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We the undersigned call on the Electoral Commission not to give taxpayers’ money and other public resources to either the Vote Leave or Leave.EU campaigns, or any amalgam of them, in the forthcoming EU referendum...
TUSC will oppose all cuts to council jobs, services, pay and conditions. Reject increases in council tax, rent and service charges to compensate for government cuts. Vote against the privatisation of council jobs and services.
TUSC has had hundreds of declarations of support. You can support TUSC as an individual trade unionist or socialist, or apply for your organisation to join TUSC.
TUSC has no big business sponsorship. TUSC is a coalition for the millions not millionaires. Every donation to TUSC strengthens our fight for a better future.
Printed and published by TUSC, 17 Colebert House, Colebert Avenue, London E1 4JP
Telephone: 020 7702 8667
email: info@tusc.org.uk
Press: 020 8988 8773
Press Officer: 020 8988 8773
Posted: 28 April 2016
Left-wing exit group appeals to media workers for fair coverage in the EU debate
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.
Posted: 27 April 2016
Left-wing Mayoral candidates protest at 'no politics' censorship of election booklets
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".
Posted: 21 April 2016
EU exit group calls off legal threat to Electoral Commission but will organise its own leave campaign
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, a former backbench colleague of Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
Posted: 19 April 2016
'Commission's choice of Leave campaign is a political decision', says left-wing exit group
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.
Posted: 19 April 2016
TUSC challenges UKIP & Tory EU outers: 'Let's debate who should be the voice of Leave'
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) today 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.
Dave Nellist, a former backbench colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
'Let's start People's QE now and resist Osborne's austerity', says ex-Labour MP
Posted: 28 November 2015
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has responded to the Comprehensive Public Spending Review by calling on Labour-controlled councils to come together and resist George Osborne's latest cuts to vital local public services.
Dave Nellist, a former Labour backbench colleague of Jeremy Corbyn who is now the chair of TUSC, said:
"If Osborne can be forced into a U-turn on his tax credit cuts by the House of Lords he can be made to retreat on his new draconian cuts to local council funding. But it will need a determined fight by Labour councillors".
Trade Unionist and Socialist conference press call
Posted: 25 September 2015
Saturday 26 September, 11am to 4.30pm
Student Central, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY
Chaired by the TUSC national chair and former socialist Labour MP, Dave Nellist
Victory for Jeremy Corbyn - now let's build a movement to stop the Tory cuts
Posted: 14 September 2015
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national chairperson Dave Nellist has warmly welcomed Jeremy Corbyn's decisive victory in the Labour leadership contest.
Speaking shortly after the result was announced at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London, Dave Nellist, a former Labour MP who served in the Commons alongside Jeremy Corbyn in the 1980s, said:
"Jeremy's clear victory will now give a voice to the depth of anti-austerity feeling in Britain. He has clearly inspired huge numbers, particularly young people, with his call for free education, public ownership of rail and energy, and for councils to stand together in opposition to government cuts.
TUSC endorses NUT's Manifesto - while four NEC members will stand as TUSC candidates
Posted: 13 February 2015
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee has today endorsed the Manifesto for Education produced by the largest teachers' union in England and Wales, the National Union of Teachers (NUT). At the same time it was confirmed that four members of the union's national executive committee (NEC) will be standing as TUSC candidates in May's elections.
The Con-Dem Government has damaged children's education. Their determination to open free schools and academies has left a fragmented and divided education system. Their attacks on pay, conditions and pensions have demoralised school staff. Excessive testing and divisive league tables have driven enjoyment out of education for staff and students alike. Children, families and school staff need these damaging policies to be reversed.
Shamefully, the Labour Party has given no indication that it would do so. David Blunkett's policy review made clear that "academies are here to stay". Shadow Education secretary Tristram Hunt has joined the Tories in blaming teachers for the problems caused by cuts, poverty and divisive education policies.
Russia Today Going Underground on TUSC
Posted: 1 February 2015
This edition of Russia Today's Going Underground, published on youtube on 28 Jan 2015, covered the 'Rise of UK's Syriza' - a reference to the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).
This short edit shows presenter Afshin Rattansi's interview with Clive Heemskerk, TUSC's national election agent.
Nellist calls for City Link nationalisation
Posted: 29 December 2014
The leader of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), former Coventry MP Dave Nellist, has today called for government intervention to save City Link jobs, saying the company should be nationalised.
The courier firm, City Link, whose headquarters are in Coventry, went into administration on Christmas Day putting thousands of jobs at risk.
Mr Nellist said today:
More TUSC candidates in place as election challenge grows
Posted: 19 December 2014
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee approved another tranche of parliamentary candidates at its December meeting. Along with the seven candidates agreed so far by the Scottish TUSC steering committee, there are now 32 TUSC candidates in place for next May.
The new round of TUSC parliamentary candidates approved included Tony Mulhearn, standing in Liverpool's Riverside constituency. Tony, one of the Liverpool 47 Labour councillors who defied the Thatcher government in the 1980s, polled 4,792 votes for TUSC in Liverpool's mayoral election in 2012, coming in ahead of both the Tories and UKIP. Also contesting a Liverpool parliamentary seat for TUSC is the Unite union convenor for the city council, Dave Walsh, standing in Liverpool Wavertree.
