Eastern

Eva Nanopoulas

Nominated by Jon Duveen

Jon Duveen

Nominated by Eva Nanopoulas and Owen Holland

Left Unity faces a difficult time with the election of Jeremy Corbyn to the leadership of the Labour party. A difficult time but a time of opportunity for the left. As yet the Labour Party is still, at many local levels and  in the majority of the Parliamentary Party, an austerity party. Where we can we need to be working with the Labour Party and others to develop the campaigns we have prioritised but we should also be prepared to criticise the LP where they are not consistent in their opposition to cuts and austerity. We have to be the non-sectarian party not afraid of debate but working to develop a broad and  fighting opposition to austerity.

London

Chris Hurley

Nominated by Laura Stringhetti and Eve Turner

I am a founder member of Left Unity. I have previously been the Nominating Officer, and so was a member of National Council, and last year served on the disputes committee. I am the organiser of the West London branch, which continues to function well. I am committed to building Left Unity and would aim to enhance communications with all London branches. I believe good communication at all levels is vital for our party to grow.

Stuart King

Nominated by Andrew Burgin

Left Unity has to re-orient itself to the Jeremy Corbyn leadership of the LP and to the emergence of Momentum. This means working alongside the Labour left, fighting the cuts, including Labour councils carrying them out, joining and building trade union and independent actions wherever we can. We need to present our distinct positions on migration, no cuts budgets, supporting strike action in these struggles and to LP/Momentum members to strengthen a socialist movement in and outside the LP

I have been a member of the revolutionary left since the late 1960s. Joined Left Unity as a founding member.  Active in South London Left Unity and Lambeth Momentum. Trade Unions: member of the lecturers union NATFHE then UCU for 25 years, branch secretary and various other positions for 20 of those years. GPMU and NUJ for 10 years. Now a member of Lambeth and Southwark Unite Community Branch.

Susan Pashkoff

Nominated by: 

Sarah Parker (Haringey Branch), Roland Rance (Waltham Forest), Inbar Tamari (Waltham Forest)

I have worked in Left Unity helping to set up the Waltham Forest Branch and still serve on its branch committee. I am on the LU Economic Policy Commission and helped the Social Security Commission, and I helped build the LU women’s caucus and LU Disabled Members Caucus as a member of both groups.  I am a committed Socialist Feminist and ecosocialist.

I have helped to build LU at many different levels from doing registration and access officer at our conferences to writing articles for the website. I participate in demonstrations, help organise events, and have spoken at different branches on economic and women’s issues and how they are interwoven. I have attended the LU EC and NC meetings as a representative of the LU women’s caucus. All levels of participation are of equal importance to me and I believe that building the organisation requires participation at all levels to the best of our ability and this is why I am running for the LU National Council as I can contribute more to the organisation.

I remain committed to Left Unity. I recognise that Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour Party leader has opened new arenas for struggle and believe that we should work in Momentum (if possible) and work alongside the left of the Labour Party on campaigns that strengthen the working class.

I bring knowledge and experience as a life-long political organiser working around women’s issues, anti-imperialism and anti-austerity issues (e.g., eviction resistance).  Although I am no longer working as an academic economist, my knowledge of the discipline is useful and I can contribute to economic analysis and the struggles against women’s oppression for Left Unity.

I am a member of Socialist Resistance and support the struggle for a non-sectarian broad left party.

Alan Thornett

Nominated by Terry Conway

I am a founder member of LU and have been an active members during that time and a member of the Southward branch—now merged with Lambeth. I am the convener of the ecology commission and particularly keen to promote the issues of climate change and ecology in the organisation. I am a member of Socialist Resistance and I think I can play a positive role in left unity at the national level in developing the organisation. It is very important that we support Jeremy Corby and his project (which is a major development in British politics) but I think that there is also a continuing and important role to be played by Left Unity itself as an independent political party.

Doug Thorpe

Nominated by   Stephanie Grant (Haringey Branch) 

I am the Haringey LU Branch organiser and have been involved in building LU locally since the beginning.

I am currently a London Region Representative on the outgoing National Council and have been the London Region representative on the Executive Committee. I am an active member of the London Regional Committee.

