Mike Cleverly, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
I joined the Militant, the forerunner of the Socialist Party, in 1977. I had been a trade unionist and Labour Party member since I was 15, back in 1957.
I visited the Militant’s headquarters in Hackney, and met some supporters, and this posed a question. How can an organisation with a few hundred members, at that time, rent these premises, and produce a weekly newspaper and monthly magazine?
Peter Jarvis worked in our print shop. He’s a Socialist Party member in Hackney today.
He talked to me. “Our members are serious about financing our organisation”. That discussion was the clincher for me.
Infamous
We are rightly famous for our ability to raise money. And we explain why we need it.
The leaflets you will see on demonstrations and campaigns are produced by our members. Not only does our ‘fighting fund’ provide us with vital funds, it also demonstrates our support among the working class.
Wherever you see a ‘Socialist’ paper being sold, you will see our familiar rattling tins. We are proud of being able to ask for the ‘solidarity price’, and more, when we sell our paper.
The ‘fighting fund appeal’ is an important item on the agenda of our public meetings. Individual members pay subs every month, making a real sacrifice.
Workers fighting back
Many know that the Socialist Party can be relied on to support your struggles, as the tenants on the Butterfields Estate, and the health workers at Whipps Cross Hospital, in my area, know.
Members of the Socialist Party are serious about finance. I think that readers of our Socialist paper are serious too.
Sometimes we are surprised that our readers are generous. It often seems that they were just waiting to be asked, as I was all those years ago.
Can you donate to help us meet our fighting fund target this quarter?
