Socialist Resistance

An archive of socialistresistance.org, 2002–2022

Socialists raise issues in Birmingham

by Bob Whitehead  |  Socialist Resistance no6  |  page 10-11

This is scanned newsprint, not web text. The original PDFs carried no text layer at all, so every word here was read off the page by OCR. Expect dropped opening letters, run-together words and wrong characters. There was no contents page to cut the paper up by, so the articles were found from the size of their headlines: a headline may carry its kicker, and where an article ran beside a boxed panel a few lines of the neighbour can appear. The scanned issue is the authority; this text is here so the words can be found at all.

THREE Socialist Alliance candidates stood in Birmingham, two as the "Socialist Alliance', and one as 'Socialist Alliance against the War'. In Erdington, where last year the Alliance polled 5% of the vote, the candidate was victimised FBU activist Steve

In Billesely, it was Pat Morrin, one of the leaders of the successful campaign to defeat the stock transfer of all council homes. He highlighted the new attempts to smuggle in home privatisation via "arms' length management" in two areas of the city, as well as the anti-war and other messages

In Bournville, Lynne Hubbard, a health worker, was the 'Socialist Alliance against the War' candidate, but also featured her opposition to the PFI hospital set to replace the Queen Elizabeth and Selly Oak.

The Stirchley Stop the War campaign, based in a part of Bournville, held a successful meeting, where the Labour, Green and Socialist Alliance against the War candidates answered questions from local residents

The Liberal Democrats did not turn up

and the Tories only sent a written statement. The meeting was clearly hostile to

There was also a Socialist Alternative

candidate in Northfield, one of the seven

wards where the BNP stood. Various activities were promoted against the fascist candidates, essentially leafleting of one kind or

However, for the future, the thing is to

P P provide a political alternative to the far right, as well as to New Labour. The task is to persuade all socialists, anti-war activists and anti-fascists to lend their support to such a project. At present, the best vehicle for this is the Socialist Alliance. .... Alliance steps up effort Magaret Manning, Manchester MORE Socialist Alliance candidates stood than ever before across the North West. In Wigan, 20 candidates stood for 24 seats. Other towns with

campaigns were Bolton, Burnley, Bury,

Colne, Manchester and Lancaster.

There was a good response to our

slogan of "Welfare not Warfare', with

lots of anger against New Labour and

many people vowing that they will not

vote for them again.

page 11 of the scan

st 1e May 2003 ||

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