Why i joined and am a member of the socialist party

I have been a member of the socialist party of England and Wales for just over a year now and people may wonder why and how i came to be a member.

I have always taken a interest in current affairs and waht is going on in the world listening to phone in's on the radio and tv shows about politics. I only really got active though in recent years. Seeing the global financial crisis unfolding and governments all around the world making ordinary people pay fora crisis not of their making. It was clear to me right from the start that we were not all in this together and felt this was a start of a new period. A new period of struggle.

I have to admit i was a member of the labour party briefly in 2010 but soon left when i found out what they were really like. I have since come rto realise that they are just as much in favour of making ordinary people pay as the tories and the rest.

I came to the socialist party by looking online, that modern recruiting tool it seems these days seeing as we've recruited record amounts this last year that way through the internet. We will be looking to push our internet image a lot more in the coming months and years i am told.

But reasons for joining the SP were simple they had a fighting programme that involved action rather than just sitting in meetings all the time and never actually going anywhere. I read their "what do we stand for programme" on their website and arranged to go to one of their public meetings.

It was on how to fight the cuts and they were the only party that first came out with the "no to allcuts" line which to others on the left sounded like utopian and maddness you cant oppose all cuts they cried at us your mad. But we stood by that and we have gained support with that view with the likes of the PCS and the RMT who support the call for not a single penny cut. I like the socialist party agree that not one cut is nessesary with billions going evaded each year by rich multi nationals alone could cover all of the cuts. With a massive investment in public services and a new council house building scheme there are alternatives out there .

I found the SP members very welcoming and encouraging they actively encouraged you to get involved and have a voice in the party, in the branch and nationally.
There was never any poking fun or belittling you if you were new and wanted to find out more. I was never pressured to join or get involved but told if i wanted to i can so i did as i liked what i heard.

I have now been recently elected branch secretary of harlow socialist party and feel honoured to be so. Having roles in the party are mostly unpaid as as a party we do not join to benifit financially or further our careers at all we join and get involved as we believe in wanting to change society.

We join a party as we feel stronger together we may have small numbers at the moment but we have had bigger numbers in the past and we are rapidly growing again now. Our membership tends to go up and down and reflects the current class contiousness and the level of struggle we are at.

But at this time i can only see a opening for us if we continue to raise the ideas of socialism and marxism. Giving people an alternative if they are looking for one.

I am a member of the socialist party as i believe we have the correct ideas, of course we are not perfect no organisation is i dont think we are 100% right all the time at all but i do think we are very democratic and give everyone the chance to get involved and have their say.

Whereas when i was in the labour party all be it briefly there was no discussion, no debate and very much being talked down to by your branch secretary and if you stepped out of line by even daring to mention the word socialism you were looked at oddly and asked if you were sure you wer in the right place. In the end i made up my mind i was not and could not continue being a member of a capitalist party which looks to screw people a little bit slower and a little less deeper than the tories.

So for a genuine alternative a genuine democratic organisation which is making in roads in new areas of the country please do give the socialist party a second glance and have a look at
www.socialistparty.org.uk

for more information on us.

solidarity