After Coronavirus

Gradually (too gradually?) the left in the UK are trying to work out what to do after Corbyn's defeat. Coronavirus has seemed to complicated the picture. Very little has so far surfaced by way of developing a new perspective for the left and, more importantly, the future of the working class. However, in reality the Coronavirus has also clarified politics in the UK. But caution and traditional thinking among the left organisations still abides.

So far, two movements in the UK, originating from a sizeable and active political left, have presented their ideas that might lead to radical progress. (There is also an internet-full, re-hashed, well-used options, old ideas and ancient slogans!)

Momentum, perhaps hit most after Corbyn's defeat, has been publicly struggling with its future. It is a substantial organisation with strong networks to students. However, there has been a split in its 40,000 membership. The new, significantly smaller 'Momentum Forward' is trying to move away from the previous Momentum priority that was given to focussing on leftish sets of values (that turned out to be easily reiterated by Kier Starmer in his leadership campaign.) MF is trying more to build socialism around political positions (and preferably outside the universities).

The main Momentum was created to support Corbyn's leadership, including the renovation of the Corbyn led Labour Party. But Corbyn has gone and the continued reform of the Labour Party is doubtful. So far, the old Momentum has only been able to produce a narrow and cautious response, focussing not so much on how to find a way to win Corbyn's Manifestos in the here-and-now, but rather proposing to start from the priority of an internalised LP pressure group. Momentum wants to put pressure on Labour's new leader, someone who regularly opposed Corbyn, to carry out Corbyn's policies.

These are Momentum's most recent 'Strategic Objectives': Elect a socialist Labour government: Transform the Labour Party: Build a social movement: Train activists and build a new leadership at all levels of the party: Build a sustainable organisation. The absence of defined socialist political positions and their action in society in the here and now, is painfully obvious.

The new Momentum is yet define its own activity or draw up any new policies.

The Peoples Assembly, an action based alliance that consistently fought austerity, contains various political strands. And this includes a current that, after critically supporting Corbyn's plans and policies, now considers that the organised action of the working class is the decisive route to radical political progress. The Labour Party is no longer any sort of centre for significant change - and is rapidly becoming its exact opposite.

The direct action of the Assembly has been a significant and broadly non-sectarian force. And has helped build political moments and actions that promoted the shift in working class politics towards the Corbyn manifestos in 2017 and 19. The weakness of its choice turning its back on Labour is that it is not a decision that is carried by the vast bulk of working class people. This is not to deny the rapidly rightward shifting leadership of Labour Party or the central significance of direct action and mass movements, independent of Parliament. But it is to understand that huge numbers of left leaning people see supporting Labour and taking action for their rights at the same time as the reality of politics. Small left groups do not define popular left understanding.

Here we come to the real problem of building a new-left, post Corbyn and post Coronavirus.

The reaction to the Corbyn Manifestos in 2017 and 2019; 14 million in '17, 10 million in '19, remains the real and only platform to rebuild the left - including through mass action. The 10 million who voted Corbyn in 2019 did so under the worse conditions and most savage attacks on any political leadership since the General Strike in 1926. The media fought Corbyn and his manifesto; all the other parties focussed against Corbyn; the vile and continual personal attack on Corbyn by a huge alliance of some Jewish and many other organisations; and the constant sabotage by Party officials, regional Party full-timers and more than a 100 Labour MPs - all failed to stop 10 million voters voting for Corbyn and his Manifesto.

This is the force, despite its setback in a twisted election, that could win a whole new, post-coronavirus, society.

The 2017 extra 4 million for Corbyn can align with the 2019 Corbyn voters now that Brexit is settled. The ideas of the Corbyn Manifestos can be reconstructed as a reply to Boris's inevitable attack on working class people as 'the only answer' to getting the economy going. This means using the state to nationalise all utilities and services. It means building democratic leaderships appointing relevant experts. It means a huge investment focus on a Green Economy (and not the poisonous elites driving the City of London towards its Singapore-on-Thames.) It means a public free Internet platform and most important of all, the control, via a national Bank of England, of all UK banks.

The serious political movements from the left - whether from the left of the SNP, from the Greens, from left organisations, inside or outside the Labour Party, from unions inside and outside the TUC and from campaigns - can form a bloc. Its purpose would be to overwhelm all those who want an economy re-organised to defend the future of the rich, including dumping all the Labour MPs who are now literally savouring the idea of the next 'national government'.

This non sectarian bloc can draw together the millions that voted for radical change. Just as the response to the fire in Grenfell temporarily overwhelmed May's government, so a new bloc gathering the millions who have already made their political mark, can, in the wretched Tory conditions of post coronavirus crisis, overwhelm the latest version of the old society and take the country's leadership to something new.