Labour after the election

Gerry Downing, Marie Lynam, Theo Russell and Andy Brooks

by New Worker correspondent

That was the theme of the panel of speakers who opened a New Worker meeting at the Cock Tavern in central London last week. Chaired by Theo Russell, the panel included NCP leader Andy Brooks and Gerry Downing of Socialist Fight, who was expelled by Labour on trumped-up charges of ‘anti-Semitism’ last year, and Marie Lynam, a Posadist who is a Labour Party activist and supporter of the Labour Representation Committee.
 Labour’s strong showing in the June election against all expectations from the media pundits has left the Tories dependant on the votes of the sectarian bigots of the Democratic Unionist Party in the occupied north of Ireland. How long can they cling to power was the question and the general answer was that it largely depended on the mobilisation of the mass movement.

NCP leader Andy Brooks said we must focus on Jeremy Corbyn’s call to bring down the May government to force another general election this year and when that takes place to work for the maximum Labour vote to give Corbyn a working majority in parliament. Labour will be a hostage to fortune if ends up relying on the votes of the nationalists or the Liberal-Democrats to form the next government he said. But the June efforts show that a Labour majority was winnable through the mobilisation of the working class up and down the country. In the meantime the campaign to stop the Blairite bureaucracy’s witch-hunt against prominent left-wingers must continue unabated until all those unjustly suspended or expelled are reinstated.

Gerry Downing , Marie Lynam and Theo Russell made similar points reflecting the broad spectrum of left opinion that has united behind the call from Corbyn for a new direction for Labour. A lively discussion followed on the pros and cons of Brexit and the central role of the trade union movement in the future.