This article is based on a speech delivered by Brian Leishman MP for the Morning Star Fringe at the STUC Congress, April 21st 2026.
We had a decade and a half of austerity where the richest won and communities all over the country were ripped apart. The poorest and most vulnerable in society have been put back into Victorian era poverty.
We had a decade and a half of austerity where the richest won and communities all over the country were ripped apart. The poorest and most vulnerable in society have been put back into Victorian era poverty.
Then we had a global pandemic that saw an even greater divide in wealth as the richest accumulated even more assets and drove the prices of everything upwards impacting most severely on the working class.
This was followed by a cost-of-living crisis that has further exaggerated inequality with millions in our society seeing their living standards deteriorate. Mainstream politicians allowed all this to happen because of ideology, incompetence or inertia. It’s no wonder there’s so much disenfranchisement, disengagement and despair and that people are having their heads turned by Farage and Reform.
Yesterday, at STUC congress we heard about the danger of Reform from Anas Sarwar and you’ll hear it again today from John Swinney.
However, neither of them will own up to the political failings that have led people to feel the way they do right now.
And I want to consider another reason why austerity and inequality is on the rise – its warfare. Both in the media and in Westminster support for adopting war as a solution to the global crises we face, is growing at a frightening pace.
Every 6 weeks Defence Questions are the most depressing and worrying session we have in Parliament. In nearly every corner of the Chamber there is agreement for increasing military spending to 5% of GDP; for becoming a ‘Defence Industry Powerhouse’; for getting Britain ‘war ready’.
The endless promotion of militarism as the economic solution that will improve living standards for the millions that need it – is an idea that is as silly as it is terrifying.
Because Defence is clearly not a UK wide industry. The Ministry of Defence figures highlight that defence employment is densely concentrated in specific geographical regions of the country.
Military spending supports less than 1% of the UK workforce so it won’t be the working class which sees the benefits of billions of pounds being spent.
Neither will it be small and medium sized businesses. They only secure 5% of Defence orders. Increasing Defence spending will benefit the giant weapons manufacturers.
Of course, pursuing economic growth and improving people’s living standards are the right things to do, but thinking militarism is the way to achieve it is at best misguided and at worst will further jeopardise global safety.
In January, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward. It is 85 seconds to midnight. The closest we have ever been to the end of the world.
Make no mistake. This is a class issue. War always has been.
Firstly, the Government cut International Development Aid, impacting some of the most vulnerable and oppressed people in the world. It was framed as a necessary saving, as Defence spending needs to be increased. It was instead a betrayal of our internationalism.
Then there were the £7 billion worth of proposed cuts to Welfare. That was a domestic betrayal of our movement.
I am highly critical of the Labour Party, certainly its current leadership, but I have hope because the left of the Parliamentary Labour Party, the trade unions and disability organisations and charities came together. We were organised and we were effective and we stopped most of these cuts.
And we will need that level of organisation again, because there will be more proposals put forward to cut welfare and this time it will be framed as necessary for Defence reasons.
Ultimately, it’s all about political choices. Instead of buying weapons and talking about some sort of defence dividend what about what Tony Benn called ‘a peace dividend’.
That is the choice facing us. Do we allow the Lockheed Martins and BAE Systems to take our money, creating even more inequality, or do we invest in healthcare, education, public services, properly funded local councils, police, fire fighting services, infrastructure?
Do we give more control to the big private corporate companies or do we take ownership of energy and other key sectors of the economy?
That is the choice, comrades to destroy or to build. Things really are that black and white.
We all know what workers and communities need. Now we have to come together and fight for it.
This was followed by a cost-of-living crisis that has further exaggerated inequality with millions in our society seeing their living standards deteriorate. Mainstream politicians allowed all this to happen because of ideology, incompetence or inertia. It’s no wonder there’s so much disenfranchisement, disengagement and despair and that people are having their heads turned by Farage and Reform.
Yesterday, at STUC congress we heard about the danger of Reform from Anas Sarwar and you’ll hear it again today from John Swinney.
However, neither of them will own up to the political failings that have led people to feel the way they do right now.
And I want to consider another reason why austerity and inequality is on the rise – its warfare. Both in the media and in Westminster support for adopting war as a solution to the global crises we face, is growing at a frightening pace.
Every 6 weeks Defence Questions are the most depressing and worrying session we have in Parliament. In nearly every corner of the Chamber there is agreement for increasing military spending to 5% of GDP; for becoming a ‘Defence Industry Powerhouse’; for getting Britain ‘war ready’.
The endless promotion of militarism as the economic solution that will improve living standards for the millions that need it – is an idea that is as silly as it is terrifying.
Because Defence is clearly not a UK wide industry. The Ministry of Defence figures highlight that defence employment is densely concentrated in specific geographical regions of the country.
Military spending supports less than 1% of the UK workforce so it won’t be the working class which sees the benefits of billions of pounds being spent.
Neither will it be small and medium sized businesses. They only secure 5% of Defence orders. Increasing Defence spending will benefit the giant weapons manufacturers.
Of course, pursuing economic growth and improving people’s living standards are the right things to do, but thinking militarism is the way to achieve it is at best misguided and at worst will further jeopardise global safety.
In January, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward. It is 85 seconds to midnight. The closest we have ever been to the end of the world.
Make no mistake. This is a class issue. War always has been.
Firstly, the Government cut International Development Aid, impacting some of the most vulnerable and oppressed people in the world. It was framed as a necessary saving, as Defence spending needs to be increased. It was instead a betrayal of our internationalism.
Then there were the £7 billion worth of proposed cuts to Welfare. That was a domestic betrayal of our movement.
I am highly critical of the Labour Party, certainly its current leadership, but I have hope because the left of the Parliamentary Labour Party, the trade unions and disability organisations and charities came together. We were organised and we were effective and we stopped most of these cuts.
And we will need that level of organisation again, because there will be more proposals put forward to cut welfare and this time it will be framed as necessary for Defence reasons.
Ultimately, it’s all about political choices. Instead of buying weapons and talking about some sort of defence dividend what about what Tony Benn called ‘a peace dividend’.
That is the choice facing us. Do we allow the Lockheed Martins and BAE Systems to take our money, creating even more inequality, or do we invest in healthcare, education, public services, properly funded local councils, police, fire fighting services, infrastructure?
Do we give more control to the big private corporate companies or do we take ownership of energy and other key sectors of the economy?
That is the choice, comrades to destroy or to build. Things really are that black and white.
We all know what workers and communities need. Now we have to come together and fight for it.
RSS Feed