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Super-Thursday elections - the TUSC results
Posted: 10 May 2016
The final Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) results from Thursday's elections are in. In total 43,309 votes were cast for TUSC candidates, a good showing for a clear 100% anti-austerity message.
The highlight of the campaign was the performance of the UNISON national executive member Roger Bannister, standing on behalf of TUSC for the mayor of Liverpool, who came in fourth ahead of Britain's governing party, with 4,950 votes (a 5.1% share). For the second time, following Tony Mulhearn's result in the 2012 Liverpool mayoral election, TUSC has outpolled the Tories in Britain's eighth biggest city.
A draft report of the full results and analysis (see http://www.tusc.org.uk/txt/380.pdf) has now been produced by the TUSC national election agent, Clive Heemskerk, and will go to next week's meeting of the national steering committee, which will be reviewing the election intervention.
Eighteen hundred votes for TUSC candidate in Bristol's mayoral election
Posted: 7 May 2016
The results of the Bristol mayoral election have been announced and TUSC candidate Tom Baldwin has scored a respectable 1,876 first preference votes, coming in behind the 'big five' parties and the sitting Bristol First mayor, George Ferguson.
This follows yesterday's Liverpool mayoral election results where the TUSC candidate, the Unison national executive member Roger Bannister, polled 4,950 votes (a 5.07% share), over 1,400 votes ahead of the Tories.
TUSC stood for the inaugural Bristol mayoral election in 2012, coming in then with 1,412 votes (in tenth position out of 15 candidates) behind a number of 'independents'. This time Tom comfortably outpolled all the independent candidates.
Close call in Warrington rebel councillor re-election bid
Posted: 6 May 2016
Despite a fantastic campaign that showed the depths of local support which existed for TUSC's Kevin Bennett, the rebel Warrington councillor has lost by just 76 votes in his bid for re-election in Thursday's local council poll.
The right-wing dominated local Labour group threw everything they had into the campaign against the real opposition voice on the council. Never mind the Tories, TUSC were the enemy to beat!
Kevin duly hammered the Tory candidate in the Fairfield & Howley ward, who polled 332 votes, but his 921 votes - a 30% share - was tantalisingly short of the 997 votes of Labour candidate Peter Carey.
Fourth place for TUSC mayoral candidate in Britain's eighth biggest city
Posted: 6 May 2016
The first results announced of the four Mayoral elections that took place yesterday was for Liverpool - and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate came in fourth ahead of Britain's governing party!
The TUSC candidate, the Unison national executive member Roger Bannister, polled a very respectable 4,950 votes (a 5.07% share), over 1,400 votes ahead of the Tory party candidate. Roger had already beaten UKIP - despite an almost daily presence in the establishment media to boost them, they were unable to find a candidate for the mayor in Britain's eighth biggest city.
TUSC also stood candidates in 17 of the city's 30 wards, with some very good results achieved. In Belle Vale ward TUSC polled 10.7% and the TUSC candidates in Kirkdale and Norris Green wards won 10.1% and 7.8% respectively.
Vote TUSC on Thursday for a 100% anti-austerity alternative
Posted: 4 May 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has candidates standing in Thursday's elections to the Scottish parliament, the Welsh national assembly, and in sixty English local councils.
TUSC is also contesting two of the three Mayoral elections outside London taking place on May 5th, with Unison national executive member Roger Bannister standing in Liverpool and Tom Baldwin in Bristol.
All TUSC's local election candidates are standing on a policy platform headed, A councillors' revolt could stop the Tory cuts! (see http://tusc.org.uk/policy.php). A full list of the council candidates, broken down into regions, is available at http://www.tusc.org.uk/txt/375.pdf
The Socialist Case Against the EU - first meeting dates of 20-city tour announced
Posted: 3 May 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has released the initial dates of a series of public meetings it is hosting in May and June under the heading 'The Socialist Case Against the EU'.
The EU debate has been reduced in the establishment media to a clash between different wings of the Tory party. It's Cameron vs Boris, they say - two old Etonians, with another ex-public schoolboy Nigel Farage in the ring too.
But what about if you're outside the 1% elite? Struggling to get by on low wages, a zero-hour contract maybe, or facing soaring rents and under-funded public services? What are our interests in the debate?
TUSC appeals to media workers - 'help us get fair coverage in the EU referendum debate'
Posted: 28 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations that applied for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, today made an appeal to media workers for fair coverage of the socialist case against the EU in the run-up to the June referendum.
A press release was issued but also, in an attempt to speak directly to journalists and other workers, a number of media workplaces were leafletted by TUSC members.
Explaining the appeal, the ex-Labour MP Dave Nellist who is now the chair of TUSC, said: "What has happened in the couple of weeks since the Electoral Commission chose the reactionary Vote Leave organisation as the 'official' voice of Leave has shown that this Tory-dominated outfit is completely incapable of representing the millions of trade unionists, young people, and working class voters generally, who will vote against the EU on June 23rd.
'No politics please, it's election time' - TUSC protests at Mayoral booklets censorship
Posted: 27 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee has agreed to formally complain to the Returning Officers of Bristol and Liverpool councils for what can only be described as political censorship of the TUSC candidates contesting the Mayoral elections in the two cities on May 5th.
Candidates in Mayoral contests are entitled to have an election address printed in a booklet distributed to every elector. There are rules about the content of the address, that it should not be used for commercial gain or that it must not contain "any material referring to any other candidate".
What the rules don't say, however, is that the candidate cannot refer to "the Tory government's demands for cuts" or state that "Liverpool Labour is slashing our public services"! But those were two of the deletions demanded by the Returning Officers in Bristol and Liverpool.
