Devon Socialist Party

The budget next week heralds the first major offensive from the ConDem coalition.  The chancellor George Osborne will almost certainly outline massive cuts to public spending alongside increases in taxes such as VAT.  This is in response to a budget deficit which was ran up in bailing out the banks when the financial system looked to be on the brink of collapse, and various measures aimed at preventing the recession turning into a depression.  The bankers, who faced great condemnation for their recklessness and greed, have by and large got away with it.

During the 'boom' times (when real wages stagnated for most people) their wealth increased dramatically.  When the crisis came, Governments across the world bailed them out, and now they are starting to rake in the bonuses again.  The same people that made the financial crisis and recession worse than it otherwise might have been (with regular crisis and recession an inevitable consequence of the capitalist system) are now the ones that have the cheek to demand that public spending is cut!

It is surprising that one of the longest running industrial disputes occurred here in Devon, at Fine Tubes in Plymouth from June 1970 to June 1973.  It began on June 15th, 40 years ago, and fundamentally at stake was the ability of trade unions to organise in workplaces where they had previously been absent.  Though the strike ultimately ended in defeat, it provides many lessons for struggles today, particularly as much of the fightback to come will necessitate the rebuilding of trade union organisation after decades of decline and defeat.

North Devon Socialist Party member Doug Lowe has produced an account of the strike, which can be found in the downloads section of this website, in the 'Lead offs' folder.

Now the election is over, and the horse-trading for jobs has taken place, the new Con-Lib coalition government is taking shape.  This will be a Government that seeks to make the working class pay for the debts incurred bailing out the banks and other assorted spivs in the City and elsewhere.  In the emergency budget due within the next 50 days, there will be plans hikes in taxes such as VAT, and deep cuts to public services, thought to be 22%.

The Socialist Party stood in the recent elections as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.  As a result of many workers voting Labour to try to keep out the Tories, our vote was modest, but we attracted many new people to our meetings, and to our arguments and cause.  The results and analysis of our election campaign can be found in more detail on the Socialist Party website.

On the doorsteps and in the streets we have won the argument, on defending public services, and opposing privatisation and war.  But we are not just active at election time, like the other parties.  Now the election is over, we face what has been called the 'fight of our lives', to defend jobs, the NHS, education, transport, the welfare state, pensions and all our futures.

In Devon, we will be holding meetings to organise the fightback, and are inviting all those who want to join with us in resisting the onslaught ahead.  There will be details of these meetings posted on here as soon as times, dates and locations are finalised.

The three main parties, however much they like to disagree and bicker on camera, have an incredible amount in common, and not just outrageous expenses claims, and the same tailors and debate coaches.  They all have pledged to make the working class pay for the crimes of the bankers, by slashing spending on the public sector.  In order to pay for the debts accumulated by bailing out the banks, and to appease the profit hungry markets, all three are prepared to wield the axe on schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, roads, public transport, benefits and public sector pay and pensions.

Not only that, but they all support (and in the case of the Tories and Lib Dems, want to extend) the anti-union laws, and the war on Afghanistan.  The Lib Dems superficial opposition to Trident nuclear weapons covers up for the fact they would replace it with something only slightly different.

Now, unfortunately, the left wing electoral challenge initiated by the Socialist Party, and various militant trade unionists such as Bob Crow and Brian Caton, TUSC, is not standing a candidate in Devon.  But there are alternatives to the agenda of cuts, privatisation and war standing, and we suggest that you lend them a vote on May 6th.

In North Devon, Gerry Sables is standing for the Communist Party.  Gerry is a member of Barnstaple Trades Council and the PCS Union, and is a long standing peace campaigner, and also played a key role in the DRAIN campaign, as Vice-Chair of the group.

In both constituencies in Plymouth, Arthur Scargill''s Socialist Labour Party are standing.

Now, we have our disagreements with both the Communist Party and the Socialist Labour Party, but we are united in our commitment to socialism and the defence of the working class.  There will not be a TUSC, or a Communist, or SLP government on May 7th.  One (or two) of the capitalist parties will be in charge.  The whole labour and socialist movements will need to unite to defend our pay, jobs, pensions, educations and public services from the onslaught they will face, whatever permutation of parties forms the next government.  One way to help this would be to give the industrial struggles a political voice, with a united workers party based on the working class being established.