We need to speak for ourselves!

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Workers' Fight workplace bulletin editorials
3 March 2015

It was at the Jaguar Land Rover factory two weeks ago that Miliband chose to launch Labour's 79-page "Economic Plan". Funnily enough, Cameron decided to go and visit the even posher Rolls Royce plant at Goodwood just two days later, to do similar electioneering.

Of course, they are putting out exactly the same friendly message to the bosses. They don't even package it very differently!

It takes the bosses' Financial Times newspaper to supply the subtitles - so they label Miliband "business unfriendly" just in case CEOs forget that their "natural party" is the Tories. But they need not be worried. Miliband told his audience at JLR how Labour is dedicated to business "making bigger profits" (and at whose expense can that be?).

It will cut taxes for small business and entrepreneurs, but more importantly, it won't touch what is the lowest corporation tax in Europe - "the most competitive in the G7" - leaving big business, city finance and the banks with their super-exploitative profits entirely intact!

There was no difference between Cameron and Miliband on the promises they chose to reveal in these two venues when it came to workers. They both spoke of thousands of new apprenticeships - but of course, made no mention of raising the miserly minimum apprentice pay rate of £2.73/hour...

And Miliband's pledge to abolish zero-hour contracts comes with a catch - only the ones considered "exploitative" will go - as if there were any other kind!

What is more, Miliband is as usual, only opposed to low wages being paid to migrant workers when they undercut the wages paid to "British" workers. Otherwise these low wages are perfectly fine?

The taxing question

Of course the Tories are in a bit of trouble over the scandal surrounding the way the world's second biggest bank, HSBC, helped holders of its Swiss bank accounts avoid paying income tax. Especially since all the details of this were handed to HMRC in 2010, but in January 2011, the ConDems still appointed former HSBC boss, Stephen Green as their trade minister - a post he held until December 2013.

And unfortunately, the present bank chief, Stuart Gulliver's attempt to say sorry, by taking out full page ads in the press which declare his abhorrence of tax avoidance: "We have absolutely no appetite to do business with clients who are evading their taxes or who fail to meet our financial crime compliance standards" has fallen a little flat. Hasn't he himself an offshore bank account in Panama and a Swiss account, making use of his non-domicile status? He claims this is "to protect his privacy", but that he can understand why people find it "a bit strange"! What is not plausible at all is his assertion that this "garners" him "no tax benefit"! Perhaps he means compared to the tax benefits others have "garnered"... with his bank's help?

But anyway, fiddling with personal income tax (Labour would raise the top rate from 45p to only 50p!) is never going to bring in the needed cash to rebuild public services - which, as the reports this week show, are in such a dire state - be it the NHS, social services or education.

The bosses can't even tolerate Labour's timid incursions into their benefits such as proposed curbs on bonuses or on £2m properties! They have grown so used to getting away with murder.

Enough of their austerity!

After successive election campaigns following just the same pattern, few voters - and even fewer non-voters - can be in any doubt that there is little to choose between the main parties, even if the media like to play on superficial differences. They all aim to operate within the system as it is - and this system is killing us.

So no, the working class will not get out of this crisis, it will not start reversing the cuts in wages, conditions and services of the past years, with a ballot paper. The only way is to force the capitalist class to foot the bill.

And the capitalist class is immensely rich, more than rich enough to foot its own bills. It has been worked out that company high-fliers received nearly £250bn worth of bonuses since the beginning of the crisis. In 2014 alone, £100bn worth of dividends were paid to shareholders. And the sums hidden by tax evaders in HSBC's Swiss branch speak for themselves. Yes, the money is there, it only needs to be used for the benefit of all.

This won't be achieved by voting in the coming election, because this election won't give us a voice. But the working class has other means to make itself heard - by using its collective strength in the streets and in the factories and offices. Then and only then, will we be able to have a real say.