Wednesday 29 April 2015

Compare and contrast TUSC policies with other Lewisham candidates

A fortnight ago, I was pleased to be invited to speak at the Lewisham Pensioners' Forum hustings on behalf of TUSC. Candidates were asked to submit brief written answers to some of the questions that there had not been time to debate. The Forum has kindly compiled the responses it received - copied below - or downloadable via this link

Compare and contrast the responses between TUSC and the Labour Party, for example on TTIP, and you'll find the sharp contrast that was evident at the hustings over, for example, whether or not to keep wasting billions on Trident!





When it came to the News Shopper request for information from the Lewisham West and Penge candidates, Jim Dowd from New Labour was apparently the only candidate not to reply. You can read the full responses here but this is what I had to say:

MARTIN POWELL-DAVIES (TRADE UNIONIST AND SOCIALIST COALITION)
 
Age? 51 

Where do you live? Sydenham 

Where are you from originally? Ashtead, Surrey.

Why do you want to represent this constituency? To be an MP who will speak up for the majority of people in Lewisham West and Penge who no longer feel represented by the establishment parties that offer only austerity and inequality; to campaign for a £10 an hour minimum wage, genuinely affordable homes and a properly-funded NHS, schools and council services. 

What local policy are you most passionate about? To stop unaccountable, divisive academies and to bring all schools back into democratic local authorities, so they can work together to meet every child’s needs. I have been one of the main organisers of the ‘Stop Academies in Lewisham’ campaign, mobilising parents, students and staff to oppose the academisation of schools like Sedgehill and Prendergast.

Describe yourself in 3 words: Dedicated, caring, socialist.

Who is your biggest hero? A local hero - Eleanor Marx, feminist and trade union organiser who helped to build the workers’ movement in London and internationally. 

What is your proudest moment? Helping, as organiser of the Penge Anti Poll Tax Union, to build a mass campaign that defied an unjust law and showed that a determined national struggle can defeat even a PM like Margaret Thatcher. 

... and finally, here's the interview I gave for the Great British Tuk Tuk Pop-Up Poll:  



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