Southampton – other parties don’t do what we do

Catherine Clarke

On the Socialist Party campaign stall, we were trying to persuade people of the need for free school meals for all pupils, to kick private companies out of the NHS, and a proper living wage for workers. However, the people we were talking to were already converted.

Two young nurses spoke to us. They live this reality.

They were disappointed with their union – the Royal College of Nursing – agreeing to the pay deal, and not fighting for something much better. They said they barely noticed the increase in their salaries.

We spoke about staying in our unions to campaign for a leadership that will fight for the working class. They liked this approach, and left their contact details with us to find out more. They hope to attend a Socialist Party meeting.

At least one in three children in Southampton live in poverty. If all children received a warm free school meal, then pupils could concentrate, and not feel marginalised due to being poor and hungry.

£15 an hour

We need a £15-an-hour minimum wage, and our council should be paying this, and encouraging local employers to pay this. An inflation-proof pay rise each year would ensure families could feed their children, pay their bills, and enjoy life. Rather than just surviving.

One woman found it infuriating that some people are now proud of just surviving, rather than demanding that they and their families thrive.

She wants to shake these people into activity to fight for their future. She is homeless. And understands what to survive and struggle for a better life means. She is hoping to attend our next Socialist Party meeting this week.

A computer analyst approached our stall. He is renting and finding it very hard to pay his bills. He also left his details, and hopes to attend our meetings.

We met five people in one hour who want to learn more about our party. Many people thanked us for what we were doing, since they do not see any other political party speaking in clear terms about the struggles of the working class, and how to solve these issues.

Lancashire – angry about housing and becoming socialists

Martin Powell-Davies

Lancashire Socialist Party covers a wide area. But, we are confident that, across our many towns, colleges and workplaces, there are workers and youth looking for socialist ideas. That’s why we’ve made a plan to hold regular Socialist Party campaign stalls, at different locations, to see who we can meet.

We started in Lancaster Market Square, making sure our stall stood out with a range of Socialist Party posters and material (see picture). Our petition called for council homes and rent controls. We used this alongside the demands on the back page of that issue of the Socialist – see ‘Youth fight for council homes and rent controls’ at socialistparty.org.uk

Sure enough. As well as locals angry about the housing crisis, we also met an encouraging number of people describing themselves as ‘socialists’, and people who want to know more about the Socialist Party.

These included youth gathered in the town centre, and older workers too. Our stall will definitely be back in Lancaster – and other local towns – soon.