Fight back with the real socialists!

Why I joined the Socialist Party

Fight back with the real socialists!

Mick Joyce, Kone shop steward

The main reason I joined the Socialist Party was the support we got on the Kone engineering workers picket line. Elaine and Norman from the local Socialist Party came along and the Socialist Party gave us publicity in their paper, which gave all the strikers a tremendous boost.

Also, we were invited to address Tyneside Safety Glass’s Unite branch meeting by Mark, another Socialist Party member and Unite shop steward.

I had been feeling disaffected with the Labour Party and its shift away from traditional working class values. As a trade unionist and socialist there is nothing left in the Labour Party for me.

I believe it has completely abandoned socialism, and I was brought up to believe it should be socialist. Nobody from the Labour Party came down to our picket line!

I looked around and saw poverty and hardship. It seemed the choice was either to vote Labour, and be subject to their champagne socialism, or fight back with the real socialists. It was really as simple as that.

I also went along to the Socialist Party public meeting where I listened to Hannah Sell speak. She was inspirational. I’d met her earlier in the day and could see she was a genuine class fighter.

In my line of work I come across workers from across Europe, including other socialists. It is my intention to discuss socialist ideas with them.

Now that I’m involved in the Socialist Party, I feel I’m part of a family – in political terms, a fighting unit that truly represents the working class.