I have an interest in Housing and am actively involved in Housing campaigns (Defend Council Housing, Radical Housing Network, Kill the Housing Bill Campaign) at a branch, regional and national level.

I believe I can continue to make a useful contribution to Left Unity as a member of the National Council

Annie Tunnicliffe

Nominated by Andrew Burgin and Kate Hudson

Grew up in a politically aware household, father both left wing and an active conservationist, so red and green in my blood. My political history is activism-based, early CND, anti Vietnam war and anti apartheid demonstrations and campaigning, then in the 80s setting up CND groups at local level then at Greenham Common and Upper Heyford bases. 2 years on the National Council of CND organising non-violent direct actions at bases etc. and (with others) setting up the non-violent action network. Still doing it, involved in the Faslane blockade and other disarmament activities as well as NHS, housing and other vital issues of our times.

Paid work has included teaching, community work, addictions work, teamworking, organisational consultancy, counselling and mediation, and training people in conflict resolution.

An early adopter of LU, I went through the baptism of fire that was the first Disputes Committee and still want to be in LU! Did not leave when Jeremy Corbyn got elected although am a staunch supporter, because my inner cynic says LU will be needed when the Labour Party finally manage to dump him.  I do not believe we should stand candidates until this happens (or in the miraculous situation where Labour could get elected).

North West

Janet Gifford

Nominated by Wigan branch

Over the last year, I’ve served on the Disputes Committee, and handled a range of cases that have given me a good insight into some of the issues within the party, plus a decent grasp of the constitution.

I have also been a strong workplace advocate of disabled rights, serving on a national committee for visually impaired civil servants.
I am a “feet on the street” campaigner, in such matters as anti-fracking, support the doctors, end disability discrimination, and various anti-fascist demonstrations.

Through the People’s Assembly, I also have helped to promote green initiatives, awareness of homeless issues, and food poverty.
I’d like to represent the region because I think we have a unique perspective that needs to be heard nationally. For example, few people in Left Unity have heard of “Devo-Manc” – the hugely undemocratic brainchild of George Osborne which has been inflicted upon ten local towns without consultation or vote, and which affects (among other things) our local NHS.

This is now rolling out to Merseyside, with other “Northern Powerhouse” areas to follow. On a different front, The fracking companies have chosen Lancashire to make their challenge against democratically elected local government.
In other words, the Northwest is being used for Tory social engineering projects, and I feel it’s important that when our NC meets, we have strong reps to garner support for our region, but also to keep the rest of the party aware of what happens here – as it’s likely that once the Tories have tested them in the North west, those same policies will roll out nationally.

Graham Gifford

Nominated by Wigan branch

Over the last year, I’ve served on the Disputes Committee, and handled a range of cases that have given me a good insight into some of the issues within the party, plus a decent grasp of the constitution.
I stood as an LU candidate in the 2015 local elections, and have been active in street campaigns, such as anti-fracking, support the doctors, end disability discrimination, and various anti-fascist activities.
Through the People’s Assembly, I also have helped to promote green initiatives, awareness of homeless issues, and food poverty.
I’d like to serve on the NC because I’m keen to promote Left Unity as an effective campaigning party that it is. Although many comrades are now working with Momentum, I think it’s important that we also continue to function as a strong, separate and unique party in our own right, and continue to campaign on the issues that are central to our values.

John Pearson 

Nominated by Stockport Branch

I have been active in the working class movement for 45 years. In every employment, I have worked in my union, becoming a shop steward and twice, a branch secretary. I worked to build union strength at the grass roots. I was sacked for trade union activities 3 times. Each time, I won unfair dismissal verdicts. I am now active in the Unite Community section and a delegate to Stockport Trades Council. I have joined Left Unity’s Trade Union Commission.

I am a revolutionary socialist, a Marxist. I fight for socialism from below; the prize to be won through working class self-activity. I regard the creation of a working class party for socialism as pivotal. I supported projects to unite socialists, the Socialist Labour Party, the Socialist Alliance, through to Left Unity. I regard Left Unity as very important. Politically as well as organisationally, it must not be liquidated.

