The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) steering committee has approved the first batch of 86 candidates to contest the local council elections in May – and appealed for more to come forward, not least to send a clear message to Sir Keir Starmer after his announcement that Jeremy Corbyn will not stand again for Labour, that socialists are not going away at election time!
Starmer is not just removing Jeremy Corbyn from the revived Tony Blair-style New Labour party but his policies challenging ‘the rigged system’ too. Everything is being done to reassure the establishment that their free market, profit-before-people system – capitalism by its proper name – will be safe in New Labour’s hands.
Some may argue that even Starmer-type Labour politicians are at least more susceptible to our concerns than the Tories. But actually, they will only ‘look over their left shoulder’ if they feel challenged there. On the picket line, certainly, but also at the ballot box – starting in May.
And standing in local council elections is not just a gesture. Councils are responsible for over one fifth of all spending on public services. They have enormous powers to make an impact on people’s lives, and could open up a second front in the cost-of-living fightback tomorrow – if there were fighting councillors in the Town Halls prepared to take on the Tories!
The February 22nd meeting, the first steering committee since the recent TUSC conference, also finalised the TUSC core policy platform for May. Under the title, ‘Vote for a socialist response to the cost-of-living crisis!’, the minimum core policies which every council candidate using the TUSC name on the ballot paper will commit to can be found at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Local-election-platform-2023.pdf. If you agree, why not stand under the TUSC umbrella too?
The full list of the candidates agreed by the committee is available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Candidates-agreed-to-23-02-22.pdf
The date of the next TUSC national steering committee to consider candidate applications is on March 22nd and application forms must be received by Saturday March 18th to guarantee that they can be processed at this meeting. The form is available on the website at https://www.tusc.org.uk/txt/483.doc
Election guidance update – only two subscribers needed for nomination papers
Amongst a number of new regulations being introduced for the first time in May’s elections the government has reduced the number of registered electors needed to sign the official nomination papers (known as subscribers) from ten to two. This updates the information given on page eight of the TUSC Guide for Election Candidates and Agents, available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/txt/486.pdf
The new regulations follow the passage of the 2022 Elections Act more known for introducing voter photo ID requirements, which will hit voter turnout amongst the two million or so generally disadvantaged electors without passports, drivers licences or other recognised photographic ID documents. But at least the change to the subscribers’ rule will easier to get on the ballot paper!
The Electoral Commission’s official pack with the new nomination paper can be found at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/local-elections-england