TUSC biggest challenge to labour from the left in years

This may the Trade Union Socialist Coalition will be fielding hopefully its biggest number of candidates in a local election across the country ever. This will mark a dramatic step forward in the TUSC name and profile. What this will also represent is the biggest challenge to labour from the left in probably a generation. Standing on a class basis of opposition to all cuts fielding anti cuts candidates with many from the Socialist party itself too shows that the labour boss’s never did finish off militant and we’re making a comeback on the electoral front. Whilst we do not expect to win or gain huge votes at all just by simply standing many candidates in such areas like Hertfordshire where I hope to be standing myself in my town of Ware will show that an alternative to the cuts is possible. We hope to begin to dent if not fully smash the lie that there is no alternative to the cuts and the cuts are inevitable. There is always an alternative an alternative of investment in public services we vitally need not cuts would be our priority. All TUSC candidates stand for an average wage of a skilled worker and would not benefit financially from being elected. We are true class fighters using elections as a platform to gain access to a wider layer of workers that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. The pro capitalist parties of Labour, Tory and lib dem all stand for cuts of some speed or description even if they won’t be honest about it up front. We as TUSC are proud and clear to declare our opposition to all cuts and will be building links on the ground with workers in new areas spreading our influence and resistance to the cuts onslaught. All TUSC candidates pledge to vote against all cuts and any rises’ in council tax to offset cuts, we oppose all forms of privatisation even arms length out sourcing which is often the first step to privatisation. In and around the country there will be local issues we look to take up and fight on in our campaigns we can make these big areas of our material and propaganda. In Harlow for example we will make the closure of the Harlow Welfare rights centre which many struggling people relied on for benefit advice and support part of our campaign. These are just county council elections and in many ways the vote is not important if we do well then fair enough but we are laying down a marker building our forces on the ground for future struggles up ahead. If you wish to find out more about TUSC and what we stand for please visit www.tusc.org.uk

Council budget setting season, time for councillors to stand up and fight

We are into February now and it is from now on councils up and down the country will be setting their budgets for the new financial year. Many will have already drawn up plans and many will include some huge huge cuts which will devastate our local services and jobs if we allow them to go through. These councils include labour run councils after they won control of many types of council last year. Labour now controls most of the bigger inner city councils including Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Sheffield. These cuts will be felt more here than elsewhere due to the poverty of these cities already. But instead of moaning about the cuts and appealing to the Tories to be kinder with their cuts how about mounting a serious fightback. So far we’ve seen 2 rebel councillors now expelled from the labour party in Southampton and now there may be some more after a statement was signed by councillors in Hull and Stoke to a group naming themselves councillors against the cuts. I support this and feel it is a progress from what we have seen in previous years. But at this point none have voted against cuts and as they say the proof will be in the pudding. We support as socialists all labour councillors standing up to vote against cuts. We may think their efforts to stay within the labour party to fight for socialism will be in vain but we will not oppose any who wish to vote against cuts. They must be aware this may probably end them up being disciplined and quite possibly expelling for their stance but a stance it is. It is quite possible we may see more Labour councillors voting against cuts as the cuts deepen year on year and some simply can’t stomach the eye watering cuts. But without a joined up strategy they will remain individuals and pockets of resistance across the country. TUSC will be there for any councillor wishing to stand under an anti cuts banner and if a councillor is expelled they will be quite welcome to re stand for TUSC if they so wish. This could be an expression of a split within labour where the formation of a new workers party could be found. But this month we must be to the front of all protests outside council chambers. If we are allowed in we must make our voices heard oppose all cuts and expose those councillors who refuse to stand up and fight all cuts. The money is there while using reserves to plug gap in funding a mass campaign must be built including trade unions, anti cuts groups and local community members to demand the funding back from central government. Councillors can no longer be sur charged and have no excuses now to not fight the cuts. I urge all councillors to find it within themselves however hard it may be, the cuts that the poorest in society will face will be far harder if we let these cuts go through. It’s time to make a stand, oppose all cuts; no cut is a fair cut. Join any protest in your area if you can against the cuts and add your name to the NSSN’s calls for a 24 hour general strike to bring this government down.

17 Fire stations at risk with 600 jobs on line too, fight all cuts!

In London plans have been revealed to close 17 fire stations across inner and central London with the loss of about 600 jobs. Some of these stations only have one fire engine others have two. Boris Johnson the London Mayor who I think behind his stupid bafoonary is a very dangerous anti workers Tory. Boris thinks these cuts will not have any impact on the fire service and will not put lives at risk. I beg to differ and I’m glad to say the FBU do too. The Fire Brigades union who are a strong left militant union especially in London have gone to war before over cuts and I have no doubt will lead their members in yet another battle this time of a bigger degree. In the FBU’s press release today it sounds very clear its view and that it will be opposing these dangerous cuts which are wrong but not even necessary, are we seriously saying that too many fires were put out which lead to the global economic crisis? No way Jose! The plans, which were revealed in a leaked document, look set to be put before a meeting of the London fire authority on 22 November. The brigade was told by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to save £65m over two years, and senior managers have been working on proposals to meet that demand. The FBU’s regional secretary for London, Paul Embery, said: “These proposals present the biggest threat to the London Fire Brigade since the days of the Luftwaffe and would lead to the decimation of fire cover in London. The stations under threat of closure have stood proudly for generations, protecting local residents from bombs, fire and terrorism, yet Boris Johnson is about to hammer a ‘For Sale’ sign on to their front doors. “Such a huge cut cannot be made without there being an impact on public safety, and we call on Londoners to join with us in defending our fire service. “All around the country, chief fire officers are beginning to warn publicly of the danger of catastrophic cuts. So far, the commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, Ron Dobson, has remained silent, but surely now it is time for him speak up. “The London Fire Brigade is a proud organization with a fine history. But it is now facing possibly its greatest challenge. Its leaders must do the right thing and tell the politicians these cuts are wrong and dangerous. If they don’t do it, the FBU will.”

