Euroelections 2014: South East Region
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Vin,we have 350 words to make a statement: something will always be left olut. The aim is to bring people in to read more detailed discussion if their interest is piqued.There is a feeling around, generally, that we need to put the positive case for socialism (that happy images are a better sell than misery).Frankly, we're pitching for the people who already think capitalism is brfoken (and after the past 6 years, we shouldn't really need to persuade people of that fact, if we do, they aren't (yet) our target market). Whenever I've been on the stump, banging on about the ills of capitalism, someone will always ask "so, what are you proposing" (in effect, I'd ghave jkust wasted the previous fifteen minutes).
Email received from the Oxford branch of the Communist Corresponding Society:
Quote:Dear comrades,The Oxford branch of the Communist Corresponding Society is advocating that people
should vote for the SPGB in the European elections, and we would like to
offer to distribute your election materials in Oxford. Please let us know what we
can do to help.Yours,
Jonny Kennedy
Oxford Communist Corresponding Society
Some of our election leaflets are being sent them.
i' m rather pleased that unlike Mohammed who had to go to the mountain, the mountain is coming to us, regard that we have maintained our principles and integrity and not joined left unity groups who we would have disagreements with but find that CPGB is endorsing our candidates…and this Oxford group are offering actual assistance in distributing our literature.Can i suggest we try and maintain contact with CCS, perhaps send them half a dozen free Standards each month and add them to any mailing list/press release.I think these developments justify our standing and hopefully next time around we can put up more in other regions.
Young Master Smeet wrote:There is a feeling around, generally, that we need to put the positive case for socialism (that happy images are a better sell than misery).As I suspected and that is fair enough, the leaflets are good. But won't many recipients be hearing the case for the first time?Anyway not to make a big issue of it (pun not intended) and beside why should I argue if the CCS is willing to distribute them
A statement of the case for socialism from another of the candidates on our list, for circulation amongst his neighbours in Burgess Hill in Sussex and also hopefully for publication in the local paper there:
Quote:Dear Fellow CitizenI have been nominated to stand in the European election by the Kent and Sussex branch of the Socialist Party/World Socialist Movement. My/our understanding is that our Earth is part of the universal offshoot of the Sun and has evolved over the vast period of time. Subsequently life developed and evolved and human society itself arose and developed with the changing ecology. It has been a wonderful evolution.The Socialist Party considers that our present 20/21st century society has now passed its zenith of useful development – “past its sell-by date” – as did past societies, the Hunter Gatherers, Greeks, Romans, Middle Europeans, etc. Now we are increasingly “global”, we recognise and understand. Today we have not only local and national elections, but, also, European Elections.We think that it is now time to take the next step. To replace the narrow, competitive, divisive, private ownership of the means of production with an open community of those means and true democratic control by all. To make this change, we have to understand and want it. Yes, we have to think about it – despite the constant control of the news. Yes, it is now possible. It is a basic society change for the better where all the human family give freely of their ability and in true democracy, having freely of their needs as produced. True Socialism.Collectively, we have marvellous scientific and intellectual abilities, but the present system has inbuilt unbalances and conflicts and is inherently flawed and cannot act in the interest of the vast majority of men, women and children – to say nothing of the natural world ! E. g. to recruit, train and arm our “heroes” to fight and kill other “heroes”, as in the Blair/Brown Iraq Oil. Still there are those to defend and perpetuate the system – the reformists, the pseudo-socialists, the Communists with their “state capitalism”, the billionaires.In the last war we sang “It’s a lovely tomorrow” – yes, always tomorrow! Let’s make it today, every day. Let us rise to our true civilisation human nature and make our world a better place for us and all to come. The alternative confronts us. Think about it!Best wishes and thank you for your attention.Leslie CourtneyThe latest Election/Literature stall took place in Tonbridge yesterday. Very successful afternoon; possibly the best of all the stalls K&S Branch has organised so far. Literature sold and at least three hundred election addresses given out. Members retired to the local Wetherspoons afterwards.
