The agenda of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) all-Britain steering committee held on February 14th was a particularly full one. Agreeing a second round of candidates for the local elections on May 2nd, it took the tally so far to 123 councillor seats to be contested by TUSC, across 21 local authorities.
Already it is clear that this will be by far the biggest working class left-of-Labour challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s Tory-lite New Labour party at the May local polls. But the message went out that there is still time to join the coalition of trade unionists, stop the war on Gaza protesters, community campaigners, and socialists from different parties or none, standing together under the TUSC umbrella on the ballot paper. What is stopping anyone who wants to fight back from taking a stand?
The next steering committee meeting to approve candidate applications will take place on March 13th, with completed application forms needing to be received by the TUSC National Election Agent – Clive Heemskerk, at [email protected] – by Saturday 9th March in order to be placed on the agenda for this meeting.
The application form to be a TUSC council candidate can be downloaded at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Application-form-Cllr.docx (if you are having difficulty opening this link, try copying it into your browser). There is also available an explanatory TUSC Guide for Election Candidates and Agents on the resources page, at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TUSC-Guide-for-Candidates-Agents-2024.pdf.
The TUSC core policies for the local elections, the minimum policy commitments expected from TUSC candidates, can be found at https://www.tusc.org.uk/20023/13-01-2024/tuscs-core-policy-platform-for-the-may-2024-local-elections-2/. The full list of council candidates agreed so far is at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Candidates-list-to-24-02-14.pdf
Not every area will have local elections in May so not everyone can contribute to the fight to build an alternative to the establishment parties by standing in them as a candidate. But a list of the 105 councils where there are elections in May is also available on the TUSC website, at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2024-Elections-Directory.pdf. If that includes your council, why not join the fightback?
All go for the general election
The steering committee meeting also agreed to formally open the process of approving TUSC candidates for the coming general election. A separate application form to become a TUSC candidate in that election was agreed, available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Application-form-MP.doc.
While local TUSC groups in many areas have already provisionally selected a candidate, having organised to win support for the idea of an election challenge amongst local trade unionists and socialists, discussed fund-raising, and appointed an election agent, from its next meeting the steering committee will begin to agree applications and add them to an all-Britain list.
This follows the decision of the Convention to Organise a Working Class Challenge at the General Election, held on February 3rd and attended by representatives of twelve different organisations, to aim for a joint election challenge under the TUSC name (or one of its variants) that could reach the 98 candidates threshold for ‘fair media coverage’ set by the broadcasting authorities. (See https://www.tusc.org.uk/20264/07-02-2024/convention-agrees-plan-for-a-united-general-election-challenge-to-sunak-and-starmer/ for a full report of the Convention).
The campaign for the most effective possible united stand at the ballot box against the establishment politicians is on.
Take it to the unions
Lastly, with the vacuum of working class political representation so thoroughly revealed by recent events – but also the absence of a clear answer to this from most trade union leaders – the steering committee also agreed to promote a model motion to encourage trade unionists to stand themselves as candidates in this year’s elections. As local election candidates, but also to discuss with others what needs to be done to ensure there are general election candidates representing workers’ interests too. As we know, if a job needs to be done well, we have to do it ourselves!
The motion, drafted to be amendable to take account of different trade union rules and relationships to the Labour Party, is published below. It is also available as a Word document at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Model-motion-for-union-candidates.docx ■
Model motion to encourage trade unionists to stand as candidates in this year’s elections
1. This [union branch] notes that 2024 is highly likely to be the year that we finally see the back of the Tories after five Tory prime ministers and 14 years of devastation inflicted on our services and communities and living standards generally.
2. Millions hope against hope that a government led by Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer will be different. What is needed is money for council services, investment in our NHS and a fully-funded decent pay rise for public sector workers.
3. But Starmer has promised none of that. His watchword is ‘fiscal discipline’ – cuts. The backing given by Starmer’s Labour Party to Israel’s barbarous war on the Palestinians, meekly following the Tory government’s lead, is another indication of what we can expect from them in office. If they won’t protest against the mass murder and the destruction of Gaza, what confidence can we have that they will fight to protect local services, jobs, wages and benefits here?
4. We agree that we oppose Labour councils continuing to carry out Tory cuts and note that the council elections that will take place on 2nd May will be the last round of local elections before the general election. The councillors elected will effectively be our communities’ negotiators with the new government – for the funding we need to protect, improve and expand our vital local public services. But this will be against the backdrop of a funding crisis for councils, and clear signalling from all the establishment parties in parliament that the austerity squeeze on public spending will continue.
5. We acknowledge that our union [is affiliated to the Labour Party]/[does not currently have any political affiliation] and this frames what our branch can do within our union’s rules to ensure that workers’ interests find representation in the elections taking place this year.
6. Nonetheless, and within those rules, this branch resolves that, where they are taking place, our members should be encouraged to consider standing themselves as anti-cuts candidates in the local elections scheduled for May, noting that there is nothing in the rules that prevents them standing as candidates, in a personal capacity, for any party which truly supports trade unionist and socialist principles.
7. In addition this branch resolves [as a branch to join]/[to support individual branch members acting in a personal capacity joining] with other local trade unionists, campaigners and socialists where opportunities arise to meet and discuss further what needs to be done to ensure there is a workers’ voice in the general election on the ballot paper that defends the basic policies and principles of trade unionism and socialism.