Independent Working Class Association
Encyclopedia
The Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) is a minor working-class political party
in the United Kingdom
that aims to promote the political and economic interests of the working class
, regardless of the consequences to existing political and economic structures. It has been most successful in the Blackbird Leys
and Wood Farm
estates of East Oxford and has councillors on Oxford City Council
.
, Red Action
, and the Revolutionary Communist Group, who argued that the likely election of a New Labour government would entrench the legacy of Thatcherism
and further diminish the political influence of the working class. It says its ideology stems from the trade union
collectivism
of the 1970s, and it has received support from some anarchists,
but it criticises socialism
.
From 1998, the Independent Working Class Association formed groups in Birmingham
, Oxford
, Glasgow
, the London boroughs of Islington
and Hackney
, and a few other areas. In 2003, the IWCA was launched as a national organisation.
, Stuart Craft, with more than 40% of the vote. Three more candidates received over 20% of the vote in the local elections in London, in Heaton ward in Havering
, Clerkenwell
ward in Islington and Haggerston
ward in Hackney. They won 22% in Bunhill ward in London in a by-election in 2003.
The IWCA was able to raise the £20,000 required for participation in the 2004 London mayoral election
and nominated Lorna Reid, a resident and advice worker on the Highbury
council estate. Her campaign focused on opposing anti-social behaviour
by funding youth facilities and cleaning up estates, establish community restorative justice schemes, local drugs detox centres and progressive local taxation. Reid came ninth with 9,542 (0.5%) of the first preference votes and 39,678 (2.1%) of the second preferences.
In the local elections
that took place on the same day, the IWCA picked up two more seats on Oxford city council. At the 2006 local elections
, they stood six candidates and gained a further seat from Labour, taking their total to four. However, they lost two of their Oxford council seats to Labour in May 2008
. One of their councillors, Jane Lacey, stood down in 2010 to continue as a community campaigner, saying that she was disillusioned by the politics of the council.
Maurice Leen contested the seat of Oxford East for the IWCA in the 2005 UK general election
, receiving 892 votes (2.1%).
In 2008, the Thurrock branch of the IWCA contested the working class Stanford
East and Corringham Town ward and won 98 votes, down from 144 votes in 2007 and behind the BNP
's 344 votes.
In 2006, the Oxford branch of the party won a libel action against Bill Baker, Deputy Leader of Oxford City Council
, who had posted defamatory material alleging the IWCA had links to violent extremists and Irish Republican
groups to homes in Donnington Brook in the run-up to the 2005 local elections
. The IWCA, represented in their suit by Carter-Ruck
, said it would use the £15,000 it collected in damages to fund their 2006 campaign.
In 2009 the two IWCA councillors missed a meeting at which an above-inflation rise in council tax of 4.5% was decided, due to work and family commitments. A tied vote was decided by the casting vote of the Labour Lord Mayor.
According to its statement of accounts to the Electoral Commission on 31 December 2006 it had 312 members, down by 7 on the previous year. It had a total income of £17,710 and an expenditure of £9,892.
to tackle anti-social behaviour
, which has led to it being accused of vigilantism. In contrast to many other left-wing groups, the IWCA actively campaigns on crime affecting working class people and a lack of services. It campaigns on issues of local concern such as council housing stock transfers, muggings and inner-city regeneration, and against social harm due to drug abuse
. The group has also argued that many racial issues are symptoms of the wider issue of social deprivation, and for taking a stance against what it describes as multiculturalism
in the belief that it encourages segregation
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that aims to promote the political and economic interests of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, regardless of the consequences to existing political and economic structures. It has been most successful in the Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys is a civil parish and ward in Oxford, England, and is one of the largest council estates in Europe. According to the 2001 census, the ward had a population of 5,803. Unlike most parts of the City of Oxford, the area has a civil parish. The parish was created in 1990. Its 2001 parish...
and Wood Farm
Wood Farm, Oxfordshire
Wood Farm is a residential district of Oxford, England, south of Headington in the southeast of the city. The Eastern By-Pass is to the east, Cowley is to the southwest and Headington Quarry is to the north.-Services:...
estates of East Oxford and has councillors on Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
.
Founding
The IWCA was formed in 1995 by several organisations, including Anti-Fascist ActionAnti-Fascist Action
Anti-Fascist Action was a militant anti-fascist organization founded by members of Red Action and other left-wing groups in the United Kingdom in 1985....
, Red Action
Red Action
Red Action is a small British leftist political group formed in 1981. It became known for violently confronting racist and fascist opponents on the streets, and for supporting Anti-Fascist Action...
, and the Revolutionary Communist Group, who argued that the likely election of a New Labour government would entrench the legacy of Thatcherism
Thatcherism
Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...
and further diminish the political influence of the working class. It says its ideology stems from the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
collectivism
Collectivism
Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic, mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation...
of the 1970s, and it has received support from some anarchists,
but it criticises socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
.
