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**Archive Story From 2010 Election**
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Cameron, Clegg and Brown have been doing their best to hide their main policy
““ to carry out savage attacks on public sector jobs and services, to continue sacrificing the lives of young soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and talking up a capitalist market system that’s created mass unemployment,
job insecurity and a desperate future for millions.
Meanwhile Stoke Socialist Party and Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition (TUSC) supporters have been busy building support for our General Election candidate in Stoke Central ““ Matt Wright. If elected, Matt will not take the full £65,000 MP’s salary but the average wage of workers in Stoke-on-Trent and demand that other MP’s do the same.
But, as an MP, Matt would also use his position to oppose all the attacks being made on ordinary working class people. We already have three main parties who represent the interests of big business and the rich. We need MP’s who fight for us ““ for the millions not the millionaires!
While Brown, Clegg and Cameron and their army of advisers are thinking up catchy sound bites for the media and squabbling with each other we have been busy actually speaking to THOUSANDS of people locally on the streets and
doorsteps.
More than 3,000 have now signed our petition (Ninety five per cent of those we spoke to) to get Matt elected as a Workers MP on a Workers Wage.
Matt Wright lives in Stoke-on-Trent and is from the city. He is a 26 year old Health worker, also a student and as the TUSC candidate has clear policies that would benefit the overwhelming majority of people in the city. They include;
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP, NOT PRIVATISED PROFIT
Stop all privatisation, including the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and the immoral privatisation of prisons. Bring privatised public services and utilities back into public ownership
under democratic control.
NO CUTS – QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES
Take rail back into public ownership and build an integrated, low-pollution public transport system.
For a high-quality, free National Health Service under democratic public ownership and control.
Stop council estate sell-offs and build eco-friendly, affordable public housing.
Good, free education for all, under democratic local authority control;
student grants not fees.
Keep Royal Mail as a publicly-owned service, not a privatised cash cow.
JOBS, NOT HANDOUTS TO BANKERS & BILLIONAIRES
Bring banks and finance institutions into genuine public ownership under democratic control, instead of giving huge handouts to the very capitalists who caused the crisis.
Tax the rich. For progressive tax on rich corporations and individuals, with a crackdown on tax avoidance.
For massive investment in environmental projects.
EMPLOYMENT & TRADE UNION RIGHTS
Repeal the anti-trade union laws.
A minimum wage set at half average adult male earnings, with no exemptions.
Invest to create and protect jobs, including for young people.
Solidarity with workers taking action to defend jobs, conditions, pensions, public services and trade unions. Reinstate full trade union rights to prison officers.
You can find out more about the TUSC General Election campaign and the Stoke Socialist Party using the links below.
Finally; instead of the internal squabbling, name calling and tough talking we have had so far from candidates in Stoke Central we look forward to seeing their POLICIES.
Matthews agent send the most in-depth response to our request for 500 words, in fact it was almost double the size we asked for and has been shortened here. The text file has the full response should you wish to read it.
500 words on behalf of Matt and not by Matt.
Big difference.
He would have my support if I lived there. The fact is that he has established himself as by far the most pro-worker candidate in the seat. Nora Batty, for all her appearances, has never committed herself to anything worth doing because it might mean her pals make a bit less money, so the workers be damned. Hunt is blindly loyal to the government, Elsby refuses to make a stand in favour of the workers and Fisher likewise.
Good man Matthew, all my friends and family in the area will be voting for you. You should get someone to stand against Walley so the workers can have a choice at this end.
How do you know the agent wasn’t just forwarding something Matt wrote?
Anyway, the second half of this is from TUSC’s official policy statement, which is endorsed by all TUSC candidates. That’s the advantage of standing as part of a nationwide coalition of trade unionists and socialists instead of going it alone as an individual.
The piece is written by Andy Bentley, for and on behalf of Andy Bentley.
It’s a classic Militant Tendency piece of 1980′s bravado and classic Nellist £7000 wage sacrifice.
Any numbnuts can see through this.
… looks good to me … but I’m in SOT South …
Just a brief comment to Gary and ‘Guest’. Instead of patronising intrigue about who wrote this and who wrote that lets hear if you agree or disagree with the programme put forward by the Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition or not.
And just for the record this is Andy Bentley writing this at 11.21pm, on my partners laptop, sitting on the settee watching Bremner, Bird and Fortune on Channel 4 with my Stoke top on.