Join Marxist activists and thousands of others in Birmingham this weekend to protest outside the Tory Party conference.
This weekend will see the Conservatives assemble for their annual conference in Birmingham. As usual, nothing will actually be voted on. But the conference hall and surrounding bars and meeting rooms will still be awash with plots and behind-the-scenes deals, as the various factions manoeuvre for control of the party and the position of leader – and thus Prime Minister.
This will be a conference of an aging party undergoing a severe crisis. It was revealed recently, for example, that the Tory Party now receives more money from the dead than the living, with bequeathed donations outweighing the income from membership fees.
The situation facing the party this year is even worse than last. Twelve months ago, the Tories were reeling from the fallout of not winning an expected landslide majority (or any majority at all, for that matter) in the snap general election. Now the Conservatives are completely riven with splits and intrigues, as Brexit and the wider crisis of capitalism tears the party to pieces.
Join the Revolution Bloc at the protest outside the Tory Party conference in Birmingham this Saturday from midday.
Chaos reigns
There will be many questions on people’s lips. How long can May hang on? Will Boris or Rees-Mogg grab their opportunity to usurp the current Tory leader? Will Europe continue to rip the party apart from top to bottom?
The few serious representatives of British capitalism who bother to attend this potential bloodbath will have one thing on their mind: how can they prevent a Corbyn-led Labour Party coming to power in any possible general election that might end up being called.
In the past, the ruling class could at least rely on a Labour government to act as a reliable Second XI should the Tories find themselves booted out. But now things have changed, and their most loyal representatives of capitalism, the Blairites at Westminster, have lost control of the Labour Party.
The chaos and infighting over Europe has overwhelmed the Tory Party to the exclusion of almost everything else.
Of course, they found time to weigh in over the manufactured row of anti-Semitism during the summer. But these cynical slanders were not only intended to try and tarnish Corbyn and the Left. In addition, the establishment hoped to divert attention from the Tories’ own problems with racism and Islamophobia.
Indeed, the list of reported racist incidents involving the Conservatives at every level is as long as your arm. Boris Johnson alone could fill volumes with his bigoted outbursts. Despite trying to present itself as a “modern” party, therefore, the reality is that the Tories are just as “nasty” as they have ever been.
“Bring an end to this government”
Fears of an economic downturn are growing, at both a national and international level. The chancellor, “Spreadsheet Phil” Hammond, and his friends in the City will therefore already be looking at what new austerity measures will be needed to make the working class pay for the next crisis.
The Tories are lying about new funding for the NHS. They are ready to apply yet further cuts to our public services, schools and local government. And they will again be targeting benefits and welfare.
This is a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. We need to show them – and the rotten capitalist system they represent – the door immediately.
The only force that can do that is the working class, united and organised. As Laura Smith, Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, announced to an audience in Liverpool this week: “if we can’t get a general election, we should organise with our brothers and sisters in the trade unions to bring an end to this government with a general strike.”
This is 100% correct. We need a militant movement in every city, town, workplace and college to force the Tories out. We say: kick out the Tories! Kick out capitalism!
