This is the text of the second election leaflet Stoke Socialist Party has put out in the Burslem South ward. I hope it will be of interest to some readers.
Jane Mellalieu Campaigning for All, Not the Few!
Housing Renewal?
In the name of "renewal" our council have flattened more homes than the German Luftwaffe did in the Second World War! Jane says: "We welcome new low cost housing but oppose demolition of homes unless agreed by the community. We demand community control of housing renewal".
Keep Serco Fat Cats Out of Our Schools!
We are for community control over our education. We are against privatisation and campaign for new publicly owned schools on all present school sites without any loss of jobs. With increasingly fewer children in schools it's an ideal opportunity to reduce class sizes which would benefit teachers, students and parents. The government could provide us with extra funds by, for example, ending the occupation of Iraq or by increasing taxes for the super rich.
No to Post Office Closures!
We have fought vigourously for 18 months with postal workers to defend our post offices and postal services from privatisation.
Tackling Crime in Our Communities
The Socialist Party is opposed to criminal and anti-social behaviour and support democratic community action to tackle these problems. Working class communities, young and old, bear the brunt of crime.
The super rich can protect their homes with sophisticated security measures and even rent a cop for £350 a day! Meanwhile, many ordinary people don't phone the police because they know that nothing will be done.
At the same time in working class communities, nothing is done to provide young people with hope of a decent future - a good education, a good job and a decent home.
Youth clubs and other facilities have disappeared. Yet, there is no doubt that providing such basic rights would prevent the vast majority of young people from being sucked into crime.
The Socialist Party fights for democratic community action to tackle crime. As Jane says, "We need a police post to cover the Burslem South area. But one which is controlled by the community to ensure that the police work with and implement the policing priorities decided by people who live in the area".
End Labour's 'Them and Us' Society
New Labour is no different than the Tories and have betrayed ordinary working class people. We no longer have a major political party to represent us.
This is why the Socialist Party has helped to launch the Campaign for a New Workers' Party to provide a new voice to millions of working class people. For details see www.cnwp.org.uk or call 07845893607.
Build a Socialist Alternative
On Stoke-on-Trent council New Labour, Tories and Lib Dem councillors are now three wings of the same political party, dedicated to slashing jobs, closing or privatising our schools, libraries, care homes, leisure centres like Dimensions, flattening our homes, pushing up council tax and wasting our money. Nobody knows what Independents or Potteries Alliance candidates stand for because they don't have a clear set of principles or ideas. This wishy-washy approach will not be enough to challenge the slash and burn policies of the council and the New Labour government. It's time now for real fighters with clear demands to be given a chance to stand up to what's going on.
Socialist Party - Proud of What We Stand For. That's Why:
*We produce a 12 page newspaper EVERY WEEK - written, produced and sold by ordinary working people. You can even have it delivered to your door. Long on to www.socialistparty.org.uk/subscribe.html
*We set up Stoke Socialist Party website at www.stoksocialistparty.org.uk and also have a national website at www.socialistparty.org.uk where you can examine in detail what we stand for 24 hours a day.
*New Labour councillors have a surgery just once a month for people to visit for advice, etc. To see the Potteries Alliance candidate in Burslem South you need to make an appointment! Socialist Party members are on the streets at least TWICE EVERY WEEK! In the last year alone we have spoken to tens of thousands of people on our stalls in Burslem, Hanley, Stoke and Longton.
All the other political parties put together can't match that!
Stoke Socialist Party Campaigning All Year Round!
*10,000 names collected on our petition which stopped University Hospital of North Staffs from closing the Outpatients' Department for one day a week! Set up North Staffs NHS SOS which organised a march of 2,500 to fight job cuts.
*Over 10,000 names against moving Hanley Post Office into WH Smiths. Although this didn't stop the move, hundreds of people are still supporting our call to boycott shopping in this store.
*Built support for Burslem postal workers fighting for justice against victimisation - we have thousands of names on our petition and helped organise two marches which drew support from 22 different cities.
*Keele University wants to close some courses for working class people. Socialist Party members are helping to build opposition among lecturers and students.
*School closures - we have an ongoing petition calling for a new school on every site.
*Working closely with postal workers at Stoke to save Leek Road mail centre - already 2,500 names on the petition.
We are for a democratic socialist society with resources used to benefit ordinary working class people. Join the Socialist Party!
Jane Mellalieu Campaigning for All, Not the Few!
Housing Renewal?
In the name of "renewal" our council have flattened more homes than the German Luftwaffe did in the Second World War! Jane says: "We welcome new low cost housing but oppose demolition of homes unless agreed by the community. We demand community control of housing renewal".
Keep Serco Fat Cats Out of Our Schools!
We are for community control over our education. We are against privatisation and campaign for new publicly owned schools on all present school sites without any loss of jobs. With increasingly fewer children in schools it's an ideal opportunity to reduce class sizes which would benefit teachers, students and parents. The government could provide us with extra funds by, for example, ending the occupation of Iraq or by increasing taxes for the super rich.
No to Post Office Closures!
We have fought vigourously for 18 months with postal workers to defend our post offices and postal services from privatisation.
