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Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Next steps in building a political voice for workers
On 22 May the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) presented the biggest left-of-Labour electoral stand in generations.
Our candidates included many trade unionists and community campaigners who had never stood in an election before, but saw TUSC as an opportunity to take the battle against austerity onto the electoral plane.
Contesting 12% of the seats and 17% of the wards up for election, this was greater than anything attempted before in the four-year history of the coalition (for the full picture, see www.tusc.org.uk/txt/306.pdf).
The following week, TUSC's national steering committee met to discuss the election results, the next steps for TUSC supporters, expanding the electoral coalition and preparations for the general election.
Here we print part of the letter to TUSC's candidates and election agents that the committee agreed.
31 May 2014
To: All TUSC local election candidates and agents
Dear comrade,
Hopefully all TUSC supporters have had a chance to catch their breath after the hard work of recent months, because this letter is mainly about how we develop TUSC from here.
The general election is now only eleven months away, on 7 May 2015. On that date there will also be local elections in the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan and Shire District councils in England.
General election preparation
Whichever party wins the general election we will face a continuation of government for the billionaires.
The Labour leadership has repeatedly made it clear that a Labour government will implement austerity.
Now Labour leader, Ed Miliband, has even stated that he would consider increasing the already draconian anti-trade union laws.
As the growth in support of the right-wing nationalists of Ukip has shown, it is urgent that we step up our work to build a political force that actually stands in the interests of working class people and has a clear anti-cuts, anti-racist, socialist programme.
That means continuing and stepping up the TUSC campaigning work that is taking place in local areas. It also means starting to prepare our general election challenge, with local groups making plans now, including discussing potential supporters that could be drawn into the campaign and the issue of finance, with a £500 deposit to pay just to get on the ballot paper.
Regular donations should be organised now, either through standing orders or regular PayPal payments (see the TUSC website at http://www.tusc.org.uk/donate ) to prepare for this.
One campaigning proposal we are suggesting to build support for a general election challenge and gain publicity is that TUSC groups organise, in each parliamentary constituency, union delegations or lobbies of Labour prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) to demand that they sign up to support John McDonnell MP's trade union freedom bill, agree to support the reversing of all the cuts in public services and benefits that have taken place under the Con-Dems, and support an incoming Labour government banning zero hour contracts and immediately introducing the 'Living Wage' (£7.65 an hour, £8.80 in London).
If, as is likely, Labour PPCs are not willing to sign up to these very minimal demands, or even to meet a trade union delegation, we should use this to publicly add their constituencies to the list TUSC are considering contesting.
Next year's local elections
Alongside standing in the general election, we should also, in our view, be looking to build on what we achieved this year and to stand as widely as possible in the local elections.
There will be, in fact, more seats up for election in May 2015, outside of London, than were up for election this year.
Without doubt there will be some workers who reluctantly feel obliged to vote Labour nationally, but who will vote for anti-cuts councillors locally, in order to provide them with some defence against the cuts that are coming post-election.
Even in the context of a national focus on the general election, TUSC can organise a vigorous local election campaign - with the added advantage that, with no election deposits, there should be no obstacles other than persuading enough candidates to stand in reaching the 'fair coverage' broadcasting threshold for these contests.
Organising local groups
In order to facilitate this work it is important that TUSC is organised locally. If no local structure already exists we recommend that a local steering committee or branch is urgently set up and that all those who have participated in the local election challenge are invited to participate.
While it is up to local groups to determine exactly what structure best suits your locality, they should operate on the basis of consensus, as is the case nationally, in order to build the maximum possible unity between the growing forces involved in TUSC.
TUSC national steering committee members would be very happy to come and speak to local meetings if that is helpful.
In any event we would be very pleased to hear from you before the next steering committee meeting on 2 July about your ideas and plans to build on the big steps forward taken by our coalition in May's elections.
Yours comradely,
Dave Nellist, TUSC national chairperson
Clive Heemskerk, TUSC national election agent
TUSC
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is an electoral alliance that stands candidates against all cuts and privatisation.
It involves the RMT transport union, leading members of other unions and socialists including the Socialist Party.
- See www.tusc.org.uk
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.
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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