General Election – Campaign News
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This is indeed good news. What we should be doing, as well as going full steam for this oppurtunity, is to do a bit of networking with the BBC, to avail ourselves of future oppurtunities to appear on this and other BBC political shows. I notice how Jones, the political writer has become a mainstay of Neil's political shows! Our input is at least as relevant as his, indeed more so. Get this right and we could have more such oppurtunities to get our message across on National Mainstream Broadcasting. Steve Colborn.
NERB have a meeting at The Alexandra Pub, in Grangetown near Sunderland tonight.In relation to this meeting, I have informed all those "contacts" provided by HO, who have asked our Candidates opinion on the NHS and Its possible privatisation, to come along to the meeting. Where we can answer any and all questions they may have. If even 10% of these contacts attend, it should be an interesting meeting indeed.In light of this, I swould urge as many Members as possible to attend!Thanks, Steve Colborn, Branch Organiser.See you at North East Regional Branch (Grangetown, Sunderland) The Socialist Party of Great Britain Tuesday, March 24, 2015at 7:00 PMAlexandra Pub
An letter in todays Hartlepool Mail, which covers part of the Easington Constituency;World is not yet civilised13:51 Monday 23 March 2015Have your say LIFE is more like a nightmare for the vast majority of people in the world today.It is claimed that the present way society is organised is ‘civilised’ and ‘humane’.A society that has more than two billion people going to bed hungry every night, cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane.A society that has hundreds of millions with no access to clean water or sanitation, cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane. A society that allows tens of thousands of children under five to die every day of starvation, or directly attributable disease, cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane.A society that can allow less than 100 people to own more accumulated wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion, cannot be seen as sane, rational, nor indeed civilised nor humane.These obscene figures and others, are why myself and the Socialist Party are so vehement in our opposition to the present way society is organised (capitalism) and why we are just as vehement in pressing the case for a different way of organising society.One based upon the ‘common ownership and democratic control of the means for producing and distributing what we, as human beings need to live’.Where the Earth and everything in and on it, will belong to all people, equally, without distinction of race, sex, age or any other of the false divisions that capitalism throws up, to cloud the real issues!.Where the watchword ‘from each according to ability, to each, according to need’ will be the overriding principle. Steve Colborn,The Socialist PartyIvy Avenue,Deneside, Seaham,Co-Durham.
Aye Steve, canny crack, marra. See ya the neet
Good turnout of 50 yesterday evening for the "Keep Our NHS Public" campaign meeting in Oxford Town Hall. The platform speakers were all trade unionists and, in their opening speeches, detailed the union struggles against some of the private companies that had won contracts to do work for the NHS. Some such as Balfour Beatty and Carillion were big companies from the construction industry with a long record of anti-trade unionism. The speakers described some succesful union actions to stand up to them and convincingly argued that "privatisation" in the NHS was also a way of reducing pay and conditions in the health service.This was not a hustings meeting but any candidates present were allowed 3 minutes to put their case. First off was James Morbin, the TUSC candidate, (his first appearance). He said "No cuts", "Nationalise the drugs companies". Dr Helen Salisbury, of the National Health Action Party, said "Vote for Me as I'm standing on this single issue". County Councillor David Williamson, speaking on behalf of the Green Party candidate (who was present but didn't say anything), said he'd once been a Labour parliamentary candidate but had left to join the Greens which was now the party of the Left. He reminded the meeting that it was the last Labour government that had introduced PFI into the NHS. Our candidate, Kevin Parkin, said that there could only be a secure free health service in a socialist society and that an isolated one within a production-for-profit economy would always be under the threat of being undermined, as it was being.In summing up, the three speakers took off their trade union hats and put on their Labour Party ones. Which meant that the case for voting Labour got much more time than given to other candidates present all together. One of the speakers was Andy Newman, the ex-Trotskyist who runs the "Socialist Unity" blog and is now the Labour candidate for Chippenham. He claimed that it was the election of a Labour government in 1997 that had saved the NHS, forgetting to add that in the 2005 general election he had stood against Labour as a "Socialist Unity" candidate in Swindon North (and got 208 votes).Next activity in Oxford: a literature stall this Saturday at 12 noon in Manzil Way, off Cowley Road.
