Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition conference 2015


Saturday 26 September, 11am to 4.30pm at Student Central, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY

  • Chaired by TUSC national chair Dave Nellist and former socialist Labour MP

A TUSC press release

In the 2015 general election the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) fielded an historic working class challenge. Across England, Wales and Scotland a coalition of trade unionists, working class campaigners and socialists stood in 135 seats, one in five parliamentary constituencies. 100% anti-austerity TUSC also contested over 600 council seats.

Dave Nellist said:

“This conference gives TUSC a chance to discuss the major opportunities to build the fight against austerity. Jeremy Corbyn’s clear victory finally starts to give the depth of anti-austerity feeling in Britain a voice. He has inspired huge numbers, particularly young people, with his call for free education, public ownership of rail and energy, and for councils to stand together in opposition to government cuts.

TUSC believes that Jeremy is right to highlight the potential that councils have to resist austerity. In the last couple of years TUSC has worked with councillors in Southampton, Hull and Leicester to present legally compliant no-cuts budgets.

The TUSC conference will be making plans to write to every Labour candidate standing in next May’s elections to ask for a meeting with them to see how much they are prepared to back their new leader’s anti-austerity stance. In particular we will be asking Labour candidates if they agree with us that Labour councils should now combine together and refuse to implement the Tories’ brutal austerity agenda. Where we get a positive answer from Labour councillors or candidates we look forward to the possibilities of joint action against austerity.”Where, however, Labour councillors or candidates are not prepared to follow Jeremy’s stance in opposing George Osborne’s austerity agenda, then TUSC will stand widely in the May 2016 elections in England, Wales and Scotland.”

Conference agenda:

11am to 12.45pm: The role of TUSC in the new situation

A TUSC forum with platform speakers from the four constituent organisations and floor speakers

12.45pm to 1.30pm: lunch
1.30pm to 2.30pm: New prospects for a councillors’ revolt?

Agreeing TUSC’s 2016 local elections platform. The local election platform to be introduced by Clive Heemskerk on behalf of the steering committee, followed by floor speakers including any amendments to the platform.

2.30pm to 4.30pm: What position should TUSC take on the EU referendum?

A debate with platform speakers from the four constituent organisations


Information

TUSC was co-founded in 2010 by the late Bob Crow of the transport union, RMT, together with the Socialist Party, the SWP, and other socialist groups, to provide an electoral alternative for those opposing austerity.

Dave Nellist will be available for interview before the conference or in the lunch break. Call Sarah on 079 580 320 71 to arrange.

  • For further information about TUSC, TUSC’s election policies and video clips: www.tusc.org.uk
  • @TUSCoalition

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 22 September 2015 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.