Speaking for Britain
WORKERS, OCT 2007 ISSUE
THE TUC has spoken for Britain. Despite all the bluff of Brown and the manoeuvrings of his allies in the unions, Congress called overwhelmingly for the British people to have the chance to vote against the new European Constitution (ie, the treaties effectively bringing it into force).
Will there be a referendum? That is now up to workers in their union branches and in their workplaces. For a brief while this government is on the hook. Workers cannot afford to let it wriggle off.
There is precious little time: civil servants are even now tidying up the fine print. The European establishments are linking arms to attempt to prevent referendums, such as in the Netherlands. Yet opinion poll after opinion poll shows that the peoples of Europe are demanding their say.
As the article on page 6 of this issue explains, the derelict structures of Britain's trade unions are liberally sprinkled with representatives of a traitor class – having lost industry and roots, they seek to abandon Britain and live on EU handouts. They've got their season tickets on the Brussels gravy train, and they intend to stay in their seats. So they smear any opposition to the Constitution as opposition to the EU, and any opposition to the EU as linking up with the Tories or UKIP. That only goes to show how far they have lost touch with the memberships who pay their wages.
The ball is now in the members' court. For far too long – and especially over Europe – workers have allowed their unions to support all kinds of rubbish that the members themselves oppose, as if it's not important what the leadership says. And while the overwhelming majority of union members, for example, oppose the euro, want a referendum, and don't want to see the EU get even more powers over national governments, they have let their representatives get their snouts deep into the European trough.
On the positive side, members won't be swayed much by what the likes of Simpson or Woodley say (nor, for that matter, by union leaders opposed to the constitution). But against this they have allowed an intolerant Europhilia to flourish in our unions, which now allows Brown to think he can get away with signing the treaties.
Many of Britain's unions are sliding into state sponsorship, taking their orders from Westminster and Brussels rather than from their members. And the members have put up with it. That must stop, and stop soon – the British working class cannot take orders from any government or any political party. An independent Britain requires an independent working class – and vice versa.