Campaign for Socialism

Campaign for Socialism (CfS) is an autonomous pressure group of Scottish Labour Party members and supporters who campaign for left-wing policies and candidates within the party.[3] In 2016, CfS agreed to a joint membership scheme with Momentum, a UK-wide grassroots movement supportive of Jeremy Corbyn and his leadership of the Labour Party.[4][5]

Campaign for Socialism
AbbreviationCfS
Formation1994
HeadquartersGlasgow
Membership
1,418 [1]
Chair
Seán Duffy[2]
Secretary
Siobhan McCready
Vice-Chair
Cara Hilton
WebsiteOfficial website

History

CfS was originally established in 1994 to campaign against the removal of Clause IV from the Labour Party's constitution.[6] By 2012, it was one of the only remaining ideological-based groupings in the party — but Gerry Hassan and Eric Shaw, writing that year, claimed that CfS "has few members, little organisational presence and has had a negligible influence on the direction of the party".[7]

CfS played a key role in organising Neil Findlay and Katy Clark's leadership bid in the 2014 Scottish Labour Party leadership election. Though unsuccessful, CfS claims the campaign "built the foundations for Jeremy [Corbyn]'s campaign just a few months later" by "giving many new, young volunteers experience and a network of contacts across the country that would help quickly mobilise an effective campaign".[8]

In 2016, Scottish Labour Young Socialists — founded in 2015[9] — became CfS's official youth wing.[10]

In 2017, five CfS members won seats on the Scottish Labour Party's national executive.[2] They called for the then Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, to pursue a socialist agenda and work more closely with Jeremy Corbyn's team.[11]

CfS endorsed[12] Richard Leonard to be the next leader of Scottish Labour following the resignation of Kezia Dugdale in August, 2017. Leonard went on to win the leadership with 56.7% of the vote.[13]

Notable members of CfS include: former Convenor Elaine Smith MSP, current Convenor Neil Findlay MSP, Hugh Gaffney MP, and Pauline Bryan.

References
  1. Momentum Needs to Reflect the Different Regions - Meet the Scottish Corbynites, retrieved 17 July 2019
  2. Executive Committee, retrieved 17 July 2019
  3. "News from the Scottish Labour Campaign for Socialism (CfS)". 7 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  4. Norman Smith (24 October 2015). "What is Momentum, and why is it worrying Labour MPs?". BBC News.
  5. Stone, Jon (8 October 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn's leadership campaign sets up new local activist network called 'Momentum'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. "Scottish Labour Left attacks London interference in Falkirk Selection Process". 4 July 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  7. Hassan, Gerry; Shaw, Eric (2012). The Strange Death of Labour Scotland. Edinburgh University Press. p. 259. ISBN 9780748655571.
  8. "How the contest was won". Scottish Left Review. November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  9. ""Something Different, Something Subversive"". 13 August 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  10. "Campaign for Socialism AGM discusses way forward". Workers' Liberty. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  11. Hutcheon, Paul (5 March 2017). "Dugdale loyalists lost out in Labour internal elections over bungled campaign approach". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  12. "CfS Supports Richard Leonard for Scottish Labour Leader". Campaign for Socialism. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  13. Carrell, Severin (18 November 2017). "Richard Leonard wins Scottish Labour leadership in decisive victory". the Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
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