Why I joined the Socialist Party:

Workers’ poverty and rich profits shifted me left

  (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Aisha Khan, Sheffield Socialist Party

My political interests stemmed from awareness of social issues – discrimination around race, gender, sexuality, and particularly from being a feminist. Those issues remain the most presented in the media, more so than economic issues.

Yet, behind all the current movements like Black Lives Matter and Pride are socioeconomic conditions, fuelling discrimination and division, leaving marginalised communities even more ostracised when they lack a stable financial situation.

Seeing the crisis with homelessness, poor conditions faced by low-income households, and the realisation that the most fundamental necessities of survival are often privatised and used for profit by wealthy corporations and the top 1%, shifted me to a more radical left.

The idea of basic necessities being free is absolutely normal. While it should not be a radical idea, it becomes so under a capitalist system that steals the hard labour of workers.

Through looking into the injustice of the entire system, I affiliated myself with socialism. I continued to post on social media, yet I had not found anything in person to get involved with.

So when I found a Socialist Party poster on the university campus, I applied to join. I wanted to become actively involved, and do my part in contributing to change.

I had not been to any protest before, or even come across any campaign stalls related to socialism. But the friendliness of all the Socialist Party members encouraged me further to join. And after partaking in protests, I am more excited to join with others and see unity for a cause.

Building the Socialist Party