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If you think all the big political parties are the same - you're right! The bosses have got three parties - isn't it about time we had one of our own?
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Contents Could a new party make it more likely that the Tories are re-elected? How can we ensure a new party does not go the way of the Labour Party?
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For the millions, not the millionaires!
The case for a new mass workers' party
New Labour gives only one compelling reason why people should vote for it: that the Tories would be even worse.
Of course, no-one who remembers the 18 terrible years of Tory government wants them back, but nor can we accept that, in order to avoid a Tory government, we have no choice but to put up with New Labour’s ‘Tory policies with added smarm’ (also now on offer from the Cameron-led Tories!).
If we accept this we are accepting the nightmare of the endless continuation of right-wing governments raining down attacks on the working class.
Exactly the same argument was used against the foundation of the Labour Party over 100 years ago - at that stage, that Labour would ‘split’ the Liberal vote and let the Tories in.
Just as today, many union and workers’ leaders initially accepted this argument, while others wavered between supporting the Liberal Party and helping to found the Labour Party.
However, the Liberals were a party of big business which offered no way forward for working-class people and it was this that led to the Labour Party being founded and, eventually, to the marginalisation of the Liberal Party.
In particular, it was the viciously anti-trade union Taff Vale judgement which pushed many trade unions into recognising that they needed their own party.
A mass party, made up predominantly of working-class people and which fought in their interests, would have a huge effect in giving confidence to those struggling against the attacks of big-business governments.
At the moment, any worker who goes on strike, or campaigner who opposes privatisation or cuts, faces nothing but vitriol from the mainstream media and politicians.
Even just having a major political party that told the other side of the story, and that stood side-by-side with workers in struggle, would play a key role in raising the working class of England and Wales from its knees and giving it the confidence to fight back.
But a party would do more than that.
It would attempt to cut across the racist and divisive ideas peddled by the capitalist media.
It would be active and involved in every struggle of working people and would assist in linking those struggles together.
It would encourage international solidarity and publicise the struggles of the working class and oppressed worldwide which are almost completely ignored by the capitalist media.
For example, at the same time as the public-sector pensions campaign in Britain, workers in Belgium were taking part in general strikes in defence of their pension rights, but the only reference to this in the British mainstream media was that the Eurostar train service was disrupted!
Fundamentally, a new party would be a force for working-class emancipation.
It would link together the day-to-day struggles to defend and improve our living conditions with the long-term interests of the working class.
