WORKING-CLASS communities do not need candidates parachuted in to solve their problems, the woman challenging Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds for election is out to prove.
Jabu Nala-Hartley, a former Labour party councillor, is contesting the Oxford East seat as an extension of her long-standing role as an advocate for her community.
Her campaign as an independent socialist is supported by most of the local left, including the Communist Party and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
As with many other independent parliamentary campaigns, Gaza has been the trigger for Ms Nala-Hartley’s standing.
“My motivation for running is Gaza,” she said. “I was in the Labour Party but I left over the insane attitude to the whole issue of collective punishment condoned by Keir Starmer and his not calling for a ceasefire.
“That is the number one issue that made me want to stand. This is a moral issue for all of us, we cannot let Gaza perish and we condemn the complicity of this government in sending arms to Israel,” she told the Star.
She is also challenging Ms Dodds as a trade unionist, giving the incumbent MP “a good roasting” at a recent hustings on the issue.
“I thought that the Labour Party was the party that fought for workers, but it doesn’t really do that,” she said, drawing attention to Sir Keir’s ban on shadow ministers supporting union picket lines.
Attending picket lines is in Nala-Hartley’s blood since she is the daughter of the first black woman trade union leader in South Africa.
She arrived in Oxford 40 years ago as a small child when her mother secured a place at the union-sponsored Ruskin College.
Ms Nala-Hartley said she is particularly appalled at Labour’s flirtation with racism.
She cited the Forde report which “highlighted that the Labour Party is not treating its black members properly.”
Ms Nala-Hartley also criticised Sir Keir’s remarks about deporting people to Bangladesh and his “using immigration to appeal to rightwingers.”
She said her campaign shows that “we can have working-class champions to address our own plight, we do not need parachuted candidates.”
The challenge to Ms Dodds is securing strong support locally, she said, and even if victory is beyond reach next week, she aims to build an enduring left unity in Oxford.
“We must continue to build a base and start planning for the next election,” Ms Nala-Hartley said.
“The opportunity will come to win her seat in four years’ time.”
