Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Anti-austerity candidates standing in May elections in Haringey
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) will be standing candidates in a number of wards across the borough this May.
The Con-Dem's dismantling of the welfare state has put the very existence of local council services at risk. The Labour leader of Birmingham council, the UK's biggest local authority, has spoken of the 'end of local government'. However, it is not true that councils can do nothing but accept the government's attacks. They still control billions of pounds of public services and have powers they could use to resist. Councillors have a choice. They can make a difference and take steps to improve the lives of millions of people - but only if they are prepared to take a stand.
TUSC has agreed a policy platform, which, if adopted by just a handful of councils, could make a difference. TUSC's policy platform includes:
oppose all cuts to council jobs, services, pay and conditions - reject the claim that 'some cuts' are necessary to our services;
refuse to implement the Bedroom Tax. Councils should write off all bedroom tax-related arrears, withdraw all court proceedings and eviction orders where the bedroom tax has been a factor, and call on Housing Associations to do the same;
support all workers who take action against the cuts, privatisation and the government's policy of making ordinary people pay for the crisis caused by the bankers and the bosses. Defend the national collective bargaining arrangements for council workers;
reject increases in council tax, rent and service charges to compensate for government cuts;
campaign for rent controls for all private tenants;
oppose racism and fascism and stand up for equality for all;
campaign for the introduction of a living wage above the minimum wage, including for council employees and those working for council contractors;
support action against climate change and for a future where sustainability comes before profit;
Listen to Dave Nellist, National Chair of TUSC and former Labour MP (1983-1992) talk about TUSC's election campaign: http://www.tusc.org.uk/. Please contact us to support our election campaign.
Tags for Forum Posts: Anti-austerity, Bedroom Tax, No cuts, TUSC, council elections, living wage, local elections, rent control
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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'Oppose facism' ? Where is the facism ?
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Permalink Reply by David on
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Rather than tackle social problems, such us unaffordable housing, low wages and high (youth) unemployment, there has been a race to the bottom, with the main political parties seeking to blame 'benefit cheats' and 'illegal immigrants' for all the ills under the sun. In particular, they have attempted to out-do one another in adopting more anti-immigration policies.
No one doubts that there has been an increase in racism, aimed at immigrants looking to escape their own economic deprivation. If Labour and the majority of the trades union leaders had lifted their little finger to campaign (and win) on a programme of providing affordable homes for all and job creation, it is doubtful that UKIP would exist, and the English Defence League and BNP would be a rump.
As it is, we need to campaign against racism and neo-fascism. It is not so long ago that, in the aftermath of the horrific killing of Lee Rigby, there was an increase in race-hate. Reports that the letters ‘EDL’ were scrawled on the walls of the mosque indicated this was a racist attack intended to strike fear into the heart of the local Muslim community. Groups like the EDL and the BNP tried to use the shock caused by the killing as an excuse to whip up hatred against Muslims. Although it was unclear exactly who carried out the attack, there is no doubt that groups like the EDL create the climate that encourages these attacks to happen. Asked to comment on the attack one EDL member said, “I don’t condemn this”.
Racist organisations like the EDL are trying to feed off the desperate conditions of poverty and hopelessness that exist in parts of Britain today. When food banks can't keep up with demand, when there’s a shortage of decent homes and jobs for young people, then the EDL’s racist lies can seem to provide easy answers.
TUSC can offer an alternative to the 'status quo' policies of the big three parties.
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Politics is not a form of shopping! Choosing to see it in such a way shows you have a profoundly Thatcherite mindset, one that is predisposed to reject any progressive agenda as 'unrealistic'.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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They're not going to get elected. They're the anti-austerity ticket. Their purpose is to give people who agree with them a voice. When the results are in and they have collected 300 votes each, perhaps people will realise that not everyone is happy with austerity/small government and bigger parties that want those 300 votes will adjust their policies. That's how the lib dems got into power.
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Who is standing in Harringay? Who is standing in St Ann's? Who is standing in Seven Sisters?
You can make all the policy promises you like it's the quality of the candidates that counts when push comes to shove.
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There should be an announcement in the next couple of weeks of who the TUSC candidates will be in Haringey wards.
TUSC candidates have made a pledge to stand by the policy platform. Based on the evidence of pledges made in the past by the main parties in the run up to elections, this does not mean much. However, many candidates do have a track record of standing by anti-cuts and socialist policies.
As part of the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, the Socialist Party has stood candidates, for council, general and trade union elections, pledging that they would take home no more than the average wage of workers they were representing. In the 1980s, Dave Nellist, Terry Fields and Pat Wall, were all elected as Labour MPs. At that time, they were supporters of the Militant newspaper, the forerunner of the Socialist newspaper, and later joined the Socialist Party. All were elected on a socialist programme and all were committed to "a worker's MP on a worker's wage", donating half their salary to charitable and political causes.
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The list of candidates for TUSC has not been finalised. However, it is expected that TUSC candidates will stand in Bruce Grove, Tottenham Green, Harringay, Stroud Green, West Green, St Ann's, Seven Sisters, White Hart Lane and Northumberland Park.
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TUSC candidates will be standing in the council elections on Thursday 22 May in the following wards:
Harringay Patrick Burland, David Kaplan, Kiran Patel
Bruce Grove Jonathan Innes, Dilan Secgin
Northumberland Park Ibrahim Avcil, Paul Burland
Seven Sisters Derek Bishop, Jack Jeffrey, Oktay Sahbaz
St Ann's Simon Hester, Andrew Reid
Stroud Green Nick Auvache
Tottenham Green Patrick Cook, Gary McFarlane
West Green Hesketh Benoit, Jenny Sutton, Jacek Szymanski
Woodside Jack Gautami
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Permalink Reply by L F T Snowflake on
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"oppose racism and fascism and stand up for equality for all"
So you will be banning all those religious nutcases plying their trade in Wood Green High Street with their racist, fascist, sexist and homophobic rants?
And I take it that you will also be against faith schools too?
Or, will you be like the rest of the 'left' and go sucking up to those religious groups with such policies in order to grub votes from them while at the same time claiming to stand up for women's and gays rights?
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Oh and while we are on the subject of opposing facism and racism, how does that square with the left's typical opposition to 'zionism'?
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its quite consistent. Zionism is a right wing ideology not dissimilar to Hitlers policies. It sees Jews as a group who should have a separate state and existence from the rest of humanity. Indeed Zionist leaders were in discussions with the Nazis to organise Jews to go to Palestine. Thus for Zionists, nothing else matters, so all things are subservient to the Zionist state and all other peoples are expendable as they do not matter. If you want to dispute this, please do.
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