Recession swings politics right

The threat of political nationalism as a result of the economic crisis

Last month The Economist warned that the world recession was leading to a new wave of economic nationalism. It claimed that countries were rejecting global solutions and free trade, and turning inwards, trying to protect their own financial systems, markets and jobs. The USA had initially inserted a “Buy America” clause into its stimulus package, the French and British governments were trying to force banks to lend to the home markets, which in turn would result in the repatriation of cash, and the Chinese were accused of manipulating their currency for their own economic interests.

The article warned that the mistakes of the 1930s could potentially be made again. “Economic nationalism – the urge to keep jobs and capital at home – is both turning the economic crisis into a political one and threatening the world with depression,” the magazine noted.

“If it is not buried again forthwith, the consequences will be dire.”

But political nationalism is already emerging as a consequence of our economic downturn. Thousands of people, backed by the majority of the public and large swathes of the national press, backed construction workers in the power industry who protested against foreign labour.

The dispute flared up in response to the use of foreign labour on construction projects at oil refineries and power stations. What began at Lindsay Oil Refinery soon spread to almost 20 other plants where similar issues had emerged.

The unions were quick to distance themselves from a nationalist approach. “We are not against Italian or Spanish workers working over here but we just want a level playing field,” said Dave Smeeton, a Unite branch secretary at Staythorpe power station. “We actually want to work alongside them, just as we work in Spain and Italy. But we are not being given the chance.”

Dave was one of 50 people who had gathered outside the power station last month in protest at the use of exclusively foreign labour on a new power station being built.

For Dave and others at the protest this is a problem that has been brewing for some time. They say European workers have been here for a while, often on worse pay and conditions, but this changed over time as they interacted with unionised British workers. They say that the decision to refuse to employ any British workers can only be because hiring from abroad is cheaper (i.e. they are cutting corners on pay and conditions) and/or so they can’t interact with British workers who might be able to unionise them.

With many workers using Gordon Brown’s slogan of British jobs for British workers against him, the BNP saw an opportunity. It quickly produced downloadable leaflets, a Wildcats website and short online videos explaining how this was the consequence of membership of the EU, mass immigration and a Labour government that no longer cared about the white working class.

There was little sign however that the BNP made any impact amongst the protesters. At Lindsay Oil Refinery BNP members from Wakefield tried to leaflet the pickets but were quickly told they were not welcome. There was a similar hostile reaction to the BNP at Staythorpe.

While the BNP appears to have made little headway in winning support from union activists it is bound to be more successful among the wider population. Recent council by-elections have shown a surge in support for the BNP, helped in no small part by a daily diet of incendiary headlines from the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Daily Star.

The BNP won a council by-election in Swanley well ahead of the other candidates and it is now predicting successes in the European election.

European unrest

Britain is not alone in experiencing unrest. In France, more than one million people marched for jobs and wages, while 350,000 marched in Dublin. Riot police were used in Greece to quell protests by farmers demanding more assistance, and in Bulgaria windows were smashed and shops attacked after demonstrations calling for economic and social reform. Latvian farmers blocked roads in the capital and laid siege to the Agricultural Ministry, while in Lithuania 80 people were arrested and 20 injured after protesters pelted the parliament building in anger over spending cuts. In Russia there have been demonstrations in almost every city against the government’s handling of the economic crisis.

And the situation is only likely to get worse as the recession deepens and economic insecurity grows. This will play out differently in each country but nationalism is likely to be a major winner.

Britain has escaped the rise in the far right that has been experienced by many other western European countries over the past decade, but this could well change this summer. The BNP poses a serious threat in three regions in the European election and a more moderate threat in a further three. The nationalist tone under which the elections will be contested, again fuelled by Eurosceptic media, will benefit the BNP.

In countries such as France the leftwing parties will attract a substantial proportion of the disgruntled working-class vote, but in Britain, without such an option, the BNP could benefit by positioning itself to the left of Labour on some issues and to the right of the Conservatives on others.

“The BNP has been steadily growing over the last few years during a period of benign economic conditions,” Jon Cruddas MP noted recently. “Now the economy is going into recession we are really going to face some problems.”

The question is how we respond to these threats. Part of the answer will be to challenge the nationalist responses to the recession, particularly exploding the myth of the British jobs for British workers approach. The slogan might be a catchy sound bite but it is no political solution. Over 300 of the largest 800 companies in the UK are foreign owned and hundreds of thousands of other UK jobs are reliant on foreign contracts.

If the BNP and the rightwing media support a British jobs for British workers approach then they must logically support a US jobs for US workers line, even if that means companies such as Rolls Royce and British Aerospace lose contracts to US firms.

It is also vital that we stand up for the rights of migrant workers and prevent one group being pitted against another. What is needed is to improve workers’ rights and conditions throughout Europe, including full rights for temporary and agency workers and paying the right rate for the job in the country where the work is undertaken. By doing this we can reduce the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers, reduce the likelihood of unscrupulous employers using foreign workers to undercut their UK counterparts and so hopefully reduce the friction between groups of workers.

