I MANAGED to survive the recent Right to Work march despite having my sleeping bag nicked. I was soaked to the skin when the marquee collapsed in the storm. But at least the hours I spent in a police cell for breaching the peace gave my sore feet a rest.
I managed to survive all this only to be confused by the final rally in Blackpool.
John Deason welcomed the speaker from the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions, a CP member, and he spoke about the need for united fronts against the Tory attacks.
But on the march it seemed that the comrades of the SWP had a lot to learn about united fronts. The whole march seemed little more than a recruiting drive for the SWP.
One of the high spots was the march meeting on the eve of the TU Clobby. It was not so much a meeting as a variety show with numerous orange jacketed figures popping up in front of a mike to tell us to join the SWP.
A speech by John Deason told us about the need for a revolutionarv partv. But of course we were not told how to build it. There's no need - just add members and wait for the insurrection.
What a let down! No discussion about politics, not even about sexism and racism. Not even a real discussion about how to fight unemployment. A few meetings were organised one night after some Revolution members suggested it.
I could go on about the lack of democracy in the march council elections, about how the march bulletin was just an advert for the SWP and so on. Organising the unemployed is a massive task, that's why democracy is so essential:
The idea of the march — to show the anger of the unemployed, to make demands on the organised labour movement — is a good one. But it has to say a bit more than 'fight for the right to work' and 'burn Len Murray'.
The really sad thing was that lots of youth, open to revolutionary politics, who were on the march, really didn't learn anything from it. That was a big opportunity missed. MARK, Birmingham Revolution. THE RIGHT to Work Campaign has been going for five years. Five years which saw unemployment rise to over 1.5 million.
There's no denying we need a way of fighting unemployment, but has the Right to Work Campaign got it right? If this year's march was anything to go by, then I think not.
The march seemed to be saying that fighting unemployment is the same as joining the SWP Nobody is opposed to people joining the SWP but it is not the answer to all our problems.
The thing is, it's all very well recruiting people but when there is insufficient politics on the march to counter even the problem of stealing, then it's clear that simply joining the party' is inadequate.
Similarly problems of overt racism and sexism were hardly touched on. Token speeches could not make up for the absence of any. explanation of what sexism actually is.
Fighting it needs more than women getting up and saying 'We're as good as any man': Especially when the next speaker might easily be a man referring to 'the lads on the march'.
The march did not identify with women's political demands — such as for a woman's right to work — so it's not surprising that sexism was left unattacked.
But the main problem was that we were not offered a way of fighting unemployment. It was not clear how we get the organised labour movement to take up the question.
The march cannot have any impact on unemployment on it's own, we have to get the labour movement to fight for us.
That's why the campaign should exist all the year round, fighting for support inside the labour movement, both locally and nationally.
The march would be a lot bigger then. More people would come if it was based on strong It should fight for demands like for a reduced working week and work sharing with no loss of pay because these can provide people with a real perspective for making inroads against unemployment.
Then the Right to Work March to the TUC would really represent something and really. mean something. school. Sisterwrite books, 190 Upper St, London N1. RIGHT to Work marchers released from police custody after being arrested for distributing leaflets in WOMEN IN ACTION Working Conference to launch a new women's paper for the unions Saturday 13 October, Friends Meeting House, Bull Street, Birmingham (off Corporation St. opposite New St station) 12-5.30pm.
Sponsors include: Working Women's Charter Campaign, Women in the NUT, Lambeth Teachers Association, Civil Service Women's Rights Group, North Staffs Women's Rights Standing Committee, NATHE. For copies of the pilot issue, literature write to Women in Action, Box 2, Socialist Challenge