No let-up That said it all: no bending to public concerns on the health service, no let up in the tough right-wing stance of the This was underlined by the appointment of Jonathan Aitken as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Aitken is a Euro-sceptic right-winger whose job is to continue the "good work" of Michael Portillo in slashing public expenditure.
At the same time as the cabinet reshuffle was being anNOW OUT!
information, to overall rate of VAT, but collect the same amount of tax by covering more goods and services. Tax cuts The overall rate of indirect taxation, which always hits the poorest more, cannot be reduced if the government is to carry out its plan to further reduce the standard rate of income tax for the next election. The main aim of the reshuffle was to tilt to the right, by making peace with the Eurosceptics. The paper fighting for a Red, Green and Feminist Youth Movement • Bumper Summer 1994 edition, with features on Sex, Campsfield, Criminal Justice Bill, Sex, Bosnia, Drugs, Sex, Feminism - and much more! Send two first class stamps for a copy and more Liberation!, PO Box |109, London N4 2UU TONY BLAIR has wasted no time in setting out his "modernising" stall. In his first two days as party leader he bluntly repudiated any form of socialist values and put his boot into the trade unions.
His inaugural speech was notable for his declaration that the arty must move away from Marxist socialism based or social ownership" and fully embrace the market.
The idea that the party leadership has at any time this century had anything to do with "Marxist socialism based on social ownership" is a bit laughable.
But the use of the term "social ownership" as opposed to "old fashioned nationalisation" is significant: Blair wants to repudiate anything but the market.
Blair has also made it clear that he wants to continue the process of weakening the party's links with the unions.
Declaring that the unions "would not be shut out in the cold" under a Labour government, he also made it clear that they would have no "privileged access" to government as compared with employers' organiCations No special role Clearly pointing to further plan to erode the trade union link, Blair said: "Trade unions will have no special or privileged role within the Labour Party".
Blair's pro-market view also came out on taxation. He claimed that "only millionaires will pay more tax under a Labour government" - a bizarre claim for anyone who wants to be able to rebuild the welfare state.
Further: "I am not antiwealth. If someone goes through hard graft and work and makes themselves a mil lionaire, then good luck to them".
All this makes it no wonder that Blair is being enthusiastically welcomed by Liberal According to Roger Liddle, a member of the Lib Dems policy committee, "There are in reality no philosophical differences of substance between Blair and the vast majority of Liberal Democrats...The Liberal Democrats and Labour are now natural allies".
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 67, August 1994, Page 3