Fighting fund helps pay for leaflets and other campaigning material photo Samantha Smith

Fighting fund helps pay for leaflets and other campaigning material photo Samantha Smith   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

We smashed the fighting fund target in 2019, breaking all records for the most money raised in a single quarter at least since the millennium. The Socialist Party raised a magnificent £50,240 between October and December, ensuring that we go into 2020 on a real high.

We raised £140,896 in 2019 as a whole – the second highest annual total that we have achieved. This was due to the record finance appeal at Socialism 2019 and the tireless fundraising efforts of our members and supporters.

The Socialist Party has no rich backers. We rely entirely on the sacrifice of our members and the support of ordinary people – that’s the only way that we can be an independent voice of the working class and for socialist ideas.

We raised money on campaign stalls, from appeals at public meetings during the general election, with fundraising events and by asking for donations.

Members raised money from sponsorship for a marathon, DJing at a Northern Soul night, general election sweepstakes, a homemade Christmas cake raffle and selling Christmas cards, chutneys, pickles, jams, bracelets and raffling a jumper.

There were also quiz nights, a Strictly Come Dancing Final social and many members donating money painstakingly collected in loose change jars.

Branches which started using a card reader – for all those who wanted to buy a paper but had no cash – also found that they got more fighting fund in too.

Boris Johnson posed during the election as a politician able to represent the interests of the working class – he is of course nothing of the sort. ‘Fat Cat Monday’ comes just 33 hours into the new year – the day when FTSE 100 bosses will have earned the same as the average annual wage of a worker. Johnson will show himself to be what he is, a representative of those fat cats.

We have to maintain our determined approach to raising the finance necessary in 2020 to ensure we have the money and the campaigning materials to raise high the banner of socialism – as we help to build opposition to Johnson’s Tory government.

Can you help? Can you commit yourself to raising £3 fighting fund each week and selling 5 copies of the Socialist? If you aren’t already a member of the Socialist Party, can you make a regular donation – and of course join us?