Why is the call for a 24 hour general strike important? a reply to Brian Bamford

The mass strike - of which the general strike, called by the trade union leaders is one form - is essential for workers to develop their confidence as a class, capable of ruling society, abolishing exploitation and oppression and, eventually, abolishing class society itself.

Through the mass strike the repressive nature of the state, its police and military becomes clear and with that the need to destroy these institutions and replace them with institutions that workers control.

At the moment, workers' confidence to use the strike weapon is very low. At the same time the £81 billion of cuts announced by Osborne is a bigger attack than any of us have faced in our life times. We will not defeat this attack without mass strike action. We need to start that argument now. As Brian says it won't happen by simply issuing the call. It will need arguing in every trade union branch every stewards committee and, more importantly, it will require building confidence. Through mobilising in every way we can for protests and strikes, small, medium and large

Brian was right that the numbers on the streets on the day of the CSR, 20 October were nowhere more than the low thousands but on Saturday 23 Oct. we saw 25,000 march in Edinburgh and 15,000 march in Belfast. These are impressive figures and shows how when there is a call from the official movementan much can be done.

Of course, the picture is very uneven. In Manchester, the Right to Work organised 1,000. A very spirited demonstration and rally but we clearly have much more to do.

But who is going to do it if not us and when are we going to do it if not now?

I'm not saying Brian is wrong to point out the danger that the TUC's mobilisations will not lead towards strike action but away from it. That was the experience in the 1980s and Dave Douglass is wrong to tell you to 'keep ya gob shut'. But as the TUC has already set 27? March as the date for a national demonstration, we must be arguing now that getting hundreds of thousands to march is excelelnt but it isn't enough to stop the Tories. It shows the potential for a successful general strike and that can only happen with powerful organisation at the rank and file level.

On this, it's worth repeating that the general strike in Spain was a step forwards. For millions it showed in practice that unity in action is possible, that workers have huge power as a class and for those who hwlped occupy a bank in Barcelona is showed it's possoble to start challenging the power of the property of the bosses while those who witnessed police firings live rounds learnt a lesson in how far our rulers are willing to go to defend that property.