Tackling Crime in Our Communities
The Socialist Party is opposed to criminal and anti-social behaviour and support democratic community action to tackle these problems. Working class communities, young and old, bear the brunt of crime.
The super rich can protect their homes with sophisticated security measures and even rent a cop for £350 a day! Meanwhile, many ordinary people don't phone the police because they know that nothing will be done.
At the same time in working class communities, nothing is done to provide young people with hope of a decent future - a good education, a good job and a decent home.
Youth clubs and other facilities have disappeared. Yet, there is no doubt that providing such basic rights would prevent the vast majority of young people from being sucked into crime.
The Socialist Party fights for democratic community action to tackle crime. As Jane says, "We need a police post to cover the Burslem South area. But one which is controlled by the community to ensure that the police work with and implement the policing priorities decided by people who live in the area".
End Labour's 'Them and Us' Society
New Labour is no different than the Tories and have betrayed ordinary working class people. We no longer have a major political party to represent us.
This is why the Socialist Party has helped to launch the Campaign for a New Workers' Party to provide a new voice to millions of working class people. For details see www.cnwp.org.uk or call 07845893607.
Build a Socialist Alternative
On Stoke-on-Trent council New Labour, Tories and Lib Dem councillors are now three wings of the same political party, dedicated to slashing jobs, closing or privatising our schools, libraries, care homes, leisure centres like Dimensions, flattening our homes, pushing up council tax and wasting our money. Nobody knows what Independents or Potteries Alliance candidates stand for because they don't have a clear set of principles or ideas. This wishy-washy approach will not be enough to challenge the slash and burn policies of the council and the New Labour government. It's time now for real fighters with clear demands to be given a chance to stand up to what's going on.
Socialist Party - Proud of What We Stand For. That's Why:
*We produce a 12 page newspaper EVERY WEEK - written, produced and sold by ordinary working people. You can even have it delivered to your door. Long on to www.socialistparty.org.uk/subscribe.html
*We set up Stoke Socialist Party website at www.stoksocialistparty.org.uk and also have a national website at www.socialistparty.org.uk where you can examine in detail what we stand for 24 hours a day.
*New Labour councillors have a surgery just once a month for people to visit for advice, etc. To see the Potteries Alliance candidate in Burslem South you need to make an appointment! Socialist Party members are on the streets at least TWICE EVERY WEEK! In the last year alone we have spoken to tens of thousands of people on our stalls in Burslem, Hanley, Stoke and Longton.
All the other political parties put together can't match that!
Stoke Socialist Party Campaigning All Year Round!
*10,000 names collected on our petition which stopped University Hospital of North Staffs from closing the Outpatients' Department for one day a week! Set up North Staffs NHS SOS which organised a march of 2,500 to fight job cuts.
*Over 10,000 names against moving Hanley Post Office into WH Smiths. Although this didn't stop the move, hundreds of people are still supporting our call to boycott shopping in this store.
*Built support for Burslem postal workers fighting for justice against victimisation - we have thousands of names on our petition and helped organise two marches which drew support from 22 different cities.
*Keele University wants to close some courses for working class people. Socialist Party members are helping to build opposition among lecturers and students.
*School closures - we have an ongoing petition calling for a new school on every site.
*Working closely with postal workers at Stoke to save Leek Road mail centre - already 2,500 names on the petition.
We are for a democratic socialist society with resources used to benefit ordinary working class people. Join the Socialist Party!
6 comments:
Good stuff, except nothing at all on anti racism, defence of immigrants and asylum seekers?
Don't you think in these days when the BNP are jackbooting all over the place, its more important than ever to be clear, principled and unambigious on where we stand on these issues?
Or is it that you are also trying to pander to those backward racist elements who may be tempted vote BNP?
The BNP would get lynched if they stood in this ward, believe me. And strangely enough the issue of asylum and immigration just hasn't come up on the doorstep. There have been plenty of rants about local issues, government kleptocracy, the post and crime, but not a sausage of xenophobia.
That said I do agree with you on the need to be strong on this issue, and we have something in the pipeline for after the election to counteract the BNP's propaganda.
In the name of "renewal" our council have flattened more homes than the German Luftwaffe did in the Second World War!
Maybe technically true (I'm not an expert on Stoke housing policy), but surely the usual lefty way (and correct way) of putting it would be the Nazi Luftwaffe, unless the SP subscribes to bourgeois 'collective guilt' theories? Or how about just 'the Luftwaffe' - I assume only one particular Luftwaffe ever bombed Stoke.
Lol, point conceded. Unfortunately they're all printed now but be assured we'll be sharper with the proof reading in the future.
Hi Phil, Your reports of canvassing are really good, truthful and inspiring. I might go out myself now. I liked the Stoke Socialist Party approach to crime and disorder. We might use it for a suggested leaflet myself.
And don't worry about some of these comments - most well and truly come under the heading of nit-picking from the sidelines! Well done. Andy Ford, Socialist Party, Liverpool
Cheers, Andy. How's the campaign going in Liverpool? Has Brother G, one of Stoke's many prodigal sons, been hitting the canvassing trail too?
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