Leicester Councillors Address Packed Anti-Cuts Conference

Bringing a ray of hope to workers across the country, Leicester’s two local TUSC councillors, Barbara Potter and Wayne Naylor, gave passionate speeches at the recent annual conference of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, held on Saturday 24th January in London.

Councillor Barbara Potter said she stood for a council seat because she was active in her community, not in order to make cuts or implement the bedroom tax. The Leicester councillors held a “People’s Budget” meeting so they could put forward a no-cuts budget – with the involvement of local people rather than imposed from above.

Leicester councillor Wayne Naylor pointed out that in Leicester the imposition of a city mayor obliterated democracy. He said that leaving Labour had been a big step, but it was the best thing he has ever done. Later Wayne tweeted: “The start of something different! Great to be here at the start!”

Commenting after the conference, Mohamed Ahmed said: “I’ll be standing for TUSC in Leicester as a council candidate, where I’ve grown up. It’s time to give back to the community”.

One significant way that TUSC aims to begin to do this is by posing an electoral alternative to all the mainstream parties of cuts. This they aim to do by standing 1000 candidates in the local elections, and 100 members of parliament for the General Election.

As one attendee, Jimmy, tweeted afterwards: “Full of hope and inspiration now after, great attendance, great speakers, the future looks good for #TUSC”.

This edition of Russia Today’s Going Underground, published on youtube on 28 Jan 2015, covered the ‘Rise of UK’s Syriza’ – a reference to the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).

This short edit shows presenter Afshin Rattansi’s interview with Clive Heemskerk, TUSC’s national election agent.