Why I'm standing for TUSC in Thursday's Assembly elections

See my election video on: http://youtu.be/6qF9trLf99w

Thursday's elections for the Greater London Assembly provide a great opportunity to elect candidates who will stand out against the pro-cuts consensus from all the main parties. The TUSC challenge has a real chance to succeed in electing at least one assembly member. This would be a real breakthrough for everyone who wants to defend education and public services from cuts and privatisation.

Education is under attack from this Government: budgets are cut, schools facing forced privatisation, workload at intolerable levels - yet young teachers are told they should work until they’re 68! But, shamefully, New Labour’s leadership won’t oppose these attacks: Ed Balls won’t reverse cuts, Stephen Twigg supports Free Schools, Ed Milliband opposes trade unionists striking to defend their pensions. NUT conference confirmed the Union’s position of ‘No Cuts’ and condemned Labour leaders for saying they would maintain the bulk of the Coalition's cuts and austerity measures.

The NUT is also committed to opposing the BNP in elections. In London, the BNP won an assembly member on the ‘list’ last time. Voting TUSC can help knock out the BNP.

Teachers know they can’t just fight cuts and privatisation through trade union action alone. We also need political representatives that will speak out in support of union policies.

In Thurday's GLA elections, please use your vote for the all-London list - on the orange ballot paper -  to vote for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

The full list of candidiates is:
Alex Gordon, president of rail union RMT; Nick Wrack, TUSC national committee; April Ashley, Unison executive,representing black women members; Steve Hedley, RMT London organiser; Ian Leahair, Fire Brigades Union national committee member; Gary McFarlane, Black activist and journalist; Martin Powell- Davies, executive member of the teachers’ union NUT; Merlin Reader, postal worker; Joe Simpson, assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers Association; Jenny Sutton, college lecturer, UCU union; Nancy Taaffe, library worker made redundant, Waltham Forest Unison; Jackie Turner, doctor; Lee Vernon, PCS Young Members convenor for London; Lesley Woodburn, Unite rep on southeast regional TUC LGBTQ committee; Mick Dooley, construction industry activist; Mark Benjamin, black disabled PCS union activist.