There is always talk of change, but in this capitalist system, certain things never change. I wrote this little piece back in 2012, and here we are in 2018 and the same basic structure still continues. Wealth and power control our lives, that wealth and power is created by the daily grind of the ordinary people. We furnish them with the wealth and power to continue exploiting and controlling our quality of life.
We should never forget that in any industrial struggle you are not only fighting your employer, but the powers that be. The authorities will always throw the full extent of their power in support of the employer and against the workers. You elect them and they support your employer, that's how the system works. That power can be police intimidation/brutality/provocation, to bringing the troops onto the streets to crush the resistance of the group in dispute. Britain is no different in that respect, we have had the troops on the streets on numerous occasions. Troops were put on the streets in Liverpool during the 1911 dockers strike, resulting in two strikers being shot dead on the street. Later in Glasgow 1919 during the 40 hour week struggle, once again the state brought troops on to the streets. That event in Glasgow became known as Bloody Friday. We can go away back to what was probably the first organised strike in the country and the then authorities ran true to form and brought the troops out against the strikers, that was the 1787 Glasgow weavers strike. Don't ever expect "YOUR" elected representatives to support you in any workers dispute, they support the system, which is one of exploitation and business orientated, your are just the replaceable wee cogs in their greed machine.Let's jump forward, 1984/85 miners strike
Of course it is not just industrial disputes that the full force of the wealth and power cabal will come down on the public. Any resistance to whatever legislation they wish to force on to the public will be met with the same brutal onslaught, jump forward to 1990, remember the poll-tax? In that case it was a victory for the people.
Real change for the benefit of all our people will only come when we demolish this greed driven exploitative, unjust system, and replace it with a society that is free from the profit motive, sees to the needs of all our people, and is built on sustainability.
