Writing on the wall
The US National Security Strategy lays it out very clearly. Trump and his allies want to dismantle the European Union, facilitate far– right and fascist parties to gain power and upend the whole post-war political architecture of international rules-based and human rights processes. The document brands Europe as facing “civilizational erasure” (code for too many migrants of colour).. Admittedly, 40 years of neo liberalism have done much to weaken the structure of the liberal democratic order. Now Trump Republican-run US will do this in spades.
Ukraine showed that the writing was on the wall. No more US financial aid, acquiescence to Russian imperialism, transactional trading relationships that put “American First” via tariffs and bully boy tactics (epitomised by military interventions in South America), to protect US corporations and big tech from taxation and regulation.
With this shifting of the tectonic plates of post-war monopoly capitalism, a gauntlet is thrown down to European capitalist states and particularly to the UK. For 80 years, UK strategy has been based on the “special relationship” with the US. That’s over. It won’t be solved by any number of red carpet visits to the British monarchy or other sycophantic measures. Trump has already pulled back from the tech trade deal and imposed 10% tariffs on most goods.
It is time for Labour to stand with the EU and adopt a more progressive focus in Europe. As Kerry Postlewhite argues, the UK needs to get much closer to the EU, which, before Brexit, was the UK’s biggest trading partner accounting for 42% of trade. Agreement on the Erasmus+ student programme is a start. But as many have argued, including Paul Nowak of the TUC, we need to be part of a customs union and single market. The longer the UK delays, the worse the economic situation will become.
Today, the echoes of the 1930s are growing louder: mounting economic instability, the rise of fascist parties in Europe and the US, and, let alone, emboldened authoritarian police states in Russia and China. Racism and its ugly offspring, fascism, are casting their shadow across the Western world. As Gary Younge outlines, drawing from his US experience, progressive forces need to band together in the UK and beyond to repel the toxic movements of race hate and division. Kevin Courtney amplifies the point in announcing the launch of the Together Alliance coalition. Labour’s disgraceful kow-towing to the far right on immigration, constantly playing to their tune, can only make matters worse by legitimising the false claims that if immigration is stopped, the problems of British people will be solved. Rather, it’s profiteering private corporations that need to be indicted for crimes against the people.
It is also no accident that the most reactionary political forces deny the climate emergency and promote the fossil fuel industry. As both veteran green activist Jonathoan Porritt and clean electricity pioneer Dale Vince make clear, we are reaching a tipping point on rising global temperatures, which could decimate the lives of millions worldwide and irretrievably destroy ecosystems and diverse habitats. Patrick Costello underlines the danger in his report on the alarming row-back by the EU on environmental and food standards under US pressure. Victor Anderson sees a further threat in the shape of huge US corporate– owned energy– thirsty AI data centres.
Defending and extending democracy is critical to reversing the march of the right. This also involves greater devolution to the nations of the UK. Mick Antoniw MS explains why Labour in Wales must learn the lesson of the Caerphilly defeat and adopt more progressive socialist policies, focusing on the cost of living, poverty reduction, job security and decent housing to rebuff Reform. Gerry Hassan examines problems in Scotland by reviewing several recent books which fail to understand the nature of the UK state adequately.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the nearly four-year full-scale war have meant hundreds of thousands of dead and or injured and blitzed Ukrainian cities and towns. Putin has made no bones about his desire to re-colonise Ukraine. Christopher Ford argues that the Trump-Putin axis holds big dangers for Ukraine and Europe meaning the latter, including the UK, must step up to the plate by tightening sanctions, increasing military aid and releasingproviding frozen Russian assets for Ukrainian resistance.
Labour’s equivocation on the Israeli regime‘s” continued assault on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the failure to end all arms supplies, and the clampdown on the right to protest in the UK must end. It is becoming Starmer’s Iraq war, and helping to support the Green Party and elsewhere.
Labour could be a beacon of hope and progressive politics across Europe. Despite all the talk of growth the evidence remains scant. Chancellor Reeves’” budget did little to steady Labour’s ship of state. Inequality, in wealth and power, continues to scar the country. While ending the two-child benefit cap, upping the minimum wage and other modest tax redistribution measures are welcome, the real challenge of taxinges on wealth and borrowing to turbo-charge investment remains unmet.
Building a powerful social movement for change is a key idea behind the formation of Mainstream, a coalition of left groups, including Chartist. Sue Goss explains the aims of this “radical realist” left Labour initiative to reorient the party towards progressive socialist and democratic policies, before it is too late. The new year must mark a turning point for Labour. With its 140-plus-seat majority, there should be no excuses for not embracing a bold, transformative approach to wealth and power redistribution. As Rebekah Morton argues, there is potential in youth movements in addition to trade unionists and community activists. Likewise, Puru Miah would get behind more radical moves to genuinely change British society based on socialist, egalitarian and socially just values. Trump’s “America First” challenge makes it imperative that Labour come off the fence and implement policies based on those values.