The Socialist 14 August 2013

Zero tolerance for zero-hours!

Zero tolerance for zero-hours!

End zero-hour contracts now!

A tale of two Britains

Beware a recovery!

Met finally apologise for G20 death

London Olympics legacy - one year on

Football and big business: time to reclaim the game

Socialist Party subs appeal

Them & Us

Come to the Socialist Party Summer Camp

Hunt attacks NHS staff and patients

Save Our Hospital!

Protest at the Tory Conference in Manchester

Tunisia: Mobilise to bring down the government

South Africa: Limpopo WASP launch

Seattle: Socialist challenge to corporate Democrats

Defend the Four: Tribunal compensation award to Unison activists

Postal workers ballot for action

On your bike, Serco

Swansea council pay attacks angers workers

Winning a reprieve from the bedroom tax

Building TUSC in Caerphilly

Reflections and sycophancy: Kinnock versus the socialist Liverpool council

The Mill: A change from the usual TV

Successes, failures and stalemates: A week in the life of a trade union rep

PO Box 1398, Enfield EN1 9GT

020 8988 8777

[email protected]

Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/776/17241

Search the site	Printable version

Home | The Socialist 14 August 2013 | Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe | Donate | PDF | ebook

Building TUSC in Caerphilly

Jaime Davies, Caerphilly TUSC byelection candidate

When a byelection came up in the Penyrheol ward of Caerphilly we knew we had to stand and give local people a working class alternative to Tory austerity policies and the failure of Labour and Plaid Cymru to mount any sort of resistance to Westminster's cuts agenda.

When the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) stood in the ward for the first time in the full council elections last year, we received 175 votes or 5.9%.

Despite a much smaller turnout this time, we still won 173 votes, meaning our share rose to 9.7%

This result placed us third, ahead of the Tories in fourth, behind Labour in second and Plaid Cymru who won the seat.

Our focus on the doorstep and at our public meeting was the local fight for a 24-hour doctor-led A&E at Ystrad Mynach hospital.

We also opposed council executives' illegal pay rises of around 20%, and pledged to fight the killer bedroom tax.

The Tories are never really much opposition in the South Wales valleys but trying to privatise the NHS in England, imposing the Bedroom Tax and cutting left right and center couldn't have helped matters for them!

We are looking forward to 2016 where we aim to catch Labour and become the main opposition to Plaid Cymru. The next council elections may be three years away but the building starts now!