Sutton and Croydon TUSC

CROYDON ASSEMBLY

Click below to see the advertisement for the Croydon Assembly, organised by the Croydon Trades Council, and due to be held on 15th November at Ruskin House.

We encourage everybody to attend. The aim seems to be to form a coalition, “to fight for a fairer, democratic society”. It says we should build alliances to end austerity. We agree. That is what TUSC is doing.

The leaflet also includes a list of important questions. One question, though, is missing - which party should we campaign for, and vote for, next May?

We draw attention to this in a friendly and comradely way because whilst calling on people to “join together” is undoubtedly right, people will want to know which party, which organisation, will be most likely to deliver.

We can’t afford to be vague whilst working people face the very real firestorm of austerity, unemployment, poverty wages, bad housing.

The leaflet says, “Our aims must include decent education and jobs for young people, a health service free from profiteers, care and dignity in older age, affordable housing and a living wage for all.”

We wholeheartedly agree. But we must also ask - who will deliver it?

So yes, let’s “Join Together”, and having done that, let’s fight for a programme that includes -

✓ introducing (and enforcing) a universal £10 an hour min wage.

✓ abolishing zero-hours contracts.

✓ reversing the Tories’ (and New Labour’s) cuts in public expenditure and services

✓ renationalising the railways, Post Office and energy utilities.

✓ introducing, and enforcing, rent controls.

✓ halting and reversing profit-seeking private finance in the NHS.

This summer, the Swansea Conference of Trades Councils carried a motion calling on unions to seriously consider electoral alliances like TUSC, because “New Labour” no longer represents the interests of working people.

We would urge the trade unionists and community activists at the Croydon Assembly to do that too.