Uxbridge by-election
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London members are leafletting Uxbridge (and, in principle, South Ruislip) during the by-election there that will take place on 20 July due to Boris jumping before he was pushed. If anyone wants wants to help distribute leaflets in the period up till then can they email us at spgb [at] worldsocialism.org
The first socialist leaflets were distributed door-to-door yesterday in Yiewsley in the south of the constituency. This was also a chance to pick up discarded leaflets from the candidates (Labour, Tory, SDP and Rejoin the EU, but there are 13 other candidates).
After stating that “since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, real wages have fallen so far that we are now worse off by £1373 a year”, the Labour candidate Danny Beales, stated that “Labour has a plan to put money into the pockets of local people”.
Who (if you believed them) wouldn’t vote for someone who promised that? Actually, when you analyse what’s being promised, it’s not so much putting money into people’s pockets as not taking it out.
“A Labour government”, the promise reads, “would bring your energy bills down by £1400”. Which, if carried out, would just take people back to the position they were in when the Tories came to power 13 years ago.
The whole Labour campaign nationally is based on blaming the Tory government rather than capitalism. According to Labour, the fall in real wages is all down to Tory “mismanagement” as if a government is in a position to control the way the capitalist economy works.
We are being asked to believe that, if there had been a Labour government, this wouldn’t have happened. But experience shows that no government can control the way capitalism works. All they can do is react to whatever the vagaries of the capitalist economy throw at them, and that reaction is limited by the need to accept that capitalism is a profit-driven system and so to give priority to profits over everything else, including people’s standard of living.
As the leaflet we are distributing puts it, IT’S NOT THE TORIES OR LABOUR THAT’S THE PROBLEM. IT’S CAPITALISM.
More leaflets were distributed on Friday. And more discarded leaflets from other parties collected. This time the manifesto of the Green Party candidate (who, appropriately enough, is actually called Green). She confirms that the Green Party wants to return to the small-scale capitalism (from which present-day corporate capitalism evolved):
“Vote Green Party for a Well Being Economy.
Public Money to be spent on Public Good not profits for the few.
The economy is not working for most people (. . .)
Society needs to transition to a sustainable economy urgently.
Introduce universal basic income to reduce dependency on economic growth. Revive and support the local economy, home based enterprises, local food production and reskilling.”She is right that the economy is not working for most people, but that’s the nature of the capitalist economy. It cannot be made to work for most people, not even by the reforms proposed by the Green Party. It is a profit-making economy that can work only in the interest of the profit-takers.
Just how universal basic income will “reduce dependency on economic growth” is not explained. You would have thought, rather, that it would be the other way round — that economic growth would be needed to sustain UBI. But we shouldn’t expect clear thinking on economic matters from the Green Party which believes that banks can and do create money from thin air.
The last 800 leaflets were distributed yesterday. Discarded leaflets from some of the minor and independent candidates were found but nothing from the LibDems — seems they are giving Labour here a free run to garner anti-Tory votes. Nor from Piers Corbyn or Lawrence Fox.
We met the Tory candidate, local councillor Steve Tuckwell. A Tory leaflet from local councillors in one ward had stated that they were involved “providing fruit and vegetables free to members of the public outside the Temple on Crowley High Street”. Intrigued by this unusual endorsement of free distribution from an unexpected source, as the time given was Tuesdays at 2pm, we decided to investigate.
It turned out to be an ordinary food bank but this was a special occasion. The Tory candidate was there, accompanied by an actual Tory MP (Bob Blackman for Harrow East). They forced the 20 or so destitute workers queuing for their bag of food to wait ten minutes to listen to their speeches which the workers dutifully applauded. What followed was even more obscene. The two suitably garlanded politicians were filmed, for an Asian TV channel, handing out food bags to the poor. Professional politicians are known to have no shame when it comes to vote-catching and here was a prime example.
One big issue in the election is ULEZ, the extension as from the end of August of the Ultra Low Emission Zone from central London to the whole of Greater London. This will require owners of pre-2006 petrol vehicles and pre-2016 diesel vehicles to pay £12.50 a day to use their vehicles. As all vans are diesel, “white van man” is up in arms.
