Another letter

In today's Richmond and Twickenham Times under their heading of "We Own it"

George Galloway (RTT, April 8) is right to pick up on Sadiq Khan's promise to be "the most pro-business Mayor ever". This shows that Labour, even under Corbyn, still wants to be seen as better managers of the capitalist system than the Tories. But capitalism can never be run for the benefit of those who, in Galloway's words, "work for businesses". This is why it needs to be replaced by a system based on common ownership and democratic control not production by profit-seeking businesses.
Adam Buick, Socialist Party candidate GLA South West constituency

Husting in Twickenham

Over 70 people present at the hustings for South West constituency candidates organised by the Friends of Twickenham Green last night. As with hustings, the vast majority will have been politically committed, but in answer to questions they heard the socialist case on the EU, housing, academies, crime and polllution and were given our leaflet when leaving. A member living locally took a box of leaflets to distribute in the area including St Mary's University. So that's Twickenham covered.

For those interested in such things, the Tory, Tony Arbour, said he was a Brexiter while the Ukipper, Alan Craig (who himself stood for Mayor in 2008 for the Christian Peoples Alliance), didn't say who he would be giving his second preference vote for Mayor to: Zac Goldsmith or Sadiq Khan.. I don't know if this is the official UKIP line.

South West street stalls

West London branch's experiment with doing two street stalls in different parts of the constituency with two members each rather than one with four members worked. Successful stalls were held in Hounslow and Chiswick. As it happened, with the same result: leaflets handed out, a few pamphlets sold, a contact made and our presence noticed.

It also gave us a chance to get the feel of the areas which are in fact different. Richmond and Kingston are leafy suburbs with only a couple of Labour councillors between them (the one in Richmond a defector from the LibDems rather than directly elected). Hounslow is Labour-dominated with only a handful of Tories (from wards in Chiswick as it happens), with a large population of people from a South Asian background and migrants from Poland and Rumania.

In Hounslow there were three rival stalls, all religious, two christian and one muslim (who gave us a free copy of the koran), fulfilling the role of being the heart of a heartless world as Marx once put it.In fact we had to discuss religion as much as politics, with a sikh and a christain who were both highly critical of islam and, as they saw it, the preference given to its followers by the government and the likes of the SWP. We said that we were not afraid to criticise islam as a religion, but we were opposed to all religion and all religions. We would have sold another copy of our pamphlet How the Gods Were Made if we'd another one with us.

On the political side, a man from Poland shouted at us that he had come from a "post-communist country". We shouted back that he'd come from a post-state-capitalist one. At least two people defended extending Heathrow airport as this would provide more local jobs, one saying that Boris was mad because he wanted to close down Heathrow. A bit of an exaggeration of his position, though in line with its logic because this would be the only way of stopping the inhabitants of the leafy suburbs being disturbed in their back yards by aircraft noise.

Next Saturday we'll have two stalls again, one in Kingston and the other in Brentford.

A letter on housing

Letter from our candidate in South West published as the main one in this week's issue of the Surrey Comet under their headline of "Proof that capitalist system is flawed":

Green Party mayor candidate Sian Berry has a point (Surrey Comet, April 1) when she says that the present model for providing so-called affordable housing, as housing at a rent or price below the going rate, isn't working as it is based on signing "big deals with developers".

These deals have to allow the property developers to make a profit but the more below-market-rate housing the mayor requires them to provide in any project the less their profit. So there are limits as to how far they can be pushed.

If they aren't allow to make enough profit they will just walk away.

Not enough profit, no production. That's the way the capitalist system works and why it should be replaced by a society based on common ownership and democratic control, which will allow production, including of houses, for use instead of for profit.

ADAM BUICK, Socialist Party candidate GLA South West constituency.

South West street stalls

After its public meeting last night on "Does it matter who's the Mayor of London?" (answer: No, because a regional administration can control how capitalism operates even less than a national central government), West London branch agreed on the following programme of street stalls every Saturday in April in various parts of the South West GLA constituency (subject to change depending on how the first ones go):

SATURDAY 9 APRIL
Chiswick: High Road, 12 noon - 2pm
Hounslow: High Street, outside Treaty Centre, 11 - 1pm

SATURDAY 16 APRIL
Brentford: High Street, 12 noon - 2pm
Kingston: Clarence Street (pedestrianised part) 11 - 1pm

SATURDAY 23 APRIL
Chiswick: High Road, 12 noon - 2pm
Feltham: High Street, 11 - 1pm

SATURDAY 30 APRIL
Brentford: High Street, 12 noon- 2pm
Kingston: Clarence Street (pedestrianised part), 11 - 1pm

Pitch to Waltham Forest Echo

We've been asked to provide an election pitch, the email I sent is below.

below is a modified form of our election address (shortened for your word limit).

I'm afraid we have a long standing practice of declining to provide pictures of our candidates: I am standing as a delegate of the party, and not in my own right. Attached is a file of our party logo, which you can use instead.*

"Socialism isn’t about paying benefits, taxing the rich or nationalising industries.

