No Cups Of Tea With The Enemy Within

In the last few days a lot of ink has been spilt over John McDonnells soft article on the soft coup that appeared in the March edition of the LRCs Labour Briefing. Not to mention his alleged soft response to the tantrums it elicited from the fifth column in the labour movement and their friends in the mainstream media.

An article that correctly identifies the fact that there is an ongoing coup designed to destabilise and eventually remove Corbyn, and crush the anti austerity movement his leadership represents, at any cost.

However, an article that only gives a glimpse of those involved in the relentless campaign to retain control of the Labour party, despite Jeremy being elected twice by huge majorities.

It remains silent in relation to the right wing trade union bureaucracy of one institution in particular, whose unelected and barely elected leadership has played a key role at nearly every twist and turn in the campaign to bring down Jeremy Corbyn since day one of his leadership.

It has been the continued refusal of both Jeremy and John to recognise and confront this issue that has been a large part of the problem. It has been the leaderships false belief that you can strike deals and arrive at compromises with the very people who are determined to destroy you, that has created the situation we now find ourselves in.

Whether it is the illusion that you can do deals with the liberal infiltrators or careerist elements in the PLP. Sitting back and doing nothing while the general secretary and right wing placeman Iain McNicol conspires to bring about Corbyns downfall.

Whether it is not recognising the role that union bureaucracies like those in the GMB are playing to ensure that the right wing retain control at every level. Cowering away from confronting the issue has emboldened and enabled these elements to continue their attacks.

The most recent were the two manufactured byelections in Copeland and Stoke Copeland wounded Jeremy, the loss of Stoke would have finished him. Bad results in the May council elections could still do the job. The chaos surrounding the preparations for those elections may not necessarily be down to incompetence.

However in their defence both Jeremy and John have been to a large extent, and still are, very isolated. The massive influx of new members supporting the anti austerity policies has catapulted Jeremy and John to power and has sustained them and kept them there. There must be no illusions though, the relentless drive by the establishment and their fifth column in the labour movement, to bring Jeremy down has wounded him and they will be baying for his resignation if the May council election results are bad.

The chaos surrounding the preparation for these elections is surely no coincidence. The fifth column must be confronted and defeated at every level in our movement Failure to do this will see Jeremy brought down, which will be a terrible set back for the anti austerity movement. We must organise to ensure the best results in the May elections.

We must make sure left wing activists are elected from constituencies to this year's annual conference. They must be prepared to act in a disciplined way. We cannot have the fiasco that allowed the liberal infiltrators to run amok last year.

Holding our trade unions to account and examining what the delegations to conference and the NEC are actually doing is long overdue. Unelected, barely elected and unaccountable right wing trade union bureaucracies have been getting away with too much for to long.

We all have a responsibility to up our game and play our part in defending Jeremy and John. But far more importantly, defending the movement their leadership represents.

While that applies to all of us at a rank and file level, it also applies to comrades Corbyn and McDonnell Unity of the graveyard has never been an option, and the illusion that deals can be struck with the Mandelsons and the rest of the Blairites must be shattered.

More importantly not recognising that certain right wing trade union bureaucrats and their place man at the head of the Labour party apparatus are the enemy within is both cowardly and false. It is an attitude that has brought us to the brink of defeat. Poor results in the May elections, which is what the fifth column is angling for, and unaccountable trade union bureaucrats subsequently turning their backs on Jeremy could do untold damage.

The fightback against the fifth column must start now,in earnest. No cups of tea with the enemy within