Article from the June 2007 issue of the Socialist
newspaper of the Socialist Party, Irish section of the CWI

A new voice for the working class is needed

Gary Mulcahy

There is no opposition within the Assembly to the right-wing agenda the Executive will try to implement. But outside of Stormont, hundreds of thousands of working people will be forced to come out in opposition to attacks on pay and conditions, privatisation, water charges and cuts in public services.

Workers will be left with no choice but to organise to fight to defend their conditions. These struggles will immediately pose the need for a new party which can challenge the right wing parties and which can represent the common interests of working class people.

Such a party, basing itself on the ranks of the trade union movement, on the working class communities and amongst young people could attract broad support from a growing layer of people repelled by the sectarian and pro-capitalist nature of the Assembly parties.

It could offer a real alternative to the right wing agenda of the main parties. It could fight for an immediate end to all privatisation projects such as the PPP and PFI schemes which all cost the taxpayer more. Hospitals, schools, water & sewerage, libraries and all other public services should be kept fully public.

The Strategic Investment Board which was set up by the main four parties in the previous Assembly has awarded more than £4.4 billion to private companies in less than four years to “run” public services. It should be scrapped.

The policy of offering massive grants and subsidies to big business should be ended. This year over £171 million in subsidies will be given to big business, in many cases to companies who employ workers on poverty wages. When the public money runs out these companies are prepared to re-locate to exploit workers in countries where labour is cheaper. In 2006 alone, the board members of Invest NI incredibly awarded £4.3 million of public money to companies on which they sit on the board of directors!

The Assembly politicians often refer to cutting bureaucracy to free up funds for “front-line” services. In most cases this amounts to more attacks on workers providing essential services. But there are areas where savings could easily be made and services improved at the same time - more than £50 million was wasted between 2004 and 2006 on consultancy and hospitality fees alone.

Instead of services being run by unelected trusts or over-paid bureaucrats like the head of the civil service Nigel Hamilton who receives £165,000 a year, public services should be democratically run with boards that are elected and fully accountable.

The parties in Stormont will blame Gordon Brown for refusing to provide adequate funding. But this is just an excuse. The Assembly should set a needs based budget and spend the money to help provide for people’s needs. Instead of appealing to other right-wing First Ministers in Scotland and Wales, the Assembly should mobilise working class people in Northern Ireland to fight to force the Treasury to provide the money that is needed for decent services. An essential part of this struggle would be to link up with working class people across Britain who are also feeling the brunt of neo-liberal capitalism and fight for decent services for all.