Meet the TUSC candidate standing in Swindon North

It’s a common complaint – and one that isn’t true at all – to say that everyone standing for election is ‘just the same’.

Certainly Scott Hunter, who is contesting the Swindon North seat for the Trades Union and Socialist Coalition is not - he’s an old-school radical socialist firebrand of the type rarely seen these days, especially in Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party.

Though the word ‘firebrand’ does him something of a disservice: Mr Hunter is a big man, with a loud clear voice – but  he’s not in the least intimidating or angry in demeanour.

But his desire for radical change is very clear: “The socialist party wants to see society overthrow capitalism and to take the means of production into the hands of the workers.

“We’re not advocating storming parliament, we stand in elections.

“But we do want to build a new socialist party of and for the working class which has been ignored for so long in this country.”

Mr Hunter says the party’s programme is to renationalise the railways and energy and water companies: “We only pay compensation to small shareholders and pension funds but not greedy hedge funds which have already taken so much out of utilities in shareholder dividends.

“We’d make sure the NHS was totally in public hands and stop the creeping privatisation of it and we would cancel PFI debt, and plug the funding gap in local government. We’d build millions more council houses.”

Mr Hunter says it would be paid for by increased taxes on the wealthy, individuals and companies, and bring banks and financial institutions into public control.

Mr Hunter is under no illusion that he’s likely to win the election: “We want to offer an alternative. We want to show that there’s a different way. And to send a message to Labour that there are people who want socialism in this country, not just tinkering, not sticking to Conservative thinking.

“It’s clear that we are heading to a Starmer government, but 500 votes for me in Swindon North would send a big signal.

“I’m getting quite a good response when talking to people. Many just think: ‘Oh another election’ and they are not impressed by the choice between the two or three main parties.

“And if I was elected, I’d take no more in salary than that of the average worker, and I’d remain living here in north Swindon to remain connected to the working class community.

“If the TUSC did get one or two MPs elected, they would be able to pressure a Starmer government from the left and let them know that someone is keeping an eye on them.”

Swindon North is nobody’s idea of a done deal, even with the state of the opinion polls as they are, but Mr Hunter says he’s not worried that taking votes off left wingers from the Labour party risks allowing a Conservative victory.

And it’s not just because the polls suggest a Labour landslide: “I’m not bothered because as far as I can tell Labour and Conservatives are just the same. Some might say vote Labour to get the Tories out, but for me, that’s not going to make any difference. We’re still going to get Tory capitalist ideologies and policies and it won’t make any difference.

"So those people who do want something different, they can vote for me and we can start building a new party of and for the working class.”

Other candidates in Swindon North are the Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson, Labour’s Will Stone,  the Green Party candidate Andy Bentley, Reform UK candidate Les  Willis, Independent candidate Debbie Hicks and the Liberal Democrat Flo Clucas.