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The following is an excerpt from a discussion paper released on November 4 by ARTHUR SCARGILL, president of the National Union of Miners in Britain, in which he calls for the formation of a new Socialist Labour Party in Britain. For years, the left inside the Labour party has generally accepted that whilst the party might from time to time adopt right-wing policies, it has always been possible to fight to reverse those policies — because the party's constitution has been committed to the eradication of capitalism, the establishment of socialism and common ownership. That perspective has also been held by many who, whilst not individual party members, belong to Labour Party-affiliated organisations and support "left" policies. The Labour party was born out of the trade union movement and various socialist groups with the aim of creating a parliamentary party to give expression to a socialist political agenda. At the time of its formation, the Labour party had a constitution and policies which projected a socialist philosophy, policies and program.

Labour's record

Labour is now almost indistinguishable from the Democratic Party in the US, Germany's Social Democrat party or Britain's Liberal Democrats. Labour has changed its policies on all the fundamental issues which have been determined by the party conference over many years, including:

• Abandoning its policy on public ownership and privatisation. Labour intends to leave our key industries, including the utilities, in private hands.

• Refusing to agree to a formula or state a figure for a national minimum wage and accepting that any minimum wage could only be introduced in consultation with "social partners", our class enemies.

• Saying: "No-one pretends we can solve unemployment overnight" — a clear warning that unemployment will continue under a Labour government. But it could solve unemployment provided it introduced a four-day working week with no loss of pay, banned all non-essential overtime, and introduced voluntary retirement on full pay at age 55.

• Departing from the essential principle of "universal" pensions. Workers are going to have to pay an additional "insurance policy" to guarantee a minimum standard of pension.

• Having only a vague commitment to restoring and rebuilding the National Health Service.

• Supporting privileged private education. It's pledges on nursery school places, infant school class sizes and the needs of all pupils, students and teachers are hollow without a time scale and do not address the demise of opportunity and aspiration for working class children over the past 16 years.

• Now being one of the most ardent supporters of the European Common Market. Labour's about-turn on this issue represents a betrayal of all that the party stood for.

• Becoming pro-nuclear after years of campaigning in favour of banning all nuclear weapons.

• Declaring that in government it will retain the vicious laws which have boosted unemployment and enforced low pay over the past 16 years. Labour is happy to pursue the Tories' aim of rendering trade unions ineffective and compliant.

Socialists' dilemma

Today we have a sanitised Labour party which Blair has admitted should be called Social Democratic. Socialists faced with this new situation must decide what to do. Do we meekly accept "New Labour" and passively concede that the Party has abandoned socialism? Do we stay in a party which has been and is being "politically cleansed"? Or do we leave and build a Socialist Labour Party that represents the principles, values, hopes and dreams which gave birth nearly a century ago to what has become New Labour? There will be those who insist we should stay inside the party and "fight", failing or refusing to recognise that the Party's constitution now prevents this. Opposition will also come from those who say that any "rocking the boat" can only benefit the Tories. We have been through all this before. Today, socialists in the Labour party and affiliated organisations face the same dilemma as our forebears who broke with the Liberals to form the Labour Party. The case for a Socialist Labour party (SLP) is now overwhelming. But if such a party is to be born it must be on the basis of class understanding, class commitment and socialist policies. Today, radical opposition in Britain is symbolised not by the Labour and trade union movement but by the groupings such as those which defeated the poll tax, the anti-motorway and animal rights bodies, anti-nuclear campaigners, and those fighting against open-cast mining. These are now the voices of protest reminding us that only through direct — including industrial — action and defiance of unjust laws can we achieve real advance. Meanwhile, a moribund Labour party and trade union hierarchy pleads with citizens to accept and submit to those laws. The environmental and community activists are doing a good job, but, inevitably, their aims are "single purpose" with no clear political perspective. An SLP would be able to galvanise mass opposition to injustice, inequality and environmental destruction, and build the fight for a socialist Britain. We therefore have to decide if we are prepared to carry on supporting a Labour party which now embraces capitalism or take a decisive step towards establishing a party capable of not only resisting capitalism's attacks but of fundamentally changing society.