I am Secretary of my Party branch in Stockport. We have grown in influence locally in much greater proportion than in numbers, by immersing ourselves in the struggles of the working class. We have wide ranging monthly meetings dedicated to political discussion and education. We are now recruiting comrades we work with in local struggles. This is where active Left Unity recruits come from, not from the national website route.

I am standing for a regional representative seat on the National Council because I want to fight for the Party to concentrate on building strong branches, firmly rooted in the working class struggles.

I regard electoral work as mandatory. There is a serious crisis of representative democracy. We need to show how tribunes of the people should operate. Against the ‘managerial’ approach that has subverted democracy; refusing to stand aside for Labour candidates who vote for attacks on the working class.

Martin Ralph

Nominated by Margaret McAdam, Felicity Downing

I can bring to the national Council decades of experience as a trade union and community activist. I am on the Liverpool University UCU committee. I have always held a rank and file perspective for the unions and believe in workers democracy and mobilisations on the streets as the means of change in the struggle against capitalism.

I am against any form of oppression and prejudice in work places, trade unions, communities or  political organisation.

I am secretary of Old Swan Against the Cuts. It is a community based workers’ group that has campaigned on many local, national issues and some international – supporting the Greek No, metro workers strikes in Sao Paulo etc. We were central in a successful campaign with other groups that forced Liverpool City Council “find” £1.6 million to keep public libraries open in 2014 and in organising a No Austerity conference conference and demonstration in 2015.

I support the young people’s actions in Merseyside in the occupation for homeless people, the anti-fracking occupations and the student occupations.

OSAC has stood in local elections (3^rd of 8 twice) and we are standing  this year.

OSAC has a very friendly relationship with Left Unity Liverpool.

I was delegated three times from the UCU branch and Liverpool TUC (of which I am Vice-President) to the International Labour Network of Struggle – over a 100 militant union federations, unions and union organisations from 4 continents.

I believe Left Unity in the struggle for an independent working class, socialist and internationalist solution has a very important role to play. The more Left Unity builds in the working class communities and the rank and file of the unions the greater will be its impact.

I am a member of International Socialist League, part of the International Workers league-Fourth International.

Alison Treacher 

Nominated by Stockport LU

I have been in Left Unity since the founding conference and have been elected chair of Left Unity Stockport for the past to years. Our branches’ membership has been consistent and we have gained activists recently due to our commitment to local grassroots campaigns including saving our local wellbeing centre and being instrumental in founding Stockport United Against Austerity.

I am active in the People’s Assembly and have worked hard with other local activists to form Levenshulme People’s Assembly after mobilising in our community for the Conservative Party Conference. I am also a trade unionist and am involved with Unite’s Regional Activists.

I do not see electoral work as Left Unity’s main priority in the coming months however I do not oppose established branches standing in elections as a tool to convey our socialist message. I would, however, oppose standing in any marginal as I think it is critical for Labour to do well in both local and by elections to further Corbyn’s chances of success in the 2020 election.  The welfare state has been decimated by the Tories but if Corbyn is unsuccessful in 2020 it may not longer exist and the working class will return to days reliant on charity. I think to jeopardise a Labour victory for 150 votes is pointless.

Left Unity should take this time to consolidate and work on conveying a clear message to the left of Corbyn. We should confidently advocate for open borders and use the EU referendum as a platform to defend refugees and migrants and counteract the hateful, xenophobic message which will no doubt be central to the ‘out’ campaign.

Scotland

Siobhán Dancey

Nominated by Andrew Burgin and Kate Hudson

In being nominated to be on the NC for Left Unity I am very appreciative. The dramatic changes across the political landscape of Britain this past year; the election of a Tory government, the dominance of the SNP in Scotland and the emergence of the Corbyn shift within the labour party, has created a more polarized political atmosphere in which there seems to be greater political awareness and activism amongst the general population. I feel that Left Unity has a role to play in this landscape, today and in the future.

Support for the Corbyn movement is obvious but I feel there is necessity for more than one party to the ‘left’, to shift the balance of politics and offer people a choice of political options on the left should people they feel they are not truly Labour. Options of a party which offers the newness and freshness of Left Unity and which gives people the opportunity to be active and work to support campaigns for developing an equal society, with equal representation and acknowledgment of rights for all people no matter what their demographic.

