Saturday, June 17, 2017

Nowhere to turn for Theresa May and the Tories

She had it right but in the wrong order
by Roger Silverman, London Socialist

Whichever course they choose, the ruling class are in a hopeless mess. The Tories have lost any authority; the Labour Party is dangerously radicalised; any alternative parties (Liberal-Democrats, UKIP, the SNP) have been squeezed out. They are desperate to stave off the threat of a left Labour government, but what alternative do they have? A Tory/DUP government can't survive for more than a few months; it will stagger from vote to vote, at the constant mercy of rebellions, defections and by-election defeats. One option that is being floated is to form some kind of "national government" consisting of the remnants of "New Labour", soft-Brexit Tories, and what's left of the Liberal Democrats.

But such a combination would probably be no more capable of cobbling together a majority than Theresa May plus the DUP; moreover, it would be so blatant and transparent a device that it would only further inflame millions of Labour supporters. Sooner or later they will have to accept the election of a Labour government, and rely on a combination of disloyalty on the part of the PLP right wing (including some of those who are currently belatedly fawning around Corbyn), and the deployment of a whole array of dirty tricks to destabilise and overthrow it: racism, terrorism, economic sabotage, etc. 


In such circumstances, Labour should stand firm against any muddle, dithering or timidity and must not shrink from a decisive confrontation.

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