Swansea TUSC candidate Ben Golightly tells us about the campaign
We spoke to hundreds of people, across four hustings in just one week, about a socialist voice in the Senedd. The fourth husting, organised jointly by refugee, youth, and climate organisations, was definitely my favourite.
I am a nervous speaker – definitely not used to being interrupted mid-speech by spontaneous applause! But if my voice wavered, my politics certainly didn’t. Our message hit home.
Whereas Labour’s Shabana Mahmood, egged on by Reform UK, demonises and clamps down on the right to asylum, we explained the need for working-class unity to fight for jobs, homes, rights, and services for all. And for a Socialist Green New Deal to save the planet.
At the close of the hustings, unlike the other candidates, I was immediately sought out by a crowd of young refugee women wanting to shake my hand and have lengthy discussions. “You’re fighting for us”, one said.
The socialist campaign for the Senedd is far, far smaller than it easily could have been. But we are doing everything we can to raise people’s sights, including making a special appeal to all trade unionists ahead of the Senedd election.
One Labour politician called me a “pessimist” for complaining about his party’s loyal implementation of austerity. I told him, on the contrary, that I’m an optimist.
I was optimistic last year when we organised to strike a blow against Labour’s disability cuts – and we did. And I’m optimistic for the present and the future. Despite the lack of political representation, working-class communities are successfully organising to defeat his party again.
Socialist Party members, and our Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidates, have an extremely proud record of doing exactly that.
