By Left Horizons supporters from Durham
In the May local elections, the Labour Party in Durham, was virtually wiped out by Reform, and leaving them only four seats. That was due to the Labour council being dominated by the right wing – including a strong influence of freemasonry – and the disgraceful policies of the Starmer government.
But the Durham Miners’ Association, who organise the annual Durham Miners’ Gala, is staying with the principled politics of the labour movement and have made it clear in a statement that Reform UK councillors will not be welcome at the Gala, on Saturday, July 12.
The Durham Gala is the biggest labour movement event in Britain and it is supported not only by dozens of mining communities’ banners and brass bands – still going, even though the mines have disappeared – but by trade union banners and contingents from all over the UK. On a fine day in July, a quarter of a million turn out. There are often contingents of workers and trade unionists from Europe.
“Reform UK”, the DMA statement says, “who in the May elections won control of Durham County Council – benefiting from protest votes and a very low (34.8%) turnout – have chosen to criticise us publicly for not inviting them to the Gala. They obviously don’t understand how this works, so we will explain”.
The statement then goes on to make it clear that everyone in Durham is welcome at the Gala. “But we invite on to the platform, and as guests at the DMA’s social events, some of our many friends who share our beliefs in community, in the labour movement and in social justice. The Reform UK councillors do not”.
The statement explains some of the policies of Reform, including its support for privatising the NHS, its support for the deindustrialisation of Britain, and for deepening the Tory attacks on workers’ and trade union rights. Reform UK will intensify the attack on local authority services and cut taxes for the wealthy. In short, the DMA says, “Reform UK is a party of the wealthy, for the wealthy”.
Readers of Left Horizons should read the statement for themselves, here, but in essence it is a firm declaration that “We in the DMA…have not and will not abandon our principles”. What the Durham Miners’ Association is saying is something that the Labour leadership should be saying, instead of trying to imitate Reform in attacking welfare payments and migrants.
Reform councillors might be spluttering in their gins over the DMA stand, but the union is right. It described them as “divisive, hate-filled people [who] have benefited from the collapse of the Tory party, and from the Labour Party’s failure to defend basic labour principles on welfare benefits, jobs and social justice”.
Left Horizons supporters welcome this statement and congratulate the DMA on its principled stand. As we have done in previous years, Left Horizons will have a stall in the big marquee at the Gala, where we will sell our three latest pamphlets. These are: The German Revolution 1919-23, Fascism, what it is and how to fight it, and A Chronicle of the 1984-85 miners’ strike. Come along to our stall, even if just for a chat.
Feature picture of DMA banner is from DMA website, here.