There are two trade union national executive committee (NEC) members in the new candidates' list, with the National Union of Teachers' (NUT) executive member Anne Lemon contesting Bristol North West, and Unison NEC member Jacqui Berry standing in Gillingham and Rainham. This north Kent constituency is next door to the Rochester and Strood seat of UKIP MP Mark Reckless - in May he will be challenged on behalf of TUSC by the local RMT branch Young Members Officer, Dan Burn.
Media round-up: local coverage for TUSC candidates and a letter on Russell Brand
Posted: 30 October 2014
The selection of Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) prospective candidates for next year's elections has given local TUSC groups opportunities to get some media coverage in their area.
The Portsmouth News covered a 40-strong meeting, with national TUSC chair Dave Nellist in attendance, which announced the selection of candidates to contest the city's two parliamentary constituencies next May (see http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/party-picks-two-candidates-for-elections-in-may-1-6363224 ).
The prospective TUSC candidate for Portsmouth North is Jon Woods, president of Portsmouth Trades Council and chair of the council's UNISON branch. Portsmouth South will be fought for TUSC by the former RMT transport workers' union executive committee member, Sean Hoyle.
'Working class people need political representation'
Posted: 25 June 2014
As part of a feature on building an alternative in the aftermath of the local and European elections (see http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-ce7d-There-must-be-more-to-politics-than-this ), the Morning Star this week carried a substantial article on the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition's recent local elections campaign, which we republish below:
The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) put together what it describes as the biggest left electoral challenge to the mainstream parties since the Communist Party in 1950.
It stood 559 candidates in the local elections and received 68,000 votes. It supported Southampton rebel Labour councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas, who were expelled from the Labour group for voting against council cuts and presenting an alternative budget.
Senior union figures protest at media boycott of anti-austerity candidates
Posted: 21 May 2014
With hours to go until the polls open the national media boycott of the biggest left-of-Labour election challenge since world war two continues.
In the local council contests Labour and the Tories are standing in over 4,000 of the 4,216 seats up for election. The Liberal Democrats have fielded just under 3,000 candidates, UKIP over 2,000, and the Green Party 1,875. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has 560 candidates, 13% of the seats.
TUSC's presence on the ballot paper is not as big as the top five but it is indisputably ahead of the rest of the pack, with the next biggest parties being the BNP (106 candidates), the Christian Peoples Alliance (61), the Liberal Party (43), and the English Democrats (31). Yet TUSC's share of media coverage is no way commensurate with the number of candidates we are standing, even compared to these 'others'.
Sheffield TUSC in head-to-head radio debate with establishment parties
Posted: 21 May 2014
On 15 May Sheffield TUSC Walkley ward candidate Chas Lockett took part in a live debate on BBC Radio Sheffield's Rony Robinson Show. You can listen to an extract from the programme where candidates from the Lab-Con-Lib Dem parties and TUSC (and UKIP and the Greens) debate whether councils can resist the cuts.
Click here to listen.
Make a REAL difference - Vote TUSC on 22nd May
Posted: 15 May 2014
The TUSC broadcast they wouldn't show:
Posted: 13 May 2014
While the national media - with one or two exceptions - continues to consciously ignore TUSC's election campaign, there has been some decent coverage this week in the local press.
The Derby Telegraph led the way with a headline article, 'Derby TUSC election candidates: We'd rip up waste plant contract', highlighting the local TUSC candidates' pledge to do everything possible to stop a waste incinerator plant being built in the Sinfin area of the city (see http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Derby-TUSC-election-candidates-d-rip-waste-plant/story-21085286-detail/story.html )
The Telegraph article also pointed to TUSC's policy of standing "up to cuts by setting a council budget which 'meets the needs of the local community and means the government must make up the shortfall'. In the short-term, the party said it would use council reserves and borrowing to provide any cash needed to keep services". TUSC was attacked for its stance by both the Labour and Liberal Democrat group leaders, showing once again that the establishment parties are fundamentally the same.
TUSC candidate Ted Woodley on BBC West Midlands
Posted: 11 May 2014
Ted Woodley ably demonstrated that Labour, Liberals and Tories are all the same when he appeared on the Adrian Goldberg radio show on 7 May 2014.
Click here to hear a couple of brief clips from the radio show in which the ideas of TUSC were discussed by the candidates of the six biggest parties. All except TUSC were in agreement that the cuts the current government demands must be carried out by local government, including UKIP and the Greens.
Ted explains clearly how Labour councils could lead a campaign to defy the government if they genuinely represented working people. TUSC, the sixth largest party contesting the elections, is the only party that clearly calls for opposition to austerity. The six largest parties contesting the local election are Labour, Tory and Liberal, UKIP, Greens and TUSC.
The BBC's Daily Politics show covers TUSC's election launch
Posted: 9 May 2014
TUSC's local election launch on Friday May 9th was covered by the BBC, with a four minute interview with TUSC chairperson Dave Nellist on The Daily Politics - and a 20 second clip on the News at One.
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