Public ownership is not some left wing crackpot idea. Labour must embrace it

In May 2015, an incoming Labour government will face many challenges, not least what to do about the vast concentration of wealth that is held in far too few hands. Over recent decades we have seen Robin Hood working in reverse effect, with vast sums redistributed from ordinary people to shareholders’ pockets. This has been a direct result of neoliberal economic policies which have produced deregulation, privatisation of public assets, and attacks on workers’ rights and our welfare state. Labour needs to break away from the devastating economic consensus which has seen the 1% prosper at everyone else’s expense. Put simply, neoliberalism is totally incompatible with the demand for greater equality and economic justice that lies at the heart of our movement.

Faced with an economy where wealth and power is in the hands of so few, greater equality and economic justice will remain a utopian dream unless public ownership forms part of Labour’s strategy. Let’s face it, this is not some left-wing crackpot idea. In the USA, cities like Atlanta, Houston and Indianapolis have taken water into public ownership. In Europe, the great capital cities of Berlin and Paris have done likewise. This trend now spans our globe as cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America have also taken their water under public control.

In fact, in the most successful economy on our continent, Germany, over 100 energy concessions have been taken into public ownership since 2007. Opinion polls have repeatedly told us that ordinary British people are sick to their back teeth of being ripped-off by ruthless privateers. They rightly want to see water, energy and rail taken back into public ownership. Sadly, our political class is way, way behind the curve as they continue promoting the so-called ‘virtues’ of neoliberalism. The British people are right. If public ownership of is good for the Americans, the French and the Germans, surely it must also be good for us. If the next Labour Government fails to grasp this nettle, greater economic justice will remain a distant unachievable dream.

It really doesn’t have to be like this. Politics is not really about what happens within the extremely narrow confines of our political elite – it has to be much more than this. Surely, it is the job of our movement to shape the consensus within society in favour of the kind of world that we need, forcing politicians to act on our wishes. This is where you and CLASS come in. This Saturday’s conference is an ideal opportunity to get stuck right in and sharpen our arguments, strategy and tactics – let the battle of ideas commence!

Manuel Cortes is General Secretary of TSSA. Join key TSSA figures and over 60 other speakers at Class conference on 1 November.