What conclusion can be drawn from the 2nd May local election results?
As had been widely expected, the past 3 years of the Brexit pantomime orchestrated by May and her government have clearly taken their toll: the Tories lost one quarter of the seats they were defending.
But what else do these results tell us? That a majority of voters want Brexit to take place as soon as possible? This was May's immediate response. But, of course, she had her own agenda. First, she was hoping to divert attention from her party's debacle! And second, she wanted to try to twist Labour's arm into conceding enough ground to allow a withdrawal deal to be passed by MPs in time to avoid holding the European elections - which are likely to turn into an even worse disaster for her party.
What seems much more likely, however, is that more and more voters, especially in the working class, just want the Brexit saga and the chaos that goes with it, to end; that they want it to stop being the focus of attention, as if nothing else mattered; and, yes, they think it's high time the urgent issues they face were addressed, instead of being ignored in the name of Brexit - whether it be the rising cost of living and inadequate wages, the job cuts and on-going rise of casual jobs, or the housing crisis and the collapse of the NHS, etc.
The voice that workers do not have
But which party has ever raised these issues over the past 3 years, while, at the same time, exposing Brexit for what it really is: not only a diversion from the problems faced by working people as a result of the capitalist crisis, but also a springboard for self-serving politicians to promote their careers and serve their ambitions.
The fact is that no party has ever expressed the interests of the working class regarding Brexit. Neither the various factions of the Tory party, of course, nor their growing number of clones, from UKIP and the Brexit Party, to Change UK. Whatever the justification these clones gave for splitting away, they represent the interests of big business, just as much as the Tories themselves.
As to Labour, it claims to be a uniting force, "the only party which represents both people who supported Leave and Remain". Except that this ambiguous position is dictated purely by electioneering - and certainly not by any determination to cement the ranks of working people on the basis of their common interests.
The fact is that Labour is so willing to go along with Brexit, that it finds nothing wrong in negotiating with May with a view to forming a "partnership" to jointly implement Brexit!
Above all, Labour claims that a "good" Brexit would benefit workers.
But this is a lie - just as it is a lie to claim that, in and of itself, Britain's membership of the EU benefits workers. Either way, capitalism remains. And under capitalism, the only benefits that the working class can gain are those which the capitalists feel forced to concede, whether it is under direct pressure from workers' collective fights, or for fear that fighting might break out.
Uniting around our class interests
Of course, with McDonnell proudly stating that Labour has now taken over from the Tories as the "party of business", Labour's attempt to lure workers into supporting a supposedly "good Brexit" should not come as a surprise! Corbyn and McDonnell are now doing the bosses' bidding, just as Blair did it with so much cynicism, during his 13 years in office!
However, from the point of view of workers' class interests, the case against Brexit is clear. It is against their interests because it weakens their class: in addition to causing economic havoc, it can only divide workers' ranks (by imposing second-rate status on foreign workers) and isolate them from their class brothers and sisters abroad (by reinforcing Britain's borders)!
The working class needs a party which unites its ranks - but only on the basis of its own class interests. It has no need for a party like Labour which seeks the bosses' favours and is willing to design its policies according to their needs.
On the contrary, the working class needs a party which, unlike Labour, is prepared to tell the truth about the threat that Brexit represents for workers, regardless of the consequences in terms of votes.
It needs a party, which, unlike Labour and its tame friends in the TUC leadership, is determined to build up its collective strength and lead its struggles against the attacks of the capitalist class.
In fact, it needs a party which, unlike Labour, aims to challenge the rule of capital, not to help manage its profits by running its decaying political institutions: a workers' party which aims to free society of all its existing fetters - from private profit, to national borders!