Emancipation & Liberation » Committee for a Workers International

Feb 04 2020

FROM ILLUSIONS IN A LEXIT BREXIT TO A DISILLUSIONED LEXIT FROM BREXIT POLITICS – THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION AND INDEPENDENT SOCIALISTS ACROSS THESE ISLANDS

Allan Armstrong has published an article entitled From Illusions in a Lexit Brexit to a Disillusioned Lexit from Brexit Politics (https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/socialists-and-december-12th-election.pdf) The contents of this book are shown below, followed by the last two chapters and conclusion. This article follows The Impact of the December 12th General Election across the Constituent Parts of the UK. (http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2020/01/24/the-impact-of-the-december-12th-general-election-across-the-constituent-parts-of-the-uk/)

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FROM ILLUSIONS IN A LEXIT BREXIT TO A DISILLUSIONED LEXIT FROM BREXIT POLITICS

Telegraph backs Lexiters’ ‘revolution’ and ‘Peoples Brexit!

Contents

a) The 2015 general election provided a warning

b) After 2015 – an increasingly floundering Left

c) Northern Ireland – a different pattern

d) Reactionary unionism and Europhobic opposition to the EU

e) The largest independent Socialist parties walk into the Brexit trap

f) The official Remain and Leave campaigns – two wings of the British ruling class

g) The Lexiters’ false arguments

h) The political options open in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum

i) From 23rd May, 2016 to 8th June, 2017 – A victory for the Left or the Right?

j) ‘Independent’ Socialists and ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn’!

k) Corbyn and the ‘independent’ Socialists unwittingly help Boris Johnson to victory

l) Independent socialists after the December 12th general election

m) Independent socialists in Scotland and Northern Ireland/Ireland

n) Conclusion

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THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION AND INDEPENDENT SOCIALISTS ACROSS THESE ISLANDS

1. Independent socialists after the December 12^th general election

On December 12^th, Labour’s vote share fell by 7.8% and its number of MPs decreased from 262 to 202. The Tories’ vote share rose 1.2%, but its number of MPs increased from 317 to 365. The gap in the vote share was 11.4%, 32.2% for Labour and 43.6% for the Tories.[1] Not surprisingly a shattered Jeremy Corbyn offered his resignation, opening up the prospect of a new leadership campaign. Continue reading “FROM ILLUSIONS IN A LEXIT BREXIT TO A DISILLUSIONED LEXIT FROM BREXIT POLITICS – THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION AND INDEPENDENT SOCIALISTS ACROSS THESE ISLANDS”

Tags: '10 Pledges', All Under One Banner, Author: Allan Armstrong, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Committee for a Workers International, Cross Community Labour Alliance, Emma Thornberry, Fresh Start, International Socialist Tendency, Jeremy Corbyn, Jewish Board of Deputies, Jewish Voice of Labour, Karie Murphy, Len McCluskey, Leo Varadkar, Lexit, Lisa Tandy, Norther Ireland Committee - Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Northern Ireland, People before Profit, Radical Independence Campaign, reactionary unionism, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Republic of Ireland, Right populism, Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party, Sectarianism, Sir Keith Starmer, Socialist Party (Ireland), Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Workers Party (Ireland), SocialistParty (England and Wales)

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Dec 09 2019

THE RISE OF NATIONAL POPULISM AND REACTIONARY UNIONISM IN THE RUN UP TO THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION

In the lead-up to the December 12th general election Allan Armstrong updates his analysis of the drift to the Right populist and reactionary unionist politics in the UK and what this possibly means for the future of the Union.

This is followed by an article by statement from the Radical Independence Campaign in Scotland on the general election.

Finally we are posting an article by Tony Greenstein, expelled Labour Party member from Brighton. He predicted the unexpected rise in support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, but thinks that Labour’s chances have declined in the run up to the December general election.

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THE CONTINUED RISE OF RIGHT POPULISM AND REACTIONARY UNIONISM

IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION

(A fuller explanation of what is meant by Right national populism can be found in the article:- https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/right-populism-2.pdf

Neither the UK nor Great Britain have ever been unitary states. All forms of unionism are based upon the unionist nature of the UK state, which has recognised England, Scotland, Ireland (later Northern Ireland) and Wales as constituent units. This has led to the adoption of various forms of hybrid Britishness.

