Link to this page: https://secure.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/1101/31352
From The Socialist newspaper, 16 September 2020
Why I joined the Socialist Party: Tories and Blairites only care about corporate greed
I joined the Socialist Party and cancelled my Labour Party membership following the class battle in the Labour Party, between left and right. The pro-capitalist right wing deliberately sabotaged Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and the progressive manifestos of the last two elections.
Like many, I joined Labour because of the drive back towards socialism, moving away from the Blairite years that saw the party achieve some of its worst results under Brown and Miliband.
However, the move to the right under Starmer is self-destruction. It provides little alternative to the Conservative Party, whose interests are completely shaped by destructive, corporate greed.
The media are hellbent on attacking anyone who dares questions the status quo. An alternative is needed.
As a young person growing up in Tory Britain, it is crystal clear that it will not cater for us. The country being shaped and manipulated before us is a corporate paradise. Rewards are reaped by corporations who underpay and overcharge, all while avoiding tax.
Youth are punished with extortionate tuition fees, growing rent, substandard living conditions, and a working environment with decreasing workers' rights. This will be exacerbated by a toxic trade deal with the US.
I firmly believe that the Socialist Party is the alternative. In the few weeks I have been a member, weekly meetings have given us the opportunity to discuss many issues that are currently being ignored.
Join the Socialist Party and get organised politically so that we can counter the destructive measures being put in place currently, and start building socialism in Britain. A society that protects the environment, a society all of us can inherit and maintain for future generations, where public interest is made a priority.
Richard Chaves-Sanderson, Leeds Socialist Party
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
In The Socialist 16 September 2020:
Socialist Party news and analysis
Our lives and livelihoods at stake
Sketch: The rule of six - some guidance from your government
Johnson's brinkmanship over EU deal deepens capitalist splits
Blame politicians, not workers and young people
Capitalist profit and the race to develop a vaccine
'Covid marshalls' must be accountable to communities
NHS
Angry health workers demand 15% now!
NHS workers: "We deserve a fair wage" - 15% now!
Workplace news and analysis
National Shop Stewards Network lobbying for a lead from the TUC
PCS members in DWP reject unsafe extension of hours
Ireland: Debenham's occupier speaks out
London bus drivers begin strike ballot over remote sign-on dispute
Tate workers on indefinite strike hold march and rally
Schools
Dispatches from the front: schools need Covid tests!
Public services
Covid and the third sector: for public planning, not charity stopgaps
Labour Party
Non-fiction: Left Out - the inside story of Labour under Corbyn
International socialist news and analysis
Egypt: Support for al-Sisi dwindles as his regime increases repression
Nigerian police repress peaceful anti-government protest
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Two weeks to donate: we need your help
Coventry: scrap 'profit before people' hospital parking charges
Covid generation says 'fund our future'
Why I joined the Socialist Party: Tories and Blairites only care about corporate greed
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