The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national chairperson Dave Nellist has warmly welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s decisive victory in the Labour leadership contest.
Speaking shortly after the result was announced at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London, Dave Nellist, a former Labour MP who served in the Commons alongside Jeremy Corbyn in the 1980s, said:
“Jeremy’s clear victory will now give a voice to the depth of anti-austerity feeling in Britain. He has clearly inspired huge numbers, particularly young people, with his call for free education, public ownership of rail and energy, and for councils to stand together in opposition to government cuts.
“TUSC will host the first national left-wing meeting to discuss the new situation in two weeks’ time [on September 26th]. I’m sure that meeting will welcome Jeremy’s victory, but in reality it’s just the first step.
“The TUSC conference will be making plans to write to every Labour candidate standing in next May’s elections to ask for a meeting with them to see how much they are prepared to back their new leader’s anti-austerity stance. In particular we will be asking Labour candidates if they agree with us that Labour councils should now combine together and refuse to implement the Tories’ brutal austerity agenda.
“Where we get a positive answer from Labour councillors or candidates we look forward to the possibilities of joint action against austerity. Where, however, Labour councillors or candidates are not prepared to follow Jeremy’s stance in opposing George Osborne’s austerity agenda, then TUSC will stand widely in the May 2016 elections in England, Wales and Scotland”.
Text for a model letter agreed by the TUSC national steering committee, which local TUSC groups can use to approach Labour council candidates, is available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/17116/12-09-2015/model-letter-to-labour-councillors .
The TUSC conference is taking place on Saturday 26th September at Student Central, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY, from 11am to 4-30pm. To register go to https://www.tusc.org.uk/conference.php