Three key terms used in this article are:-

Conservative unionism – This acknowledges the unionist nature of the UK state through administrative devolution (or later acceptance of liberal unionist devolutionary measures which it once opposed, but have become part of the status quo)

Liberal unionism – This also accepts the unionist nature of the UK state but promotes political devolution as a better method of holding the state together

Reactionary unionism – This upholds the UK state and openly celebrates its most repressive aspects. e.g. the crown powers, the armed forces and judiciary. It is also prepared to mobilise extra-constitutional force to prevent national self-determination, greater measures of political devolution, and reverse political devolution and even some administrative devolutionary measures that have already been accepted.) Continue reading “THE RISE OF NATIONAL POPULISM AND REACTIONARY UNIONISM IN THE RUN UP TO THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION”

Tags: 2014 IndyRef1, 2016 EU referendum, 2019 English local elections, 2019 EU elections, 2019 Northern Ireland local elections, All Under One Banner, All Under One Banner (Cymru), Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Anti Austerity Alliance, Aontu, Author: Allan Armstrong, Better Together, Boris Johnson, Brecon & Radnorshire by-election, Brexit, Brexit Party, Committee for a Workers International, conservative unionism, constitutional nationalism, Corbynism, Criss Community Labour Alternative, December 12th general election, dissident Republicans, Dominic Cummings, Donald Trump, DUP, Greens (England and Wales), Gwylad Gwylad, indyref2, International Socialist Tendency, Irexit, Irish Freedom Party, Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson, Just Say Naw!, Labour Party, Left Unity Party, Lexit, Lib-Dems, Liberal Democratic Party, liberal unionism, Loyalist paramilitaries, Mark, Northern Ireland Assembly - Stormont, Northern Ireland Executive, People before Profit, Peterborough by-election, Plaid Cymru, Progressive Unionist Party, reactionary unionism, Right populism, Scottish Greens, Scottish Parliament - Holyrood, Scottish Socialist Party, SDLP, Sinn Fein, SNP, Socialist Party (Ireland), Socialist Party England and Wales, Socialist Workers Network, Socialist Workers Party, Solidarity, Theresa May, Tories, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, TUV, UKIP, UUP, Welsh Assembly - Cardiff Bay

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Dec 03 2016

WHICH WAY NOW – ‘BREXIT’ OR ‘EX-BRIT’?

Category: Against Imperialism,Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,No One Is Illegal,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,The EU,The global economy,UK state/British imperialism,US imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 2:02 am

Allan Armstrong, of the Campaign for a European Republican Socialist Party, draws some political conclusions from the online discussion (http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2016/11/20/from-farages-brexit-to-trumps-brexit-plus-plus-plus-and-on-to-madame-frexit/) of the political situation in the UK in the aftermath of the Trump vote.

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WHICH WAY NOW – ‘BREXIT’ OR ‘EX-BRIT’?

a) Brexit and the change in British ruling class thinking

Since the Brexit vote, the Tories, under Theresa May’s leadership, have been moving away from the recently shared politics of the majority of the British ruling class and mainstream British political parties. A central feature of these politics was based upon the globalised neo-liberal economics pushed by Margaret Thatcher, in the interests of a turbo-charged City of London. The City had really taken off after Nigel Lawson’s ‘Big Bang’ deregulation in 1983. Following New Labour’s 1996 election victory, they adopted the same unquestioning pro-City path. This was shown when Chancellor Gordon Brown abolished the few remaining government controls over the City’s operations. Under Tony Blair, Butskellism gave way to Blatcherism.
Continue reading “WHICH WAY NOW – ‘BREXIT’ OR ‘EX-BRIT’?”

Tags: "English votes for English laws", 'Blatcherism', 'Ex-Brit', 'Project Fear', 'Project Hate', 'Project Hope', 'Ulster'-British, 1992 Maastricht Treaty, 2003 Iraq War, 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 2016 EU referendum, Alternative for Germany, Angela Merkel, Anti-Nazi League, Arkadiusz Jozwik, austerity, Author: Allan Armstrong, Belfast Flag Riots, Bernadette McAliskey, Better Together, Boris Johnson, Brexit, British Socialist Party, Britishness, Bustkellism, Campaign for a European Republican Socialist Party, CDU/SDP coaltion, Christian Democracy, City of London, Committee for a Workers International, Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Great Britain, Conservative Party, conservative unionism, David Cameron, Democratic Unionist Party, Devolution-all-round, Donald Trump, Downing Street Agreement, EEC, EU, George Bush, George Galloway, George Osborne, Germany, Gordon Brown, Greece, Iceland, indyref2, Intrnational Socialist Tendency, Ireland, Jo Cox, John Major, Kate Hoey, LeaveEU, Left Unity Party, Lexit, liberal unionism, loyalists, Margaret Thatcher, Marine Le Pen, migration, National Front France, NATO, neo-fascists, neo-Keynesianism, neo-liberalism, New Labour, New Unionism, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, Nigel Lawson, Peace Process, Philip Hammond, Putin, reactionary unionism, Red Paper Collective, Richard Haas, Right national populism, Ronald Reagan, Russia, Scottish Socialist Alliance, Scottish Socialist Party, Scottish-British, Social Democracy, Social Democratic Federation, Socialist Party of England and Wales, Socialist Party Scotland, Socialist Workers Party (Great Britain), SWP, Theresa May, Tony Blair, Tory Right, UKIP, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Welsh-British

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