Clive Walder, Birmingham Socialist Party
Socialist Party branches in Birmingham have recently noticed a distinct change of mood amongst people while out campaigning, and a pick up in our fundraising too.
In the period immediately before the general election, reaching our quarterly fundraising target seemed like a daunting task. Lots of workers we spoke to felt disengaged from politics and ignored by politicians, with many just counting down the days to the general election and defeat of the Tories.
Starmer’s early announcement of austerity policies shook a layer of workers who are now looking for a way to fight back. Linking, as we do, the need to build a socialist opposition to Starmer as the best way to defeat attacks on the working class began to resonate. Few people who sign our petitions question the need for a new mass workers’ party.
We have also been consistently active in the fight against the barbaric cuts that Birmingham City Council is planning in response to their ‘bankruptcy’, and have intervened in every anti-war demonstration.
We have had very positive responses from people on both of these issues because of our clear demands. We have demanded that the council set a needs budget and demand adequate funding from the government, and on anti-war demos we call for workers’ unity and mass struggle as the way forward.
The most politically aware people gravitate towards our campaign stalls and our ideas. We have received a number of substantial donations in support, and a steady stream of people expressing an interest in our activities.
There is nothing special about people in Birmingham and I believe that all areas can increase their fighting fund by campaigning on all the issues that affect workers, and by explaining our socialist solutions to them.
