Uncle Al
14th May 2009, 03:42
The ever-rising popularity of the BNP in the UK amongst the working class (and indeed, radical Islam amonst working class Muslims) indicates that there is a vacuum where working-class political engagement should be - previously, I suppose, the natural home of the working class would have been Labour, but clearly disaffection with mainstream politics/politicians is at an all time high, and Labour has of course betrayed its working class roots. As such, this leaves many people susceptible to the rhetoric of the far right - after all, the BNP come along and started, ostensibly, to listen to people's concerns and respond to them, attack mainstream politicians etc. (indeed, there are many BNP policies which would not look out of place in a socialist manifesto: a fully-funded NHS, for example). Trouble is, of course, the explanation they give for the rough deal that the working class has been left with and the mess that everything's in is racist: it's all the fault of the immigrants/Muslims/loony lefties etc.
So where's the left-wing alternative - i.e. a party that tells the truth, and that is genuinely a working-class movement of solidarity and unity and egalitarianism? There's obviously a pressing need for one - why aren't any of the left-wing parties as popular as, if not more popular than, the BNP? Just what does the BNP have that we on the left don't, because they must be doing something right (in terms of appealing to working-class voters)? There is an urgent, fundamental need for a working-class party, else the BNP would not get anywhere - each new vote that they gather should testify to this. And this should give us encouragement - the working class are crying out for someone to listen to them, involve them and struggle for them. So where the bloody hell are we? It's all very well going along and demonstrating against the BNP and punching a few fascists, but that's not getting to the heart of the issue: the far-right is working, and the left is not. Why not? Previously, it was socialists who were at the forefront of the working class struggle, today it's the BNP/al-Qa'ida et al. who claim the glory. Why? It's almost 20 years since the collapse of Stalinism - was this such a massive blow to the integrity and ideology of the left that we have been unable to respond and move on?
So where's the left-wing alternative - i.e. a party that tells the truth, and that is genuinely a working-class movement of solidarity and unity and egalitarianism? There's obviously a pressing need for one - why aren't any of the left-wing parties as popular as, if not more popular than, the BNP? Just what does the BNP have that we on the left don't, because they must be doing something right (in terms of appealing to working-class voters)? There is an urgent, fundamental need for a working-class party, else the BNP would not get anywhere - each new vote that they gather should testify to this. And this should give us encouragement - the working class are crying out for someone to listen to them, involve them and struggle for them. So where the bloody hell are we? It's all very well going along and demonstrating against the BNP and punching a few fascists, but that's not getting to the heart of the issue: the far-right is working, and the left is not. Why not? Previously, it was socialists who were at the forefront of the working class struggle, today it's the BNP/al-Qa'ida et al. who claim the glory. Why? It's almost 20 years since the collapse of Stalinism - was this such a massive blow to the integrity and ideology of the left that we have been unable to respond and move on?