New year, old struggles

THE year 2009 begins on Thursday with an historical landmark that will enthuse millions all over the world, the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution.

In that half-century, revolutionary Cuba has posed a challenge to imperialism, making it clear that another world is possible, that society does not have to be based on capitalism's dog-eat-dog ethos.

Washington has tried consistently to isolate it, forcing its expulsion from the Organisation of American States, backing invasion and terrorist attacks and imposing a trade blockade.

In spite of the difficulties caused by this campaign, Havana has continued to send its internationalist volunteer teams of builders, cultural workers, sports coaches, health professionals, teachers and, on occasion, armed forces to serve in Third World countries.

Cuba's internationalists, its society based on co-operation rather than competition and its people's willingness to defend their national independence have enhanced the island's reputation in a way that great wealth or military capacity could never do.

Despite US government hostility, Cuba has never had so many friends. Opposition to the US blockade at the UN general assembly is quasi-unanimous and Latin America is throwing up a succession of popular regimes that are positively inclined towards Cuba.

The Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela, embodied by President Hugo Chavez, has sparked an outpouring of people's creativity and desire for socialist change.

Venezuela's readiness to put its oil revenues at the service of progress in the region, including for Cuba, is raising the possibility of substantial social development, irrespective of the wishes of the US northern colossus.

The peoples of most of the continent have stood up against poverty and repression, voting in governments of more or less left-wing pedigree and building regional economic co-operation.

Only Colombia, the most dangerous state in the world in which to be a trade unionist, bucks this trend, retaining its right-wing regime headed by President Alvaro Uribe on the basis of stoking fears about the actions and intentions of the FARC liberation forces.

Britain's unions have identified strongly with progress in Latin America, supporting the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Justice for Colombia, the Venezuela Information Centre and other solidarity organisations.

But this situation is still not adequately reflected in the need to identify with the Palestinian people and to mobilise concretely in their support.

Hundreds of Palestinians have already been killed by the Israeli war machine in recent days, as Tel Aviv searches for a "knockout blow" that will cow the people into acquiescence to Israel's plans to colonise the West Bank and annex it to Israel.

Gordon Brown, like most Western leaders, has urged greater efforts to minimise civilian deaths, but he must know that so-called collateral damage is inevitable in the densely populated hermetically sealed prison that is Gaza.

But, it seems, Arab lives, whether in Palestine or Iraq, matter less to our leaders than other human beings.

As with South Africa half a century ago, it is up to working people to stand up against government indifference and complicity and to speak out for the oppressed rather than identify with the oppressor.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has taken up the unequal battle to gain publicity and support for the Palestinian people and to win backing for a campaign of economic sanctions against Israel.

The ongoing injustice perpetrated against the Palestinians is the greatest single source of anger and resentment among Muslims and the main recruiting agent for Islamist armed groups.

Justice and self-interest dictate that British trade unionists should demand an end to military occupation, ethnic cleansing and illegal Jewish colonisation of the West Bank.

Our government's pledge to withdraw British forces from Iraq by July 2009 is overdue but welcome.

However, less welcome is the Prime Minister's decision to fall in line with White House plans to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan in the fruitless search for a military solution there.

There is never a right time for imperialist wars, but the worst time must be at a time of global economic crisis, when our government urges cutbacks on unnecessary expenditure and a million jobs are under threat.

Trade unions were at the forefront of the Stop the War Coalition, which, alongside CND and the Muslim Association of Britain, organised millions on the streets to oppose the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

They have to take on that priority again or the Brown government will continue to fritter away finance and troops' lives, to say nothing of the suffering of the Afghan people, on an unwinnable and dishonourable war.

The unions have also been far too quiet and reasonable over the government's stewardship of the economy and it is worth noting the recent criticisms by five senior Church of England bishops.

For an organisation that was once described as the Tory Party at prayer, the church criticisms can generally be categorised as being from the left.

New Labour is accused of having done too little to help the poor, of bailing out the banks while ignoring those losing their jobs and of encouraging personal debt, greed, speculation and a love of money.

Worse still, the bishops charge that the government's aspirations stretch no further than propping up the banks, helping them through current choppy waters, before returning them fully to private ownership and putting the economy back in the hands of the financial institutions that helped to bring about the current chaos.

This is an approach that is not only, to quote the clerics, "morally corrupt," but also fundamentally anti-working class.

And it has to change. It is not enough for trade union leaders to look at the well-heeled, ex-public schoolboy Tory Party leadership and point out that its policies of squeezing public services and giving tax cuts to the rich would be even worse than new Labour's pro-big business approach.

It would, if only marginally, but that's not the point. Justification for voting Labour has to be more substantial than an assertion that the other lot's even worse.

There has to be a positive reason and, at present, there isn't.

The government has set aside £550 billion for the banks, but it rejects any concept of taking them into public ownership, even though the bankers are rejecting calls to loan money at reasonable rates to businesses and individuals.

It has washed its hands of manufacturing, allowing key companies to close down or relocate overseas.

It has indicated its willingness to drop its manifesto commitment to keep Royal Mail in public ownership and it is hell-bent on bringing in workfare and harassment of claimants even as it sees jobless totals rise and adds to the figure by axing Civil Service jobs.

And it persists in its refusal to entertain any reversal of the chronic devaluation of the state pension, except via means-tested benefits, even though the National Insurance Fund is in surplus and the case for helping state pensioners is unquestionable.

The unions currently provide 90 per cent of Labour Party funding, now that it is more difficult to buy peerages, and they have a right and a duty to insist on a change of direction.

Apart from the above issues, the need for greater investment in renewable energy, for a massive council housebuilding campaign, for an end to privatisation and private finance initiatives, for the return to public ownership of energy, telecommunications, water and transport and for investment in social justice and equality is clear to growing numbers of people.

There are a number of initiatives taking place, seeking greater working class and socialist unity, to bring about change.

And the Morning Star will, as it has consistently done, provide publicity and support for all genuinely progressive and non-sectarian attempts to build left unity and push for progressive policies.

Despite its meagre resources, our paper is unique, as the world's only broad-left socialist daily in the English language, in taking up this unequal battle and planned changes will enhance this unique role.

In the new year, the Morning Star website will be free, allowing greater access to the news and features provided by our paper on a daily basis.

Later in the year, around spring, the paper's pagination will increase from 12 to 16 daily and 16 to 20 at the weekend to further improve the service that the Morning Star provides to working people.

This is the result of a special three-year project that will be funded by a small consortium of supporters and will enable us to reach a greater number of people than we already do.

This does not mean that we are awash with money. The project is precisely calculated and ring-fenced. It does not dispense with the vital need for our monthly £16,000 Fighting Fund.

If anything, this project, together with the website development, raises the importance of the Fund and the indispensability of achieving it every month without fail.

That should be the new year's resolution for all our readers.

Building and strengthening the Morning Star remains the most important task for class-conscious workers to report the facts that the capitalist media ignores, carry the information that is essential to working people and provide a daily discussion forum for the left.

This is the final new year message by John Haylett as Morning Star editor. He steps aside on Thursday after nearly 14 years as editor to take up the important post of political editor, writing for the paper and representing it in the movement. He will be replaced as editor by his current deputy and head of production Bill Benfield, with whom he has worked closely for 15 years.