Building a fighting left in 2025 – The ‘Red Weekly’ Column
Ben Hayes writes the first of our new Red Weekly columns
Even before reports of Rachel Reeves planning a new round of spending cuts emerged, 2025 looked set to be yet another year of political volatility in Britain. Last summer saw a depleted Conservative government finally come to an end, years after various scandals and the record-quick implosion of Liz Truss’ leadership had rendered it a laughing stock. Its replacement, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, has already hit the rocks, with YouGov polling putting Number 10’s current net approval at a brutal -47%.
There is no denying that the left is operating in a hugely challenging situation. The defeat of Labour in the 2019 general election, and subsequent marginalisation of those representing even fairly modest social democratic traditions inside the party, has led to a period rife with demoralisation, disengagement, and fragmentation.
In Parliament itself, the seven MPs who voted to support scrapping the two-child benefit cap were suspended from the PLP – another chapter in what is surely the most politically narrow and anti-democratic leadership in Labour’s history. Those who supported them against this outrageous measure were quite right to do so, and they should continue to do so this year, including by backing the initiatives some of those MPs are taking for an alternative economic strategy.
Whilst some MPs with a range of affiliations have made positive interventions on various issues in the first 6 months of this Parliament, those representatives seriously pushing for the change we need are clearly very much in the minority at Westminster. Any good news in the foreseeable future is therefore going to be the result of popular pressure rather than bold progressive thinking from those in charge, although the level of disquiet across society and the labour movement as more unpopular measures are proposed may well at some point lead to new divisions and battles.
Recent months have also highlighted the limitations of an approach which has made some headway in sections of the labour movement in recent years, which using the correct assertion that meaningful gains are won not merely through the House of Commons but by building strong industrial organisations and mass mobilisations, has then advocated a strategy which all too often means effectively turning away from campaigning around pressing matters of government policy and power.
Bearing this in mind, a reality which we all now need to face is that leaving a void has simply opened the door for various reactionary alternatives to grow – with Reform having consistently polled at 20% or more for the past 3 months, and the Tories continually drifting further right. And while those attracted to explicit fascist politics remain a relatively small minority, the violent street mobilisations last year showed what the consequences of their message being boosted can be.
Nonetheless, whilst having a realistic assessment of the current context, it remains vital not to slump into defeatism. The result of the last general election, for all that can be criticised about the Parliament it has created, was reflective of a strong mood in favour of change and a rejection of the legacy left by 14 years of Tory-led governments.
This desire for an economic policy which addresses the damage caused by austerity and invests into services and communities can also be seen in responses to the agenda of the new government – with polling showing that scrapping the universal Winter Fuel Allowance payments in favour of means testing (a continuation of austerity politics) has been the most damaging policy in terms of public opinion, and the minimum wage increase proving to be the most popular one.
There remains a strong social base for an intervention from the left on Britain’s economic direction – seen even in the response to the latest Wallace and Gromit special’s emphasis on ensuring technological advances are used for the common good!
Building on Arise’s significant monthly events programme on economic alternatives in partnership with organisations such as the GFTU, Trade Union Co-Ordinating Group, Keep our NHS Public and We Own It, plus the significant support for individual issue campaigns such as in favour of wealth taxes, for public ownership of water and stopping the Winter Fuel cut, this area must be a priority for us in 2025.
It was also notable last year that, despite the notion promoted in some quarters of questions around internationalism and liberation being ‘fringe issues’, the most significant and widely-supported mobilisations were those in solidarity with the Palestinian people and defending our communities against extreme-right mobs, the latter turning the tide after numerous violent attacks.
These campaigns will be key once again over the next 12 months. On Palestine, the increasing breadth and impact of the coalition that has been put together is testament to the tireless work of those helping to build public pressure and engagement. The ongoing scenes of human and societal destruction have been kept in the public eye, and the role of Britain’s state and arms industry has been exposed. This has also led to growing layers to consider the links between struggles for progress at home and the fight for a better, more peaceful Earth.
And, as Trump prepares to return to office by ramping up his rhetoric not only in relation to the Middle East but an ever-growing list of places around the world, it is also worth noting that last month marked a year of the hard-right Milei administration in Argentina. The situation there should not only prompt solidarity with unions and social movements but serve as a warning of what these politics deliver in practice.
With a combination of attacks on trade union rights, vicious austerity policies, backward steps on the environment, and plans for an increase to a 12 hour working day (without overtime, naturally), it is little surprise that his agenda has been met with two thumbs up from Elon Musk – whilst a majority of the population have been pushed into poverty.
A final thought. This year should absolutely involve working with those from different political traditions – as well as those new to political activism. There is no contradiction between this and marking out a distinct socialist analysis and proposals to address the seriousness of the situation around us. Whatever framework is offered in the discourse of leading political figures and media pundits, neither smug liberalism nor reactionary conservatism will lead us to anywhere but disaster.
Anyone on the left expecting 2025 to see unanimous agreement on building their preferred organisation and programme is likely to be disappointed. But in terms of a New Year’s Resolution, we could do a lot worse than working to build links in whatever way we can to support all those fighting for positive change politically, industrially and internationally, and ensure we have an opportunity to set the agenda to the greatest possible extent.
- The Red Weekly Column will appear each Monday on Labour Outlook from one of our regular socialist contributors.
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