1 Mar 2009

RMT TO CONTEST EURO ELECTIONS


If this is true I have only myself to blame back in the early 1990s I asked Alex Gordon to put up Murray Bookchin, the brilliant but rather grumpy green anarchist thinker...this was when Alex lived in Bristol and we put together a speaking tour for Bookchin.

Bookchin was one of the most important political thinkers of the last century but he could be a bit prickly...did this action put Alex off of Anarchism...well who knows.

Interested to read that he is venturing into electoral politics, if this report is true.

Please RMT don't stand...we need to re-elect Jean Lambert in London and Caroline Lucas in the South East.

I am being far from serious by the way mentioning Bookchin, Alex Gordon is a very impressive long term RMT militant and an all round good thing...although I think a RMT euro slate would be a mistake.

This is what Andy Newman posted on Socialist Unity



RMT TO CONTEST EURO ELECTIONS

A little bird tells me that the RMT is putting together an anti-EU slate for this year’s Euro elections, and that Bob Crow is intending to head of the list in London, with the twist that these anti-EU candidates would not take their seats (and salaries!) if elected.

This scheme is the brainchild of former anarcho-syndicalist, Alex Gordon.

I have serious doubts about this myself, especially as in some seats this could take votes away from candidates better placed to beat the BNP. What do you think?

3 comments:

Charlie Marks said...

Since it's v. close to election time, I hope that this proposal is considered carefully. I think that it would be in the interest of unions disaffiliated from Labour to align themselves with the Greens as they are a sizeable radical party. Caroline Lucas has made overtures to the unions before, rightly comparing the policies of the Greens with the aims of the unions to restore workers rights and halt and reverse privatisation of public utilities and services.

peter said...

it won't damage the Green Party, but it might help to defeat the BNP. The disenfranchised white working class doesn't vote Green.

They might be persuaded to vote for a union voice though - one that's sticking up for local workers.

Julie said...

I think it would be cowardly to go begging the RMT not to stand. The unions have continually fronted leaflets and their propaganda against the Greens over the years while supporting the warmongering Labour Party.

I don't expect anything new from the RMT but to start muscling in a bit see if they got a chance. Don't forget there is Respect to deal with as well.

I suggest we just peddle our own honest brand and if the likes of the RMT arn't for it then stuff em.

Imperialism Is the Arsonist: Marxism’s Contribution to Ecological Literatures and Struggles

Derek Wall ’s article entitled  Imperialism Is the Arsonist: Marxism’s Contribution to Ecological Literatures and Struggles , argues that Ma...