The half-a-million plus demonstration (see BBC October 20) for another 'Peoples' Vote' on Britain's Brexit deal was symbolically led by young people. But behind the symbols, and seeking a pivotal position, is the rapidly evolving creation of a new political leadership. This has spread from major capitalist enterprises, via various ex Prime Ministers, via the Labour London Mayor, via the would-be 'new-party' Labour MPs, via the Scottish National Party and is now propped up by various left trends and liberal strands that imagine they can reform the EU.
Another campaign force is also organising. The Peoples' Assembly is mounting an 'End Broken Britain' campaign around the country. It aims to attach their anti-austerity message wherever possible to the growing number of strikes, other industrial actions and the needful anti-racist and anti-fascist activity. The Peoples' Assembly, in alliance with allies in the unions, among youth and with the base of the Labour Party, might also offer a different path, a united means of breaking out of the crisis.
What crisis?
We are witnessing the accelerating crash of the once, historically revered, stable, British Parliament. Steering the sinking ship is a Tory Party and a Tory leader that are carrying forward more cuts and which are factionally incapable of delivering any sort of pro-people Brexit. The only consistent theme in their mess and muddle is the desperate hope of Tory Prime Minister May that she can somehow hang on. But what she cannot do is win a majority vote in Parliament. In other words, it is the forces within British society at large that have to move now to resolve both of these crises. Any solutions to Britain's deepening poverty (except for the rich) and winning a Brexit that defends the majority, are currently unavailable from Britain's benighted Parliament.
Technically Parliamentary governments are now tied to a 4 year cycle. In reality, Britain's Parliament and its Tory Government are vulnerable on all fronts and could be toppled in an hour. Remember the set-in-stone Thatcher premiership was dumped following the main Poll Tax riots. Pressure from Northern Ireland's (utterly reactionary) Democratic Unionist Party, to vote against the coming budget - or any of its key measures, would be enough to stop the right of government to raise taxes or to use them. May's Tory Party is weakened by its detachment from Britain's ruling class support for the EU (with the partial exception of some key elements in the City of London financial district.) It is weakened by its constant battle for party leadership. And it is desperately weakened by the rise of the Corbyn (and the end of what May called her 'shared values' with the old Labour Party.)
The Tory/Parliament paralysis means that the different classes in society are now having to find the means to resolve the crisis. As the British (not to mention the Western) crisis is profound and deep, albeit coming to very important point of change, such changes open new prospects rather than find instant solutions. The overturn of the current government will be just a start. But it is an essential step to a different type of future in Britain.
What to do?
The Poll Tax rebellion of 1988 - 1991 came out of villages and cities. Old political certainties were dumped as Tory voters right down to self-defined Leninists decided to act to stop a Tory government's 'step too far.' The key here is the broadest possible unity in society of all those who need to fight against the government. And that means bringing together all those who hate austerity AND all those who believe that the Tory's approach to Brexit is against the interest of the people. The current government is producing a tragedy on both of these fronts.
The right-wing Labour MPs who want to re-run the EU referendum, will demand the October 20 demonstration as their property, insisting that a new, opposite referendum to 2017, is the critical issue. In reality they seek a 'new' (old) Labour Party, designed to tune into ruling class interests, sharing May's 'values'. But many of the thousands who marched (and the millions who sympathised) are still to be won - still open to a new type of internationalism, not one defined by the corrupt, corporate creatures that run the EU, AND they still also seek a real and abiding end to austerity.
This is the chance for the Peoples' Assembly. Can it bring this decisive moment together? Can it appeal to the youth who want, overwhelmingly, to vote for Corbyn's Labour and who also seek a deep defence of internationalism, poisoned so far by the Tory Brexit? Can it speak to people across Britain whose lives have been poisoned by poverty, a constant reduction of services and politics that have relentlessly failed them?
A start
This new unity will not be a product of propaganda. The start is action to pull down the Tory government. That is what will immediately focuses the collective attention of leavers, remainers, the youth and the pensioners. That is the alliance that has to be created in Britain. An alliance that denies the ex Prime Ministers, the billionaires and the reconditioned Blairites their moment in the setting sun. Instead bringing the forces together in society that have the resolution to build a socially supportive and hopeful country based on an entirely different internationalism.
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