Raging Against Labour

Around 2000 students, activists and trade unionists demonstrated in front of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton yesterday. Led by workers from Tower Hamlets College, whose all out strike has won major victories, it marched under the slogan Jobs, Education and Peace. It was supported by the UCU, NUT, CWU, PCS and NUJ unions, as well as by the Stop the War Coalition and Right to Work Campaign. A vibrant student section chanted ’students and workers unite and fight’, and the final rally heard workers from the occupations at Vestas and Visteon, and Tower Hamlets college talk about their inspirational campaigns, and the possibility of building future resistance.

A Nifty T-Shirt produced by the National Union of Teachers, ably modelled by Alex

There’s no doubt it could have been bigger, and perhaps lenin is right that the Labour Party is such a lame duck that it’s tough to get people even to lobby it. A Sunday trip to Brighton is a big ask for anyone North of London as well. But the demo was in embryo the sort of thing we will need in the coming years. The Tories, Labour (and not to be left out the Lib Dems) are committed to making the public sector pay the price for the recession, and the sorts of alliances forged in an event like this will be priceless. The broad union backing was important, as were the examples of the key recent disputes. A week later and there could have been double the number of students (with many freshers fayres this week or next) but the solidarity between students and workers will be of growing importance.