02.05.2001

Nottingham

Global issues

Hold the front page! Someone mentioned the word ?Marx? at the weekly Nottingham Socialist Alliance meeting on April 30. And if this was not weird enough, the meeting very nearly descended into a wholehearted debate, and probably would have done if we were allowed a little more time.

This week?s meeting, attended by around 25 comrades from the main groups as well as several independents, was mainly about the chauvinist antics of our opponents at the forthcoming election, and, after a fine (if too short) speech by Steve Score of the Socialist Party, who is standing as an SA candidate in neighbouring Leicester, it was decided that we would make this one of our key issues in the campaign.

Leafleting and canvassing has now been stepped up to an almost daily basis, and our candidate, Pete Radcliff of the Alliance for Workers? Liberty, is becoming more and more confident of polling a good return as time goes by. There is real enthusiasm that we are getting our message across. However, our biggest enemy is complacency. We must not let slip the good work that has gone on since Christmas now we are so close to the election.

Welcome, if rather unexpected, news came in to Notts SA headquarters this week when we were asked by Nottingham High School, a ?grammar?-style school in the constituency, to go and visit them. Apparently, the students at the school are holding mock elections, and one is standing as an SA candidate. It is good to see that the SA is getting through to younger people.

Sam Metcalf