Leaflet On The Election In The UK: Ignore the elections, continue the struggles

Text of leaflet distributed at the time of the election

Election fever has broken out in the Media – the country is supposed to be in the grip of a great debate over the nation’s future. The out-going Members of Parliament are busily denouncing the others for almost every kind of insults that can be imagined. And all this is supposed to constitute politics. If that was all there is to politics then those who dismiss it all, and especially politicians, can be forgiven for having a healthy scepticism for such matters. A disgust for all the antics in parliament could well be the beginning of wisdom – it is not in itself an answer to the problem but at least is a first step towards an understanding.

The Media offensive (certainly an offensive Media!) to stir up an interest in the election is underway. Everybody is being bombarded by every gimmick and insult to bring their attention to «the great debates» about the future for the economy, country, tax system and even the ecology, as if the parties concerned genuinely cared about the issues. And the purpose of all this, well they have a personal stake! They are politicians on the make – they are after another five years on the Parliamentary gravy-train. Those who are not on the gravy-train yet are after somebody else’s seat, so that is why the in-fighting gets really dirty.

Just in case people haven’t noticed that an election campaign is underway the programmes on TV are rearranged (would they really consult the people over whether they really want to watch all this rubbish?). In order to bombard everyone whole rain-forests are cut down in order to churn out election leaflets a good proportion of the population would rather do without. And the purpose of all this is to give creditability to a rather discreditable bunch who would be the Government. Usually a majority party forms the Government, if there isn’t a clear majority then some sort of deal will be done and a form of Government cobbled together from people who were tearing each other to pieces a few days before! No wonder the word of politicians is so distrusted. But now, with the possibility of no party having an over-all majority, commentators are talking of a Hung Parliament – there is a fairly ’treasonable’ thought in there somewhere.

The Purpose behind these Elections

At least every five years a General Election has to be called. Its official reason is to consult the electors and have a new Parliament elected. Besides the trappings of democracy, which gives these MPs their reason for being involved in getting a Government formed, there the process of democracy ends. From then on Parliament and the state then tells the over-whelming majority of the population, particularly the working class, how we are to be taxed and governed. The election is for the ruling class to decide which of the contending parties, busily involved in their own beauty parade, will meet the needs of keeping the country in one piece and keeping us workers «in our place». The role of the Media in examining the policies of each of the candidates and parties is in reality a process of bringing the population on to ground which is very safe for the capitalist class. Why else the detailed examination of what will be done over taxes, public expenditure, investment, involvement in Europe – there certainly aren’t any demands for policies to eliminate unemployment, real living wages for workers and unemployed, lifting the burdens of high interest rates on the working class: that would be far too much for the bourgeoisie to tolerate. Much too investigative for the bosses, indeed.

The ruling class are well aware of the distrust of politicians amongst some of the working class. A healthy disinterest, and in some cases down-right hostility or opposition, to the requirements of the boss class by whole sections of the working class is another reason why this election is taking place. The ruling class is desperate in trying to involve the working class in all the debates on the future of the economy and the capitalist system as a whole. All the issues of public investment and/or tax cuts, how to get the economy going (while keeping the worker’s wages in line), future inside/outside Europe and the possibility of floods of refugees from unspecified corners of the world [dying to pay their whack of the Poll Tax?]. Even better if they can get the working class to passionately take up some of the issues against other sections of their own class. It is the old strategy of divide and conquer. And if they can disorientate whole sections of workers by getting them to demand policies which are in the interests of sections of the ruling class well that is a real bonus for the bosses. It also plays the role of confusing and disorienting workers after the elections. That is why the elections are important for the ruling class at this time.

Should there be a significant section of workers who can hold out from being intimidated into participating in the election issues, then this will be viewed by the ruling class as a threat. That is why all the fuss and efforts to pull everybody into the election. Not only are millions still resisting the Poll Tax, if this is coupled with large-scale abstentions in the elections, this will represent a significant refusal by parts of the working class and sections of other classes to cooperate in the grand scheme of things. While not glorifying this resistance as anything more than it is, a desperate refusal to collaborate in the process of their own political strangulation, it does show a determined opposition not to fall for all the same old tricks.

Keep up the Resistance!

As we have pointed out millions have been refusing, even in a limited form, to cooperate with the Poll Tax. At least it got rid of the Thatcher wing of the Tory Party – which was more than all sorts of elections achieved! Already at least a million people have disappeared off the electoral register, because registering invites a Poll Tax demand. The likes of the Labour Party condemn this as disenfranchising themselves by not claiming their vote. Indeed it is Roy Hattersley of the Labour Party who points out that it is the Labour Councils who are tougher on Poll Tax defaulters than Tory Councils (as if we didn’t know already the class role of these characters). It is the role of the Labour Party to identify Poll Tax resisters and to make sure they come before the Courts at the earliest possible time. They are certainly a bosses’ party through and through.

We well understand this process and not only refuse to condemn anyone for this but are inclined to defend them for their actions. It does not in itself provide a class solution, but represents a first stage in which people will / must go through with (re)building class wide organisations. To successfully fight back against the ruling class the workers need to form themselves as an organised class, united in action in defending their own interests. In a limited way what has been achieved by all this individual resistance is that there is a wealth of determination, a potential understanding (even though at this stage very fragmented) and a dogged determination that shows that the workers are still not prepared to lie down and be walked all over. And this determined resistance has led to members of other classes joining in. It does show in a very limited way the capacity of the workers to lead other classes in society in struggle against the ruling class. No wonder the desire of the ruling class to stamp on this movement as much as they can. If that is all that can be achieved at this stage, then so be it. That is why we defend those sections of workers and individuals who continue to resist, and especially who refuse to join the alleged stampede to the polling booths.

Keep up the resistance – Ignore the elections