THE simmering economic and social discontent that began under the monetarist Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980’s has now boiled over into a violent reaction on British streets. 

In order to break the backbone of the trade union movement, the Tories at the time, privatised anything and everything; selling the state resources to their crony friends. The manufacturing base of Britain was permanently erased. Mines closed. The once powerful global brand of British Steel saw its works reduced to ash with a few smouldering units left in ruins. Coastal workers engaged in ship building became unemployed, with little prospect of jobs in the future. Simply put, no industrial base equated to no unions.

The action of an ideologically driven Tory government destroyed the manufacturing base on which the colonial economic base of the British empire had stood for centuries. They brought in raw material cheaply from their former colonies and exported manufactured goods back to countries like India with a Made in Britain label attached.

Trade unions struggled to maintain employment and organised huge protests supported by Indian Workers’ Association, whose members were equally impacted. They marched in solidarity across the length and breadth of Britain in what was termed as People’s March for Jobs. The communities, especially Sikh Gurdwaras opened their doors to the marchers and demonstrated the spirit of hospitality through their open free kitchens (langars). The slogans of “People united will never be defeated” became the chant on the streets of Britain.

Despite the economic hardship, the struggles of the working class became unifying factors. The inflammatory speeches of the Tory leader Enoch Powell in 1968, with his infamous speech of “Rivers of Blood” in the wake of Asians expelled from East Africa coming in mass migration to Britain failed to resonate with the majority of the population.

It’s not been a plain sailing; some serious disturbances took place in 1979 in Southall. This was a town described as little India. The events of 1979 resembled a Police State. A special patrol group drafted in to protect members of a fascist organisation meeting in Southall, was unleashed on the unsuspecting populace.  Over 700 arrested, 342 charged and one teacher who had come to express solidarity with the people of Southall was killed by blows to the head from a police truncheon filled with lead. His name was Blair Peach and he breathed his last in the home of the CPI(M)’s branch secretary, who took him in, but was unable to save his life.

In 2010/11 Britain again witnessed race attacks on mosques and temples. These were contained and controlled within three days. The communities across the country gave a united response to the racist fascist thugs led by Tommy Robinson and the English Defence League.

REFERENDUM 2016

The marginal decision from the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union left Britain and its constituent parts divided. The right wing of the Tory party, still dreaming of a return to the empire, and some "Rule Britannia" mobs, believe that they still have an empire. Boris Johnson, who later became prime minister, projected a land of milk and honey, with millions being poured into the National Health Service and, more importantly, the closure of borders and an end to immigration.

The Etonian prime minister David Cameron, recognising the divisions and the political miscalculation of calling for a referendum that he was sure he would win, resigned.

They were unable to control immigration or stem the tide of people fleeing persecution and becoming refugees. Families forced to leave their homes and risk their lives, often due to wars inflicted upon their countries by imperialism through NATO, faced a hostile environment instead of finding comfort and welcome. This hostile environment was created by successive Tory home secretaries over the last 14 years, and the fact that the ministers were white, brown, or black made no difference.

GENERAL ELECTIONS 2024

The anti-immigrant Reform Party, unilaterally led by Nigel Farage, received over a million votes and secured six MPs in the British parliament in the recently held elections.

The Tory party could only muster 121 MPs in the first-past-the-post system, while Labour achieved an unprecedented majority. With the Tories searching for a new leader, the party's rightward drift continues, with former home secretaries setting an anti-immigrant agenda as their platform for leadership. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, not to be outdone by the Tories, cloaked himself in the Union Jack, and his rhetoric during debates on immigration left little substantive difference between the two parties.

The campaign in the recent elections was the most toxic I have ever experienced, and I have been an active participant for the last fifty years. On the issue of Palestinian sovereignty and peace in the region, both the Tories and Labour have capitulated to the Zionist regime of Israel, silencing dissenting voices with accusations of anti-semitism. Jeremy Corbyn, the former popular leader of the Labour Party, successfully retained his seat after being expelled from the party by the turncoat Labour leader for supporting Palestine. In several seats, both Labour and the Tories were held to account by the immigrant vote, especially on the demand for a ceasefire to stop the killing of innocent Palestinians.

VOLCANO ERUPTS

The violence that has erupted like the rupture of fire from a dormant volcano across England and Northern Ireland is unprecedented in scale and magnitude. Triggered by the tragic stabbings on Tuesday, July 30, in Southport, which resulted in the death of three young girls, a significant amount of misinformation spread on social media about the identity of the 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana. Rumours circulated about his religion and immigration status as a refugee asylum seeker, leading to an entire community coming under attack for the actions of one individual. Immigrants, refugees, advice centres, safe houses, hostels, hotels, and mosques are all under attack. Lists of targets, marked with flame emojis, are being shared, identifying possible sites for attacks today, Wednesday, August 7.

Reminiscent of the pogroms conducted by organised Nazis, these fascist thugs are rightly described by former Scotland Yard Commissioner, Basu as terrorists, according to the legal definition for tormenting immigrants and refugees, especially those awaiting the processing of their immigration status. An example of their acts occurred two days ago, with images showing an attempt to burn refugees alive by setting fire to the hotel where they were temporarily housed. The hotel in Tamworth was targeted after Labour MP Sarah Edwards said in parliament that her constituents “want their hotel back.”

At the end of 2023, there were 128,786 people awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim in the UK. This is 28 per cent lower than in 2022. However, some will wait for years, stuck in refugee centres, unable to work and make an economic contribution to the state.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

The British people, including immigrants, dread the morning news of more violence and the inevitable catastrophe as the situation escalates. the prime minister, a former director of public prosecution, in an effort to reassure the public, stated that all offenders, whether physical participants or virtual, will feel the full force of the law. A standing army of 6,000 specialist officers is being assembled by the government to deal with the disorder. This will be similar to the special patrol group of officers, who were disconnected from the communities they were accountable to serve. The PM is engaged in a war of words with Elon Musk, who is criticising Starmer and has reinstated the social media accounts of the neo-Nazi Tommy Robinson, further fuelling the flames of hatred.

With prisons overflowing and prisoners being released early due to capacity issues, the announcement to create 567 additional prison spaces may not be enough. The courts are being encouraged to work day and night to deal with the 400 people arrested and over 100 charged with violence-related offenses. The youngest is 15 and the oldest 69, indicating the wide range of people involved in these acts of terrorism. In the meantime, people feel frightened and too scared to go to work.

A strengthened police force or courts with additional powers may act as a short-term deterrent in controlling the terrorists. However, a law-and-order solution alone will fail to address the underlying economic distress caused by decades of neoliberalism, austerity, and increases in the cost of living. Successive Tory governments have promised to level up areas stripped of livelihoods in white papers, but in reality, nothing changed for the lives of the people or their localities. Only crony capitalism flourished.

NEED FOR AN ALTERNATIVE

An alternative needs to be put forward and implemented, with hope replacing despair –providing employment and housing for all who are able and willing to work, an education system that functions effectively, and the National Health Service once again becoming the envy of the world. The notion that the government has no money for change will not be accepted, especially when billions are being allocated to increase the defense budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP and to replace nuclear weapons.

The overseas unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), through associated mass organisations such as the Indian Workers’ Association GB and SFI UK, is working with Stand Up to Racism, the trade union movement, and Leftist forces to mobilise a united effort by the people to support one another and collectively defeat the racists and fascists.