IT WAS the biggest leak since the Titanic went down: or was it?
The revelation that one of the key members of Teny Blair's unelected 'kitchen cabinet", Philip Gould, was in favour of concentrating even more dictatorial power in the hands of the leader and his office was scarcely a Nor, for anyone who has been searching in vain for any sign of radicalism or genuine commitment to the side of the working class from the Blair team, will it be a shock to discover that Labour "does not have a political project that matches the Thatcher agenda of 1973, nor one wat wal de able to sustain Labour in goverment and transform Socialists have been saying this for years -since the rise of 'new realism' in the 0Iti3180. mid 1980s. has been to follow through the onslaught of the Kinnock years, and purge the party of any lingering remnants of such a project - by scrapping anything vaguety reminiscent of a socialist policy. culminaune in the orching of Clause Four.
Having shaped a political profile primarily decided by fear of the media and toadying to the Tories' reactionary claim. agenda, it is obvious to all that Blair's team lacks conviction, coherence and any sense of determination to confront the evils of market capitalism. 4. It thrives largely on the back of the unpopularity of the Torles and the very market system to which New La- bour movement, with whom bour has so shamefully ca. they have nothing in common.
Blair has ambushed La- Much better for them is a scheme by which each of tion of many members to their policy retreats can be simply tunnelled directly He has won acquies- through to Blair, and recence, and the party has re- leased to the press without cruited new members, some the embarrassment of any of whom are now joining be- votes or wider debate - the cause they believe the party way the party abruptly changed its mind on optednot convinced many activists out schools to no out and preach his new The real question is how polleles - not least because much further are trade union there is not much to pro- leaders, MPs and Labour activists prepared to allow The narrow coterie of themselves to be humiliated SDP drop-outs, superannu- by Blalr's clique of rootless ated students and middle dilettantes before challeng. class manipulators who now ing the new regime? surround Tony Blair fear Will Philip Gould, co-arnothing more than the pros- chitect of two electoral tailpect of their policies and pro- ures under Neil Kinnock, be posals being scrutinised and diloweo to do tor te lide criticised by the wider la- trick? all Tory trade union laws Strike ballots are here to stay. No mass or flying pickets, all these ghosts of time past. They are exorcised. Leave chem where they lie ....
No doubt delighted to have heard Monks. Morris and other top union leaders energetically denying that the untons wanted to run the country under Labour, or even had any policies to promote, Blair spelled out quite clearly that while he is in charge Labour will pay no more attention to the umoas than tney will to te employers:
"We have an obligation to listen, as we do to employers. You have the right to persuacc, as tney do. But the ac cisions must rest with us. We will govern for the whole nawithin it."
Of course the powers of persuasion are not equally distributed between workers and bosses. The class that bly right wing policies of a new Labour government.
Nobody need hold their breath waiting for Comrade charge: but the seeds of conflict are being sown with every speech and policy emerging from Blair's office.
w mile Biair prepares for d government that will make no bones about serving the interests of capitalism, it's time for union activists to organise genuinely broad left alliances Unions still have a crucial voice al Labour conference instead of buttoning their lips and hoping for the best after ers like UNISON's Rodney Bickerstaffe. Bill Morris. John Edmonds and others who like to be seen as left win most bocalledono fight up front and openly for their unions" policies.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 90, September 23 1995 Page 3