The November meeting of the All-Britain Steering Committee of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) agreed to step up preparations for the elections coming up in the period ahead.
These include the 2023 local elections in England, which will see over 7,500 councillors elected, a bigger battleground in terms of seats to be contested than in either 2021 or 2022. But also, of course, there is the general election, which must be called by the end of 2024, but may well be held much earlier.
With the Labour Party on course with its plan to have a full list of its general election candidates in place by spring 2023, one proposal the TUSC steering committee agreed was for local delegations to be organised to Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) to see where they stand on the policies needed to meet the cost-of-living crisis that we face.
A model letter to Labour PPCs was approved highlighting six policy areas where the pledges made in the 2019 general election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership would go far in beginning to reverse the capitalist political establishment’s austerity agenda.
Sir Keir Starmer, we know, has made it clear that he has “put the last manifesto to one side. The slate is wiped clean”. There is no prospect of radical change there.
But where do the local candidates stand? And if they can’t commit to even the policies that many of them were elected on just three years ago, how can they expect not to be challenged at the ballot box by trade unionists, socialists and anti-austerity campaigners who will?
Points from Labour’s 2019 manifesto which TUSC believes are critical minimums needed to reverse the austerity agenda are:
- Public ownership of rail, mail, water, telecoms and power
- Reverse privatisation and restore public services and benefits
- Council house building and rent control
- Free education from nursery to university
- Tax the rich not workers
- Fighting for workers’ interests and supporting trade unions
TUSC national election agent Clive Heemskerk explained that “the response to the letter by Labour PPCs will be an important factor to take into account in whether or not the TUSC steering committee would authorise a candidate to stand in the general election under the TUSC name in a given constituency”.
“As the letter says, TUSC has always been prepared to not contest seats in which the Labour candidate has stood out against the austerity consensus of mainstream politics, and that will be the case again in the next general election”.
“But the idea of organising a delegation of trade unionists and community and social movement campaigners to meet local Labour PPCs is not just about that. Even where the Labour PPC is an established right-winger they should feel the heat. And what better way is there to convince trade unionists and others of the need for themselves to stand in elections or otherwise support a socialist election challenge than to be told face-to-face that their interests will not be met by their prospective Labour MP?”.
“Local TUSC groups should use the model letter, adapted to their own circumstances, firstly to go to local trade union branches, trades councils, campaign groups, student societies and so on, to discuss with them the idea of organising a delegation”.
“This should be done before contacting the PPC. Then, when the letter is sent, there is more chance that the Labour candidate will feel obliged to respond”.
“And if they refuse to meet a representative delegation, that then itself becomes a local news story. It’s all a question of building up the pressure before the election – as the movement will inevitably have to do after the election too when faced with a Starmer government’s austerity-lite policies”.
The model letter, which can be adapted to the local situation, is available at tusc.org.uk /txt/479.pdf
TUSC tour: Enough is Enough! But what do we do at the ballot box?
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is hosting a series of public discussion meetings under the heading ‘Enough is Enough! But what do we do at the ballot box?’ The aim is to provide forums, on as wide a scale as possible, to discuss how a working-class alternative can be put in place for the next general election.
Go to socialistparty.org.uk to read reports from the meetings so far, and see tusc.org.uk/events for future dates near you.
Plymouth
Martin Brewer, a Communication Workers Union (CWU) picket supervisor for the BT/Openreach strike, said some staff had to use food banks because wages have fallen so far behind inflation. Martin praised Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) supporters for consistently attending pickets and showing solidarity with BT workers, and indeed all workers that have struck in recent months.
Martin said TUSC is the political alternative we need. He will now begin sharing TUSC material in the CWU to raise awareness of what TUSC is doing to support trade unions.
Tony Rea is a TUSC town councillor in Ivybridge. Along with several other councillors, he resigned from Labour as they felt it had shifted so far away from what they believe in. Tony is keen to build TUSC’s platform to bring together all those on the left looking for a socialist alternative that will oppose cuts, rather than implement them.
The Socialist Party’s Tom Baldwin highlighted the turmoil in the Tory party. However, Labour is in no way an alternative and would still choose to take the “tough decision” to hammer the poor, rather than introduce policies such as renationalising rail, mail and the energy companies to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
A member of the transport union RMT expressed a keenness to see the RMT more involved with TUSC locally, particularly as the local Labour MP hasn’t been to a single RMT picket line, despite being consistently invited.
There was a real enthusiasm to put forward a challenge in both the local and general election, whenever it may land. Already, eleven candidates have been provisionally agreed by the local TUSC supporters’ group to contest the 2023 local elections, five of these were Labour members at the last general election.
If Labour won’t support the workers’ movement, then the workers’ movement will need to build a party that does.
Ryan Aldred
Mansfield
38 people attended the Mansfield TUSC meeting in person with an additional 10 people watching on Zoom.