Today, we co-operate and produce wealth together. Everyone's work is equally needed. But we don't benefit equally. The people who really benefit, are those who own the world. We cannot be free while we work for them and not ourselves.

The glorified talking shop of the Greater London Assembly is just about managing the costs of keeping inequality going. The SOCIALIST PARTY wants wealth and power owned and controlled by everyone. We are seeking a stop to electing people who redistribute poverty and run the world for the rich.

When a majority of us stand firm and demand that the wealth of the world is brought into common and democratic ownership we will be able to peacefully make that change. When that happens, we will be freed from bosses, loan sharks and landlords. We will be able to produce wealth to supply the needs for all. We will be able to work less because we won’t be working for the privilege of a few. We would no longer need money, buying or selling. We could share the wealth we make among ourselves rationally."

Please do let me know when the pitch is posted.

Cheers,

Bill Martin

*As a matter of fact, that's quite lucky, since I don't actually have any decent photos of myself.

From: Waltham Forest Echo To: Sent: Tuesday, April 5, 2016 3:48 PM Subject: Make your election pitch to Waltham Forest!

Hello North East London candidates

Waltham Forest Echo is an independent community newspaper based in Waltham Forest, North East London. We want to publish election pitches from all the North East London candidates for the London Assembly on our website. To be included you must provide us your "election pitch". Please respond before 4pm on Thursday 7th April.

Your election pitch can be anything you want it to be - your election pledges, priorities, promises, or simply a bio about you and your background, why you're standing, and what you want to achieve. The only rule is you must keep your election pitch to under 200 words.

Please also provide a hi-res picture of yourself.

I look forward to reading your pitches!

This is their website: http://walthamforestecho.co.uk/

Hustings in Twickenham

Our candidate in South West has been invited to a hustings next Tuesday 12 April in Twickenham. It's being held in United Reformed Church, First Cross Road, Twickenham TW2 5QA from 7.30 to 9.30. Appropriately named venue perhaps as it will be us against the United Reformists of Tory, Labour, LibDems, Greens and UKIP (sorry, but couldn't resist the pun).

This evening, after the public meeting on "Does it matter who's the Mayor of London" (8pm in the Comnmittee Room, Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, W4 4JN), West London branch will be fixing the times and places of the street stalls we plan to hold in two places in the constituency from now on on every Saturday in April. Places under consideration are Chiswick, Kingston, Hounslow, Feltham, Brentford.

A bit on our rivals

So, Jonathan Silberman, as we can see from the ever left-train-spotter-tastic Tedance Coatsey (see here.) So, the Communist League is an off-shoot of the US political party the SWP (not to be confused with the British party of that name). That party is noted for it's strong pro-Cuba stance (and it's paper, The Militant, famously was held by Lee Harvey Oswald when he posed for a photo with the gun he used to murder Kennedy). This links to an election leaflet they have previously used. So, they say things like

“Capitalism cannot be reformed to serve the toiling majority. We, the wealth creators, must forge a revolutionary movement tens of millions strong, led by a mass working-class party to wrest political power away from them – the lords of industry, land and banking.”

Which we would almost agree with (I think we'd quibble about 'led' by, as opposed to made by). However, they call for

lA government-funded programme of public works to provide full-time jobs, expand housing, build hospitals and schools, and overhaul the infrastructure. A substantial increase in the minimum wage to a level set by the unions, with a built-in cost-of-living escalator. A fight by the labour movement for these demands would build unity among workers – employed and unemployed, native- and foreign-born.

which is hardly the same thing as abolishing the market system: what they are calling for is state controlled capitalism. Hence their love of the state-capitalist Cuba.

Obviously, we welcome people bringing these issues into the debate, and look forward to highlighting our differences, and taking the case for the abolition of the wages system altogether forward.

Stalling in Archway

So, 6 of us in all turned up for a two hour stall up in Archway. Not the busiest place in the world, but friendly enough, and at least the sun was out. We shifted three or four pamphlets (including our ancient pamphlet about Ireland, we may need to expect angry letters).

I was asked what whether we thought Jeremy Corbyn was a genuine socialist, and I replied whatever he is, he is a member of the decidedly non-Socialist Labour Party, and that we're better off outside arguing our case than compromising within the Labour party. The lady called me an optimist and took a leaflet. At least she took a leaflet.

Some members went putting leaflets through letter boxes, and we plan to meet-up on Thursday to leaflet in Tufnell Park (18:30 hrs at the station, anyone welcome).

Also, we found our big ad in the Islington Tribune for a meeting on the 14th, it's a bit of a weird one, as it isn't exactly an election meeting, more a general public meeting (it isn't even in the constituency). But, we may have to declare it, and maybe we should have put the official 'published and promoted by' on the advert. Still honest mistakes happen, and you live and learn. I doubt anyone will raise a fuss about it.