20th October and where next after it?

This Saturday I will be marching against the cuts. But I’m under no illusion that this will change the government’s austerity agenda. I am disgusted that Ed Miliband is being invited to the demonstration to speak in Hyde Park. He agrees the need for cuts like the Tories all be it at a slower pace. No doubt the ever delusional labour left will claim it as they did with the Durham Miners Gala that Ed is winging labour back to the left. This will be nothing of the sort as labour councils up and down the land pass on Tory cuts to the tune of millions. I will be marching and intervening in the demonstration with the clear message we march today but we strike together another day and the NSSN’s calls for a 24 hour general strike must be taken up by the property of the rank-and-file. We will have thousands of leaflets, placards, papers and posters on the day and having our own alternative platform for the NSSN and the socialist party if you wish to hear the real alternative to austerity and are sick of labour and Miliband telling you the cuts are too far and too fast. It’s not that Ed it’s the fact the cuts are happening at all. We have only seen around 15 % of the cuts with a future labour government refusing to reverse any of the cuts and will continue on the deficit reduction path which in reality is not reducing any deficit only increasing the deficit. But all trade unionists, anti cuts activists community campaigners and more will have only heard from the bureaucracy on Saturday many will come in contact with us for the first time and wish to know more. I urge any who are interested in finding out more to contact us on the day and after. After the demonstration the NSSN has public meetings and conferences planned up and down the country you can find a listing of thse at www.shopstewards.net Many will ask is march enough and what can we do next to bring this gov down and end the cuts. Firstly we must build workers confidence which a march against the cuts can do. But arm them with the militant programme to own their own struggle. Giving rank-and-file workers a voice. The NSSN does exactly this and our calls for a 24 hour general strike will start to gain traction on the demonstration and beyond. We want the calls for a 24 hour general strike to become the property of the working class as I said earlier but this must be followed up with motions being passed at trades councils, union branch’s, community groups and so on. Of course 24 hours may not be enough but it’s a start and even if just 6 million who are in a union at present go on strike at once the political ground will never be the same again. For the motion you need to put forward in your union, trades council or wherever you can you can copy this below .................... NSSN model motion This.... [trade union body] is alarmed that a relentless barrage of even more austerity cuts is coming down the line, and will continue into the foreseeable future. Millions of workers, young people, the sick and the disabled face a lifetime of severe hardship through cuts to pay, conditions, benefits and services - the horrendous situation facing working people in Greece could be our future if we don't stop the Con-Dem attacks. We believe austerity cuts must be stopped, and that the labour movement has the potential to force a massive U-turn on this Coalition government of the rich, IF our trade unions were to organise action decisively together. We urge all members, friends and families to come to the TUC demo on 20th October, and that this day is seen as the beginning of a new stage of action. We urge all unions participating in the demo to follow up with a further coordinated 24-hour national strike of both public and private sector workers, making direct calls to youth and students, the unemployed, and community campaigns to join in. We, therefore, agree that this branch will organise a local/regional meeting to discuss how to progress these ideas put forward by the PCS and POA at the TUC. We also call on the national executive of our union to work together with other unions to find the most appropriate way to coordinate the biggest possible joint strike.

No to turning street lights off at night, putting people in danger, say no to all cuts

Walking home from the pub after closing hours the other night I discovered that I was walking in the pitch dark. I thought a light had gone and reporting it would solve it but stupid I forgot that Hertfordshire like many other counties now is turning off its street lights after a certain time of night. Midnight in our case. Which for many people who go to bed early before midnight will never affect granted but for others who work at night, walking home from the town’s pubs and clubs or seeing a friend late at night will put them in danger. Not only the fact that it’s hard to see anyway with the roads and paths being maintained less now too due to cuts the likelihood of tripping up is increased. Plus the fact that it puts women and old people in danger unnecessarily. I don’t imagine turning street lights off at night saves that much. In our street they have recently installed new efficient lights so surely these would be better anyway and more cost effective. This for me was another small thing I’ve noticed and how the cuts are starting to affect me personally. I am registered blind and do have some sight left which I do use of course. Having a bit of light does help me but now I have to use my cane a lot harder to make sure I don’t trip up. I fear for people who in bigger cities where crime rate is far higher walking home on their own late at night in the pitch dark. Who knows who may be lurking? I don’t wish to scare people but just make people aware of some of the ways cuts are affecting me and others. None of these cuts are needed if we had a government prepared to tax the rich and take the wealth off them and use it to fund public services properly we could eliminate the deficit and put people back to work and run public services properly. For this we need a new workers party willing to put the interests of working class people first. A government based on the ideas of socialism willing to change society in a transitional way moving away from capitalism and ending the greed and wealth of a minority instead allowing the majority to enjoy the worlds wealth and environment which they have never been able to. Cuts to street lighting may seem a small and insignificant thing but to me it matters, as do all cuts, As a socialist I oppose all cuts as we did not create this crisis, It was in the private sector, the banks and their wreck less gambling which we are now paying the price for. Well I say no and reject the need for any cuts. However difficult it is it may not be the popular thing to do, it may be easy for me to stay in the Labour Party say I’m against cuts yet vote for them in the council chamber ring my hands and say there is nothing I can do. When we all know there clearly is. You can roll over or fight. I prefer to fight back. We must to change society for the better.

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