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If you think all the big political parties are the same - you're right! The bosses have got three parties - isn't it about time we had one of our own?
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COUNCIL ELECTIONS SHOW NEED FOR A NEW LEFT PARTY
For immediate use 1 May 2007
Two days before polling in the Council elections, a left wing group is clear that a new, unified left party is essential to ensure political representation for the working class. “A number of us have been campaigning for a new workers’ party for twelve months now,” explained Coventry Socialist Party councillor and former Labour MP Dave Nellist. “Our work in this year’s Council elections has confirmed this view,” he continued. “The Socialist Party is contesting these elections as part of the Socialist Green Unity Coalition which includes the Socialist Alliance and the Alliance for Green Socialism, and is standing over 50 candidates nationally. Many other left groups are standing separately - including Respect, the CPB, Arthur Scargill’s SLP, a number of independent socialists, community action groups and anti health cuts campaigners. This can lead to competition for votes within the left: one unified socialist organisation would give workers a clear alternative to the right wing agenda pursued by the three main parties.”
Cllr Nellist puts forward a further reason for building a new workers’ party - the threat posed by the racist BNP. “The BNP are contesting a huge number of Council seats, and the may well increase their present number of councillors. This is a frightening prospect. The BNP claims nowadays to have dropped its racist views, but this is not true. Wherever the BNP stand, they incite racial tension, and their policies remain divisive and based on prejudice. The left must rally together to prevent the growth of the BNP, and, at election time, give workers a radical left wing alternative to vote for. It is not good enough simply to advise voters ‘Don’t vote BNP’, as vital as that is. It would be far more productive to give voters a socialist alternative to vote for, and we are likely to gain further evidence for this in Thursday’s election results, We are working to build this alternative within the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP), which has the support of a number of left groups already as well as ourselves. The CNWP will hold its second annual conference on Saturday May 12th at University College London (12 - 5pm), and this will be a major part of our discussions” he concluded.
NOTES
For further information contact:
Pete McLaren on 07881 520626
Dave Nellist on 07970 294237
or
Email: pete.mclaren@virgin.net