From 1998, the Independent Working Class Association formed groups in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the London boroughs of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
and Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, and a few other areas. In 2003, the IWCA was launched as a national organisation.
Electoral performance
In the 2002 Oxford City Council elections the IWCA achieved the election of a local councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
, Stuart Craft, with more than 40% of the vote. Three more candidates received over 20% of the vote in the local elections in London, in Heaton ward in Havering
London Borough of Havering
The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large...
, Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
ward in Islington and Haggerston
Haggerston
Haggerston is an area and a electoral ward in the London Borough of Hackney, in northeast London, UK. It is bounded by Hackney Road on the south, Kingsland Road on the west, Middleton Road on the north with London Fields and Broadway Market on the east...
ward in Hackney. They won 22% in Bunhill ward in London in a by-election in 2003.
The IWCA was able to raise the £20,000 required for participation in the 2004 London mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2004
The 2004 election to the post of Mayor of London took place on 10 June 2004. It was being held on the same day as other local elections and the UK part of the 2004 European Parliament elections, so Londoners had a total of five votes on three ballot papers. Polling opened at 07:00 local time, and...
and nominated Lorna Reid, a resident and advice worker on the Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
council estate. Her campaign focused on opposing anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
by funding youth facilities and cleaning up estates, establish community restorative justice schemes, local drugs detox centres and progressive local taxation. Reid came ninth with 9,542 (0.5%) of the first preference votes and 39,678 (2.1%) of the second preferences.
In the local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2004
The United Kingdom local elections of 2004 were held on 10 June, as part of the 2004 set of elections along with the European elections and the London mayoral and Assembly elections.-About the elections:...
that took place on the same day, the IWCA picked up two more seats on Oxford city council. At the 2006 local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2006
Local government elections took place in England on Thursday 4 May 2006. Polling stations were open between 7:00 and 22:00.All London borough council seats were up for election, as well as a third of the seats on each of the metropolitan borough councils, and a third of some unitary authorities...
, they stood six candidates and gained a further seat from Labour, taking their total to four. However, they lost two of their Oxford council seats to Labour in May 2008
United Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
. One of their councillors, Jane Lacey, stood down in 2010 to continue as a community campaigner, saying that she was disillusioned by the politics of the council.
Maurice Leen contested the seat of Oxford East for the IWCA in the 2005 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, receiving 892 votes (2.1%).
In 2008, the Thurrock branch of the IWCA contested the working class Stanford
Stanford-le-Hope
Stanford-le-Hope is a town and Church of England parish situated in the county of Essex, England. The town is within the unitary authority of Thurrock and located 23.8 miles east of Charing Cross in London...
East and Corringham Town ward and won 98 votes, down from 144 votes in 2007 and behind the BNP
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
's 344 votes.
History
In summer 2004, the Hackney branch of the IWCA split away to form Hackney Independent.In 2006, the Oxford branch of the party won a libel action against Bill Baker, Deputy Leader of Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
, who had posted defamatory material alleging the IWCA had links to violent extremists and Irish Republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
groups to homes in Donnington Brook in the run-up to the 2005 local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2005
Elections for local government were held in the England and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005 along with the 2005 general election across the entire United Kingdom...
. The IWCA, represented in their suit by Carter-Ruck
Carter-Ruck
Carter-Ruck is a British law firm founded by Peter Carter-Ruck.According to their website they specialise in libel, privacy, international law and commercial litigation....
, said it would use the £15,000 it collected in damages to fund their 2006 campaign.
In 2009 the two IWCA councillors missed a meeting at which an above-inflation rise in council tax of 4.5% was decided, due to work and family commitments. A tied vote was decided by the casting vote of the Labour Lord Mayor.
According to its statement of accounts to the Electoral Commission on 31 December 2006 it had 312 members, down by 7 on the previous year. It had a total income of £17,710 and an expenditure of £9,892.
Campaigns
The IWCA has adopted tactics of community actionCommunity organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
to tackle anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
, which has led to it being accused of vigilantism. In contrast to many other left-wing groups, the IWCA actively campaigns on crime affecting working class people and a lack of services. It campaigns on issues of local concern such as council housing stock transfers, muggings and inner-city regeneration, and against social harm due to drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
. The group has also argued that many racial issues are symptoms of the wider issue of social deprivation, and for taking a stance against what it describes as multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
in the belief that it encourages segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
.
External links
- IWCA national website
- IWCA Oxford website
- IWCA Islington website
- IWCA Thurrock website
- Electoral commission entry
- Articles on the IWCA by Red Action
- Articles on the IWCA by the Alliance for Workers Liberty