I fear we'd have to have a political culture somewhat further to the left - which could conceivably happen - and voting reform (less likely, at least in the short term) before groups like this had any purchase.

The Skin

Last edited Mon Apr 13, 2015, 03:25 AM - Edit history (1)

Although you hear more from the various factions that make up TUSC such as the SWP. One of TUSC's biggest challenges is how to stop the far left groups that it is comprised of fighting each other.

They are standing in a few constituencies near me, although I have heard reports that Maxine Bowler, the TUSC candidate in Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough was heavily involved in the SWP's mishandling of rape claims.

I think you'll see some glasnost emerge on the left side of the UK political spectrum-given that the only reason for anyone on the left continuing to vote Labour is that they are allegedly "electable".

A defeat in this situation, in which knocking off the Coalition should have been easy, will do massive damage to the "electability" argument.

And I think it will either create the conditions for a new Left Party of some sort to emerge, or it will loosen or even break the grip of Labour's right-wing on the party, given that Labour is still largely(though not totally)fighting this election of Blairite terms.

Interesting times.

you hear very little about them because firstly a large proportion of their candidates are complete nobodys with no profile outside their own households - there's one standing Worcester: no website, no election leaflets, no posters - secondly because 'the left' is by no mean united behind TUSC as a concept, let alone being happy with supporting them electorally, thirdly, and probably fatally for any 'left' project, there is - or was - Swappie involvement.

its brave of them to offer a widely available alternative, but its easy to pick holes - standing in constitiuancies where they won't get into triple figures (Worcester for crying out loud!), standing in constituancies where other hard left groups are also standing and spliting the vote, standing in 135 constituancies when they've got the resources to pound the streets in a dozen: each candidate needs a £500 deposit - 90%+ of them will be lost and lost convincingly, thats £55,000 thrown away on vanity projects that could have been spent in a handful of constituancies where the concentration of resources might have made a big impact.

Although no doubt some of the parties listed will have fallen out with each other since this this thread was posted on here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10883647

And have they elected or come close to electing anyone at the local government level(minor parties in the UK often do better at that level-even Scargill's Socialist Labour Party managed to elect some local councillors at one point).

I'm glad they exist. They point up the need for electoral reform.

However, much of the parties in TUSC used to have an affiliation with George Galloway's Respect party, and it might possibly be George Galloway's campaign to be reelected in Bradford West that is the main target for the far left at this election.

Also worth noting that the only big billboard poster I've seen at this election has been from the Communist Party in Sheffield Central (which has duly been defaced). Quite a change from previous general elections when the Tories have brought up billboard space all over the place, even in places where they are about as popular as bubonic plague.