May Day London 2013

A personal report.

Large turnouts from Sri Lankan Frontline Socialist Party (Marxist-Leninist) with banners and framed portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Guevara, Worker Communist Party of Iraq, Worker Communist Party of Kurdistan, MKLP (Turkish Marxist Leninist Party). Trots I came across were SWP, SPEW, WRP, Socialist Appeal, Workers Fight (Internationalist Communist Union), 'Socialist Voice' which represents the International Socialist League. Also the Revolutionary Communist Group with paper 'Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!' Old Stalininst CPGB now CPB there selling the 'Morning Star'. A dozen Stalinists from Harpal Brar's CPGB (Marxist-Leninist) marching behind their Stalin banner and selling copies of 'Lalkar' and 'Proletarian'. I spotted a lone Stalinist selling 'Socialist Revolution' newsletter which represents the AUCPB (All Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks).

 Trade Unions there included PCS, UNITE, RMT, CWU, UNISON, local trades union councils from Islington, Ealing, Bromley, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth Stop the War Coalition, Keep the NHS Public, Islington Pensioners Forum, Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets (1972 UCATT dispute see Ricky Tomlinson), Free Bradley Manning group.

We walked behind a William Morris banner, well, William Morris was on the reverse, on the front was Hammersmith & Fulham Trades Union Council.  Later we were walking between the Anarchist Federation (lots of black and red flags) and the Worker Communist Party of Iraq.

At Trafalgar Square Christine Blower (NUT), Len McCloskey (UNITE), Paul Nowak (TUC Assistant General Secretary), Jeremy Corbyn MP (attacking UKIP as the "BNP in blazers") were among the speakers. Tony Benn was unwell and could not attend. The General Strike is their answer to cuts, austerity and "callous capitalism" (this latter description to blame for deaths of Bangladeshi garment workers).

The speakers talked a good class struggle but... in practice...
Steve Clayton