“A great campaign and a great result” was the feeling of all those who participated in Old Swan Against the Cuts (OSAC) campaign in the local elections in Merseyside or supported us.
OSAC increased in almost 50 per cent its vote from 296 votes in the 2014 local election to 437 (six per cent of the vote). It came third out of seven candidates, confirming the ranking of last year and consolidating OSAC as a political force in Liverpool. But even the number of votes does not reflect the passion, organisation, determination, work and energy that went into the campaign.
We thank all Old Swan residents who voted for us and we thank all those who helped us from far and wide. During the campaign around 28 people from a ten year old to a 74 year old helped us.
In Liverpool there was a swing to Labour in the General Election, a vote against the government and austerity, but that also meant that in the local elections Labour increased their vote enormously because the voting took place at the same time. In Old Swan Labour went from 2100 votes to 5244 votes in the local election. This is unlikely to be repeated next year. Although the votes were against austerity, it benefited the party that defended austerity plans and attacked the immigrants in the general election, the Labour.
The Green Party experienced a surge of support in Liverpool and nationally and increased their votes to 282 in Old Swan, but were unable to overtake OSAC.
This is the first year that OSAC and the candidate, Martin Ralph, started to become the target of attacks, which shows OSAC is being noticed by those who want to preserve capitalism.
Our local campaign
In the last week of the campaign OSAC members and supporters delivered 6,500 leaflets, from house to house, in seven days. As we said during the election, we take to the streets every week of the year not just during the elections, but the elections helped us to develop our organisation and struggle. For example we divided Old Swan area into five and each area had a team organising in that area.
OSAC’s programme came from the No Austerity conference held on 14 February and we supported the 25 April No Austerity demonstration that brought some unions and community fights together and was attended by 200 people. Including two strikers from Glasgow city council, who are part of a 70 strong council workforce on indefinite strike for better wages.
OSAC also supported the occupation of the empty Bank of England building in the centre of Liverpool by the LOVE activists, who demand shelter for homeless people, a growing problem in all working class areas, which lasted for over three weeks during the elections.
The main issues in Old Swan were the libraries, the physical environment, parts of which has become so decayed that disabled and frail people cannot access them, the National Health Service and public services in general and the attacks on unemployed people.
A party that did lose its surge in Old Swan is UKIP which went from 15 per cent last year to 8 per cent this year. It could be that some angry workers stopped supporting UKIP and voted for OSAC instead.
Our strength comes from the democratic nature of our workers’ group and its role in the successful library campaign in 2014. Libraries are obviously seen as a vital part of the community by residents.
OSAC received the highest number votes of most anti-austerity parties such as the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, who stood about 20 candidates in Merseyside. There is an anti-cuts working class group in Kirkby (First For Kirkby) Knowsley that achieved 30 per cent of the vote and got about 1000 votes. It is also one of the better results in England for a No Austerity group.
No doubt new struggles are coming and OSAC will be ready. (like our: Old Swan Against the Cuts No Austerity).
