spot Campaigns

spot Organisations

spot Arguments for socialism

All Campaigns subcategories:

Anti-capitalism

Anti-fascist

Anti-racism

Anti-war

Asylum

Black and Asian

Children

CNWP

Corporate crime

Disability

Education

* Election campaigns

Environment

Finance

Food

Gender Recognition Act

Health and safety

Health and welfare

Housing

Human Rights

LGBT Pride

Local government

Local services

Low pay

Migration

Nationalisation

New workers party

NHS

Pensions

Post Office

Poverty

Privatisation

Public Services

Socialism

Socialist

Sport

Stop the slaughter of Tamils

Students

The state

Transport

TUSC

Welfare rights

Women

Workplace and TU campaigns

Youth

Election campaigns keywords:

Candidates (91)

Council elections (56)

Councillors (427)

Election (1361)

Elections (565)

Elections 2015 (3)

General election (257)

No2EU (83)

TUSC (1122)

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (556)

TUSC

Highlight keywords |Print this article

From: The Socialist issue 944, 12 April 2017: NHS: Walkouts can win

Search site for keywords: TUSC - Wales - Labour - Cuts - Cardiff - Anti-cuts - Austerity - Councillors - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - Public services - Elections - Plaid Cymru - Council - Candidates - Council elections

Wales: Labour right rattled by anti-cuts TUSC in Cardiff

Some of Cardiff TUSC's council candidates photo Callum Glanville-Ellis (Click to enlarge)

Ross Saunders, Cardiff West Socialist Party

The 100% anti-cuts, socialist alternative presented by the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has been welcomed on the doorstep by people who are desperate to see an end to austerity. But some figures on the Labour right are less enthusiastic that we're standing in the Welsh council elections.

We've been accused of splitting the 'left-wing' vote; of sexism - some of the Labour cutters we're standing against are women; of bullying - we sent a polite letter asking for a discussion about fighting cuts; and all sorts of other ridiculous charges.

Blame

Don't blame TUSC for Labour's likely losses in May - or Corbyn either, as First Minister Carwyn Jones has tried to do. The fault belongs to Labour councillors who have backed Tory cuts.

Far from aiding the establishment parties, it will be TUSC that will be exposing their record.

The Liberals and Plaid Cymru - who ran Cardiff together only five years ago - slashed 1,000 jobs, closed care homes and schools, privatised home care for the elderly, and carried out many other brutal acts of vandalism to our public services.

But Labour won't be pointing that out, because they've backed their own cuts and privatisation programme. Cutting 1,600 jobs and £120 million of funding, and selling off leisure to notorious exploiters Greenwich Leisure Limited. So it will also be left to TUSC to fight to prevent Ukip from diverting the anger at austerity in a racist direction.

TUSC has been careful not to stand against councillors who backed Corbyn against the right-wing coup.

But despite standing down in six wards in Cardiff, we're launching the biggest socialist challenge in a generation - only the four main Welsh parties are standing more candidates. A third of Cardiff's population will get a chance to vote TUSC.

The reason we're standing is best summed up by a Labour councillor who asked us to stand down. He said: "We can protest, we can march, we can wave banners and flags, but if we are not a shield to the vulnerable and the dispossessed then we are not socialists."

Exactly. Protesting against the cuts isn't enough: we need socialist representatives who will stop making them.

Donate to the Socialist Party

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.