Gi's a job

"Platform of Unemployed Workers' Groups" is a short text published by the Communist Workers' Organisation in 1981. The CWO is a small ultraleftist group based in Britain. The Unemployed Workers' Groups (UWGs) were projected auxiliaries of the CWO, making their platform pretty similar to CWO's own. The platform explains Marxist crisis theory, argues that capitalism can't be reformed, that unemployment is a permanent feature of the system, and that world revolution (no less) is therefore necessary. The only alternative to revolution is a new world war.

After this follows a more specifically ultraleftist analysis, arguing against any kind of support for parliamentary democracy, nationalizations under capitalism, the Labour Party, unions or national liberation struggles. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the UWGs do demand higher unemployment benefits and call on the unemployed to support striking workers on the picket line. But surely most of them were unionized? Support for the riots in Brixton and Toxteth is another point raised in the platform. All in all, not very interesting, unless you have a special obsession with the CWO, Left Communism or my customer reviews.