Tom Meadowcroft, Bristol
If the last few years have convinced me of anything politically, it is that socialists will not get their day in court by being soft on establishment forces, as Corbyn unfortunately was towards the Blairites in Labour. Since the leak of the internal Labour report on
Socialist Alternative highlights this very well, raising the need for the working class to get organised at every level of society, to build a movement that represents workers of all races, creeds, sexualities and gender identities to achieve liberation. It is a vibrant new force on the left, with serious activists that understand the need for fundamental change towards socialist planning in order to address our urgent problems, such as the climate emergency, with a clear internationalist focus by working alongside its co-thinkers across the world in
It will be more important than ever to lay the basis for organisations and a workers’ party that can win important victories through trade union struggles and extra-parliamentary campaigning. I have been pleasantly surprised since joining Socialist Alternative and would urge all socialists inside Labour who are looking for a way forward after the election of Starmer to
Roise McCann, North London
I joined Socialist Alternative at the end of 2019. For years I felt helpless as a young worker and student, facing precarious employment options and a looming climate crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the failures of capitalism, as millions are furloughed or laid off whilst billionaires have seen their wealth increase.
Capitalism as a system protects the wealthy elite and relies on exploitation and division of the working class, and it is clear that it must be replaced. My own pessimism has been replaced as a member of a revolutionary Marxist organisation, engaging in struggles across the world to win beneficial reforms whilst pushing demands such as free and accessible education, healthcare and housing. I joined SA to fight for a socialist alternative to the bleakness and inequality of capitalism, for a future which is in the hands of and under the democratic control of the working class and based on international workers’ solidarity.
Alex Ledger, Leicester
Politics has always been an important topic to me, as I learned it was important to keep up with current affairs and to know how the world around me was changing. However, a defining moment that increased my interest and involvement in politics was the election of Jeremy Corbyn to leader of the Labour Party in 2015. This introduced me to some of the political ideas of socialism and how similarly these beliefs matched to my own. Being only 15 I didn’t understand much beyond Conservatism vs Liberalism, but the idea of socialism that I had previously perceived as an extreme ideology seemed more like the political view that I ultimately agreed with.
These influences eventually led me to joining Socialist Alternative earlier this year, after I came across one of their stalls in Leicester, I felt very welcomed and supported as I learned more about Socialism and becoming part of the movement. Since joining I have been presented with lots of new ideas and shown many alternate views on subjects I had previously not been overly aware of, such as the defunding of local NHS facilities and rehab centres. I joined Socialist Alternative with the intention to expand my knowledge of the socialist movement and to help increase its outreach across the country. So I deeply appreciate the opportunities, information and support I have received and continue to be part of the movement.