One self-employed tradesman we met told us he had had to spend £10,000 of his own money to buy a new van and that all people like him who owned a pre-2016 van would have to do the same. Workers owning an old banger because they couldn’t afford anything better or a not that old diesel car will also be clobbered. There are two independent anti-ULEZ candidates and the Tories are playing it for all it’s worth (they can’t really play the anti-immigrant card here) saying “No to Labour’s £4,550 ULEZ expansion tax”.
No leaflets have been distributed in the Ruislip part of the constituency, so the workers there are going to have to work out for themselves that the problem is not the Tories or Labour but Capitalism.
There’s a by-election in Somerton & Frome (where I live) also on July 20th. I’ve received a million letters and leaflets from the LibDems and Conservatives, a couple from the Greens, and none from the other candidates (including Labour).
The Greens (in the leaflets) are promising to:
– Improve bus & train services.
– Introduce a financial transactions tax (that old chestnut).
– Re-join the European Single Market & Customs Union, because apparently “our” industries and agriculture have suffered enough. Why don’t they just call a spade a spade, and say they want to re-join the EU?
– Create bigger windfall taxes for the oil companies.
– Close tax avoidance loopholes. Although they didn’t say how they would do this.
– Encourage local “not-for-profit” banks. This will apparently re-generate our town centres.
– Nationalise the energy & water companies.
– Ensure the country is properly provided with charging points for electric vehicles.
– Build more affordable & so-called social housing, using environmentally sustainable methods.
– Quickly process refugee applications in France. This will apparently stop refugees from crossing the Channel in boats.
– Finally, they say they would properly fund the National Health Service & education.
The Somerton & Frome candidate, Rosie Mitchell, who has labelled herself as an independent socialist, has written in Frome’s local free newspaper that she is committed to: “a fairer less profit driven system that works for society and for the planet”.
Which makes me wonder how the hell socialism went from meaning: “a classless, stateless, moneyless global community of common ownership & democratic control of the earth’s natural & industrial resources, where people live by the principle of: from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs” to “a less profit driven system”.
Yes, from her election statement, she does seem a bit wishy-washy. She seems to be ex-Labour. There must be thousands like her up and down the country who feel that the Labour Party is no longer the place for them.
“I’m Rosie, your independent candidate for Somerton and Frome, a conductor on the railway and RMT member. I moved to Frome in 2015 but grew up just a few miles down the road. I fought, like so many others against David Warburton in both 2017 and 2019, standing for council in 2019 with an amazing team. Today’s party politics have left so many of us feeling disenfranchised, politically homeless and without that hope and excitement we had in the past. That feeling seems to be across the board when I speak to people day to day about our government and politicians in general. The drive to give an independent voice to the constituency and the team around me are the reason this campaign is happening. This campaign is far less about me and far more about who we are when we unite for a common purpose. The people of our constituency deserve to have a genuine progressive choice in this by-election, and I’m honoured to have the support to provide that. The toxic culture in our politics of lies, corruption and backstabbing needs to end for us to have a brighter future. Somerton and Frome is geographically a large constituency, predominantly rural with a few larger communities. Frome itself has shown an appetite for doing things a little differently within politics and has embraced a move away from traditional and limiting “party politics”. As an independent candidate I’m not hiding where my personal values lie, but I want to be very clear that I won’t be constrained to tow any party line. Leaving me free to listen to your concerns, opinions and needs as my prospective constituents.
Policy wise we are focussing on the biggest issues of the day; the cost of living crisis and the undermining of public services. I will be working towards reform and reinvestment in our struggling NHS, fairer housing so people can live here comfortably, better transport links for our communities so people can access employment and essential services and the
environment, cleaning up our rivers as a priority. I am committed to promoting equality at every level and a fairer, less profit driven system that works for society and for the planet. We do not need to understand every nuance of each other’s identities to have respect, compassion, and kindness towards one another. Likewise, our respect for the environment, our countryside and the liveable future of this planet need to be paramount in all decisions we make going forward.”There is also this;
https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-socialist-for-somerton-and-frome
I know I’m preaching to the choir, but it’s sort of like being pregnant, in that you can’t be a bit pregnant; you’re either pregnant or you’re not. Just like you can’t have a less profit driven system. Either profit is the driving force in wealth production/distribution, or it’s not.