I feel also as a nominee speaking from Scotland that there is need in Scotland in particular for a party to the left which is not campaigning mainly for the independence of Scotland. The options in Scotland currently for people who are not extremely nationalist but have more internationalist socialist views is lacking and I hope that Left Unity may be able to offer an option to people currently in this niche.  I hope then to be an active member within the Left Unity to contribute my time and  energy to supporting the development of the party across the UK.

South East

Andy Richards

Nominated by  Leila Erin-Jenkins, John Fitzgerald
Experience – former Councillor (Labour), election agent, Unison shop steward and branch official.  Active in my local trades council.
Like many socialists I welcome the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader as an advance for socialist politics. However I stil believe that there is a role for a left-of-Labour organisation to put pressure on the left of the Labour Party.
In particular the fight against austerity in the public sector needs an independent campaigning voice.  For example there is no organised fight from Labour against the savage cuts to local councils.  This is where Left Unity remains relevant.
We are also the only party committed to defending the rights of migrants, and opposition to war.
My priorities on the NC, if elected, would be seeking to stabilise and build the LU membership, and extending LU’s intervention in the trade unions.

Ed Huxley

Nominated by Brighton branch

Wales

Len Arthur

Nominated by Vera Arthur

We are facing class war and in the words of one US financier you and I, the working class are losing. We live in a planet where humanity is in imminent danger from global warming. We are paying for the financial crisis which we had no hand in creating: as Lenin said somewhere ‘capitalism will survive so long as the working class can be persuaded to pay the cost’.
It should be the job of a socialist party to speak out and reveal these dangerous trends. More than that, the party should be prepared to support and help organise a fightback offering an alternative in every way possible – through direct action and elections.

I’m committed to helping build Left Unity into the socialist party we need in Wales and the UK despite the losses to the LP http://leftunity.org/in-defence-of-the-left-unity-project/
In Wales I’ve worked closely with comrades to help bring Left Unity Wales into being, providing a democratic and accountable way for all members to take an active part and for us to work in complete public openness. Hopefully comrades feel this has continued as NC rep over the last year. We have already been involved in important campaigns such as No NATO, arguing for welfare not warfare and are now supporting the People’s Assembly Wales petition, calling on AMs to vote against cuts and defy the Tory government; and engaging politically with the post Corbyn LP: http://chwithunedigcymru.blogspot.co.nz/2015/10/wales-labour-ignores-corbyns-politics.html
I’d appreciate your support for continuing as NC member for  Left Unity Wales.

Ann Bennett

Nominated by Vera Arthur

I subscribe whole heartedly to the Left Unity Manifesto. I am a committed socialist ,have been for 40 years . I believe we must have a socialist society and will work , as I have done for decades , to achieve that

West Midlands

Pete McLaren

Nominated by Marion Wakelin (Rugby LU) Phil Pope (Bristol) and Liz Peck (Rugby LU)

MY ROLE IN LU

• I am an independent socialist who has been committed to LU since its birth, founding the branch in Rugby
• I have been a member of the LU NC throughout, attending almost every meeting
• I regularly report on line from NC meetings and, if elected, will continue to do so.

FIGHTING FOR UNITY ON THE LEFT

• My political work since expulsion from the Labour Party in 1992 has been to try and build unity across the left as part of the process of building a new mass, open, democratic socialist party. LU can play a vital role in that.
• I moved the successful resolution at last March’s Conference committing LU to open discussions with other left parties to avoid electoral clashes and form pacts
• As an officer of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, I was subsequently in an ideal position to help broker the deal enabling LU branches to stand as LU-TUSC, and the majority of LU General Election candidates stood under that joint ticket.

LU AND LABOUR

• The election of Jeremy Corbyn is very significant, but it hasn’t yet changed the nature of the Labour Party which remains undemocratic and which will, yet again, be cutting local services – which we must oppose
• We must oppose that whilst building unity with the Labour Left, including Momentum, where we can.

• It is vital that we demonstrate there is an alternative to austerity – Labour Councils will implement massive cuts without a fight, despite Jeremy’s victory.  The working class needs a voice.