First the good news. The BBC1 TV programme "Sunday Politics South" contacted one of the candidates on our list, Sean Deegan, for a short interview. He was contacted because he lives in Basingstoke which, being in Hampshire, is in the catchment area of the BBC's South. He will be interviewed next week so presumably the programme will be broadcast on the following Sunday, 18 May. More details later.Four members and sympathisers ventured into Surrey, the only county where none of our leaflets are being distributed by Royal Mail. Well over a thousand were distributed in Hersham and Molesey. We came across other leaflet distributors, but for the local elections, a Tory who told us that the Monster Raving Loony Party was also contesting the local elections and a Ratepayer who wouldn't give us a copy of their leaflet even though we gave her one of ours. Neither of them were interested in the European elections although they did know that they are taking place too. Ratepayers verus Monster Raving Loonies sounds like an interesting local political scene.The Sevenoaks Chronicle contacted the Kent & Sussex branch to ask for one hundred words on what a Socialist MEP would be able to do for Sevenoaks. A difficult one that.Now for the bad news, or at least partially bad news. All of our 984,000 leaflets for the South East Region were delivered to the six Royal Mail Centres concerned (Gatwick, Maidstone, Swindon, Southampton, Greenford and Leicester). Most seem to have been distributed today but those for Slough didn't arrive at Greenford on time and so won't be distributed until Friday. Boxes containing 142,600 for the two Southampton constituencies and Portsmouth North did arrive on time but were not distributed because of a technicality and also won't be distributed until Friday. Not the end of the world, but sort of hitch that always happens.
ALB wrote:The Sevenoaks Chronicle contacted the Kent & Sussex branch to ask for one hundred words on what a Socialist MEP would be able to do for Sevenoaks. A difficult one that.This is what we sent the Sevenoaks Chronicle:
Quote:"The leaderless Socialist Party of Great Britain wants genuine socialism and holds the view that mainstream parties are unable to run capitalism in the interests of the majority.It stands for a stateless, classless, leaderless society; a world without money; free access to the means of living and production solely for use, not profit.Such a system cannot operate purely at a local, national or European level. The SPGB/WSM is looking far beyond Sevenoaks, Britain and Europe; it's looking at the entire world in its fullest perspective.For more information: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/"Not too happy with the The leaderless Socialist Party of Great Britain. Sounds as if we have lost a leader and are rudder-less and is repeated in the following sentnce in a better context as part of our principles. So it could have been omoitted. i noticed it before and was amiss innot criticising at the time. "The membership-controlled" or "fully democratic" would have been a better option.Apologies for nit-picking.
alanjjohnstone wrote:Apologies for nit-picking.No change there then.Darn. Knew we should have asked you to provide the statement except you wouldn't have been able to confine yourself to 100 words…
Might be an opportunity here for someone to ask to participate in this debate? “BBC Radio Kent is giving you the chance to question the key politicians who want your vote at this month’s European elections. Julia George will host a special event in Dover – the Gateway to Europe – on the evening of Friday 16th May. A limited number of tickets are available. To apply, e-mail radio.kent@bbc.co.uk – including your name and a daytime contact number. Applications close at noon this coming Friday.” https://www.facebook.com/BBCSouthEastToday/posts/10152387438618648
BBC TV South-East (covering Surrey, Sussex and Kent) have just let us know that a clip of a short interview which one of our candidates, Danny Lambert, did when he was at the hustings at Southampton University on 1 May will be broadcast either tomorrow (Friday) or on Tuesday in the local news at lunchtime and early evening (half six).
ALB wrote:BBC TV South-East (covering Surrey, Sussex and Kent) have just let us know that a clip of a short interview which one of our candidates, Danny Lambert, did when he was at the hustings at Southampton University on 1 May will be broadcast either tomorrow (Friday) or on Tuesday in the local news at lunchtime and early evening (half six).I will look out for that and record it.Max
The complete video can be seen here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyNKbuo_4T4&list=UUt2qHFq3xEcVULVQdcgzgKgHaven't watched it all but Danny's main contribution starts at 36'14"
Can't someone turn Danny's 5-minute speech into a separate video clip that we can put on Youtube too as it's a good presentation of our case? More time than he/we are going to get on BBCTV South East Region or any other TV or radio programme during the election, longer even than our Party Election Broadcast
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