Dave Nellist on Sky News - 'Jeremy Corbyn's EU stand doesn't convince'
Posted: 23 April 2016
A former backbench colleague of Jeremy Corbyn, the ex-Coventry MP Dave Nellist who is now the chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), appeared on Sky News on the day the Labour leader made his speech (14th April) supporting a Remain vote in June's EU referendum. Click below to see the full interview.
TUSC calls off legal threat to Electoral Commission but will organise its own leave campaign
Posted: 21 April 2016
The national steering committee of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations that applied for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, met yesterday to discuss its response to last week's decision by the Commission to give the Tory-dominated Vote Leave group official designation status.
Ex-Labour MP Dave Nellist, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
"What has happened since the Electoral Commission designation decision has confirmed our argument that the reactionary Vote Leave organisation is completely incapable of representing the millions of trade unionists, young people, and working class voters generally, who will vote against the EU on June 23rd because they support basic socialist policies of workers' rights, public ownership and opposition to racism and austerity.
'On every protest you see TUSC candidates' - election campaigns hit the local press
Posted: 15 April 2016
"Walk up to any picket line, demo or protest rally in Bristol and you are sure to bump into Tom Baldwin".
This is the opening line of a Bristol Post profile of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate, Tom Baldwin, standing for election as the mayor of Bristol on May 5th.
The favourable profile by the Post political editor, Ian Onions, goes on: "Tom is a committed socialist who deeply believes that power comes from the ground up and it is only by mobilising working people that we will see any real change towards a fairer society.
TUSC on RT News - for a socialist campaign against the EU
Posted: 14 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition's National Election Agent, Clive Heemskerk, is interviewed on RT News (13 April) about the Electoral Commission's decision to choose the Tory-dominated Vote Leave campaign as the official voice of exit in June's referendum.
TUSC slams Electoral Commission's 'political decision' to choose Vote Leave as EU exit voice
Posted: 13 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations that applied for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, today accused the Commission of "bowing to political pressure" in giving the Tory-dominated Vote Leave group official designation status.
TUSC had submitted what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the designated Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) against the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns, Vote Leave and Grassroots Out - but said it was "not surprised" that the Electoral Commission has gone along with the government's preference for a safe, pro-establishment Leave campaign.
Dave Nellist, the former Labour MP who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
TUSC candidates in place for a 100% anti-austerity challenge in May's elections
Posted: 11 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has announced its candidates standing for elections to the Scottish parliament, the Welsh national assembly, and sixty English local councils on May 5th.
TUSC has been fielding candidates on a 100% anti-austerity platform since its formation in 2010, co-founded by the late general secretary of the RMT transport workers' union, Bob Crow.
Obviously the political situation has changed since then, with Jeremy Corbyn's election last autumn as Labour leader. TUSC has been clear that it would not stand candidates against Labour politicians who have resisted austerity in the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly or local council chambers.
RMT transport union sets out six key reasons why it backs a vote to leave the EU
Posted: 7 April 2016
The RMT transport workers' union today set out why it will be advising members to vote to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum.
Announcing six core reasons for RMT members to vote to leave, the union's general secretary Mick Cash said:
"RMT is proud to stand up for the tradition of progressive and socialist opposition to the European Union, an organisation wedded to privatisation, austerity and attacking democracy.
'Panama Papers' scandal shows why UKIP & Tory EU outers can't be the voice of Leave
Posted: 5 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations vying for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, today called on the Commission not to award official status to any group that has received funding from individuals or companies named in the 'Panama Papers'.
Last week TUSC submitted what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the designated Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) against the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns, Vote Leave and Grassroots Out.
Dave Nellist, a former backbench colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
TUSC challenge to UKIP & Tories: 'Let's debate who should be the voice of Leave'
Posted: 2 April 2016
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has followed up what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the official Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) by challenging the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns - Vote Leave and Grassroots Out - to a public debate on who should be the voice of Leave.
Dave Nellist, a former backbench colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
"We believe it is vital that working class voters who oppose the EU are not forced to line up behind the reactionary pro-austerity politicians who are being promoted in the mainstream media as the only exit voices.
Dave Nellist calls for the nationalisation of the steel industry
Posted: 2 April 2016
Audio: Chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Dave Nellist, speaking on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio 31 March 2016, called for the nationalisation of the steel industry after Tata Steel put the future of thousands of steelworkers' jobs in doubt in Port Talbot, Wales.
Good showing for Scottish TUSC in Dundee council by-election
Posted: 2 April 2016
Last week saw a decent result for the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in the Dundee council Maryfield ward by-election, held on Thursday 31st March.
The seat was retained by the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate, who polled 1,383 votes, a 49.5% share. This was well ahead of Labour whose vote fell from 1,251 (36%) in the 2012 council elections, the last time the seat was contested, to 634 this time (22.7%).
The TUSC candidate, Stuart Fairweather, won 142 votes (5.1%), coming in fourth ahead of the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, all of whom have a higher profile in the establishment media than TUSC.
TUSC sends formal letter to election watchdog, 'don't back UKIP & Tory EU outers'
Posted: 30 March 2016
Last week the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee agreed the text of a formal letter to the Electoral Commission asking them not to choose an 'official' Leave campaign in June's EU referendum.
Under the referendum rules the Commission, an unelected quango, has the power to select one official campaign on each side of the debate, giving that organisation political 'authority' but also millions of pounds of public resources.
The deadline for organisations to apply to be the official campaign is March 31st, with the Electoral Commission making its decision by April 15th. Below is the text of the TUSC letter, sent in the name of the TUSC national agent, Clive Heemskerk, on March 24th.
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