A powerful show of solidarity for Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party from America
With only 48 hours to go until the general election, the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) issued a powerful statement in support of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party. The PDA’s Alan Minsky sent this letter to The Canary and it’s a powerful and important show of solidarity.
The Canary is sharing the letter in full:
“A clear pathway to a more just and equitable society”
“On Thursday, the British public has a historic opportunity to elect a truly pro-worker, pro-environment, anti-war and anti-racist government by voting for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party in the UK general election.
“A Labour victory would represent a sharp break with neoliberalism, the failed economic orthodoxy of the past four decades, which makes an idol of the “market” and re-distributes wealth and power ever-upward.
“The neoliberal project was launched by Margaret Thatcher in 1979, and Ronald Reagan a year later. The record is clear: neoliberal economic policies deliver society’s wealth into the hands of the few, condemns the rest of us to lives of struggle and debt peonage, rips apart worker’s rights, maintains structural racism and permanent wars, and generates ever-greater environmental degradation.
“The Labour Party Manifesto, in brilliant contrast, lays out a clear pathway to a more just and equitable society. It calls for the revival of tried and trusted policies that produced the most prosperous societies in human history in the Post-World War II era. At its heart, the Labour program is about redistributing wealth, empowering workers, and allocating resources to social necessities (health, education, housing, and green energy infrastructure) that the market won’t fund. The plan creates jobs and puts money into the pockets of people who need it and will spend it, generating further wealth. Don’t believe anyone that says it isn’t possible.”
“Contempt for the constitution and democratic principle”
“The choice that British voters face on Thursday is stark. We in the United States know first hand the results of the neo-liberal austerity that the Conservatives will continue. We have lived under that regime for decades and the situation in the United States is dire. Poverty and homelessness are rampant. Housing and healthcare unaffordable. Debt loads are soaring. It’s almost impossible to make ends meet with a basic job. The once vast middle class is evaporating. All wealth goes to the already wealthy. Democracy is in serious peril.
Read on...
“Also, please understand, it’s neo-liberalism that produced President Donald Trump.
“Opposing Labour is a Tory Party led by the UK’s Trump, Boris Johnson; a man as self-serving as the U.S. President, with equal contempt for the constitution and democratic principle. Johnson will join the growing ranks of ethno-nationalist autocratic rulers: Erdogan, Modi, Bolsonaro, Putin, Orban et al. Have no illusions, a Johnson victory will be seen as the greatest triumph yet for global Trumpism.”
“A new era of economic prosperity and justice for all”
“How does Brexit figure into this? It’s simple: would you rather have a relationship with Europe designed to favor the interests of international finance Capital and the wealthy (as put together by Johnson); or one that foregrounds the concerns of average people and workers, as Corbyn would pursue? Even better, Corbyn would allow a final public vote on the deal he negotiates.
“There is a cacophony of noise being raised against Labour and its leader by the elite and their courtiers. There is a reason for this. They know that a Corbyn victory means the end of the reign of high finance, the end of the Oligarchy.
“The neo-liberal era began in the UK forty years ago. On Thursday, British voters can launch a new era of economic prosperity and justice for all. In an uncanny act of historical symmetry, we in the US can join with you next year.
“A Labour victory will be a beacon for the world.”
Featured image via Amanda Walsh, used with permission
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
One historian said the real reason why after WWII the elite didn’t fight too hard against the creation of the NHS and the welfare state was because they feared being overthrown by the working classes. Many men were battle experienced, they were fit, were still in contact with colleagues across the country, and many possessed weapons they’d taken from dead or captured Germans. In short, they were organised. Also, in the days before being de-mobbed, their officers reported discontent from men saying they were not going to accept the “land fit for heroes” their fathers faced, which in reality was unemployment, poverty and homelessness that led to the lean years between the wars, the General Strike and Hunger Marches.
Years later once these men started losing contact with comrades, got old, started dying off etc the Tories under Thatcher started rolling back these gains. Then Blair disarmed the country and became a real authoritarian. Corbyn will return what these scum have managed to claw back from us, so either we gain democratically (I think they plan to steal the election from him), or we have to unseat the bastards.