McDonnell: Let’s overthrow Tories
Marxist shadow chancellor ignores Labour’s defeat and urges union militants to march on Parliament
JOHN McDonnell has urged union militants to put a million protesters ‘on the streets’ in an attempt to oust Theresa May.
Labour’s shadow chancellor called on Left-wing activists to turn a union-organised march on Parliament next month into a mass protest.
The self-confessed Marxist, who has previously backed ‘insurrection’ against the State, said direct action was needed to engineer the Government’s downfall.
But Tory MPs called his demand ‘bordering on undemocratic’ and accused him of trying to gain power through mob rule.
In a speech to the militant Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Mr McDonnell called for a ‘national demonstration’ in support of Labour’s election-losing manifesto.
He called for the Trades Union Congress to back an anti-austerity event on July 1, which will end with a march on Parliament, and said the Left needed to ‘keep the momentum going’ to force an early election.
‘We need people doing everything they can to ensure the election comes as early as possible,’ he said. ‘I don’t think an alliance of Tories and the DUP can ever be strong and stable.’
He added: ‘What we need now is the TUC mobilised, every union mobilised … get out on the streets.
‘Just think, if the TUC put out that call that we want a million on the streets of London in two weeks’ time.’
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘This is the hard Left in action. We have just had an election and the result should be respected by all sides. But the hard Left has never had much time for elections.
‘There is something rather bullying about having a march on Parliament in order to force the hand of MPs. It is bordering on undemocratic.
‘The people have decided they do not want a Labour government and I think we should be concerned that a man who is effectively the deputy leader of the opposition is urging people to take to the streets to try to overturn that.’
Tory Andrew Bridgen said Labour appeared to be trying to gain power through ‘mob rule on the streets’. Labour lost last week’s election, securing just 262 seats compared to the Conservatives’ 318.
But Mr McDonnell told the Communist Morning Star newspaper that Mrs May had no right to govern. He said: ‘I don’t think this government is a legitimate government. It hasn’t got an overall majority.’
And he suggested Labour should now be able to push through its own manifesto in Parliament. ‘What I’m saying to people is they should be pressing now, because nobody won this election,’ he said.
‘The Labour Party should have the same right to put policies forward in Parliament, to be properly debated and voted upon and to legislate as well.’
Sam Fairbairn, of anti-austerity group the People’s Assembly, said ‘street mobilisations’ could help to bring down Mrs May. He added: ‘We say to the millions of people who engaged in politics for the first time that they can be part of a mass movement for change, deepening the crisis for Theresa May. Her days are numbered.’
Mr McDonnell has a history of encouraging militants to take to the streets.
In a speech in 2012 he warned that the Left could only win power by resorting to industrial action and ‘insurrection’.
‘The three methods we use (are) the ballot box, industrial action, what we used to call insurrection but we now politely call direct action,’ he said.
‘The ballot box will not become available to us unless we force the issue through industrial action and through direct action.’
AT last we see some action from the SNP on the shambles that is, regrettably, Scottish education. There is much to praise, not least attempts to hand more power to headteachers so direct action can be taken quickly to address the needs of individual schools. This approach bears significant resemblance to reforms implemented with considerable success by the Tories in England, particularly in deprived areas, although critics say the SNP is too timid and does not go far enough.
But the fact remains that John Swinney faces a mammoth task to restore pride in an education system that was not so long ago the envy of the world.
A string of second-rate and dogmatic education secretaries oversaw the enforced implementation of the deeply flawed Curriculum for Excellence. Meanwhile, the SNP fixated on independence while school fabric crumbled, staff morale collapsed and teacher vacancies soared.
A generation of Scottish children have had their life choices limited as their core skills are insufficient to compete in a global jobs market. Rapid and thorough implementation of Mr Swinney’s reforms is crucial to prevent further damage to pupils. This is no time for vested interests dragging their heels – our children deserve better.
And Mr Swinney must stand ready to be bolder still as he battles to unpick the tainted legacy of previous SNP policies.