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Search site for keywords: Candidates - Austerity - Labour - Socialist - Cuts - Election - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - TUSC - Doncaster - Mary Jackson - Len Hockey
Meet the TUSCs taking on the austerity-mongers
From a Socialist Party press release
Who are the TUSCs?
Across England, Wales and Scotland a coalition of trade unionists, working class campaigners and socialists will stand as candidates in 135 seats, one in five parliamentary constituencies in the general election on 7th May.
These are not career politicians but nurses, teachers, rail workers, firefighters, low-paid young workers, private renters and others with a record of campaigning to defend the 99%.
- Len Hockey, a hospital porter, is challenging arch axe-man Iain Duncan Smith in Chingford and Woodford Green in London. IDS is the millionaire architect of the hated bedroom tax and universal credit, bringing misery, hunger and poverty to households across the country.
Len is a trade unionist with a record of uniting workers in solidarity against privateers seeking to drive down pay and conditions. - Val O'Flynn is standing against Victoria Ayling, one of divisive Ukip's hopefuls in Great Grimsby. Ukip may pose as anti-establishment but they have already identified £35bn of cuts.
But Val has actively supported workers' struggles for better pay and conditions, standing on the picket line with NHS workers and firefighters, campaigned against zero-hour contracts, the bedroom tax, benefit sanctions, and cuts to public services. - Gary Harbord is a member of the late Bob Crow's RMT union standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip against Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson ran his mayoral campaign promising not to shut tube ticket offices. Now the vast majority are being closed down - including the ticket office in Uxbridge! Gary has challenged Boris to a debate in Uxbridge town centre.
- Mary Jackson, an advice worker for 27 years, has seen at first hand the devastating effects of Tory policies such as redundancies, benefit sanctions and house repossessions. She helps out at food banks.
In this election she is standing against Ed Miliband in Doncaster North. Miliband has said that a Labour government would carry on with the Tory budget cuts. "The trouble is Labour isn't socialist anymore, it isn't even Labour!" - Owen Herbert, an RMT activist, is standing in Aberavon against New Labour 'prince' Stephen Kinnock. Kinnock includes on his CV "22 years ... at the interface of the private and public sectors". Owen is a member of a union that has been at the front of the fight against privatisation of public services.
Len Hockey
Bob Crow, the late RMT general secretary, addressing a TUSC rally in Doncaster in support of Mary Jackson (centre), photo A Tice (Click to enlarge)
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is the sixth biggest party standing in the general election and is 100% anti-austerity. See : www.tusc2015.com
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Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
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