By Matt Willgress, Arise – a Festival of Left Ideas

For some time now, the economic system has been in crisis and we have been in the midst of global economic, social, political, military and climate crises that are on a scale unprecedented in many of our lifetimes.

And into this scenario has entered the returning Trump, launching a new phase in the ongoing war of US imperialism against the majority of humanity.

This is reflected internally in the US in a deeply reactionary agenda, spearheaded by haters, billionaires and polluters.

Internationally, it has seen economic warfare against – and mass deportations with devastating consequences to – nearby countries such as Mexico and Honduras.

Then there is the massive increase in attacks of various kinds on China; alongside an ongoing commitment to a nuclear arms race threatening our future.

Enabling a massive increase in fossil fuel extraction, alongside withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, shows they will literally wage war on the planet itself.

These are not the actions of the world’s mightiest power in its prime. They are those of a desperate Empire seeking unsuccessfully to reverse its decline and hold-off the emerging new global economic reality.

These developments are reflected deeply in Britain, where none of the ruling-class neoliberal ‘solutions,’ from the 1970s to today have been able to reverse decline.

Unwilling to tax the rich, and desperate to appease the markets, Rachel Reeves is the latest Chancellor to search for massive cuts.

Internationally, Britain clings desperately to the coattails of the US at any cost, as shown by the current Foreign Secretary’s unedifying fawning over Trump, having previously called him a “tyrant” and “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath.”

The overall desperate economic situation also directly links to the drive towards permanent war.

This has been starkly illustrated by the Genocide on Gaza –  made possible by the sale of weapons from the US and Britain.

Yet, Israel’s assault has been responded to by militant, mass, sustained movements for Palestine.

The base of these movements have made the links between the twin drives for war and profits with slogans around ending arms sales, and for welfare not warfare.

In this sense, anger at Israel’s war has acted as a lightning rod for anger at the whole, rotten, capitalist system.

The agenda of both the returning Trump and the British Government illustrate the connections between the wars we see on our TV screens, the repressive actions of the state we see on our streets, and the megaprofits we read about alongside gloomy economic forecasts for the rest.

And that is why our campaigning in solidarity with movements for peace and justice internationally must also be paired with a vigorous campaign around the call for ‘Welfare Not Warfare.’

It’s welcome that groups such as Disabled People Against the Cuts have firmly opposed Keir Starmer’s announcement of the “biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.”

For those who don’t know the detail, the pledge is to increase military expenditure by £6bn per year

for the next four years and then by a further £15bn per year. The “magic money tree” is clearly still in operation when it comes to weapons of war.

Not only will these increases fuel an arms race and add to the likelihood of Britain’s involvement in future wars. The reality is defence spending generates fewer jobs than spending in any other economic sector.

We should add our voice to those campaigners calling for a ‘Peace Dividend Now’ by demanding that the £3 billion of additional nuclear military spending announced for 2025/2026 be restored to the funding of essential social needs. We should also back the parliamentary motion from Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Burgon and others demanding benefits are not cut at the expense of ever-increasing military spending.

In this way we also link two of our key struggles today – against capitalism and against war.

On International Workers’ Day then, our fight is for peace and socialism, and our call remains the same: Workers of the World Unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains!

This article is based on a speech Matt Willgress gave at an international eve of May Day rally, with Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Burgon and global guests. You can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gMjfBWJWY.

Take 30 seconds to join over 3,000 others in lobbying your MP to back Diane Abbott’s parliamentary motion calling for welfare not warfare at https://bit.ly/welfarenotwarfare.

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jfantenb/7001481040 Creator: Johan Fantenberg  Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Johan Fantenberg. All rights reserved. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed