Candidate(s):

Andrew Burgin – Nominated by Barnet, Crouch End, Liverpool, Southwark, West London

Statement(s):

Andrew Burgin
Nominated by Barnet, Crouch End, Liverpool, Southwark, West London

This month sees the 30^th anniversary of the Miners’ strike. In 1984 I was on Camden trades council and throughout that whole year we worked to support the miners and their communities. The defeat of that strike marks a turning point in the class struggle in this country. Since then there have been further defeats and devastating attacks on working class communities across the country.

This period has been marked by a rightward shift in the Labour Party. I don’t believe Labour was ever truly a socialist party but it fought for reforms and many saw it as their party. On every occasion from the Miners’ strike to the Iraq war the Labour Party has opposed action by workers to defend their interests. But many stay in the Labour Party because they see no alternative.

Through Left Unity we have the opportunity to provide that alternative. We can build a serious party of the left which will fight for the interests of working class people. It must be a broad left party, democratic and inclusive – a party unlike other parties of the left in Britain which are often marred by sectarian in-fighting.

At our founding conference we passed the following, ‘Left Unity stands for equality and justice. It is socialist, feminist, environmentalist and against all forms of discrimination. We stand against capitalism, imperialism, war, racism, Islamophobia and fascism. Our goal is to transform society: to achieve the full democratisation of state and political institutions, society and the economy, by and for the people.’ These are my politics.

I have been active in left-wing politics since I was a student and before. I worked with the single homeless in the 1970s – that drew me towards the left and subsequently I have been involved in various campaigns – Stop the War, the Coalition of Resistance, Greece Solidarity Campaign and many others.

But campaigning it not enough – we need a political party of the left which can reach out to millions. Left Unity can be that party and that is why I am standing for National Treasurer – in order to play my part in making that happen.