Support for Palestine at the Liverpool rally
Around 550 people joined calls for a new left alternative at a rally in Liverpool on Saturday.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said he knows “many people are very frustrated that we didn’t found a new political party” much earlier.
“If you want to blame anybody, blame me,” he said. “But I am determined there will be, in short time, a strong alternative democratic socialist, left wing voice that brings people together.”
Len McCluskey, the former Unite union general secretary, went slightly further than promising a “left wing voice”. “In a very short time there will be a credible, left, radical party,” he said.
“We know who should lead it, and he’s here,” he said, pointing to Corbyn. And after that the crowd burst into chants of “Oh Jeremy Corbyn”.
The rally was called by the Merseyside and Liverpool groupings of independent councillors.
A sense of working class struggle ran through many of the speeches. One Unite member from Livv Housing on Merseyside spoke about how workers had won a victory over pay after eight months of strikes.
“We joined up with the Unison union and put our differences aside to take on the bosses,” he said.
He argued the left has to unite to form a new party because Labour “does not support working people struggling with their everyday lives”.
Mike is one of the bin workers on indefinite strike Birmingham. The Labour council in the city—and the government—are using the police, courts and military personnel to break picket lines.
“On behalf of 370 proud striking brothers and sisters, thank you for your solidarity,” he said.
One of those people is Ann San, the co-chair of the Merseyside Pensioners Association. “It has been a privilege to go down to Birmingham,” she said. “That’s where you should be—supporting workers defending their pay and conditions.
“The trade union movement should go down there. They are becoming demoralised, they need to see people down there.”
Ann, a former life-long Labour member, added, “Not one Labour MP has turned up at the Palestine demonstrations.
“The silence of the elected representatives in Liverpool, and nationally, around Gaza is unforgivable.
“Your time is up—I will not forget your treachery and your lies.”
Connor, who came to the conference, said, “It’s about time the working class gets its own party.”
Liverpool’s Community Independents councillors Alan Gibbons and Sam Gorst spoke about why they had broken from Labour.
Alan said that it was time for a new party—and warned that “Farage’s lot are lining up” if the left doesn’t get its act together.
Corbyn said, “We’re supporting the independents here in Liverpool and Southport and, indeed, all over.
“But it’s also a message to our comrades and friends in every independent group, every socialist group, all over the country—come together.
“We are one. We will win, and we will ensure we build a better world and a better society.”
There is an urgent need for a left alternative to Labour at the ballot box. It could say—no to austerity, refugees welcome and migrants aren’t to blame, trans+ rights, free Palestine and climate action now.
The battles in the streets and picket lines, over Palestine, racism, trans+ rights and austerity, matter most to win change.
But socialists need to use elections to champion struggle and raise working class people’s confidence to fight back.
We need more socialists challenging Labour and a united left challenge at the elections.
But only action can make Labour deliver
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