From this weeks The Socialist
Thursday 6 May was a very important day for me. Not only was the future of our country being decided, but I was standing for election, as a Socialist Party candidate. Granted, it was only my school mock election, but it was an exciting and, often, nerve-wracking experience nonetheless.
Anna Edgar
I stood as a socialist in this election because, from what I have read of it, the Socialist Party is a party that works for genuine change, unlike the three main parties which are, apart from a few minor differentiations, really the same. Furthermore, I think that the Socialist Party deals with issues head-on, rather than offering only verbal support.
Another reason I was interested in the Socialist Party was probably because of my background - my mum's Russian and grew up in the USSR, so I have heard from her about the positive aspects of the USSR government, as well as the negative aspects which Western media focus on.
As I go to a private school, I never really expected that the socialists would win there. Too many of my school friends have wealthy banker parents, whom the Socialist Party is not particularly well-disposed towards.
Nonetheless, armed with a hastily written speech and a bundle of posters and leaflets (thanks Suzanne) I stood for election.
Despite campaigning by myself and other school socialists, we came fifth out of six parties - followed only by the Green Party. The Liberal Democrats won, with the Monster Raving Loony Party taking second place.
The problem was that not enough people actually evaluated the policies of the individual parties, and made an informed decision on that account.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed campaigning for the Socialist Party and finding out more about it - and maybe, someday, I'll be standing for election as a real socialist candidate!.
Showing posts with label General election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General election. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Activists launch socialist challenge
from this weeks The Socialist
OVER 60 people attended a meeting in Greenwich, south east London, for a joint 'defend the four' and 'TUSC launch' meeting.
Paul Callanan
'Defend the four' is the campaign organised in defence of the four Unison members who have been politically witch-hunted by the union's right wing officials for the 'crime' of being Socialist Party members (see stopthe witchhunt.org.uk - also, see Nominate Roger Bannister).
TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) is a coalition of left parties and union members which is fielding a number of candidates in the 2010 general election. It includes the Socialist Party, and is backed by many leading trade unionists.
The first speaker was Glenn Kelly - one of the 'four' - who told the meeting that the Unison bureaucrats had actually done the Socialist Party a favour "as there are now more left activists and stewards than before the witch-hunt started. Every time they kick out a left branch secretary there will be another one to step into their place", he added.
Glenn also spoke about the disgraceful ruling from the four's recent employment tribunal which, contrary to the evidence presented, decided that they had not been disciplined by the union leadership for their political views. Instead, the tribunal branded 'Trotskyism' as "repugnant" and the four not worthy of protection.
In a clearly political judgment the tribunal made no distinction between democratic socialist views and Stalinist ones. Glenn said that it was an insult to the Trotskyists in Stalin's Russia who were murdered for their defence of genuine socialism.
Elections
Lewisham Socialist Party councillor Ian Page spoke about the successful campaigning work that he and fellow Socialist Party councillor Chris Flood had done on behalf of their constituents.
The Socialist Party is the only party in the council chamber to fight against the public sector cuts being forced through by all the other parties. He also appealed for everyone possible to go to Lewisham and help out with the campaign for their re-election and the election of a third Socialist Party candidate, Jess Leech.
The last speaker was Onay "Kaz" Kasab, witch-hunted Greenwich Unison branch secretary and TUSC candidate for Greenwich and Woolwich in the forthcoming general election.
He is standing in the election to give working-class people, disenfranchised by the ruling est-ablishment parties, a voice. He will be the constituency's only anti-cuts, anti-privatisation and anti-war candidate in this election.
Afterwards, over 20 people volunteered to help out with the election campaign with three people filling out cards requesting more information on the Socialist Party.
Visit the TUSC website:
www.tusc.org.uk
OVER 60 people attended a meeting in Greenwich, south east London, for a joint 'defend the four' and 'TUSC launch' meeting.
Paul Callanan
'Defend the four' is the campaign organised in defence of the four Unison members who have been politically witch-hunted by the union's right wing officials for the 'crime' of being Socialist Party members (see stopthe witchhunt.org.uk - also, see Nominate Roger Bannister).
TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) is a coalition of left parties and union members which is fielding a number of candidates in the 2010 general election. It includes the Socialist Party, and is backed by many leading trade unionists.
The first speaker was Glenn Kelly - one of the 'four' - who told the meeting that the Unison bureaucrats had actually done the Socialist Party a favour "as there are now more left activists and stewards than before the witch-hunt started. Every time they kick out a left branch secretary there will be another one to step into their place", he added.
Glenn also spoke about the disgraceful ruling from the four's recent employment tribunal which, contrary to the evidence presented, decided that they had not been disciplined by the union leadership for their political views. Instead, the tribunal branded 'Trotskyism' as "repugnant" and the four not worthy of protection.
In a clearly political judgment the tribunal made no distinction between democratic socialist views and Stalinist ones. Glenn said that it was an insult to the Trotskyists in Stalin's Russia who were murdered for their defence of genuine socialism.
Elections
Lewisham Socialist Party councillor Ian Page spoke about the successful campaigning work that he and fellow Socialist Party councillor Chris Flood had done on behalf of their constituents.
The Socialist Party is the only party in the council chamber to fight against the public sector cuts being forced through by all the other parties. He also appealed for everyone possible to go to Lewisham and help out with the campaign for their re-election and the election of a third Socialist Party candidate, Jess Leech.
The last speaker was Onay "Kaz" Kasab, witch-hunted Greenwich Unison branch secretary and TUSC candidate for Greenwich and Woolwich in the forthcoming general election.
He is standing in the election to give working-class people, disenfranchised by the ruling est-ablishment parties, a voice. He will be the constituency's only anti-cuts, anti-privatisation and anti-war candidate in this election.
Afterwards, over 20 people volunteered to help out with the election campaign with three people filling out cards requesting more information on the Socialist Party.
Visit the TUSC website:
www.tusc.org.uk
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