Celebrate May Day this year with The Socialist

The Socialist appeals to all its readers to support the 2010 May Day greetings appeal, helping the paper to celebrate International Workers' Day.

Bob Severn

International Workers' Day marks the first national general strike in the US, which took place on 1 May 1886. Many workers won a shorter working day with no reduction in their wages. Others, however, lost their lives due to state oppression against the strike, including during the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago.

Today, many workers take part in May Day celebrations and demonstrations across the world to commemorate the sacrifices that working and poor people have made in their struggles for a better society, celebrate the gains made in those struggles, and also to prepare for future battles to protect and improve the living standards of ordinary people.

Us and them

In Britain, where all the capitalist political parties plan to cut jobs and services in order to pay for the Ł1.2 trillion bank bailout, more people are seeing the need to fight back. The Socialist not only reports the action taken against such cuts, but shows how disputes can be won. It is also a paper that explains the need for a socialist world.

The Socialist is not financially backed by the big business bosses that want you to pay for the bank bailouts, but instead relies on money from its readers and supporters. May Day greetings in 2010 will help finance the paper, as well as showing the range of people who are fighting for a socialist alternative to mass unemployment, poverty and inequality.

Send your greetings

If you are in a trade union branch, committee or group, a student society, a campaign or community group, or a Socialist Party branch, then The Socialist asks for a May Day greeting from your group. If you are taking part in the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, can you send a greeting that backs your election candidate?

The deadline for greeting messages is Friday 9 April. Greetings paid for by that date receive a 10% discount on the standard rates.