We must also stand in defence of immigration, particularly at a time when immigrants are under such attack. Just as we should remember the contribution foreign-born workers have made to the UK economy we should also think about the 5.5 million Britons who work and live abroad.

Can you imagine the nationalist outrage from the BNP and rightwing press if hundreds of thousands of British migrant workers working across Europe or in the Middle East were ordered out?

It is this sort of hypocrisy that needs to be exposed.

The BNP also needs to be taken on politically, not just morally. Over recent weeks Searchlight has been approached by representatives of all three major political parties wanting to know our assessment of the BNP threat and how they can get involved in the campaign against them. Our answer to them all has been simple. Bland and empty rhetoric about BNP extremism is at best ineffectual and at worst counter-productive. A political party needs to say more than don’t vote BNP because they racist – it needs to offer a political reason why people should vote for it rather than the BNP.

Simply moralising, particularly at a time of such economic problems, will be seen as political bankruptcy.

Over the next year we are likely to see growing social unrest. Unless the political parties, the trade unions and anti-fascists develop a more combative approach to dealing with the BNP – based on issues – then we are going to face a really difficult time. The Economist warned of a return to the failed protectionist remedies of the 1930s. We should equally be very wary of a retreat into political nationalism.

Searchlight

Labour rebels warn Brown he risks boosting far-right groups

Gordon Brown last night faced a growing Labour revolt over his handling of the wildcat strikes, which MPs warned could fuel far-right groups such as the British National party.

The protests have touched a nerve in the labour movement. The strikers' appropriation of Mr Brown's slogan of "British jobs for British workers" has been hailed by the BNP as a victory for its brand of nationalism.

Union leaders sought to distance the walkouts from the far right yesterday, saying the construction workers were shunning BNP support. "The unofficial action taking place across the UK is not about race or immigration," said Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite. "It's about class. It's about employers who exploit workers regardless of their nationality."

But Labour MPs warned that ministers' apparent dismissal of fears about jobs going to overseas workers risked exacerbating a wider failure to address concerns of the white working class.

They highlighted Peter Mandelson's exhortation in the Lords to "keep focusing not on the politics of xenophobia but the economics of this recession".

Jon Cruddas, the unofficial leader of the Labour left MPs, warned: "If we're simply caricaturing this [dispute] as being about protectionism and xenophobia, we're completely ignoring some material issues in this and, in doing so, we hand over what this is about to more pernicious forces."

Mr Cruddas told the FT: "Trite comments about protectionism or xenophobia do not address the whole question of equality [for British workers] before the law. If the Labour party can't grasp this and articulate that, then other forces will."

The motion "deplores" the use of foreign workers and calls for additional power stations to be "built by companies employing primarily British labour". Political opponents have attacked Mr Brown for indulging in populist "British jobs" rhetoric.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, last week accused the prime minister of championing globalisation on one hand while "on the other, he borrows this slogan from the BNP".

But some Labour MPs believe the problem lies less in the slogan than in the fact that the government has not implemented it. "Failure to deliver British jobs to British workers could wipe Labour out," said Frank Field, the maverick former minister. Labour must get a grip now, otherwise their actions will feed the BNP."

Mr Field's warning reflects a party concern that the government's failure to engage with the poorest white voters is creating a vacuum for the far-right to fill. Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, last year urged the Labour party to "recognise that where the BNP wins votes, it is often a result of local political failure".

MPs fear that European elections in June could hand the BNP its first seat in the European Parliament, potentially from a region including Ms Blears's constituency.

But polling experts caution that such fears should be seen in the context of the fringe parties' failure to make inroads into mainstream politics. John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said that the BNP and UK Independent Party have been "there for . . years but it's not obvious that their position now is any stronger than it has been before".

FT

Stunning line-up revealed for LMHR show at Glastonbury Festival

Saturday 23d June 2007, 6pm-12.30am
Left Field, Glastonbury Festival
(sorry - Glasto ticket-holders only)

We can now unveil - almost! - our complete line-up for our show in the Left Field at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. LMHR takes over the 5,000-capacity Left Field big tent for the Saturday night (June 23rd).

At 6.00pm, we kick off with a debate on how can we can best take on racism and fascists like the BNP, with guest speakers including some of the artists performing later along with LMHR, Unite and trade union campaigners.

Then, from 7pm, we’re proud to present an eclectic line-up we reckon is unparalalled anywhere else at the festival. Our very special guest headliner is 100% confirmed but will be only be announced much nearer the time. All we can say is it’s a huge UK act that’s supported us in the past - and this will be the act’s only festival appearance this summer.

The rest of the line-up is more than special too:

Akala, Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly, Lethal Bizzle, Plan B, Noisettes, Rodney P (host), Killa Kela, Natty, No Lay, The Mentalists, DJs Skitz & Statik...

Throughout the weekend there’ll be an LMHR/UAF stall inside the Left Field, so if you’re going to the festival and can spare us an hour or two to help promote LMHR we’d like to hear from you too.