Just a quick note: four of us went knocking on doors in North Islington to collect signatures. Most people were polite (although many pointed out how inconcvenient our calls were). Quite a few politely declined our request, because they were Labour; but we did it in the end. Including one party member as a signatory, which is relatively unusual.Next step is to submit the paperwork, that's next week, after nominations formally open I'll have to double check our signatures before then to make sure all were eligible electors, I missed a column off the print-out).
YMS, if you contact the Returning Officer by phone and give him the details of the signatories, he, or a member of his team will be able to check that those you have got, are on the electoral roll and that the numbers etc are correct.
SP,we need ten electors to sign nomination papers before we can contest the seat.Steve,Yeah, he'll check them when I hand it in, and I've got the cmplete list to check myself, so we should be good.
Hi SP. In constituencies we are contesting, there may not be (probably isn't) ten party members living or working in that constituency. In these instances, it is necessary for the Party to seek out signatories from outside of the Party membership. Hence, the knocking on doors to acquire these.In the past when standing (only a couple of times) i've found it necessary to seek signatures from outside the Party. In my case, the Party message is well known, and i've been able to gain the extra signatures from people I know. The concentration of effort within Seaham, over 40 years, put comrades in Seaham in a good position, not enjoyed by many other Branches/Area's.
YMS, I've occasionally, in the past, gone through the nomination form and the signatories on it, over the phone with the Electoral services team. To check inclusion on the register in the first instance, their electoral number/lettered code for area in the second. I've done this in order to prevent having to revisit the relevant office and so save time.So, in order to save a wasted journey, give him/her a bell and get them to clarify before, you attend!Just a suggestion.By the way, mine and the Branches best wishes for the campaign. Its already proving worthwhile, what with the invite to The Daily politics, the possibility to network with these people for invites post election (getting our foot in the door, as "specialised guests") and getting invites and attending hustings and public meetings.Well done all!
Letter in the Sunderland Echo, Wed 25th March.I'll be contacting the Echo, as they've missed off PPC Easington, The Socialist Party from the end of the letter. Need to build a fairer societyLIFE is more like a nightmare for the vast majority of people in the world today. I have been accused of arguing “to be one better than anyone else through contradiction” – I do not see this. If it had been said, that I was trying to get a message across by “showing the contradictions inherent in the present system”, that I could most assuredly agree with. For the contradictions are legion. Moreover, it is claimed that the present way society is organised is “civilised” and “humane”. A society that has twobillion-plus going to bed hungry every night cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane. A society that has hundreds of millions with no access to clean water or sanitation cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane. A society that allows tens of thousands of children under five years to die every day of starvation or directly attributable disease cannot make the claims of being civilised nor humane. A society that can allow less than 100 people to own more accumulated wealth than the poorest 3.5billion cannot be seen as sane, rational, nor indeed civilised nor humane. These obscene figures and others, are why myself and The Socialist Party are so vehement in our opposition to the present way society is organised (capitalism) and why we are just as vehement in pressing the case for a different way of organising society. One based upon the common ownership and democratic control of the means for producing and distributing what we, as human beings need to live. Where the earth and everything in and on it will belong to all people, equally, without distinction of race, sex, age or any other of the false divisions that capitalism throws up, to cloud the real issues. Where the watchword “from each according to ability, to each, according to need” will be the overriding principle.Steve Colborn,Seaham
The following Election Stalls have been arranged; start time 12 noon:Brighton – Saturday, 18 AprilCanterbury – Saturday, 4 April, Saturday, 25 April, Saturday, 2 MayFolkestone – Saturday, 28 March, Saturday, 11 April, Saturday, 18 AprilOxford – Saturday, 28 MarchVauxhall – Saturday, 28 March, then every Saturday up to and including Saturday, 2 MayFurther stalls will probably be held in Brighton and Oxford once the suitability of the locations has been confirmed.April electoral and other activities – click on links as too numerous to list individually:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/calendar/2015-04
YMS and Steve,I knew what the signatures were for I just wasn't aware it was SPGB policy to hassle people by knocking on their doors and asking for their support etc.Surely it must be known that most people do not respond too favourably to strangers knocking on doors, presumably early evening, when the family are most likely to be trying to unwind from the stresses of the day? What about friends and family members signing the election form?
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