Thirty newcomers boost London post-election meeting

Thirty newcomers boost London post-election analysis meeting

Laurel Fogarty

Thirty new faces joined a crowd of around 100 in a packed room in London to hear the Socialist Party’s response to the general election. The 21 May event was the first all-London Socialist Party meeting since the Tories won a narrow majority on 7 May.

Socialist Party general secretary Peter Taaffe spoke on the failure of the Labour Party to get the working class out to vote. He also gave a grave warning about cuts and attacks to come over the next five years.

The audience – many standing, some spilling out of the open doors – responded enthusiastically to the discussion of the TUSC election campaign. Peter said that although, as expected, votes were modest, TUSC’s campaign meant the pro-big business parties did not stand unopposed.

Hugo Pierre, TUSC candidate for Poplar and Limehouse, contributing from the floor, said TUSC’s message had spread further than ever before. The campaign inspired a section of people sick of hearing the same pro-cuts, pro-privatisation talk from the main parties leading up to the election.

London youth organiser Helen Pattison described how anger turned to action among the young, with spontaneous protests building quickly across the UK. Demonstrations attracted hundreds or even thousands of young people at just a few hours’ notice.

Sea change

A similar sea change is beginning within the trade union movement itself, reported Suzanne Muna, newly elected member of general union Unite’s executive. Serious discussions about affiliation to Labour are looming in upcoming union conferences this summer, not least in Unite – Labour’s largest single donor.

£1,400 was donated to the Socialist Party fighting fund, and five new members joined on the night. A good start to our fight against “five more damned years” in London.