Is society moving to the right?

This is a dangerous trap to fall into I’ve noticed. Given the recent anti immigrant rhetoric coming from all of the 3 major political parties and also the rise of UKIP in the polls and especially the last county council elections some on the left have drawn the conclusion society is moving sharply to the right. I don’t think this is the case and is a mistake to think so and follow the right ward shift of the mainstream political parties. The Tories, Labour and the lib dems think that to take on UKIP they must come out with even more policies that shift them to the right. Even New labour have come out in the last few weeks in support of a benefit cap and announcing further cuts they would make. Of course it is far easier ground for the labour party of today to move to the right than it would be to the left. A recent poll out in the guardian showed that labours supporters attitudes towards the poor have hardened in recent times this is no surprise given all they pump out is about strivers and skivers, how they made a mistake letting immigrants in to the country and failing to put any sort of alternative across tot e working class. But this mustn’t be mistaken for a shift in society to the right. I do still believe there are many people out there who are looking for an alternative, a genuine alterative from cuts, austerity and the misery of privatisation. Before the recent attack in Woolwich the likes of the EDL and the BNP were in all honesty on their knees struggling for support. It was a shot in their arm the attacks in Woolwich but the overall trend does not show that the EDL and the BNP are gaining support in fact quite the opposite. Falling into the media’s trap that the working class are mostly racists and work shy and lazy is something the left and more importantly socialists should look to avoid. We as Marxist have a long term perspective about the current system of capitalism we live under. The fact that it is in eternal decline in Brittan will produce those to look for an alterative and find the easiest way to blame something or more often than not someone. SO far the media and politicians have been very good in directing the anger and blame at other workers, the unemployed, the disabled, the elderly and other minorities in society in order to deflect blame from their own failing system which is now becoming a drag on society itself. What is missing though in my view is a mass workers party who have a media presence as they would be so big they couldn’t be ignored putting that alternative a socialist alternative for the working class and middle class as they are affected too. That this is a system based on the blind pursuit of profit and only that. Divide and rule is one of the oldest and most effective tactics in the ruling class book of tricks and up to now is working very ell. If we had a mass workers party putting forward the counter arguments to cuts, privatisation and racism in the media all the time in the newspapers and beyond we could start to see some of these lies that are pumped out on a daily basis start to be found out. Of course a new mass workers party would have to fight tooth and nail for airspace but with support of the trade unions this could be possible with funds to for campaigns to make people aware of the true extent of the crisis and how we need to change society. SO far this looks a pipe dream for many as most trade unions still fund a capitalist pro cuts labour party and any media opportunities for any sort of alternative like TUSC fin it incredibly hard to get any airtime at all. But things will change and as the crisis deepens workers will look for an alternative they will have no choice but to. We must guard against division, racism and any other sort of way of dividing us. We are workers first and foremost. If we look at things in terms of class every time things makeup more sense. Society isn’t turning to the right. Whilst it could do evidence wouldn’t suggest that the right is in the ascendancy. The Tories are falling in the polls and struggled to get near a majority in the last general election. UKIP are being carefully used by the media and the ruling class to tap the growing anger at the cuts down a blind alley of nationalism and racism. This will not wash once UKIP are found out. There is clearly a protest vote element in UKIP’s vote right now and we must not write off those who do vote UKIP for this reason. Instead we must patiently explain why UKIP are no alternative for workers and that a new mass workers party is still necessary as ever.