Sheffield

"Standing up for working people"

Canvassing in Sheff-ield on Sunday, Colin is stopped by a man in a
black car. "What’s a socialist, in one sentence?", the man
asks. "Someone who stands up for working people", Colin
replies. The man nods in agreement and drives off.

Jeremy Short, Sheffield

We’re not sure if we can count on that driver’s vote, but in the
first week of the campaign we are getting a better response both on the
doorstep and on our campaign stalls than in last year’s general
election.

The Socialist Party candidate is Calvin Payne, organiser of the We
Want Our Buses Back Campaign which the Socialist Party launched last
summer. This is a high profile, widely supported campaign, which has now
collected over 10,000 signatures in favour of returning Sheffield’s
buses to public ownership.

The good response we are getting is because we are leading on the
buses issue but we are also campaigning against cuts and privatisation
in the NHS as the Trusts have announced deficits of £100 million in
Sheffield. Disillusionment with New Labour’s neo-liberal policies and
sleaze is also growing, after a further year’s experience of the ‘Bliar’
government.

Although we are standing in the Graves Park ward for the first time,
it forms part of the Heeley constituency where the Socialist Party stood
in the 2005 general election. We are now looking to build on the support
we won then, following which the new Heeley branch was launched last
year.

The Sheffield election campaign got underway in earnest on the first
weekend in April with campaign stalls, canvassing and a launch social,
which raised £50 for the fighting fund.

During the election campaign, we are running two stalls each Saturday
and one on Thursdays and Fridays in the main shopping area (Woodseats),
with canvassing from Sunday to Thursday and leafleting anytime!

In the first nine days of the campaign, we have identified far more
potential votes than last year, sold 116 papers and raised £135 for the
fighting fund.