The only way to build a movement
Socialist Organiser1980sBL shop steward ALAN THORNETT's speech at the July 17th national Cuts recall Conference.
Transcribed by hand from the printed page.
Can I ask delegates to cast their minds back to the very important report earlier this afternoon on the Longworth hospital occupation.
I know, as someone involved in supporting their action, that it was a difficult occupation to organise and that it got off to a shaky start. After the first week, the Divisional Officer of COHSE addressed the workers and gave them some advice: "End the occupation and go back to work". He told them "Don't make kamikaze pilots of yourselves".
Now, I don't know if anyone asked him if he was a member of the WRP, if he had come hot-foot from the nearest community council — but I do know that he stood far to the right of those workers who rejected his advice unanimously and are stronger now seven weeks later than they were then.
It reminded me of the November Lambeth conference when Ron Keating, moving the right wing motion from the NUPE Executive justified it by saying he would "not make kamikaze pilots of his membership.
"It also reminded me of Moss Evans at TGWU Biennial Delegate Conference, who when debating motions on fighting the Tory government, said "We have got to be tactical, we must not bring all our troops out of the trenches at the same time" and "we're not having any Charge of the Light Brigade."
These of course are the standard arguments of the right wing, they say it all the time. The issues being debated here today are the same as those debated at the previous conference and most of the arguments supporting them are the same.
But there have been some musical chairs: the people voicing the arguments have changed. At the last conference it was Ron Keating putting the right wing position, this time it's the WRP and those supporting community councils!
The community councils supporters tell us that opposition to Lambeth's supplementary rate rise is "conscious sabotage of the struggle in Lambeth". "Conscious sabotage"! — yet it was the very policy adopted overwhelmingly at the November conference! The WRP voted for it as well. Now, eight weeks later, it is "conscious sabotage".
So what has changed in the meantime? What has changed, of course, is that the chips are down in Lambeth. The cut in the rate support grant forced a decision to be made — either impose the cuts, put up the rates or go into political confrontation with the government. Ted Knight capitulated and put up the rates.
The crucial thing in today's situation is to mobilise the working class round a political confrontation with the government. It is argued, a Labour council can't confront the government till it has a mass movement behind it. But how do you get a mass movement behind you? Noone ever built a mass movement that way.
The only way to build a mass movement is to stand and fight — to give leadership. There is no other way to mobilise a movement behind you.
And what about the next rate rises in April? Will capitulation now build a mass movement ready for April? No: it will make it more difficult. Nothing serious can be done until a stand is made.
At the last conference Ted Knight said, "We don't want any more defeats like Clay Cross." In that lies the seeds of the problem. More Clay Crosses are exactly what we do need today. That was an important stand against the Tories. Today we don't just want one Clay Cross. We want 2,3,4,5,6 Clay Crosses — but that won't happen until someone is prepared to stand and fight and give a lead.