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

Help re elect Dave Nellist in Coventry a socialist fighting alternative to the cuts

This year socialist councillor Dave Nellist is up for re election. One of the few remaining anti cuts councillors left in the country it is vital Dave is re elected to stand up to the pro cuts parties of the Tories and new labour.
Dave Nellist, Socialist Party councillor has been a lone voice against cuts on Coventry council. He stands in the tradition of councillors who stand up for those who elected them - such as in Liverpool in the 1980s and Poplar in the 1920s.


Dave is a fighting socialist who backs up his words with actions. Standing on a proud record of never voting for cuts and standing by his principles by demonstrating alongside workers whenever he can. Dave never paid his poll tax and was expelled from the Labour party for doing so he was part of militant who lead a successful mass non payment campaign where at the height of the battle up to 18 million people across the country refused to pay their poll tax.

More recently Dave has turned down the opportunity to become the deputy mayor of Coventry having stood for the longest on the council now. He didn’t feel he could take the position as he’d be obliged to vote with the ruling party and that would be labour and would therefore mean voting for cuts. He also wrote back to the council saying this
“I have taken soundings from a number of local people, and other Socialist Party supporters, and I don't feel, at this time, able to accept.
I appreciate the honour of the ceremonial role and the greater contact over two years, with people young and old, in the city. I would enjoy mayoral visits to everyone from schools to care homes, celebrating with local people. I would take seriously being the voice of sympathy for the city in commiserating with those who have suffered loss.
Some of your colleagues urged me to accept, saying I could bring a radical edge... to the job of Lord Mayor. And I have been tempted.
The first thing I thought I could have done, for example, would have been to invite all those in the queue for food parcels on a Sunday morning by the Swanswell to eat at the expense of the Lord Mayor's hospitality budget that day (and pay for it by cancelling all the normal municipal dinners and attendances at other Lord Mayor's dos across the region).
You see, I think we urgently need to review the council's role and responsibility in the matter of dealing with growing austerity, not leave it to the generosity of individuals or of faith organisations.”


. The Coventry Telegraph commented: "It is not the first time Councillor Nellist has chosen principle over personal privilege. As an MP he refused to accept more than the average worker's wage - considerably less than the salary to which he was entitled."

Fighting the government's attacks. Dave still to this day has only ever taken the average wage of a skilled worker in his area and has donated the rest back to the working class be that trade unions, communities or back in to campaigning for a socialist transformation of society.
This is socialist party policy and we are proud that Dave demonstrates this policy and how it can be done quite easily whilst being assessed by an outside independent auditor.

I was lucky enough to meet Dave and his wife Jane at socialist party summer camp last year and what a pleasure it was too. Dave is and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this is just like you and I he is a councillor but doesn’t do it for the power or the money he is simply there to represent ordinary working class interests and give them a voice on the inside. I am proud the socialist party has class fights like Dave Nellist in our party even if he fails to get re elected this may few can doubt his record of fighting the cuts at every opportunity and raising the need to change society on a socialist basis.
Hearing Dave speak you get the feeling every word is meant and nothing at all is false or put on. Many politicians these days make lovely speech’s and twist and turn all the time and you are left wondering what exactly they said if anything. With Dave you left know where he stands exactly and his passion is clear for all to see. One of the best the militant and the now socialist party has ever had and Dave is a shining example how Marxists can work in bourgeois elections and win for workers on the outside.

I am hoping with others in eastern region to get up to Coventry to help campaign for Dave and his comrades before may and I hope others who recognise Dave’s contribution to the working class and the labour movement will offer their support and solidarity too.