Jean Shaoul’s speech at the International May Day 2025 Online Rally focuses on the intensifying class struggle in Britain, driven by the Conservative government’s brutal austerity measures and the Labour Party’s abandonment of any pretense of representing working-class interests. She details the devastating impact of these policies on healthcare, education, and living standards, citing widespread strikes and growing social unrest.
Shaoul critiques the trade unions for sabotaging strikes and colluding with the government to suppress workers’ demands. She emphasizes the urgent need for workers to break free from the control of the unions and build independent rank-and-file committees to fight for their rights.
Shaoul condemns the escalating imperialist war drive, particularly Britain’s involvement in the Ukraine war and its support for Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza. She connects the war to the domestic attacks on workers, arguing that the ruling class is using the war to justify austerity and repression.
She highlights the growing interest in socialism among workers and youth, emphasizing the need for a revolutionary leadership to channel this sentiment into a conscious struggle against capitalism. She calls for the building of the Socialist Equality Party in Britain and internationally as the necessary instrument for uniting the working class and fighting for a socialist future.
find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/07/zztd-m07.html