Helping to re-elect Dave Nellist a true class fighter in Coventry

Today and many comrades descended on Coventry St Michaels ward in particular to help out the big push to mass canvas the whole ward on behalf of our sitting socialist councillor Dave Nellist

Dave has a proud record of defending working people in Coventry having been a city councillor for 14 years now standing by his socialist principles for all that time. So it was testament to this that so many had turned out from all over the country to help campaign for Dave’s re-election.

Dave Nellist who has always only taken the average wage of a skilled workr not the 60 K plus expenses other politicians do still till this day. He was expelled from the Labour party for refusing to pay his poll tax and rightly so as the poll tax was rightly roundly defeated not long after. A true gentleman who I had the pleasure of meeting last summer is a real genuine class fighter too on our side.
The 2 hour journey up to Coventry was good and all comrades were in good spirits heading up
When we got to Coventry we found the Coventry comrades have been doing a fantastic job and have covered large areas of the ward already.

With a ward with a turnover of residents of between 40 and 50% a year it is a very hard ward to win. With the ward being made bigger to include different parts each time in order to unseat Dave and the level of working class supporters becoming less and less not due to the lack of support that’s still as strong as ever but due to the turnover of residents as a high student area with a very multi cultural diverse make up of residents.

We were split up in to various teams and covered most if not all of the ward I’d have thought I was shattered by the end but I was very encouraged for the movements and Dave Nellists chances of being re-elected. Of course we cant take anything for granted in politics and we’d be foolish to rest on our laurels but as Dave said before we all set off they wouldn’t have tried to get so many comrades down to help out as they did if they didn’t think they had a chance of winning back the seat.
The labour party locally try to scare voters into voting labour by saying only labour can beat the tories. We know this is simply not true as Dave has beaten both labour and the tories the last few times.

Having Dave on the city council as was felt on many doorsteps today is very important and gives ordinary people a voice inside the council chamber. Dave has consistently opposed all the cuts and has voted against them too. Some will argue can Dave make a difference being the only socialist in the council

I’d argue he does and if he wasn’t there anyone would represent you the cuts would be voted through straight off with no opposition at all. At least Dave draws attention to labours hypocrisy and anti working class actions by passing on all of the Tory cuts in Coventry by showing opposition he can show what a opposition could do if there were more of us which we intend on doing in the years to come.

I was inspired today that a movement is growing against the cuts and against the rich. There is a feeling that things can’t just go on and something needs to happen. No doubt the George Galloway victory will give people confidence to vote for who they want a bit more now rather than voting to keep a certain party out. As we have explained the time old argument of we got to vote labour to keep the Tories out is waning fast as has been shown there is little difference any longer you can fit a cigarette packet between the parties in terms of policies nowadays. As someone rightly said the Tories want to cut this week labour the next. Where is the alternative and opposition in that I ask you ?


With George Galloway sending Dave a good luck message and offering to come and speak on a public platform with Dave in coventry there is certainly a groundswell of support out there to be tapped into i feel.

So please if you live in Coventry or can lend Dave Nellist your support between now and may the 3rd please do. Every vote matters and every vote counts. Your vote can make a difference this year.

Vote for a socialist alternative in Coventry and across Britain this may with TUSC