After all, she was in the Labour Party and stood for them for the council. In saying she wants to see “a fairer, less profit driven system that works for society and for the planet”, she is echoing the Old Labour ideal of a more humane capitalism. Not possible of course. The present Labour Party openly fully supports the profit system. They want it to be more efficient rather than more humane. No wonder she left them. The next step, as you point out, would be for her to reject the whole profit-driven system in favour a non-profit system.
Alb reported – “We met the Tory candidate, local councillor Steve Tuckwell. A Tory leaflet from local councillors in one ward had stated that they were involved “providing fruit and vegetables free to members of the public outside the Temple on Crowley High Street”. Intrigued by this unusual endorsement of free distribution from an unexpected source, as the time given was Tuesdays at 2pm, we decided to investigate.
It turned out to be an ordinary food bank but this was a special occasion. The Tory candidate was there, accompanied by an actual Tory MP (Bob Blackman for Harrow East).”
I would have thought that might be considered sailing a little close to the legal wind
“The Representation of the People Act 1983, section 113
(1)A person shall be guilty of a corrupt practice if he is guilty of bribery.
(2)A person shall be guilty of bribery if he, directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf—
(a)gives any money or procures any office to or for any voter or to or for any other person on behalf of any voter or to or for any other person in order to induce any voter to vote or refrain from voting, or
(b)corruptly does any such act as mentioned above on account of any voter having voted or refrained from voting, or
(c)makes any such gift or procurement as mentioned above to or for any person in order to induce that person to procure, or endeavour to procure, the return of any person at an election or the vote of any voter,
or if upon or in consequence of any such gift or procurement as mentioned above he procures or engages, promises or endeavours to procure the return of any person at an election or the vote of any voter.”
Might be worth contacting the local bobbies and seek their opinion on this practice
According to this, it is section 114 that deals specifically with “treating”:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treating_(law)
We did think of reporting them but concluded that they would be able to talk their way out of it. Still, if we had complained the police would have been obliged to knock on their door.
Their case has something in common with this one mentioned by Wikipedia:
“An accusation of treating was seen in the 2015 United Kingdom general election where the UK Independence Party candidate for Southampton Itchen, Kim Rose was accused of treating for giving out sausage rolls at a community event; however, Hampshire Constabulary said they would take no action over the allegation.”
There’s a link given to the Guardian’s report of the incident:
I see that the person “treated” could also be charged.
To be fair, I’d happily offer my vote for a sausage roll, but it would have to be a good one, none of this Greggsies shite.
In the end we relented and decided to leaflet South Ruislip after all. Managed to pick up the LibDem leaflet and, of more interest, Piers Corbyn’s.
The LibDem leaflet was the usual vague stuff except it didn’t include a bar graph claiming to show “it’s a two horse race”. They’ll be lucky if they save their deposit.
I hadn’t realised what a conspiraloon Jeremy’s brother is. Here’s some extracts from his election communication.
“When Boris Johnson — who sought my advice in earlier times on climate matters — imposed the lockdown in 2020, he and the other parties joined a global coup d’etat using Fake Science against our rights & freedoms, orchestrated by sinister global elites behind the World Economic Forum (WEF) & World Health Organisation (WHO):- Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Oil and the Big Banks.”
“Man-Made climate doesn’t Exist. Support #ZEXIT = Zero Carbon exit!”
“End all ‘Virus’ Injection programs NOW!”
“Men are men and Women are women! STOP Transgender grooming propaganda of children and mis-identity madness in schools!”
“KEEP CASH!”Everything except for free tinfoil hats.
Didn’t find Lawrence Fox’s election address but it can’t have been as bad as Piers Corbyn’s.
Wonder why the media continues to describe both the Reclaim Party, Reform Party and UKIP as populist parties, given that Reclaim got 2.3% and UKIP got 0.2% at Uxbridge, Reform got 3.7% in Selby and Reform got 3.4% and UKIP got 0.7% in Somerton and Frome. Doesn’t seem to me that they’re that popular.
Maybe we should describe ourselves as a Populist Socialist Party????
Populist (adjective): relating to or characteristic of a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people [i.e. medium/low paid workers] who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
The state-corporate media describe as populist, parties that are too far to the left or too far to the right of the centre-ground.
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