Re: M-TH: Livingstone stands in London

[J.WALKER]

>Hugh: It's a question of a movement being built >around 
>Livingstone's candidacy.... >gather behind it all the popular 
>disaffection and hatred for New Labour's neo-liberal Tory policies

I am always amazed at the left's dogged support for the 
pro-Imperialist, pro-Capitalist, Opporunist, racist and chauvinist 
Labour Party - even when it is attacking it.  It always attempts to 
rescue some glimmer of Socialism from it or some historical act 
ot individual that proves it has a socialist heart even if it has a 
capialist face.

Hugh narrows his attack on the part to its New Labour leadership. A 
leadership voted for by most of its members which stood in the last 
election and was backed by Livingstone, the Labour left and most of 
the left outside the Labour Party (other than those who stood their 
own candidates). He attacks their neo-liberal Tory policies as if the 
Old Labour social democratic and opportunnist policies were so much 
better. If one actually compares the record of Labour and Tory 
dispassionately then it is often the Labour party which has shown 
itself most capable of carring out the most reactionary acts which 
the Tories wouldn't have got away with so easily (A point Engels 
makes).

>From carpet-bombing Kurdistan in 1924 to extending the bombing 
campaign in Kosovo in 1999. In between which it applauded the 
execution of James Connelly, supporting the war effort in both world 
wars, paved the way for the safe handing over of Viet Nam to the 
French and of indonesia to the Dutch, the conscript war 
in Korea. All the works of Old Labour. It brought in the first of a 
series of racist Immigration Acts, sent the troops into Ireland, 
introduced Diplock courts and the Prevention of Terrorism Act,  
extended the 'sus' laws against Black people, fought the Grunwick 
strike, the Notting Hill Carnival and defended the National Front 
rally leading to the death of Blair Peach. Which bit of Old Labour 
was so good?

New Labour isn't so new - it just the same old Party.

John Walker


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