Below is a statement from the Socialist Party in Southampton about the mistaken decision of one of its former election candidates to stand for the Greens in the next election. Nadia Ditta stood twice for Southampton council as a member of the Socialist Party, under the banner of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, but has now decided to switch to the Greens. Particularly since Zack Polanski became their leader, tens of thousands have joined the Greens looking for an alternative to austerity and war, often young people making their first steps into the struggle for a new society. Regrettably this is not comparable to Nadia’s decision to, at this stage, step back from a clear socialist stand against austerity and war.
Labour was severely punished in the May elections for continuing the Tories austerity agenda. Nationally, as voters looked for ways to protest, Right-wing populist Reform’s racist agenda won seats and the Greens made gains because they had the national profile of being an anti-austerity party to the left of Labour. But, it was not predetermined that the Greens were the only high-profile national party seen as anti-austerity in May. Last summer the potential was shown for a new party when 800,000 signed up to support Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s declaration to launch one. Unfortunately, due to the mistaken approach of the leadership, that potential was not met on this occasion. So, while there were around 750 left independent and socialist candidates in May’s elections, 101 of whom were elected, they did not have the national profile of the Greens.
More than 280 of the socialists and trade unionists who stood did so under the common electoral banner of ‘Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition’. In Southampton, they included Nadia Ditta, in Bevois ward, who stood for the Socialist Party as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. She gained 739 votes, 23.8%, for a clear fighting programme including opposition to all cuts to council jobs and services. She played a central role in fighting to successfully save and win the refurbishment of the local Venny playpark, along with her record as a campaigner against racism and war, not least against the onslaught on Gaza.
Nadia should have won in Bevois this year. A majority voted for anti-cuts candidates, with the Green surge netting 690 votes. The Green candidate expressed her support for Nadia, and had the Greens stood down, as we called for, Nadia would now be on the council. There is huge disappointment that Labour came through the middle in Bevois from Nadia, her supporters and members of the local Socialist Party who have campaigned consistently in the area for years and over the past three years with Nadia.
Mistakenly – instead of stepping up pressure on the Greens not to stand against her next year – Nadia has now taken the decision to join the Green Party. In discussion with her we have urged her to reconsider. The Greens have gained votes as an anti-austerity, anti-war party, but, up until now, wherever they have been tested in power they have never delivered.
In England and Wales they haven’t had power in national government, but in many other countries they have joined capitalist coalition governments and loyally acted in the interests of the millionaires rather than defending the working-class majority. In Belgium, for example, the trade unions have been taking general strike action against government attacks on pensions and other austerity measures, and the deputy prime minister responsible for the attacks is a Green. In Germany, the Greens were part of a coalition government from 2021 until 2025, which was responsible for 30% of the weapons imported to Israel during that time, used in the slaughter of the Palestinians.
In England the Greens may not be in power nationally but they have 1,500 councillors, who could be a powerful weapon in the struggle against austerity. Yet, instead, the Greens record on this locally and nationally has been to vote for cuts rather than mobilise communities and the trade unions to demand the restoration of funding from this weak Labour government.
Locally the Green councillors have rejected the argument of trade unionists in the Southampton TUC that the Greens should back Unite, Unison and GMB council trade union policy to set legally, balanced no-cuts budgets using reserves and borrowing powers. If the Greens took that approach, wouldn’t that win mass support and put huge pressure on Burnham to make concessions? The way forward in Southampton and every local council, requires a consistent campaign to oppose cuts in deeds not just words.
This strategy has a record in Southampton. It was argued by expelled Southampton Labour anti-cuts councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas in 2013 who proposed a Southampton People’s Budget to the full council, meeting the required conditions of the financial officer. They subsequently went on to be re-elected as clearly identified anti-cuts and socialist councillors in their Coxford ward.
Nadia has stated she remains committed to voting against all cuts to local jobs and services. But we have warned that her stand will be compromised by fellow Southampton Green group councillors voting for further cuts budgets, increased council tax, and rents that Bevois residents struggle to pay. As, indeed, have individual Labour councillors sometimes not been able to bring themselves to vote for their party’s austerity policies.
The question is now posed what will others in the Green Party, Bevois and across Southampton say as new budgets are prepared for the autumn?
The Socialist Party remains committed to our anti-cuts stand and call on Nadia and others to back a Southampton Peoples’ Budget to restore jobs, services and build council housing using council reserves and borrowing powers as part of a mass campaign to demand the restoration of government funding cut since 2010.
Labour were punished in this May’s elections for being a government that defends the capitalist system, and implementing austerity as a result. Inevitably, some are hoping that a Burnham government will be different, but he has made clear that, in essence, he will continue with the same approach as Starmer. The need for the working class to build its own genuinely anti-austerity political party, with a socialist programme, is therefore more pressing than ever. This is not the time to turn away from it in the mistaken hope of finding an easier shortcut.
Southampton Socialist Party