Jon Dale, secretary of the Nottinghamshire health branch of Unite the Union, said: “It is vital to win these strikes, but when we’ve won, what happens next?”
The meeting addressed the question of what to do at the ballot box?
Speakers included Ferocious Dog frontman, Ken Bonsall who stood as a TUSC candidate for Warsop in the 2021 county council elections, securing 343 votes.
Ken, who is a former miner and worked as a retained firefighter for 16 years, said he stood as a TUSC candidate as he recognised that working-class communities need socialist change and feel the Labour Party was no longer representing them.
Dennis May, leading Nottinghamshire anti-fracking campaigner, spoke about the work carried out in recent months with the threat of fracking back on the agenda.
Regional chairperson of the Fire Brigades Union, Mark Stilwell spoke about the fire and rescue service and how government cuts had resulted in a loss of workers and resources.
Dave Nellist, former Labour MP for Coventry South East, spoke about the TUSC platform and how it aims to take on the Conservatives and the Labour Party in upcoming local and general elections.
He spoke alongside Isai Marijerla, the Socialist party’s national treasurer, about the aims of TUSC and how the platform offered a realistic and exciting change for working-class communities.
Isai said: “We are socialists. We are optimists, but we are realists. We recognise what we are facing. A Starmer-led government will not act in the interests of the working-class majority.
Mansfield nurse Tom Hunt said he felt it was a duty to campaign for socialist policies under TUSC, on an anti-austerity platform.
And striking railway worker, Andrew Hawkin, spoke about his work with the RMT union.
A great night was had by all, with £104.35 raised in donations.
Phoebe Cox
Northampton
Socialist Party member Dave Nellist, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national chair, opened the meeting of over 20 people, including activists in transport union RMT.
Dumitru Manole, a member of the executive of bakers’ union BFAWU, said Labour is no longer the party of the trade unions. Hannah Sell spoke about the role of the Socialist Party in TUSC, and the need for a real political alternative to the Labour Party.
In Northampton, the council is threatening £40 million cuts. Over £100 was raised for our local campaign. Northampton is hoping to stand twice as many candidates in the next election as we stood in 2021.
Katie Simpson
Brighton
On the Brighton leg of the tour, Theo Sharieff from the Socialist Party outlined the crisis in British society and the grim prospect of austerity. With Starmer ripping up Corbyn’s manifesto, he outlined how TUSC is preparing to offer a socialist alternative.
The other platform speaker, Dave Hill, who stood for TUSC in the 2010 and 2015 general elections, explained how TUSC’s consensus decision-making process offers an attractive opportunity for socialists and campaigners.
This was highlighted again in the discussion from the floor with enthusiasm to stand a candidate in the general election and a slate of candidates in next year’s council elections.
David Maples
Upcoming TUSC tour dates
Oxford
Monday 5 December, 7pm at Peace House, Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD
York
Wednesday 30 November, 7pm at Friargate Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York, YO1 9RL
Speakers include: Steve Scott (NEU NEC member, personal capacity)
Grimsby & Cleethorpes
Wednesday 30 November, 7pm at Walters, 5-6 Old Market Place, Grimsby, DN31 1DT
For more info about TUSC in this area, ring or text Dave Mitchell on 07811377875
London
Thursday 1 December, 7pm at the Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6AQ
Speakers include: Carlos Barros (RMT NEC candidate, pc); Hannah Sell (Socialist Party general secretary); Andy Walker (ex-Redbridge Labour councillor, representing the TUSC Individual Members’ Section)
Bradford
Thursday 1 December, 7-30pm at Jacob’s Well, Nelson Street, Bradford, BD1 5RL
Cardiff
Monday 7 December, 7-30pm at The Clayton Hotel, St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1GD
TUSC conference
The steering committee also confirmed the date of the TUSC conference to be held on Saturday 4 February, from 11am to 4.30pm at Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, WC1E. This will discuss both the local and general election plans, including a draft core policy platform for the local elections, available at tusc.org.uk, and a draft general election platform, which will be published after the next steering committee meeting on 7 December.
TUSC candidate in Bitterne by-election demands funding cuts be restored
Nick Chaffey, Southampton Socialist Party
Mabel Wellman is standing under the TUSC banner in Bitterne, in a by-election for Southampton City Council, which is taking place on 1 December.
Mabel, 20, has lived in Bitterne all her life. She is a Unite member and works in a call centre as well as volunteering to advocate for transgender rights.
Mabel wants to secure the future of a more deprived area of the city by reinstating a £30 million regeneration scheme that was scrapped in 2021 after the Tories took control of the city. In May 2022, Labour took back control, but the scheme has not been brought up since then.
This scheme would increase youth services and involve a transport hub that could help thousands through public transport, as well as help the health of Bitterne residents, who lost their walk-in centre due to austerity cuts.
This election will be a fight to demand back the £1 billion of funding that Southampton has lost since 2010.
