With only ten days to go until election day, the campaign to support Fiona Lali – the revolutionary communist candidate for Stratford & Bow – has been gathering pace.
In the past week, hundreds of volunteers and members of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) have taken to the streets and the doorstep to connect with the mood of burning anger towards the establishment parties.
Last Saturday alone, 100 volunteers were out in force throughout the constituency, handing out thousands of leaflets and posters to local residents and shop-owners.
Biggest day out yet for the campaign today. Rally at Stratford station then we hit all 9 wards with about 80 people helping out. Thanks so much to @ditalalmolloy for coming to speak at the rally. We have war criminals to kick out and a world to win! pic.twitter.com/B9ziTpAAir
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) June 22, 2024
In some busy high streets, almost every single shop front is emblazoned with ‘Vote Fiona’ posters.
If you’re around Stratford & Bow these days see if you can spot our campaign posters in people’s windows 👀 More going up every day! pic.twitter.com/2Kvn3hSWIa
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) June 19, 2024
The reports we’ve received reveal a complete rejection of Starmer’s Labour by local workers and youth, who seem to be hated even more than the Tories for their rank hypocrisy and lies.
As one comrade campaigning in Green Street reported:
“People here hate Starmer’s Labour. Not just because of their blatant support for imperialism and genocide, but for how they’ve taken working-class communities in London for granted, relying on their votes while doing absolutely nothing to help.”
This attitude was echoed in another interaction with a local couple, who had recently faced the prospect of illegal deportation at the hands of the reactionary Tory government.
They noted that the local Labour MP didn’t lift a finger to support them, and said that they have no faith in Starmer, who has the exact same policy of migrant-bashing and whipping up xenophobia.
Increasingly, local residents can see that the Tories and Labour are indistinguishable.
Enthusiasm
Everywhere we go, we are met with overwhelming support for Fiona and her bold, working-class policies – like kicking out the war criminals, nationalising the big corporations, and democratically planning the economy.
Many people already recognise Fiona from clips that have been circulating widely online, denouncing the war criminals in Westminster and the system they uphold.
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“A Pakistani shop owner came running out of his shop after seeing one of our flags,” one RCP member reported. “He told me how he loves Marx and Lenin, and took a handful of our flyers and posters. His friend said that people in the community listen to what he has to say.”
Similarly, two brothers who own a café offered their space for meetings and events for the duration of the campaign.
They said they had both been involved in the Labour Party for years, but had since been purged by Starmer’s right-wing leadership, along with thousands of other left-wingers who dare to stand up for workers and the oppressed.
While canvassing a tower block in Bow, we spoke to one resident who said that we were the only party he’d seen on the doorstep. He estimated that 90% of the block’s residents would support Fiona.
Workers at a local NHS centre also grabbed material out of our hands. It’s clear that Fiona’s demand for scrapping arms spending in favour of saving our crumbling healthcare system is resonating with those on the frontlines of the NHS.
Most of all, however, this campaign has found an echo amongst the youth, who have grown up knowing nothing but austerity, war, and climate catastrophe, and who are therefore repelled by the establishment parties.
In Bow, local school students gathered around one of our stalls to ask us questions. They were keen to hear about our demands in favour of free education and living grants, and took leaflets to distribute in their school. Some of them already considered themselves communists!
Even though they cannot yet vote, it’s clear that these young people can see that capitalism offers them no future, and want to join the struggle to see a world free from poverty and oppression.
Communist ideas
As part of last week’s campaigning, Fiona attended a public Q&A meeting at Stratford Library, which drew in around fifty attendees.
She gave a passionate speech putting forward a communist perspective of what a Starmer government will look like, and how we can get organised to defend the interests of the world working class.
Fiona ended the speech with an impassioned rallying cry:
“We need to go out there with the full message that we are aiming for nothing less than to change the world.
We know exactly what we are opposed to, but we are also saying what we are for. It is not enough just to be against the system. You have to be for an alternative.
So let’s plan an economy on the basis of need and not profit, let’s kick out all the profiteers, all of the war criminals, and all of the imperialists.
We have war criminals to kick out. But most importantly, and most positively, we have a world to win!”
As one attendee pointed out: “You won’t find politics like this from any other candidate!”
There was then a lively discussion on various topics, including why the Corbyn movement failed, how we can build the workers’ and students’ movements, and why reforms aren’t enough to dismantle capitalism.
This kind of political discussion – providing a deeper insight and perspective into the problems facing workers and youth – is what sets the RCP apart from the other parties taking part in this election.
Through this campaign, we are aiming for more than just votes. We are aiming to raise the sights of workers and young people to the tasks that lie ahead, and organise people in the fight for a communist future.
As one RCP member reported:
“People are very impressed that we can talk politics… we can go way beyond the sloganeering and vote-begging of the other candidates, because we are communists and we have something to say!”
On the back of all this activity, since the start of Fiona’s campaign, dozens of people have joined the RCP, and hundreds more have written in asking about getting organised.
The following day, Fiona attended a Palestine solidarity concert where musicians like Lowkey, Yusuf Cat Stevens, and former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters were headlining.
Still on a high from the Stand Up for Palestine event last night – see @Lowkey0nline vid below!! Meeting @YusufCatStevens and talking politics with @rogerwaters afterwards was such an inspiration. FREE FREE PALESTINE! pic.twitter.com/mfzKP0lwTt
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) June 22, 2024
At the end of the gig, Waters gave an endorsement of Fiona’s campaign, with plans in place for further political discussion and joint activity. Watch this space!
Support the campaign!
With election day drawing closer, we aren’t going to take our foot off the pedal. Far from it! We need to ramp up our activity even further.
This week, comrades will be out on the streets of East London on Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6pm.
And this Saturday, 29 July, RCP members from across the whole of Britain will be descending on Stratford & Bow – meeting at midday in Stratford Park – to spread Fiona’s message far and wide.
We are also aiming to get hundreds of people out campaigning in the days running up to the election next week.
Some RCP activists are even taking days off work to get stuck into the campaign. This is the kind of determination that we need!
So we urge all of our readers and supporters: get involved right away, and help give one last big push!
If you can’t make it to London, there’s still plenty you can do. Whether it’s sharing Fiona’s posts on social media, or helping us raise funds for the campaign’s war chest – any support will go a long way!
Thanks so much for all the support we have had so far, if you can donate please do so here:https://t.co/EH8YCnEjqI pic.twitter.com/0noTCjVGzW
— Fiona Lali (@fiona_lali) June 19, 2024
In Lancaster, for example, the RCP branches held a BBQ social to raise money for the campaign.
It’s clear that Fiona’s campaign has been attracting attention and sympathy across Britain – and across the world.
So whether you’re in Stratford or Sheffield, Bow or Birmingham, there’s plenty you can do to spread Fiona’s programme and build the forces of revolutionary communism.
Crucially, this struggle will not end on 4 July. We will continue to fight until this horrific system is overthrown worldwide. We invite you to join the RCP, get organised, and help us in this task.
