photo Josh Asker (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Chris Newby, Socialist Party fighting fund organiser
The Tories are on the ropes, while workers face more and more attacks on their jobs, wages and living standards. It is more critical than ever that we do all we can to get our socialist message across. That means setting out a clear plan of how we can campaign to get rid of the Tories and fight for a new mass workers’ party.
In the pages of the Socialist, there are many examples of workers fighting back and winning. But we urgently need to raise the finances for the Socialist Party to make sure we have the leaflets, posters and placards to get our socialist message out as widely as possible.
It is vital that Socialist Party branches make the most of all opportunities to raise fighting fund. We are asking all Socialist Party branches to plan their fundraising now to make sure they reach this quarter’s target.
Can you organise an extra campaign stall during the week as well as at weekends? Is there a transport hub, a workplace or college where you can organise a weekly sale of the Socialist?
The results from our campaign stalls so far this year show that workers and local communities are responding to our socialist message. A few examples are:
- £50 from three stalls in Sheffield campaigning for a socialist answer to the problems facing the NHS and with a socialist programme for the struggle of the Just Eat delivery drivers
- £44 for South West London Socialist Party campaigning in Clapham for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and to say ‘Tories Out’
- Devon Socialist Party raising £25 raising socialist ideas on the demo in Exeter against the Tories’ anti-protest bill
- £16 raised in one stall in Erdington, Birmingham campaigning against the cost of living rises and for Dave Nellist’s election as a workers’ MP on a worker’s wage
- Over £16 in Cardiff demanding nationalisation of the energy companies
As well as fundraising from our campaigning activity, what other events can you organise to reach your fighting fund target? Camden and Haringey raised over £70 from their ‘hummus feast’. Swansea and West Wales Socialist Party raised £180 from the sale of second-hand books.
At the end of the quarter, there will be a fighting fund appeal at the Socialist Party conference in March. Make sure you plan now to get the best possible donations for this. If all our Socialist Party branches put those plans into action, we can smash though this quarter’s fighting fund target.
