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From The Socialist newspaper, 12 September 2018
Tories in chaos - general election now!
The Labour leadership should be mobilising a mass movement, photo by Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)
Corbyn and unions must call mass action
Simon Carter
The divide in the Tory party over Brexit is now wider than the Grand Canyon.
Leadership contender Boris Johnson stuck the boot in on Theresa May's 'soft' Brexit plan, calling it a "suicide vest" around the UK. In turn, a damaging dossier on his personal life, drawn up by May's supporters, was leaked to the press.
Boris's tirade against the PM was backed by former minister Steve Baker, who warned that her Chequers plan would cause a "catastrophic split" as 80 Tory MPs would vote against it. That would leave the hapless May dependent on right-wing Labour MPs to secure a deal with the EU. Last July, four Labour MPs, including newly 'independent' Frank Field, saved May from defeat in a Commons Brexit vote.
Clearly, the Tory government's weakness is an opportunity for Jeremy Corbyn and the trade union leaders to mobilise mass action to bring it down and fight for a general election. Labour should pledge to scrap austerity, nationalise rail and the major utilities, and restore our wages and services.
But faced with such an open goal, Labour's Blairite MPs are determined to kick the ball into touch by trying to undermine and remove Corbyn as party leader.
No wonder Labour's rank-and-file members are passing 'no confidence' motions against sitting Blairite MPs and calling for democratic mandatory reselection.
And it's no wonder too that the capitalist elite which dreads the prospect of a Corbyn government is going all out to stop it. That's why the establishment media is full of baseless charges of antisemitism against Jeremy Corbyn, and why figures likes Chuka Umunna are threatening to split.
Outside the parliamentary circus, the vast majority of people want a government which instead of protecting the tax-dodging super-rich and giant corporations, invests in jobs, wages, housing and services. Mobilising millions of workers, young people and the elderly, to take the wealth and power off the capitalist elite, is what the Labour and trade union leaders should be doing.
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In The Socialist 12 September 2018:
What we think
Corbyn must lead in fight against the Blairites
News
Tories in chaos - general election now!
Enfield North Labour Party votes 'no confidence' in its MP
4m children in homes that can't afford fruit and veg
Fearful bosses call for 'fairer capitalism'...
School students in solitary: for full funding, not exclusion!
Financial crash
10 years since the financial crash - the socialist answer to capitalist crisis
Workplace
NSSN rally: militant trade unionists share ideas to win for workers
TUC congress Brexit debate: unions must lead fight for a general election
Guards move closer to beating driver-only operation on Merseyrail giving confidence to other strikes
Cardiff Uber Eats couriers strike back against bosses
International socialist news and analysis
Nicaragua: With the people against the Ortega government and imperialism
Support for Putin's regime dips over major attacks on state pensions
Sweden: left and far right gain as establishment parties falter
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Catford campaign against regeneration
Students unite and fight - free education now!
Reading council plans privatisation - set a no-cuts budget instead!
EDL outnumbered and confronted in Worcester
Fight against billionaire Newcastle boss Mike Ashley continues
Opinion
When working class women dominated football
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2018