For more on the Left Field, go to http://www.leftfield.coop

Geoff Martin, Left Field Director, told us about his stage and what else is going on there at this year’s Glasto: “The Left Field is the area of the Glastonbury Festival site run by the trade union movement and where we celebrate the core union values of international solidarity, collective strength, fair trade, peace, freedom and tolerance. Set up in 2002, the Left Field has grown from being a beer tent with a drum riser in one corner to the biggest covered venue on site with a capacity of 5000. This year we bring back Left Field troubadors Billy Bragg, Mark Thomas, Tony Benn, the Beat and Glen Tilbrook and we are joined by some very special guests for 2007 including Lethal Bizzle, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly! and Carlos Lozarro from Colombia who has survived eight assassination attempts by the right wing death squads.

With Shelter, we are bringing the affordable housing campaign right to the heart of Glastonbury and we are delighted to be flying two amazing bands, the Poise Rite and Habakuk, in from Poland to put a rock and roll edge on the campaign to recruit migrant workers into trade unions.

We know you’ll come down and see us at the Left Field - but stick around with us, enjoy the late night sessions on our second stage and help us reaffirm the campaigning spirit that is an essential part of Glastonbury.”

LMHR

Anti-fascists warn of BNP rise as record votes see near miss on Wales Assembly

Ken Livingstone, trade union representatives and anti-fascist activists highlight increases for fascism on the back of racism

Anti-fascist campaigners have warned that the BNP's near miss on the Wales Assembly on May 3rd shows that they will target future elections in Wales, the London Assembly and the European elections, attempting to breakthrough into mainstream politics. Campaigners highlighted that gains for the BNP are not inevitable and their electoral assault can be halted by the majority of voters taking part in elections.

In the North Wales regional list seat it polled 9986 votes, (5.1%) leaving it within 2,580 votes of gaining a seat on the Welsh Assembly. In 2003 Wales Assembly elections the BNP polled 3,210 when it stood in one of the five regions. The BNP stood an unprecedented number of seats in Wales, fielding four candidates in all 5 regional list seats polling a record 42,197 votes. It was given access to £410,000 worth of electoral communication including a televised party political broadcast and distribution of leaflets to every household in Wales.

The North Wales region included one of its highest votes in Wrexham where, in June 2003, local residents on the Caia estate rioted against dispersed asylum seekers culminating in racist attacks which resulted in dozens of criminal convictions. The BNP exploited this in their election campaign, claiming that the convicted perpetrators of racist violence were victims of attacks by Iraqi asylum seekers, and the police. Their party political broadcast attempted to perpetuate this lie and it was forced to change it before being broadcast on the BBC. The BNP also attacked Eastern European migrant workers and multiculturalism and threatened to remove migrant workers from the National Health Service in its manifesto.

Ken Livingstone, Chair of Unite Against Fascism said:
The Welsh Assembly election results confirm that the fascist BNP is continuing to grow on the back of vicious racist campaigns. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that their lies are challenged head on, that the discourse in the media and mainstream politics highlights the value of the communities they target. The task now for all those who value democracy and abhor violence is to stop this criminal, fascist organisation as it attempts to make further gains in the Welsh local council elections and the London Assembly next May.

Amarjite Singh, TUC Wales Race Equality Committee (personal capacity) said:
Any increase in the presence of fascists represents a threat to us all. The BNP is racist, anti-semitic, homophobic and islamophobic organisation. The trade union movement is a true reflection of the people of Wales; it welcomes diversity, migrant workers and all those who believe in democracy. The trade unions in Wales will continue to prioritise defeating fascism over the forthcoming year.

Weyman Bennett Joint National Secretary of Unite Against Fascism said:
The Welsh elections are of deep concern. The BNP used crude racism in order to marshal votes. The BNP has rightly been described as a Nazi organisation. Success for the BNP would mean they promote religious and racist divisions. UAF worked with anti-fascist activists, trade unionists, celebrities and community groups across the region to raise awareness of the danger they pose and to turnout the anti-fascist vote. Every person who voted against the BNP in Wales in this election helped stop the fascists making the breakthrough that they crave. The BNP can be stopped - we must ensure all those who are alarmed by these results turnout to vote next year.

Denis Fernando Joint National Secretary of Unite Against Fascism said:
The BNP is emboldened enough to now call itself 'the real party of nationalism in Wales '. The reality is that it is a fascist group that wants an all white Britain which is only possible by violence and shutting down democracy. When the BNP target an area, hate-crimes increase. In Barking where the BNP now have 12 councillors, racist attacks rose as the BNP targeted the area in the run up to its election. This is a blot on the landscape of London where multiculturalism is celebrated and racist attacks have fallen to record lows. A breakthrough for the BNP is not inevitable: it can be stopped if the majority of people who value democracy and reject fascism use their vote. UAF pledges to work with communities in key areas including London and Wales in the next 12 months to ensure that this electoral rise is challenged.

UAF

Rock against the fascist BNP

Click on image for full size
A pdf file of the poster (26k) can be downloaded from here.