The entire system is the problem!
From grotesque wealth inequality, to inflation, to war and environmental destruction, capitalism creates crisis upon crisis. This system is organised for one purpose only: maximising the short-term profits of a few. There is no regard for the consequences for people or the planet. Capitalism without brutality, destruction and exploitation is not possible - that means the entire system has to go!
There is an urgent need to build a united working-class movement for socialist change. We make up the vast majority of society. Already 250,000 of us are organised in trade unions across the North. This is the force that can bring about fundamental change if our collective power is harnessed and organised. In place of capitalist chaos, we need a society based on public ownership and democratic planning in the interests of people's needs and the future of our planet. Change will not be handed down from above - as always, it must be won through united and active struggles of the working class, based on solidarity and unity.
The local election will not solve the issues we face but it is an opportunity for you to vote to reject the establishment parties, the sectarian division and capitalist status quo they represent. We appeal to you to do that by voting Amy #1 and getting active in support of this campaign and the wider struggle we have to wage.
Amy Ferguson Your Socialist Candidate
Amy lives in Omagh and works as a barista. She is a trade union activist, environmental campaigner, LGBTQ+ rights activist and socialist feminist.
Amy’s record:
l Secretary of Unite’s Northern Ireland Hospitality branch, organising workers in cafes, bars and restaurants. Member of Omagh Trade Union Council, which organised the "No Going Back" rally in February 2023
l Pro-choice activist and campaigner against gender violence;
l Spoke alongside Greta Thunberg at COP26 climate rally. Has helped organise Earth Strikes locally and protested against mining in the Sperrins;
l Helped organise Omagh Pride events;
l As a Socialist Party member, Amy is part of International Socialist Alternative which organises activists worldwide in the fight for a socialist future.
A message from Amy:
“I am standing in this election to provide an anti-sectarian, socialist voice for workers, women and the environment. Capitalism is creating crises for ordinary people – poverty, climate change, gender violence, war and sectarian tensions. Enough is enough. We need socialist change that takes power and wealth out of the hands of the super-rich and puts it in the hands of working people. I’m not just asking you to vote for me on 18th May. I’m asking you to get involved in the fightback!”
Vote Amy #1 & help us build a socialist alternative!
Whenwe fight, we can win!
Pushed by the cost-of-living crisis, workers in many sectors including Royal Mail and the NHS have taken strike action in recent months. Through determined action, workers have already won and are continuing to achieve pay victories. Amy and the Socialist Party have consistently supported striking workers and will continue to do so.
Amy & the Socialist Party say:
l Politicians in Westminster, Stormont and local councils are to blame for decades of underfunding, mismanagement and privatisation of the NHS, Royal Mail and other public services;
l We will assist workers in the Omagh area in organising a coordinated fightback for above-inflation pay rises and fully
We need a fighting, bold and democratic trade union movement that is based on uniting workers across the
Hands off our NHS - fight for a fully funded, well resourced health service that meets people’s needs. Reinstate acute and maternity services in Omagh and expand provision, including mental health services!
Tax the wealthy to fund services & emergency climate action!
We are told, there is no alternative to ongoing cuts and attacks on our living standards. But this is nonsense. The money exists to fund services. In early
2022, the three major supermarket chains saw their profits increase by 89% compared to pre-Covid levels. This shows the reality of the cost-of-greed crisis.
Active choices are being made by politicians locally and in Westminster that are further pushing the burden of the capitalist economic crisis onto workers. Big business profiteering and inflation in food, rent and transport costs disproportionally effect those on lower incomes.
Amy and the Socialist Party campaign for:
l £15 minimum wage now with no exemptions and above-inflation pay rises for all workers; Nationalise energy and food companies & run them democratically for people and planet, not profit;
l Rent controls and reductions now. Emergency investment to build social housing and end the housing crisis.
l Free, frequent and accessible public transport for all! Expand public transport, including rail links to Omagh.
l Stop big business exploitation of our natural resources - No to gold mining and fracking, yes to green jobs with living wages!
Fight to end sexism, gender violence & transphobia!
We have been part of the continued mobilisation in defence of LGBTQ+ and women's rights and against gender violence. Gender violence and femicide have increased at alarming rates and we have seen consistent attempts by the Tories, the press and others to pedal racism and transphobia. With the rightwing transphobic & anti-feminist backlash in full swing, we need socialist-feminist struggle now more than ever! This means working-class and anti-capitalist feminism; an active movement of solidarity made up of workers and young
people of all genders in struggle against all forms of gender violence, sexism and LGBTQ+ phobia!
Amy and the Socialist Party fight for:
l Factual, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex and relationship education in schools;
l Emergency investment in support services for victims and survivors of gender violence!
l Easily accessible abortion services for all who need them in Northern Ireland on the NHS;
l The adoption and implementation of Unite Hospitality's Get Me Home Safely charter by Fermanagh & Omagh District Council;
l Free public childcare and quality early years provision.
No going back! For working-class unity against sectarianism
25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, we face ongoing sectarian deadlock and the resurgence of paramilitary forces, while our education system remains overwhelmingly segregated. Instead of a 'peace dividend', poverty is rising at alarming rates. Sectarian division cannot be overcome by politicians or parties who have a vested interest in maintaining it and who support or accept the capitalist economic system which fosters competition and division among working-class people.
Workers and young people from all backgrounds have more that unites than
divides us - as seen when workers strike for pay rises, or when we protest against climate destruction and oppression. The rally in February, called by Omagh Trade Union Council, underlined how working-class people can stand together against paramilitary violence.
Unless we unite and fight against capitalism, it will mean ongoing division and exploitation. A united movement of working-class people can bring about socialist change and create a new society based on solidarity and mutual respect with the rights of all communities guaranteed.
Amy and the Socialist Party call for:
l High quality, fully integrated and secular public education
l No hardening of borders, North-South or in the Irish Sea
l United protests and strikes to challenge sectarian violence
l A new cross-community, working-class party which challenges the sectarian establishment.
Rally called by Omagh Trades Council against paramilitary violence