The jury is out on how Labour will develop.  We need a new socialist party which opposes austerity, privatisation, war and all forms of discrimination and bigotry.  Let’s help build that, with, or without, support from Labour.

Darren McCourt

Nominated by Andrew Burgin and Kate Hudson (Haringey LU)

I am a member of Birmingham Left unity and a founding member of our party. I have previously served as one of the reps for West Midlands for a year and have attended this year as many NC meetings as an observer as I have been able.

I came into Left Unity with no previous political experience. I have learnt a lot over this time and am now much more confident speaking on different issues. I was till recently a member of Unite Community but have just found new employment on minimum wage and relying on tax credits so I understand the real struggle the working class are facing. I joined Left Unity as I felt and still feel there is no other party representing people like me. Far from believing that now is the time to abandon our project now is the time to step up and build it. If Jeremy Corbyn can lead Labour in a new direction then I will happily support him in that, I don’t feel however that this is in anyway a done deal.

I am active within our branch and now feel I can step forward and offer more to help build our party further. These are important times for us and our children’s futures and we need to step up to the struggle and not hope that it will all be ok in 2020.

I would like to help us become stronger both in Birmingham and nationally for a better future.

Yorkshire and Humberside

Nick Jones

Nominated by Leeds LU and Mathew Caygill

I am a founder member of Left Unity in Leeds, was a local election for candidate for Left Unity-TUSC last year and have helped maintain branch activity and ensure that we are involved in supporting local strikes, campaigns against cuts, racism, for the NHS.

I am an active Trade Unionist and have been a school representative and local officer for the National Union of Teachers for over fifteen years. I have served as Health and safety officer and currently represent LGBT+ members at Regional level.

I am a founding member of Keep Our NHS Public Leeds, local treasurer, and have been instrumental in organising numerous marches, street protests and involved in supporting local strikes across the region to defend the NHS.

The election of Jeremy Corbyn has been a welcome break in the recent past history of Labour’s pro war and pro cuts agenda. I am keen that we support his campaign and the work of those in Momentum.

Although the Labour party has attracted some new enthusiastic supporters it is still important that we have a party based upon socialist principles that oppose cuts in services, defend trades unions, oppose wars and campaigns vigorously for the welfare state: free health, education and housing for all. Sadly many Labour Councils are still implementing cuts. It is important that we work alongside those in Labour but also with those outside labour party too and challenge cuts.

I would like to share my experience with Left Unity nationally and help focus Left Unity focus on key campaigns, ensuring that we are rooted locally with a view to standing in future elections where necessary:

• Defend the NHS- no cuts, privatisation
• Defend the Welfare State- against attacks on benefits, housing and social care
• No war- oppose Trident
• Free Education
• Equalities for all

Louise Harrison 

Nominated by Leeds LU

I am currently working for Doncaster women’s aid, however, due to funding cuts as of March 31, I will be the 101st domestic abuse specialist since 2010 across the country to lose my job.

I have recently helped to set up the ‘women’s lives matter campaign- save domestic violence services ‘, in Doncaster which is fighting to save this and other vital services that protect women and children.

Since 2008, I have been campaigning in this town around austerity which I believe is state violence against women.

I have organised many meetings in Doncaster in order to save libraries, to celebrate 30 th anniversary of the miners strike and to support other campaigners fighting for justice, like Janet Alder.

Today, we took our campaign into the council budget meeting.

We held our banners high and chanted “dead women can’t vote- save Doncaster women’s aid.”

We also took our ‘women’s lives matter’ banners on the great anti trident demo last Saturday.

I helped to organise an anti trident meeting in our town in February as I believe that scrapping trident is one of the key arguments to saving important services like women’s aid.

I hope very much we see a Jeremy Corbyn victory at the next election, but I don’t believe we have to wait til then to save jobs, save services or save lives.

In terms of saving domestic violence services that have seen 54% national cuts since 2010, this is a necessity as cuts will always cost lives.

Our campaign has asked our labour council to ring fence funding for women’s aid and fight along with our three labour MPs to force the government to fund these services.

Because ‘Dead women can’t vote.’

Kath Owen 

Nominated by Leeds LU