Since it took
me twenty minutes the other day to manage a five minute walk round the block I
am not one of the hundreds
of thousands demonstrating against the suspension of Parliament today, but
I am pleased and proud to see the scale of the opposition which is being
expressed around the country.
Johnson’s plan
is clearly to set things up for a General Election in which he will seek to
stand for “people” against Parliament – but the actual mobilisation of the
people is taking place in opposition to his Government.
This
mobilisation offers the possibility of carrying forward the momentum of
opposition to prorogation into support for Labour’s socialist policies in a
General Election (and beyond that, into the mass popular mobilisation which
will be necessary if a socialist-led Labour Government is to be defended for
long enough to be able to do any good).
Labour
politicians calling for support for today’s protests are doing exactly the
right thing, as are the Labour Party members who are – as I write this – in the
streets of towns and cities up and down the country.
Johnson’s
audacious move in announcing the prorogation of Parliament won’t be the last
move from this reactionary Government, which is aiming at the twin goals of a
hard Brexit and a Tory majority in Parliament – and we need to be prepared to
respond with similar audacity and with agility if we are going to defeat our
enemies.
The movement which
has arisen in response to Johnson’s announcement is only beginning to unfold. Labour
Party activists can neither predict nor direct how the movement will develop –
but we can do all we can to win the respect, and therefore assume the
leadership, of this emerging movement.
To win respect
we must show respect – and we cannot build unity by lecturing any of those who
are coming out on to the streets. EU flags may – in truth – be as irrelevant to
the needs of the moment as SWP placards, but those who turn up with either are
an audience for our views. Whilst the movement which is developing is
(unavoidably) opposed to Brexit no one prepared to defend democracy can be (or
will be) turned away.
The anger which
has been sparked by the undemocratic Tory manoeuvre could now be focused into
support for an alternative (Labour) Government (and beyond that for social
transformation and constitutional change) – or it could dissipate and presage
no more than a decade of defensive struggles against the majority Tory
Government that is Johnson’s central objective.
Congratulations
to all those protesting today. This is only the beginning.