simplistic and wrong
13.04.2004 15:22
One of the most well known members of the RESPECT in Manchester is Ron Sancek, an American Vietnam war veteran, who is today a UNISON shop steward and was previously a leader of the bitterly fought Revell and George printworkers strike. There are others like him.
Gill
RESPECT is not starting from zero
13.04.2004 15:39
Secondly, as I understand it, RESPECT approached the Greens earlier this year to proopse a joint electoral campaign and the Greens turned it down.
Mandy
RESPECT does have an MP--the Greens do not
13.04.2004 16:00
Nevertheless, there should be a joint RESPECT-Green election campaign--it is really so difficult to establish an agreement not to stand against each other's candidates?
Are we incapable of even doing that?
We must avoid the farce of the Brent East bye election where half a dozen lefties were standing against each other. The BNP has got its act together--when is the left going to do the same???
Billy
Useful Info
13.04.2004 16:33
No one is saying that Respect don't have support. Michael Lavalette did brilliantly to get elected in Preston, but he is just 1 councillor compared to 9 Greens in the North West. I've also found that if you point out that Socialist Labour got just 12,000 votes in 1999 (they were the biggest "left" group) this tends to result in blame and division.
Yes, Respect have an MP, but he wasn't elected as Respect. In their own right, the Greens have got two European MPs and need an extra 2% or so (depending on the results of other parties) to get one in the North West. We need to deal with political reality.
Deals have been done elsewhere - why stand against Caroline Lucas? Why risk letting the BNP get elected in the NW? Respect stood down for the SSP, because it was the right thing to do. The SSP are an established party with support, and Respect splitting the vote in Scotland would have been very bad. Why not elsewhere?
In the North West, the Greens approached the old Liberal Party last year, while Respect was not even a gleam in GG's eye, to discuss how to prevent the BNP getting in. The Liberal command a loyal support of 20,000 in the North West and if a deal had been struck it would have ensured that the BNP would not have been in the running.
It's not as though the Greens don't do deals. In the South West region, Mebyon Kernow (Party of Cornwall) stood down for the Green list in exchange for Green support at a parliamentary and local level. The Greens need just 1.5% to get an MEP there.
If the racists do end up getting in, it is not for want of trying on the part of the Greens. We are lucky that many people are concerned about GM foods because that is going to get the Greens ahead of the BNP, hopefully with the support of many principled socialists who realise that there are hard choices to be made in this region.
And I'm not trying to have a go at Respect. I work with both Respect and Green activists in the anti-racism movement. I just think we need to make people aware of the difficult choice they have to make, because the BNP haven't gone away just because it is a postal ballot. If Respect are higher than the Greens in the polls come May 27th, my vote would be for them, but the reality is that it will be the Greens that are the only party able to beat the BNP and force them into 5th place.
pingupete
e-mail: pingupete@hotmail.com
Respect are a waste of time
13.04.2004 16:40
wake up and grow up - we don't live in a democracy and the sooner we realize that 'respect' and the rest of the left the quicker we can build the movement that will truly rattle the fences and brains of the powerful
powerful
David jeff
Do you want this monster as your MEP?
13.04.2004 17:31
Adolf Griffin
Anti-fascist
weg
13.04.2004 19:00
your not ;down with the kids' your pathetic, with your little minuture beaurocracy and fucking wank badges. your not changing SHIT.
fuck fuck fuck right off.
nb. please kep this on, its angry...but also true, giving it the 'edge'
geqr
Here we go again
14.04.2004 10:53
Respect will end up going the same way as the Socialist Alliance. That fell apart because people got pissed off with the control freaks of the SWP running it. It will be the same with Respect. John Rees is standing where I live but there's no way I'll vote for him (in case you don't know, he's the leader of the SWP). They want to control people as much as Labour do. Just the fact that they pretend to want as many like-minded people as possible winning seats but then stand against Green MEPs shows where they are coming from. And as for Lindsey German possibly standing for Mayor???? If they were serious and didn't have to deal with the huge egos of folk like George Galloway, they would concentrate their efforts in getting rid of the bad guys. There's no point in standing against Labour rebels, Greens, etc.
The country is in dire need of an alternative to New Labour that doesn't let the Tories back in. But Respect ain't it.
The Snake
hmmm
14.04.2004 14:31
http://www.iwca.info/
realistic
lets have less “my dad’s bigger than you dad” arguments.
23.04.2004 21:33
For example it is a bit disingenuous for Chris to claim that RMT branches are backing RESPECT simply because it is somehow much more credible than the Socialist Alliance was. The truth is that the rule change in the RMT happened just before the launch of Respect, so it was impossible before then for RMT branches to support the SA.
Anyway, if you check the left press – for example Socialist Worker just because back issues are available on the web that far back so you can check I am not making this up – during the last GLA elections in London a GMB branch backed on of the SA candidates then, and so did a CWU branch.
I hope Respect does well – but Chris and others have to recognise that it will not get the support of the left – and particularly the RMT executive that still has to approve these branch decisions – by simply proclaiming itself the answer to all our prayers.
Similarly, this old chestnut of Caroline Lucas. The offer made to the Greens by Respect was that there would be a joint slate, with Caroline at the head of it. If anything this would have made her chances of re-election better not worse. In my opinion the Greens backed Respect into a corner because they need to stand in all Euro-constituencies to get an election broadcast. I think the blame for this situation lies with the Greens – and as I understand it Caroline herself backed the joint slate idea.
Naomi clearly has not studied how the d’Hondt system electoral works. Posing an electoral challenge in these Euro elections actually makes it more likely that the BNP will win, unless your candidate gets more votes than the BNP. Now I don’t think we can hold either the Greens or Respect responsible if people vote for the BNP. The responsibility for the racist climate lies with the establishment parties who have whipped up racism over asylum, etc. But I think Respect supporters need to take this argument a lot more seriously. And yes there is a debate about this on the Socialist unity webpage - with contributions from socialists and greens. http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk
I also think we need to look at why the BNP appeals to some voters. It is not just racism, it is also because they are very clearly anti-establishment, and they tap into the sence of betrayal people feel about the political establishment. If we are to beat the BNP we need to address the hopelessness and the despair that they feed on – obviously we need to smash their racist arguments – but we need radical answers ourselves to the social problems. The greens don’t seem to offer much to people on sink estates – although I agree with many (most?) of their policies – they do come over as a bit sandals and hand-knitted jumpers (not that I have anything against those fashion choices but I cannot see many people thinking – who shall I vote for, the BNP or the Greens.)
On the other hand I know from personal experience that in some areas, where the Socialist Alliance has done the sort of consistent work “realistic” admires, but with slightly less populist policies than the IWCA, that SA has attracted votes that would have otherwise gone to the BNP. But it is not clear to me whether Respect will be able to do the same – partly because its campaign all seems a bit pre-packaged and corporate – and partly because they are simply not going to be out on the working class estates talking to people face to face – which is how minority parties gain a foothold.
I have no particular truck with IWCA – but they can rightly say that they have proven their approach works in practice by winning Blackbird Leys in Oxford away from Labour – by hard graft over years.
So – lets have less posturing – and less “my dad’s bigger than you dad” arguments.
Andy