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These brief comments update the line I argued in April 2010 in which I outlined how to apply the old American SWP prior to Barnes of a Leninist-Trotskyist strategy of what they called a combined revolution 3rd American Socialist revolution (see appendix which has the original April document) to the British situation before May 2010’s general election. It would be useful if other women comrades could write other reports about the London Feminist Network (LFN) conference in London held on October 23rd 2010. From the limited reading (I have only read Julia Long’s report) the main discussion was how to organise to stop Sexist violence against women. Due to British Capitalism’s decay all the old oppressions are coming to the surface. During the 1970s, Britain’s ruling class were able to buy off a layer of middle class women which weakened the social movements. It is very positive that there is a beginning of a sizeable Feminist movement of middle and working class women are emerging. The varied demands being raised by Feminists ranging from opposing violence against women to fighting against cuts which is going to hit working and middle class women hard are signs of a profound radicalisation against a Capitalist society which is making their oppression worse. April’s document dealt with how to apply the combined revolution strategy to Britain. All I add here is there should be campaigns like the LFN which bring together women fighting oppression in general and single issue campaigns which unite women and their allies around one or two issues. Trotskyists have to respect and argue why at this stage there should be women-only meetings because it is only by developing confidence of how they fight their oppression, will working/middle class women be able to unite with male workers and middle class men eventually to overthrow Capitalism. If British Capitalism is going to be overthrown male workers have to be broken from Sexism and won to fight for a specific programme to liberate working and middle class women from their oppression. One contradiction revealed in Long’s report is that all the panellists on the domestic violence workshop opposed campaigning for Sexist hatred laws. We should campaign for Sexist violence to be criminalised. By waging such a struggle you build a mass movement by the oppressed and their allies in the working class which begins to challenge Capitalist rule. Even if the ruling class makes concessions outlawing Sexist violence Trotskyists point out it is mass action which achieved this. Since the general election working class and middle class women are facing a massive onslaught through cuts. 70% of these women are going to suffer the most from these attempted cutbacks. A lot of working class women are on low incomes already. Social benefits (different categories of unemployed) on top of this are being slashed. Middle class women are being attacked with child benefit being reduced and with top-up University fees increasing. Trotskyists see other aspects of the middle class and women workers fighting their oppression by campaigning against Sexist violence and withdrawing licenses for lap dancing clubs which make super-profits by treating women as sexual objects. Long correctly sees the need to link up with ethnic minority women who suffer both Racism and Sexism. This started to happen at last Saturday’s conference. One major difference I have with Long is when she argues women from all classes can unite against Women’s oppression. It is class society which causes women’s oppression. Within this framework Trotskyists recognise specific social oppressions, and by fighting around a specific programme of demands for oppressed groups win them over to a workers struggle for power. Ruling class women while being oppressed as women will very mostly put their class interests first against an incipient Socialist revolution. Despite that difference of opinion with Long she is correct to praise the Dagenham film. This shows the potential of the oppressed and workers coming together to challenge Capitalism. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
