Clive Walder, Birmingham Socialist Party
Birmingham Socialist Party has been busy campaigning in support of the city’s bin workers. They are striking for one day a week to stop a regrading that will cost some workers £8,000 a year, to defend weekly refuse collections, and oppose all cuts in local services.
People support the workers, but also air their grievances on other issues. Criticism of Keir Starmer is reaching pandemic proportions. Some of their comments are unprintable!
Workers feel betrayed, and want an alternative to never-ending austerity. Our policy of campaigning for a new mass workers’ party is well received. We have met relatives of bin workers, who are impressed that we are campaigning in their support.
No one has mentioned migration, or said that they support Reform UK, during our campaigning. This just goes to show that when workers move into action, reactionary ideas can be sidelined.
Many working-class Reform voters are looking for an alternative, one that actually represents their interests. There is a lesson for the trade union leaders here, the best way to stop Nigel Farage is to fight for workers.
Stop the sell-off
Birmingham Socialist Party is also campaigning against selling off 755 apartments, built as athletes’ accommodation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. They were never used, due to Covid.
The Labour council will lose over £300 million, which it expects council taxpayers to pay. People don’t believe that we should pay this debt, because we didn’t cause the problem, and that the apartments should be used for the homeless, or people on the council waiting list.
Fear of Trump
Farhana Manzoor, Camden and Haringey Socialist Party
Trump coming into power, and his executive orders, has caused a huge stir, everywhere.
The impact of his policies, the action of the richest people in the world – Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk – encouraged by Trump, and encouraging the far right, is causing huge uncertainty in our towns and cities, as per the reaction of the people at our campaign stalls.
23 people bought our Socialist paper at Archway station, with the front page ‘Capitalism’s future?’ opposing Trump.
