by Linda Taaffe, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
We wanted ‘a workers’ list’ of candidates for the local elections. And 18 people volunteered to stand as Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidates.
We had three union branch secretaries, and both the president and secretary of the local trades union council. One of the leaders of the Butterfields anti-eviction campaign, two bus drivers, two hospital porters and a ward host.
We had discussions with Your Party ‘proto-branches’, independents, and the Greens – to see if we could collaborate with those who would stand on a no-cuts platform.
TUSC stood in 14 wards. In three-quarters of the wards, workers would have an opportunity to vote for at least one working-class candidate, with our manifesto to cut rents, create jobs and restores services, and who pledged not to vote for any austerity budget.
We talked to people wherever we could. We gave out our eye-catching bright pink leaflets at tube and train stations; to parents collecting kids from school; people coming out of mosques. We even covered Leyton Orient FC fans.
We ran stalls in the local shopping areas, and ran five stalls on ‘super Saturday’. We also did door-knocking, and got going on social media.
We went to the FE college. We raised money at our pizza party, tried a few street meetings with a mic, and a postered-up car going round the streets.
We were out there. There was some kind of activity every day.
Leaflets were distributed in the thousands, speaking with ex-Labour voters who were thinking of going Reform or Green.
We recognised that both the Greens and Reform had national profiles. They would be looked to by people wanting to register their anger.
But our ideas, especially on housing and our anti-private property developer stance, were very well received. We met many people in housing crisis, due to the rents going up.
We offered a way forward that many people agreed with, even if they weren’t going to vote for us.
Now Green-majority council
The Greens now have a majority on the council. It’s clear we need to campaign and put demands on them, especially about council housing and rents.
The Green councillors will all be very different from each other. Some we’ve discussed with already, and we’ve already got an informal agreement to discuss with them again about how to fight austerity.
We’ll be lobbying; we’ll be helping build Waltham Forest Trades Council as a real organising force to create a campaign for our borough’s needs. We will not accept going back to forever-austerity budgets.