The Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has announced its candidates for the Senedd elections.
In Gŵyr Abertawe, the lead candidate is Ben Golightly, a member of the Socialist Party and one of the elected coordinators for Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru.
Ben says his driving force in standing for election is “Fighting the UK government disability cuts - and the Welsh Labour MPs voting for them and designing them. We need a Welsh Government that stands up for us - not a first minister who says ‘it’s up to MPs’.”
“But the challenge for me is not to be pigeon-holed as just a disabled activist, but to fight this election on a rounded-out programme for the working-class as a whole.”
One important issue for Ben is providing a positive alternative to Reform UK. He says that stopping ‘lesser evilism’ isn’t enough. “People are right to complain about the lack of affordable housing, healthcare, services, and the cost of living. Reform UK argues about who should be first in the queue – but the problem is the queue itself, the rationing of services. While we squabble over our place in the line, big business gets away with looting our public services.
“Without a socialist alternative on offer, things will only get worse, and working-class people could grow more divided and pay the price for the bosses’ crisis. We need trade unions to boldly confront the issues and build a new workers’ party to cut across racism and division.”
Joining Ben on the TUSC party list for Swansea & Gower is Mark Evans, a long-standing Unison trade unionist, Socialist Party member, and Secretary of Swansea & District Trades Council.
Mark played an important role in winning TUC Cymru, which represents 400,000 workers in Wales, to the position of calling on councils to adopt legal needs-led budgets to defend council workers, service users, and residents, from cuts and council tax rises.
Ben concluded: “Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist candidates will be the only option on the ballot paper supporting policies like those, and the only candidates with the track record to back it up.”
All Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidates have pledged that, if elected, they would forgo the full £76,380 Senedd member salary, and take home only a worker’s wage.
The coalition is also standing three candidates in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.
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