If the election of David Cameron to the leadership of the Conservative Party leadership saw a slight improvement in that party's position at the polls. this savs as much about Blair's increasing difficulties as it does about a real revival of Tory party forCameron's promise of "compassionate vatism" and his high-profile appointment of advisors such
Zac Goldsmith on the environment and Bob Geldof on world poverty will not be enough to heal the deep diviSTONS and repair Blair's the declining fortunes of the government opposition party. offers the
In the mean. time, Blair's gov- labour
offers movement a the working class New Year and labour movement a New Year present -present of more more of the of the same.
saw the same PM, as usual, tailending George Bush and pursuing the barbarous occupation of Iraq, while at home cracking down still further on civil liberties and pushing
with his neo-liberal agenda with its concomitant privatisations, "modernisations" and cuts in public services.
In 2006, we can look forward to further attacks, and take part in bullaing the broadest possible resistance to them.
Blair's plans to gut local education authorities with Lne vacuous promise 'parent choice' which is actually a further marketisation has awakened broad opposition within the Labour Party itself as well as amongst teachers, parents and pupils. Only Tory support is likely to ensure his measures become law.
The National Service, once the jewel in Labour's staggers from crisis to crisis as the all the wheels fall off the cart of reform and modernisation.
Meanwhile the campaign to "Keep our NHS public" gathers and begins to develop real roots in a number of local areas.
The attacks ONl pensions threaten to consign millions to poverty in old age and to tear up hard won gains for public sector trade unionists. As UNISON begins to ballot local government workers for strike action to defend their pension rights, activists will be once again convinced that the decision of other public service union leaders to settle for a two-tier pension system undermined the potential of a really united fight-back.
Socialist Resistance supporters are determined to be part of whatever fightback takes place in this coming year, be it in defence of public services at home or in continuing to bulla the anti-war move
and mobilisation against the occupation of Iraq on March
We are sure all our readers will join with us in that endeavour.