On Fri, 5 May 2000, J.WALKER wrote:
>
> My main argument (as I am not keen on just going over the old debates
> of anti-parliamentarianism) is that the Left in its opposition to New
> Labour either harks back to a false Golden Age of Old Labour which it
> cannot attain or cannot see beyond elections as the key way forward.
> One group which this will seek to alienate is the poorest sections of
> the working class (around here in the local election less that 9 per
> cent voted!) and the new movements of environmental protesters,
> refugee campaigns and the Anti-Capitalist activists. As more and more
> of them reject the parliamentary road as moribund and a diversion it
> is becoming more and more significant for the Left. It is not a
> question of prinicipled objection but just that tactically, at the
> moment, it does not seem to be very relevant.
>
Turnout in elections is certainly falling and will probably fall further
at the next general election, but IMHO this represents not a rejection of
the 'parliamentary road' than a rejection of the possibility of any kind
of change. I could well imagine that opposition to the government would
not emerge under the banners of the revolutionary left but wouldn't we
have seen some other sign of it by now? If anything it has been
extraordinary how well the Blairite consensus has held together.
As far tactics go, elections seem the high point of political activity.
British trade unions are in process of becoming insurance salesmen and
student politics is concerned either with issues of narrow self-interest
(like tuition fees) or with politically correct causes like Tibet. What
would you suggest for some alternative to contesting elections?
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