Bea Gardner, Socialist Party finance team

Across England and Wales, members and supporters of the Socialist Party have been out in force on our ‘mega weekend’ of activity, as part of our bold, anti-war, anti-austerity stand in the upcoming elections.

We are campaigning on many issues that local communities are angry about, offering a real alternative to the cost-of-living crisis: campaigning to end council tax rises, to save local schools and libraries, to build more council homes, and to stop cuts to local services.

Our petitions on these issues have received a lot of support, and all highlight the numerous ways that working-class people are being asked to pay for the capitalist crisis. Instead, we have been raising what local councils could be doing to fight for our interests, including demanding the resources needed to fully fund services and to make the super-rich pay.

In Southampton, 30 were out canvassing for Nadia Ditta in Bevois. There, fly-tipping is a key issue; if elected, Nadia will move a motion at the first council meeting to reinstate free bulk waste collection.

Further north, the Carlisle Socialist Party branch has been fighting to defend the NHS from privatisation. There, our petition calling for an above-inflation pay rise for health and care workers, for all vacancies to be filled, and to stop and reverse the privatisation, received a lot of support and donations to our fighting fund.

Socialist Party branches organised additional activities, including extra campaign stalls and canvassing sessions. We have taken our campaigns into new areas and neighbourhoods, reaching even more people with our socialist programme. In London, the Waltham Forest branch organised five stalls in different wards where Socialist Party members are standing for TUSC. Meanwhile, Croydon organised a mega campaign stall involving 17 members and supporters.

Our message has been clear – we won’t pay for the capitalists’ wars. Our petition to demand that councils act now to provide support to counter the energy cost hikes and our demand for nationalising the energy companies have been very positively received.

While we are told to bear the burden of their crisis, multinational energy companies have been further increasing their profits. The latest of which has been from BP, whose profits more than doubled in the first three months of the year from the surge in prices from the Iran war. They called it an “exceptional” performance in its oil trading business. We say: Nationalise these companies and bring them under democratic workers’ control and management to reduce the bills for billions of people.

Across all branches, we are discussing what kind of party is needed to fight the cost-of-living crisis, austerity, and to challenge the far right. We are raising why socialism is the answer to capitalist crisis and war. There is still time before election day, why not get involved in a campaign in your area? Even better, join the Socialist Party today and discuss how we can continue to build the socialist alternative, whatever the results on 7 May.

Coventry socialists campaigning at Vaisakhi festival

As with other years, the colourful ‘Nagar Kirtan’ marked the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in Coventry on 26 April. Thousands gathered, joining the march as it made its way through Foleshill.

Socialist Party members were there in the early sunshine, handing out election material and selling the Socialist. We raised the idea with locals that, in this city and nationally, we need a political alternative that is able to provide concrete steps to fight for a future that is lead by the majority for the majority.

When raising these ideas and linking it to voting for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on 7 May, we had conversations with locals. When bringing up alternative parties, one person said “Mark my words – Reform are not for us” – and they’re correct!

In the afternoon, we went on to campaign in St. Michael’s, the ward where three Socialist Party councillors have previously been elected, raising further across the city that we need a party that represents working people and that fights for the essential demands of jobs, decent housing and restoration of essential services.

Mila Matharu, Coventry Socialist Party and TUSC candidate for Foleshill, one of 21 across Coventry