Labour since Kinnock has been tied hand and foot Jto the European Union.
For socialists, the fundamental objection to the EU as a bosses' alliance against the European and international working class retains all its validity. The grim consequences of the racist Schengen agreements and the proposals to tighten restricare beginning to be seen.
While tactical advantage can on occasion be gained by exploiting the divisions between different sections of the European bourgeoisie (and, for example, demanding superior EU provisions for health and safety or worker representation), the goal must be to break up this reactionary alliance. We are against Europe of the bosses, and for a Europe of the workers.
Just as we reject the absurd reformist delusion that socialism within a particular country can be achieved through parliament, so we reject as even more absurd any notion that the European Parliament could be transformed through elections or the activity of socialist MEPs into a Socialist United States of Europe.
In this respect, Euro-reformism, by diverting even further away from any notion of class struggle at home against your 'own' bourgeoisie, is even more pemicious in the workers' movement than the more traditional reformist politics.
However the growing interconnection of industry and the common dangers and struggles of workers in different EU countries underlines the importance of building genuine international links at the base of the trade unions, and of European-wide campaigns. Outflanking Tories Labour's current policies as expounded by Tony JBlair's team, consist in a combination of outflanking the Tories on social issues - such as crime - while adapting any Labour commitments on spending and economic policy to minimal levels that avoid challenging or disrupting the free- market system.
Even Bryan Gould's limited calls for borrowing to finance infrastructure projects and the creation of full employment were seen as dangerously radical.
Instead we have the wordy and complex efforts to explain Labour's hopes of attracting private finance in to the NHS, transport and other public sector projects. None of this is likely to enthuse or attract working class voters- or anyone else: its primary objective is to avoid alienating sections of the middle class or the mass media, by creating the image of Labour as a safe pair of hands for the management of British capitaltom For this reason unanswered questions on the restoration of trade union rights, the rescuing of the NHS, education and the welfare state, the lifting of racist restrictions on asylum and immigration and other contentious issues must be pressed to the forefront now in the run-up to the next General Election, in readiness for the struggles which must immediately follow.
We cannot expect any carbon theory practice 9 • A fighting programme for socialists • page three