A blueprint for growth

Addressing a packed hall of students at York University (November 19) Unite general secretary Len McCluskey spoke about the positive economic policies needed to kick-start British industry and create thousands of jobs.

In a wide-ranging speech on the state of Britain in 2015, Len McCluskey outlined his vision for an alternative economic, political and social vision to the austerity agenda being peddled by George Osborne.

He called on students to “ask questions about today’s world” and what he described as the “crisis of inequality” which sees “millions in our nation, regularly working more than two or three jobs and still not earning a living wage.”

McCluskey also criticised the government over the removal of in-work benefits and attacked the Tories on education saying “the trade union movement has always believed that education is a right, not a privilege. So I join you in calling for a return to free and well-funded education for all, that is democratic and not for profit.”

Intervention and Investment

One of the central thrusts of his speech was a call for intervention and substantial investment in industry to create thousands of skilled jobs – as well as developing a coherent manufacturing strategy in light of the growing crisis in the UK’s steel industry.

“What about our once great industries?” he asked. “Look at the current crisis in steel and our collapsing manufacturing sector. Steel is a foundation industry on which manufacturing and UK infrastructure is reliant.

“Do you, like this government, believe the market alone should determine which key industries should sink or swim? Or do you support industrial strategies to protect our nation’s great assets?

Better world

“That’s what Germany and France and Italy do. I hope all of you look at the world as it is today and believe that it can be better,” he said.

The Unite leader made “no apology” for raising the topic of the Trade Union Bill, something which, he said, struck “at the very heart of what it means to be an open and democratic country.”

He continued, “It is one of several measures the government is pushing through, designed to break all opposition to their rule. What this legislation does show is the modern Tory party’s unease with vocal opposition and other basic attributes of democracy.”

Widening that theme McCluskey also hit out at ministers over controversial changes to voter registration rules which are set to wipe millions of the roll in the coming days.

“The electoral register is being manipulated, probably for the first time in our democratic history. I hope all of you have made sure you are registered to vote, and are doing all you can to get your fellow students signed up too.”

Nasty and vindictive

May’s general election – which saw David Cameron take power with just 37 per cent of the votes cast, and only 24 per cent of the total electorate – had hardly been a mandate for the social and economic upheaval faced by millions, he pointed out, saying, “It’s my assertion that today’s Conservative government is one of the nastiest, most vindictive governments that Britain has ever seen.

“They have set about creating an economy and society that perpetuates inequality, through penalising low earners whilst giving a free ride to the corporate elite.

“Simple human decency tells us that cutting support to the sick and disabled whilst doing nothing about a growing super-rich cannot be right. How can it be right that more than half of people in poverty in this country are in work?”

There was also a strong call for the entire Labour Party to get behind Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership if the party is to win power again.

United opposition

McCluskey said, “It has never been more important for our country to have a strong and united opposition. There are those who say Labour will only win again by fighting for possession of a narrow strip of the political centre ground.

“Yet that would not win back a single Scottish seat, or do anything to end the despair and alienation which drives working-class people to vote UKIP.

“For Labour to gain broad appeal in today’s political climate, the party’s leadership MUST be allowed to chart a new direction for our country. Challenging the establishment is Labour’s calling. And that’s why Jeremy Corbyn succeeded against all expectations and against all the odds.

“If Labour is to change itself – away from the top-down managerial party of the Blair-Brown years – and then change the country, that movement needs to be more than a flash in the pan.

All of us

“The energy and enthusiasm of the summer needs to be sustained all year round. But in the end it’s not all up to Jeremy to deliver. It’s up to all of us, trade unionists, students, pensioners and the young, worker and professional together.

“You are the future” he told his young audience in conclusion, “be determined to fight for a better, more equal Britain, and a more peaceful world.”