Socialist Party members worked tirelessly to raise over £15,000 in September to smash our quarterly fighting fund target, reaching 110% - a total of £27,429. The Socialist Party has no rich backers, this magnificent sum was achieved by the fundraising of our members and from the donations of working class people in response to our campaigning and appeals.

The Tories are continuing their assault on the public sector and the working class with further huge cuts in local services and the cut in tax credits. Throughout England and Wales our members have been protesting against these attacks.

The fighting fund enables the Socialist Party to produce campaigning material on all these issues - to put forward a programme to defeat the cuts and bring down this government.

Campaigning

Four branches did extremely well in raising over a thousand pounds during the quarter: Salford, Southampton and Stoke campaigned against closures of local NHS facilities and for an end to zero-hour contracts. Determined to hit their target, Waltham Forest branch raised £1,250 in just four weeks with a whole number of different fund-raising ideas.

A new branch in Selby raised £42 campaigning against local fire service cuts. Leicester branch decided that they needed to boost their fundraising and agreed to do a four-hour 'super stall' once a month on pay-day weekend when there are more people in the city centre who they can discuss with.

Branches also held successful fundraising social events: South Tyne and Wear raised £149 with their regular curry night; Waltham Forest raised over £100 raffling a very good quality bottle of whisky; Llanelli and Swansea branches took advantage of some sunshine in August and raised £100 with a barbecue on the beach.

In the final three months of 2015, we have set ourselves the target of raising £25,000 for the Socialism 2015 finance appeal. This is a very important appeal, a quarter of which will go to the Committee for a Worker's International - the international organisation to which the Socialist Party is affiliated - to assist in the pioneering work that our members are engaged in around the world.

If we reach this target then we will be on course for a record year for the fighting fund, vital if we are going to have the resources to build support for a socialist alternative to the corruption and greed of the bankers, the super-rich and their capitalist politicians.

Donation

Can you help by making a donation or taking out a regular direct debit at www.socialistparty/donate? Can you commit to raising some money yourself with a loose-change jar, raffle or some other idea? We can guarantee that every pound raised will be used to help in the struggle for socialism.

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.