01 May 2024
One of the more unusual candidates standing in the forthcoming district council elections is the Communist Party of Britain’s Mark Ewington, who is running in the Sopwell ward. Ahead of this week’s ballot, the St Albans Times caught up with Mark to discuss his campaign.
Mark, 51, has worked as a probation officer for 25 years. He was born in St Albans, as were many generations of his family before him. His great grandfather was killed in the first battle of Ypres in 1914 and his name is on the plaque at St Leonard’s Church in Sandridge.
Mark studied Politics and Modern History at the University of Huddersfield 1994-7 and was the chair of the Marxist Club at the student union.
He explained why he decided to stand in the district council elections: “We believe in building strong communities in which working class people can thrive. The poorest in our communities have suffered the brunt of the financial crisis including the cost of living which is having a direct negative impact on the most vulnerable people in our community.
“They have endured 5% rent increases and 5% increases in their Council Tax. The three main parties simply do not advocate on behalf of those most vulnerable in the community. There are proportions of people in the Sopwell Ward that have no confidence or voice. I want to broaden the discussion, give people a voice and the confidence to organise and demand more from their local politicians.
“Cuts to local services can be seen in transport, broken pavements, and less services despite price hikes. The three
main parties simply do not speak for ordinary people struggling to make ends meet. We end up getting the same whoever we vote for, people need to be more empowered. Our presence in the local and national elections can be a small step and eventually a catalyst for much-needed change.”
So why stand as a Communist candidate specifically?
“I have identified as a Marxist/Socialist since the age of 14. Growing up in an area where the gap between the haves and have not’s is huge. I have also previously campaigned for and advocated Jeremy Corbyn and his attempts to make the Labour Party more representative of working class people.
“The Communist Party in its pamphlet Britain’s Road to Socialism advocates a range of wonderful ideas that can help fix the problems in society and our communities. For instance, we are the only party that is campaigning for the abolition of the Council Tax, which should be replaced with a local income tax and a property tax based on ability to pay. A genuine redistribution of wealth based on fairness which could create far more money for cash strapped councils and strengthen communities.”
He has been a member of the Communist Party for four years. and this is the third time he has made the case for socialism in a local election in St Albans.
Does he think there is still a place on the political stage for Communism? “Absolutely! It is more relevant now than it has ever been.
“Market capitalism continues to create wars, destroying the environment, and creating a huge gap between the richest and poorest. Alienation is a daily reality for some of our most vulnerable people. Profit before people has created a housing crisis, very few of the houses sold off were ever replaced and much of what remains of the housing stock have not been brought up to 21st century standards.
“Our young people lack the relevant opportunities and apprenticeships, and child poverty continues to increase. The evils of market economics are there for all to see. The most vulnerable people are struggling to make ends meet whilst millionaires have become billionaires. Many of whom have not paid their fair share and contribute to what has become a broken society. The NHS, education and criminal justice services are being deliberately run down to seek justification for privatisation.
“Whilst capitalist economics continues to create victims Communism/Marxism will always be relevant. We can’t start to fix these issues whilst we continue to vote for the three main parties. They have created all the problems and have none of the solutions. We need to fight back and that starts in our communities.
“Obviously, the mega-rich monopoly-owned media doesn’;t say nice things about communists. Many people are amazed when I tell them what we really stand for. Ordinary people are less scared of and do not believe we are the bogey-people or stooges of Russia.
“In fact, there is a long-time and rich heritage of politics on the left in Britain, extending from the Peasants’ Revolt to the Levellers of the English Revolution, to the Chartists and the Suffragettes, many of whose leaders went on to become communists. Put simply we believe the interests of the many should overtake that of the few and that the big issues like climate change and poverty can only be overcome if the working people, work together.”
What does he think about the state of politics in St Albans?
“The reality is local authorities have little power and they are being financially strangled by central government.
“We are in a unique position where 48 of our 56 councillors and our local MP are Liberal Democrats. Whilst they are more visual than the previous administration, the bar has been set very low. Content with the leadership of Keir Starmer, the Labour Partty have given up and turned their backs on ordinary which has created an opportunity for candidates like us.
“We are in a situation where anyone but the Tories is the order of the day. Whilst this is good to some extent it does not provide the answers to the big questions that those in our community are concerned about. We need to empower communities to take control, set examples, and build projects that can work to better the community.
“As you will appreciate, we are a small party, and we are outworking many of the larger parties in our distribution of campaign material which both visually and in their content are far superior to anything being put out on the chip paper of the three main parties.
“The Conservatives and Labour clearly have nothing to say in our area and demonstrated by the lack of effort they are making to engage voter. As a small party we are showing our determination to make a difference. We are offering a clear choice to voters. We have not been able to canvass at this stage. However, every household in the ward has had or will have a copy of our leaflet and manifesto. We are also doing street stalls, engaging with local people and we have had some successful food bank collections. To put it simply, if you have the opportunity, vote Communist.”
So why does he believe people should vote for him?
“My manifesto says that the class you are born into should not dominate one’s life path, but so many issues rest on exactly that. My manifesto is about some of the big issues that we think local government should get involved in. We would like to see the council use its authority to call for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine and Gaza. We believe mail, rail, water, and energy should be publicly run and accountable to voters. We believe the Council Tax needs to be abolished and replaced by a new tax based on a mix of income, property, and ability to pay.
“Locally, we call for the creation of a programme of quality jobs for youth allied to large scale council home building and we want the councils to get a grip on the traffic issue as monopoly ownership just does not work. We call for restoring the schools link to local councils and regeneration of our high streets,
by taking over vacant property and putting them to the service of local cooperative farmers markets, small craft traders and community hubs.”
What does he think he can change from within the council as opposed from outside?
“I would not join the council to disrupt as some commentators have said. My job would be to respect council staff and forge working alliances with those who want to oppose cuts to local services. I would advocate a progressive and visionary programme for the expansion of civic and publicly driven community life.
“We cannot avoid the climate crisis in St Albans and would need to work with other local councils to make major changes that go across ward boundaries: air quality, retro-fitting homes, new means of transport such as supertram systems.
“The communists assert that councils need more powers to intervene in local economies when all they face is government run down and a financial stranglehold. The council must speak out against this, and the Communist Party has members campaigning for better more responsive councils, every day of the year, not just on election day. The struggle will go on regardless of the outcome, but my hope is that voters look beyond the anti-communist scare stories, read the manifesto, and give us their trust to get things moving.
“Many people are interested in our views even if they end up disagreeing with them. The point is that there is a complete news blackout about our activity – for example, our work across the east of England to collect for food banks – unless it’s during an election period when the press is obliged to report accurately about us. So, I welcome this chance to explain to your readers and thank you for the opportunity.”
