On 18 September, Newcastle FRFI joined a ‘Climate Action – Climate Justice’ march organised by North East COP26 Coalition. What was evident was that the event had nothing to do with climate justice but everything to do with greenwashing the social chauvinism of Labour Party policy on global warming and eco-destruction. It was an example of not only how Labour suppresses any opposition to its reactionary politics, but also how the opportunist left colludes in this.
At a planning meeting for the protest Newcastle FRFI were told by Anya Cook, the chair of the local COP26 Coalition, that we would not be allowed to have a speaker at the rally in case we criticised the Labour Party politicians billed as leading it. She made a unilateral decision to refuse to allow an open-mic for the same reason. Cook is a prominent member of Newcastle Labour Party, a member of the University and Colleges Union National Executive and an organiser for People’s Assembly. In an election address for her union’s National Executive position she modestly claimed ‘I am aware that I am a role model and, as such, a symbol of trade unionism, representing and working to uphold, those core values of trust, integrity, camaraderie, unity and equality.’ Notably, democracy is not included among those qualities she included as a ‘symbol of trade unionism.’
The SWP endorsed the Labour Party decision to prevent Newcastle FRFI from speaking. Liam Tuckwood from the SWP’s Campaign against Climate Change said we should not be allowed to speak because we have criticised Labour MP Chi Onwurah in the past, but that if we did want to speak what we proposed to say would have to be vetted by them and we would have to promise not to condemn Labour. Tony Dowling, from Counterfire and People’s Assembly, and the chair of the 18 September rally, also opposed FRFI having speaking rights. These reactionaries are outspoken with their lies about what they claim is the absence of democracy in Cuba – but all in favour of suppressing democracy for communists in order to defend the imperialist Labour Party.
The headline speaker at the rally was to be Labour MP Chi Onwurah. Onwurah voted against restrictions on fracking in 2015, voted for the HS2 rail link in 2016, and voted for renewing Trident in the same year. But it is a mark of Labour Party hypocrisy that she is allowed to get away with this. At the rally itself, Onwurah referred to Labour’s 2019 ‘green industrial revolution’ and stated that: ‘There isn’t a choice between saving the planet and having an economy that works. They are the same thing.’ Yet Labour’s ‘green industrial revolution’ depends on the continued plunder and looting of the natural resources of the underdeveloped nations, and on ensuring that the giant monopolies and banks maintain their superprofits. Labour’s 2019 manifesto said nothing about the need to abolish the debt of underdeveloped countries or about returning control of their national resources by wresting them from British-based banks and monopolies. Without such steps there can be no common struggle against eco-destruction or against the impact of global warming which are already destroying underdeveloped countries across the world. Labour’s stance is no more than social chauvinism: socialism in words – and scarcely that – imperialism in deeds.
It gets worse. When FRFI supporters used our megaphone to denounce Onwurah’s voting record they were accosted by Suzanne Reid, Unite the Union regional coordinator, who said we should not be mentioning it; furthermore, that because Onwurah herself was on the march, it was tantamount to bullying! Reid is far too concerned about the interests of the likes of BAE Systems to worry about trivia like global warming. Complaining in 2020 about the Tory government’s lack of support for the aerospace industry, Reid said that ‘It is a travesty that [it] has not followed the lead of other countries including France and Germany to provide specific support for what is a world class industry. Worse still, the UK government’s silence on support gives our competitors a business advantage.’ ‘Our’ competitors – as if ‘we’ were BAE Systems, and ‘we’ claiming to fight global warming should also be agitating to defend the British arms industry.
That the likes of the SWP leap so quickly to excuse Labour’s social chauvinism demonstrates their contempt for the working class and oppressed in the underdeveloped countries and their determination to turn a blind eye to the ravages of imperialism.
These organisations draw their membership from sections of the working class who remain materially privileged: they still receive crumbs from the superprofits obtained by British imperialist looting and plunder. No wonder that of some 20 speakers at the COP26 rally, only one said anything about the banks and the monopolies.
George O’Connell
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! No 284, October/November 2021
