CONTINUOUS CAMPAIGNING PAYS OFF: TUSC MAKES ITS PRESENCE FELT IN LOCAL ELECTIONS

MEDIA RELEASE ISSUED MAY 8th: parts of it appeared in a feature on the Local Elections in the Rugby Advertiser 10/05/12

Members of Rugby TUSC, standing as Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts, were pleased with their performance in the Borough Council Elections last week.  “We doubled our vote compared to last year, despite only standing in one additional ward,” spokesperson Pete McLaren informed us.  “This gave us an average of 10% across the eight wards we contested, an increase of 2.8% on last year.  We are steadily being seen as a serious Left party, and this is posing a serious challenge to Labour.  Last week, in the wards we both contested, TUSC gained one vote for every three Labour votes: last year the ratio in Rugby was 1:4, and nationally this year it was 1:9.

“Two direct examples of this can be seen in last week’s results in Rugby.  Labour would almost certainly have won a seat in Eastlands without our presence – their only candidate polled just 70 votes less than the third elected Lib Dem councillor, and TUSC polled 223 votes.  The same happened in Rokeby & Overslade, where our votes almost certainly stopped Labour gaining a second seat.  We are not targeting Labour, but the Party’s move to the right makes it vulnerable to a socialist challenge, and we will continue to mount one.

“The reasons for TUSC’s progress are quite clear.  We fought a very energetic campaign.  In most of our wards every single elector received our main leaflet, many received a second one, and some had an Eve of Poll reminder.  One elector in rural Brandon told me it was the first time in 20 years he had received a local election leaflet from any party!  

“We also talked to hundreds of people, on stalls and on their doorsteps.  The anti cuts message certainly resonates.  More importantly, Rugby TUSC has campaigned on a number of issues in the 14 months of its existence – against youth club and library closures, on behalf of St Cross, against cuts to welfare benefits, supporting the Jarrow March against unemployment, and opposing cuts to bus services.  We do not only appear once a year at election time: we see elections as just one aspect of putting our message across

“TUSC nationally also saw improved results, averaging 6.2% across the 40 Local Authorities its 134 candidates contested – up from last year’s 5.2%.  TUSC endorsed Councillors were elected in Preston and Walsall.  Our Mayoral candidate in Liverpool came 5^th out of 12, beating the Tories and UKIP, and finishing less than 4% off 2^nd place.  TUSC has continued to make progress locally and nationally – it is becoming a force to be reckoned with,” he concluded.